MARRIAGE ISSUE A MOBILIZER: From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Both sides in Georgia's same-sex marriage battle are ratcheting up efforts to reach voters, turning up the volume in a debate that has been relatively quiet since last spring.

Two leaders of the Roman Catholic Church in Georgia stepped into the fray Thursday with a letter counseling voters to support an amendment to the state constitution banning gay marriage. "As your bishops, we urge you to vote YES on this amendment," wrote Archbishop John F. Donoghue of Atlanta and Bishop J. Kevin Boland of Savannah.

On the other side, Georgians Against Discrimination, a coalition of groups fighting the amendment, on Monday held a rally and mini-concert in downtown Atlanta featuring Emily Saliers and Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls. ...

"We can't afford to be complacent and pin our hopes on the lawsuit," said state Rep. Karla Drenner (D-Avondale Estates), campaign chairwoman of Georgians Against Discrimination. "Real change happens by having one-to-one conversations and touching hearts and changing minds."

Drenner, Georgia's only openly gay state legislator, said coalition organizers have planned a series of events for the next few weeks. A rally is scheduled for Wednesday at Emory University. A "Campus Day of Action" to educate students about the amendment at several colleges around the state is planned for Thursday. Next week, the group is hosting an anti-amendment rally targeting African-Americans at Clark Atlanta University. Drenner is expected to speak at several colleges and then visit cities starting Oct. 25 urging people to vote "no."

For those who support the amendment, churches are expected to provide a strong network of "yes" voters.

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