Signs, banners and chants surrounded City Hall on Saturday afternoon, as thousands of same-sex marriage supporters rallied in opposition to California's ban on gay marriage.

"Out of the closet, into the street," yelled protesters in unison as they circled the downtown building, cutting off traffic for nearly half an hour along Market Street.

Eleven days after the passage of California Proposition 8 - a state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage - the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community led massive nationwide protests to signify disappointment with the proposition and solidarity moving forward.

"Proposition 8 is a slap in the face," said College junior Dennie Zastrow, chairman of the Lambda Alliance, an umbrella organization for Penn LGBT groups.

Whenever LGBT rights "takes one step forward, it takes three steps back," said Zastrow, who attended the City Hall protest.

Clad with posters reading "Love, Not Hate" and "Gay Agenda: Equality," the protesters, including straight couples and non-LGBT supporters, were highly energized and motivated to overcome the setback.

"This is the first time I've seen something like this happen around here," said Zastrow.

Proposition 8 passed with 52 percent of the vote, amending the California constitution to define marriage as solely between a man and a woman. The proposition overturns a California Supreme Court decision from June that gave same-sex couples the right to marry in the state.

"If Proposition 8 had been defeated, it might have set a precedent for the rest of the country," said College freshman Genna Fischer, a native Californian.

She said the measure represented a divide between a younger, liberal generation and their more conservative parents.

Even though the proposition's passage does not directly affect Pennsylvanians, many in attendance still said they were distraught by the passage of a same-sex marriage ban in one of America's most liberal states.

Bob Schoenberg, director of Penn's LGBT Center, said the matter was a "national issue" and that the large turnout with only short notice demonstrated renewed determination to advocate for equal rights.

However, Zastrow said same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania had "no chance" given the state's conservative voters in rural regions, even with Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell in office.

While Pennsylvania law does not allow for same-sex marriage, the state constitution does not ban the practice.

Still, College and Wharton junior Baylee Feore said the event has "pulled students out of the Penn bubble."

Feore also said the passage of the proposition in California proves that while "things are good at Penn, they aren't necessarily that way in the rest of the country."