Roger Hedgecock is at it again. The conservative radio talk show host and disgraced former San Diego mayor is rallying listeners to support a proposed 2008 ballot measure that would amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

Hedgecock has saturated the airwaves and his Web site with information on a March 13 campaign to help generate the 1.1 million signatures needed to qualify the ballot measure for November’s election.

From 3-7 p.m. on Thursday, March 13, Hedgecock will broadcast live from the KOGO studio parking lot in Murphy Canyon. The four-hour program will encourage listeners to stop and sign the petition supporting the ballot measure.

In light of Tuesday’s oral arguments in the historic marriage cases before the California Supreme Court, it is possible the Supreme Court justices will allow the legislature and voters to decide on same-sex marriage – which means it is more important now than ever to get involved.

Regardless whether the Supreme Court rules a ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, the measure to amend the constitution to ban same-sex marriage may be taken to voters in November.

The court appears split, though some legal experts expect the justices to rule in favor of same-sex marriage.

We cannot, however, take anything for granted. We certainly cannot take any risks.

Though Hedgecock, who was forced from office in 1985 and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor money laundering, isn’t worth the ink on this page, he’s a formidable, powerful foe.

Conservative advocates such as Hedgecock are stepping up their efforts to collect the signatures needed to qualify the measure.

Likewise, The San Diego LGBT Community Center is working to educate citizens, and encourage residents to decline to sign.

Community members should be aware that Hedgecock’s four-hour live broadcast will also encourage listeners and San Diego residents to support the Save Our Kids Initiative, a campaign aimed at repealing Senate Bill 777.

Rightfully so, we’ve written quite a bit about SB 777, which added the terms “gender” and “sexual orientation” to the California Education Code protecting students from discrimination. It also expanded the existing term “sex” to include “gender identity” which means a person’s self-identified gender.

Save Our Kids has already managed to gather 35,000 signatures to repeal the bill and has entered a new phase in its campaign.

Sadly, the heartless opponents supporting this referendum do not acknowledge the need for SB 777, which was illustrated in February with the classroom murder of a 15-year-old Oxnard boy who identified as gay.

It is ironic that the campaign titled Save Our Kids puts countless California students at risk. SB 777 was designed to save all kids – it was not designed to afford protections for an exclusive group of schoolchildren.

Between the ongoing battle regarding same-sex marriage, and the amount of space we’ve dedicated to supporting SB 777, we run the risk of sounding like a broken record.

Our opponents’ rhetoric, however, is gathering momentum.

If Hedgecock and his network of hatemongers succeed in placing the ballot measure banning same-sex marriage on the November initiative, or succeed in stripping California youth of their safety, we’ll have failed.

That is simply out of the question.