 "Photo: Craig Bland")
 "Photo: Craig Bland")
 "Photo: Craig Bland")
FORT WORTH - Inside the spacious gymnasium of Calvary Christian Academy, hundreds of people eagerly anticipated Gov. Rick Perry's approval of two bitterly divisive bills: a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and a law strengthening parental control over abortion rights of minors. Across the street from a towering model of the Ten Commandments, a crowd of protesters of all ages chanted "Separate! Church and State!" waving miniature American flags and clutching brightly colored umbrellas to ward off the sun.
The parental consent bill, which is stronger than a previous law requiring only notification, took effect when Perry added his signature. On the constitutional amendment, however, his signature was merely ceremonial, as voters will make the final decision on Nov. 7. Eighteen states have already amended their constitutions to define marriage as between a man and a woman, and nine more, including Texas, will decide the issue this fall.
After passionate speeches by a succession of pastors, Perry stood up to celebrate the bills he said are connected by "an American value" - family.
"Families are the bedrock of civilization," Perry said. "Marriage must be defended because it is the glue that binds the very fabric of our society. For families to thrive, parents must be involved in their children's decisions."
Though same-sex unions are already illegal in Texas, Perry said a constitutional amendment is necessary to protect the law from the judiciary.
"Activist judges have used the bench as a platform to advance a narrow agenda," Perry said. He said activist judges, the media and protesters are all part of a vocal minority that has kept the silent majority out of politics for too long.
"We owe the people of Texas the opportunity to define and defend marriage in our constitution," Perry said.
The protestors outside disagreed.
Mike Piazza is the dean of the Cathedral of Hope, a Dallas congregation that has the largest predominately gay and lesbian membership in the world.
"One of the things that we set out as a value as a church is justice for all people," Piazza said. "The state of Texas owes every taxpayer the same civil rights. Writing discrimination into the Constitution is just plain wrong."
Piazza said he performs the same ceremony for homosexuals and heterosexuals at his church, the only difference being the rights accorded to the couple when they walk out the door.
"We don't have any state protection at all," he said of his relationship with his partner of 25 years.
Jake Holbrook, president of StandOut, a UT gay-rights lobby, called the proposed constitutional amendment "a slap in the face." Holbrook added that the legislation has implications far beyond the gay community.
Because the law would prevent the state from conferring rights to any relationship that mimics marriage, Holbrook said both common-law marriage and domestic-violence laws are threatened.
For November's vote, Holbrook plans to spread the word that the ban would affect everyone. But he said it's hard to compete with the organization and power of the opposition.
"It's really hard to get that message across when the opposition is saying it's going to destroy the family," Holbrook said.
Outside Sunday's bill-signing, at least, people seemed to agree with him.
"Bad Law Affects Us All," one sign read.
Protestors championed a wide variety of issues, from gay rights to education to health care.
Ali Puente, president of student organization Voices for Choice, said the parental consent abortion bill would disproportionately affect those girls who are in abusive relationships with their parents.
"You have cases state to state where girls have been killed by their parents for seeking an abortion," Puente said.
Whatever their issue of choice, protestors united in their disapproval of Perry.
"Perry gets an F!" they chanted, criticizing the 79th Legislature for failing to make progress on important issues.
Another issue common to protestors was the relationship between religion and politics.
"This is about an opportunistic politician cynically using a church to promote his own reelection campaign," said Dan Quinn, a spokesman for the Texas Freedom Network, which monitors religious freedom and civil liberties issues.
Responding to criticism, Perry said the protestors just want to keep people of faith out of the political process.
"We're here because a quiet majority decided to have their voices heard," Perry said.
Though he sees the ban as a short-term loss, Holbrook said he is optimistic about the future.
"The tide is definitely changing," he said. "We'll fight back against this until we win."
If the ban passes, Holbrook said he sees opportunities for challenging it in national courts.
"That's the nice thing about democracy - there's always a way out after these things happen," he said. "We're not going anywhere."
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