Wisconsin will ban gay marriage and civil unions in an amendment to the state's Constitution, following the results of Tuesday's election.
Sixty-seven percent of Dane County voted against the ban, but the rest of the state adopted the amendment with a vote of 59 percent to 41 percent.
Mike Tate, campaign manager for Fair Wisconsin, addressed an emotional crowd of gay marriage supporters, many of whom had been campaigning avidly for the past months.
""We did not lose because the people of Wisconsin don't like gay people, we lost because the people of Wisconsin don't know gay people,"" he said.
Remaining optimistic, Tate said it was clear the gay community had become ""a serious political force in Wisconsin.""
As Tate closed his speech with a promise to continue fighting for gay rights, many in attendance were seen crying and hugging.
Some attendees compared the gay marriage ban to the Civil Rights movement. Twelve-year partners Judy Seymour and Mary Sykes said persistence was necessary to gain equal treatment.
""I feel like I've gotten my arm broken,"" Seymour said. ""There's still a lot of prejudice, and it breaks my heart.""
State Sen. Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center, a co-author of the amendment, said the ban accurately ""represents the values of the people of Wisconsin"" because it received statewide bipartisan support.
Politicians speculated the referendum would draw Republicans to the polls, giving an advantage to Gov. Jim Doyle's opponent, U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Green Bay.
Tate said he spoke with Doyle, who said, ""We will win this fight, we just lost today.""
Penny Bruskin, a UW-Madison student, said voters are unaware of how damaging the amendment is to the gay community.
Voters essentially labeled gays as ""second-class citizens,"" she said.
In the months leading up to the election, Fair Wisconsin claimed the ban has far-reaching consequences and will affect unmarried heterosexual couples.
Bruskin echoed this viewpoint and said the amendment addresses more than the issue of marriage and will ""strip thousands of rights"" from both gay and straight unmarried couples.
Wisconsin was one of seven states to add a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and civil unions.
Arizona was the only state to vote no against a similar amendment Tuesday, while Colorado, Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Virginia voted in support of the bans.
Like Wisconsin, Arizona's amendment had a controversial second clause preventing the state from recognizing any legal status similar to marriage for unmarried persons.
To date, 27 states adopted similar amendments banning same-sex marriage.
David Canon, a UW-Madison political science professor, said the amendment could have been enacted because of ""confusion over the second clause of the amendment.""
Despite polls showing majority support for civil unions, Canon said the second clause prevents legislators from even considering the possibility of civil unions.
