KCBS’ Doug Sovern Reports

Thousands rallied on the steps of the state capitol yesterday, hundreds more outside the Mormon Temple in Oakland. Many of the church's members worked hard to pass Prop 8, and church spokesman Don Eaton says he doesn't quite get the point of all this protest, after the fact.

"I think the election's over," said Eaton.

And protestor Tim De Benedictus says Eaton's right, the demonstrations should have been this big, and this loud a week ago.

"It's become very clear that we have to be more visible. We just didn't do enough," said De Benedictus.

He blames complacency, and denial, but also says it took the punch in the stomach of the passage of the measure to wake people up to act.

"I didn't really know what it felt like to not have a right, until it was actually stripped away," said De Beneditus.

Another demonstrator, Jacob Brown of San Jose, says the "No on 8" side simply got outclassed politically.

"The opposition to 8 got a slow start, and it wasn't as organized as we would have liked it to have been. Now we need to make the effort to repeal this, so this is a good start," said Brown.

(MGO)