After an unprecedented series of gay-rights demonstrations in Dallas, LGBT leaders are hoping the community’s newfound energy will translate into increased participation in local equality groups.

Meanwhile, the organizers of the demonstrations — many of whom were first-time activists — say they’re committed to staying involved.

An estimated 1,200 people attended an LGBT marriage equality rally in the plaza of Dallas City Hall on Saturday, Nov. 15. The rally was part of a nationwide response — with similar events held on the same day in hundreds of cities across the U.S. — to passage Nov. 4 of Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in California.

Gathered around a temporary stage equipped with a public address system, demonstrators in Dallas waved signs, chanted slogans and listened to speakers on a brisk, sunny afternoon, as dozens of police officers and media representatives looked on. A handful of Christian counterprotesters set up shop with a bullhorn and a large wooden cross across the street, but the event remained peaceful and there were no incidents.

Pioneering Dallas lesbian activist Louise Young, 61, who attended the rally with longtime partner Vivienne Armstrong, said it was the largest LGBT demonstration the city has seen in decades. Young and Armstrong tied the knot in California this summer, before Proposition 8 overturned a state Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage.

“Not since the AIDS rallies of the 1980s, not since the rally against Judge Jack Hampton, have we seen a crowd as energized as this,” Young said after the rally, referring to the Dallas judge who in a 1989 murder case handed down a more lenient sentence because the victim was gay.

“To me this rally was exciting because I saw so many young faces in the crowd, and the next generation needs to hear from those of us who’ve been around for a while, that nothing is guaranteed. It’s up to us now to make a silver lining over this dark cloud [Proposition 8] that’s been put over our community and our nation,” Young said.

A day later, an estimated 140 people attended a second consecutive Sunday morning demonstration outside First Baptist Church of Dallas, in response to a series of anti-gay sermons by Senior Pastor Robert Jeffress.

The demonstrations outside First Baptist Church were organized by Laura McFerrin and her longtime friend Sam Fulcher after Fulcher — while driving home from an Election Night watch party — noticed a marquee outside the church advertising a sermon titled, “Why Gay Is Not OK.”

“We were a little more organized this week,” said the 33-year-old McFerrin, noting that attendance was up slightly over the previous week. “The church knew we were going to be there, so a lot of people [congregants] avoided us by going underground to park.”

Despite some debate in the LGBT community about whether it’s appropriate to make churches the target of protests, McFerrin said she believes the two-week effort was a success.

“I think it was success because our voices were heard, and hopefully the other side of the story was told,” McFerrin said. “Putting a marquee out saying, ‘Gay Is Not OK’ isn’t OK with the gay community as a whole.”

McFerrin, who referred to herself and Fulcher as “accidental activists,” said the demonstrations outside First Baptist aren’t scheduled to continue this week because Jeffress’ Sunday sermon isn’t expected to focus on gay issues. But she said she’s developed a list of more than 200 e-mail addresses and is prepared to organize similar rallies.

“We’re going to be a watch group for other churches or businesses that might advertise something along the lines of, ‘Gay Is Not OK,’” McFerrin said. “If we see something like that where we think we should be there, we’ll be there. We have our eyes and ears open now. … It’s kind of intoxicating. It’s a great feeling being part of something bigger than I am.”

Etta Zamboni, 41, another first-time local LGBT activist who was a lead organizer of the demonstration at City Hall, said some have been pushing for additional rallies in Dallas on a regular basis, such as every week. Zamboni said although that wouldn’t be practical, the grassroots network she’s helped put together over the last 10 days isn’t going away. By Thursday, Nov. 21, a Facebook page set up in advance of the City Hall rally had 678 fans.

“This literally is just the beginning,” Zamboni said. “Its’ not just the Prop 8 issues. It’s all of the issues. We need to become more active. We need to become educated.”

Zamboni, a California native, has become the local point person for Join The Impact, or JTI, the national group that coordinated the Prop 8 rallies last weekend.

Zamboni said about five people who led local efforts planned to meet this weekend at the Resource Center of Dallas to map future strategy. Zamboni said JTI isn’t intended to supplant existing LGBT equality groups, but to support them, unite them and help them mobilize.

“I think Dallas has everything existing that we need,” Zamboni said. “We just need to boost some energy into that.”

Established LGBT leaders, many of whom spoke during the City Hall rally and helped plan it, said they’re thrilled to see the enthusiasm, which appears to have been ignited not only by passage of Prop 8 but also by the campaign of President-elect Barack Obama. (The loudest chant during the City Hall rally was Obama’s “Yes, we can.”)

Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance President Patti Fink, one of the speakers at the rally, said she hopes the energy will translate into increased participation in 2009, when the state Legislature will convene in Austin and Dallas municipal elections will take place.

“I do think we have some momentum that we can carry forward. It will be interesting to see how it plays out, but I do think that a lot of people in our community are paying attention,” Fink said. “I would like to see a lot of people who attended on Saturday get more involved in local organizations and be active and speak up and be part of the solution, because that’s going to be essential for our equality here in Texas.”

Stonewall Democrats of Dallas President Jesse Garcia said he was surprised by the turnout for the City Hall event, which he expected to draw only a few hundred people. The rally in Dallas reportedly was the second-largest in Texas, behind Austin’s, which drew about 2,000 people.

“I think that’s the largest crowd I’ve ever spoken to,” Garcia said. “I think it was probably one of the best days of my life being up there surrounded by my community. … The success of that event gave everybody a taste of the goodness of a peaceful protest, and how we can come together and deliver a message. The next time an issue comes up, people will rally, and they’re probably going to bring more friends.”

E-mail wright@dallasvoice.com