SAN DIEGO (AP) – Several hundred people turned out to the Town and Country Hotel and Convention Center in Mission Valley for a meeting and rally in support of a state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

Proposition 8, titled the “Marriage Protection Act,” will be on the ballot in November. It would place wording in the state constitution stating that marriage can only take place between a man and a woman in the state of California.

The San Diego Republican Party organized the event, which featured speakers including the Rev. Miles McPherson of The Rock Church, Dr. Jim Garlow of Skyline Wesleyan Church and Gary Sabin of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. All three support the measure as a way to protect marriage by keeping it between a man and a woman.

McPherson told those at the meeting that they needed to do more to pass the amendment.

“Many of you look at pornography or cheat on your wives,” he said. “You need to fix that before we talk about gay marriage.” He said that God was “mad” that same-sex marriages are taking place.

Jennifer Kerns, the communications director for Proposition 8, said supporters are working just as hard to pass the measure as they did in 2000, when 61 percent of voters approved a similar statewide ban on same-sex marriage. That initiative was not a change to the state constitution, however, and the state Supreme Court recently ruled that it was unconstitutional.

“It’s time for these San Francisco advocate judges to stop legislating from the bench,” Kerns said.

Monday’s event came just four days after same-sex marriage advocates urged travelers July 10 to boycott two hotels owned by San Diego businessperson Doug Manchester who gave $125,000 to a group backing a California ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage. Manchester, who owns the Grand Hyatt in Downtown San Diego and the Grand Del Mar golf resort near La Jolla, donated the money to the National Organization for Marriage in January.

Organizers of the boycott said they were publicizing Manchester’s contribution now because the measure has since qualified for the November election.

San Diego’s Pride celebration, which is expected to draw 200,000 visitors, is also scheduled for this week, and visitors planning to attend the event may have booked rooms at Manchester’s hotels, said Fred Karger of Californians Against Hate.

“Here is this guy who is discriminating against a minority he wants to make money off of,” said Karger, whose group plans to call attention to other donors to the campaign for the same-sex marriage ban.

A spokesperson for the Manchester Grand Hyatt told a reporter for the Gay & Lesbian Times in April Manchester welcomes gay guests at his properties, but as a Catholic, believes marriage should be reserved for a man and a woman.

“I am Catholic also,” said City Commissioner Nicole Murray-Ramirez in his speech at the boycott. “I think for him to use his faith is disrespectful to a lot Catholics who believe in fairness and who believe in equality and who believe in nondiscrimination. We’re all brothers and sisters and we’re all God’s children. That’s what the church teaches.”

The group’s message Thursday urged residents and tourists to stay at other hotels.

Brigette Browning, president of San Diego’s Hotel Workers Union, also stood in support of the boycott.

“We believe it is pure and simple discrimination,” she said. “We believe equality for workers is just as important for gay and lesbians.”

Browning also accused Manchester of discriminating against workers and women by “forcing housekeepers to clean more rooms than housekeepers do at other Hyatt hotels.”

The group said it sent letters to Manchester and Hyatt asking for responses. Browning said no response has been received.

The 1,625-room Manchester Grand Hyatt earned $3 million in 2007, according to the boycott’s organizers. The coalition is asking Global Hyatt Corporation to take action because of the company’s support of GLBT rights.

“How can Mr. Manchester say that he doesn’t mean to offend anybody?” asked Murray-Ramirez. “With that contribution he’s offended myself as a Catholic, myself as a Latino and myself as a gay man. Now, think of that in millions across the country that will be hearing about this, that are supportive of equality in marriage. So he’s offended a lot of people.”

Additionally, on Monday, the San Diego Human Relations Commission (HRC), which makes recommendations to the mayor and City Council to positions on all social and civil rights issues, unanimously voted to take a stance against Proposition 8.

According to Murray-Ramirez, who chairs the HRC, the commission’s unanimous vote speaks volumes about the commissioners’ stance on the issue.

“The commission is made up of a very diverse group of people who reflect all San Diegans and we tackle issues other than just gay rights,” he said noting that all 15 of the HRC commissioners were appointed either by Republican mayors or while a Republican mayor has served office for the past 15 years.

The next step the HRC will take is to meet with Mayor Jerry Sanders and individual city councilmembers to urge them to also take a position against the Proposition 8 November ballot initiative.

Meanwhile, Karger said his group and the union that represents hotel workers in San Diego plan to march outside the Grand Hyatt on July 18. The group is also thinking about taking similar action against a San Diego car dealer who gave $25,000 to the Proposition 8 campaign.