On December 19th, the Yes on 8 campaign issued a brief seeking to nullify existing same-sex marriages in California. Kenneth Starr, the former independent counsel who investigated President Bill Clinton, co-wrote the argument and will argue the case as head counsel possibly as early as March 2009.

The same day, Attorney General Jerry Brown asked the California Supreme Court to strike down the same-sex marriage ban because it is inconsistent with the guarantees of individual liberty safeguarded by the California Constitution. Attorney General Brown spoke out against Proposition 8 for the first time saying, "There are certain rights that are not to be subject to popular votes, otherwise they are not fundamental rights...if every fundamental liberty can be stripped away by a majority vote, then it's not a fundamental liberty."

In response to the Yes on 8 action seeking to invalidate existing same-sex marriages, Rick Jacobs, founder of the Courage Campaign, said, "The motivation behind this mean-spirited and heart-breaking action should not be allowed to be buried in legal brief. If Proposition 8's sponsors plan to destroy lives, they should at least have the courage to admit it publicly."

Gay rights activists have been organizing demonstrations since Proposition 8, largely backed by out-of-state donations, passed in California on November 4. The Courage Campaign and Join the Impact, joined by other groups, have called for peaceful demonstrations today across the nation. Although today's national action was planned before yesterday's announcements, Jacobs noted that, "the vigils are dedicated to the 18,000 couples who married between May and November. They are now all the more meaningful."

In the San Francisco Bay Area, dozens of protests have been held since Prop 8 passed in November. This week a couple from Pasedena, California concluded a month long walk from Los Angeles to San Francisco, calling their action *Revoke Prop 8*. Val Paget announced at a rally sponsored by the Raging Grannies in Palo Alto on Monday that the duo were thrilled to be greeted with aid and encouragement as they marched through small towns and larger cities on their trek. Together with her partner Tracie Jones, Ms. Paget delivered 300,000 signatures supporting the overturn of the ban on gay marriage at their final destination yesterday, the California Supreme Court in San Francisco.

Read More With Photos | Sun Shines on *Revoke Prop 8* Marchers headed to Supreme Court | Join the Impact/Find a Rally Near You