"This issue is more important than who becomes President of the United States to me, and to many of our Christian believers," said Edward Smith, pastor of Zoe Christian Fellowship in Los Angeles and a supporter of California's Proposition 8, a constitutional gay marriage ban.

Senator Obama's candidacy could help Proposition 8 because the African-American voting bloc is seen as more conservative on issues related to homosexuality. For this reason, Sonja Edding Brown of Protect Marraige suggests "thanking" Obama for his "help" in the drive to eliminate gay marriage rights in California. Opponents of the measure, however, see parallels in the gay rights struggles of today and the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

It's "not an easy sell," but the California NAACP is working to preserve the equal right to marry in California as affirmed by the California Supreme Court in May. "We were once denied the right to marry a person of another race," noted California NAACP president Alice A. Huffman. "Any time government intervenes and tells you what you can or cannot do, it's a denial of your rights."

While Senator Obama is a supporter of equal government benefits for same-sex couples but not full civil marriage in name, he supports California's right to extend civil marriage to all citizens.

"I don't really have a problem with civil unions," said Obama supporter Jacquelynn Hawthorne, "but when it comes to marriage, and the holy sanctity of marriage, that's where I'm conflicted."

The following video clip was broadcast on October 5, 2008 on CBS' Evening News.

Download video via RawReplay.com