LAS VEGAS (AP) — Amid celebratory comments about Canada’s decision to legalize same-sex marriages on Aug. 9, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Matt Foreman warned of a major fight ahead over the issue in the United States and a backlash that could erode the community’s hard-fought rights.

Foreman struck a somber tone during a speech at the Dignity USA national convention in Las Vegas. Dignity is the country’s largest organization for GLBT Catholics.

“We’ve had this extraordinary, unprecedented, and in my mind, terrifying, confluence of events in the past nine weeks — something of the likes our community has never seen,” Foreman said.

Foreman’s comments followed last month’s high-profile opposition to same-sex unions from President Bush and the Vatican. Bush said he believes in the “sanctity of marriage” between a man and a woman. The following day the Vatican launched a global campaign against gay marriages, warning Roman Catholics that same-sex unions are “gravely immoral.”

“We all have to admit we’re at a time of crisis and peril,” Foreman said. “We are seeing a backlash, the likes of which we’ve never seen before.”

Foreman spoke about 20 minutes to the crowd of 3,000 Dignity USA members. He expressed hope that an upcoming decision from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court would legalize same-sex unions. But he warned the ruling could worsen a current backlash against gay marriage, prompting right-wing opponents to aggressively pursue a federal amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

“This is armageddon for them,” he said. “They see marriage as the ultimate gay right, and they are going to stop it with everything they have.”

On the Vatican’s declaration, Foreman said it prompted feelings of anger and hurt. “The wording of that was so hateful, so hurtful and so, frankly, evil,” Foreman said. “It’s still hard for me to talk about it.”

Marianne Duddy, executive director of Dignity USA and a lifelong Catholic, struggled to speak about the Vatican’s stance on gay and lesbian parents. Duddy, who lives in Boston, is in the process of adopting a girl with her partner.

“For the Vatican to say that’s an act of violence against children, it was devastating and hurtful,” Duddy said. “The Vatican never came to talk to me or my partner. They have no business generalizing.”

Duddy also expressed anger over the comments considering the sex abuse scandal that rocked the church last year. “How dare they accuse anyone else of doing violence to children,” she said.

“What strikes me most about [the Vatican’s declaration] is that I did not find the word ‘love’ used,” added Tom Kirkman, former president of Dignity San Diego. “Catholic teaching is based on the commandments of Jesus to ‘love God and to love your neighbor,’ and yet the concept of love is missing from this most recent Vatican statement. Love between two people extends beyond gender — and the Vatican has no right to tell anyone who they can — or cannot love. If the love between two women or two men leads them to give their consent to one another in a legal, binding way, then the Church should welcome them into the Faith community and allow them to share their gifts and give witness of their mutual love to others.”

The Vatican document states, “Such unions (Homosexual unions) are not able to contribute in a proper way to the procreation and survival of the human race.”

Kirkman disagreed. “There are heterosexual couples who are unable to have children — and their commitment to one another is no less meaningful — no less loving. And there are too many children who remain in foster homes or in orphanages who would be welcomed, loved and cared for by a lesbian or gay couple and who would make positive contributions to the human race because of the values they received from being a part of this loving family unit.”

For now, the GLBT community has the support of Democrats, who have vowed to oppose the federal amendment that could also include language against domestic partnerships, Foreman said. But Democratic support could change if that language is eliminated and the amendment only focuses on marriage between a man and a woman.

“I’m not sure the Democrats would stand with us,” he said.

Foreman urged the group to force the issue with politicians who have received support from the gay community in the past.

“This is the time to stand with us. No deals, no excuses,” he said. “We’ve let our friends off way too many times, way too long. We can’t let it happen this time.

“If we lose this fight, it’s not just about gay marriage. It’s about setting all the things we’re working towards back for decades to come.”