More than 1,500 people in Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale joined voices across the nation in protest, declaring the fight for same-sex marriage was not over.

''Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Homophobia's got to go!'' an enthusiastic crowd of 500 chanted at Miami Beach City Hall while passing cars behind them honked in solidarity.

Meanwhile, more than 1,000 people attended a rally at Fort Lauderdale City Hall, reciting ``Gay, straight, black, white, marriage is a civil right!''

The protests were part of the Join the Impact campaign, organized just this week through social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace. The goal was to have a synchronized reaction of outrage across the country to the passage of laws in Arizona, California and Florida defining marriage as an institution between a man and a woman only.

More than one million people across the world were expected to participate in similar protests.

For many in the crowd at Miami Beach, the names of those laws -- Proposition 8 in California, Amendment 2 in Florida -- have become a symbol of the struggle for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights. They also argue the laws will restrict rights to heterosexuals who are domestic partners and not married.

HIV advocate Priscilla Reyes, who attended the Fort Lauderdale rally, worried the law will restrict partners from having access to the medication and healthcare they need. A vote shouldn't affect anyone's ability to afford treatment, she said.

'I don't think the majority of people should decide on the minorities' rights,'' she said.

Fort Lauderdale mayoral candidate Dean Trantalis, who is openly gay, spoke of the alienation of the gay community. ''This is a slap in the face for everyone seeking equal rights, especially because [the ban] came at a time for change in our country,'' said Trantalis, speaking of the presidential election of Barack Obama.

In both places, crowds of all ages and races championed similar philosophies. They also questioned what the next move for local gay rights activists and supporters should be.

''It's hard to say now, honestly,'' said Jim Jennings, a 43-year-old real estate agent from Miami. ``But I think every little bit helps. And protesting may be what's necessary for people to really understand just what's going on and what's being taken away.''

Jennings stood amid a colorful array of signs that read, ''Marriage is a right for all, not a privilege for some,'' ''Straight Christian for Gay Rights,'' and ``Get Your Church Out of My State.''

The protests had particular meaning in Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale -- two cities known for having large gay populations. More than 300 couples are registered as domestic partners on Miami Beach, which has some of the broadest domestic partnership laws in the country.

''South Florida can be the example,'' said Babak Movahedi, chairman of Miami Beach's gay business development committee. ``Dare I say it, if marriage rights were up to cities and not the state, I think we would have gay marriage here.''

Speaking to the crowd, Movahedi told them to look at Nov. 4 as a day of inspiration, not disappointment.

''Let's not place blame on each other about the passage of Amendment 2,'' Movahedi said. ``Let's move forward . . . We can change things through the power of numbers. That's how Barack Obama won, and that's how we plan to win.''

In response, the crowd began to chant, ``Yes we can! Yes we can!''