SAN DIEGO -- Clergy members rallied outside City Hall on Tuesday to protest San Diego's decision to join a legal brief asking the state's high court to overturn a prohibition on same-sex marriage.

The group was led by Bishop Roy Dixon from Faith Chapel Church of God in Christ, Pastor Timothy Winters of the Bayview Baptist Church and Bishop George McKinney of St. Stephen's Church of God in Christ.

They touted the 2000 passage of California's Proposition 22, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman only.

"The mayor and some council members do not have the authority or the voice of the majority of the citizens of San Diego, and the recent decision to support gay marriage does not support what 52 counties in California, including San Diego, voted for," the group's prepared statement said.

The City Council voted 5-3 on Sept. 19 to join Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Jose and Oakland in an amicus brief, or so-called "friend-of-the-court" resolution in support of gay marriage.

Councilmen Tony Young, Brian Maienschein and Kevin Faulconer cast the dissenting votes against joining the brief.

During an emotional speech the next day, Sanders reversed his opposition to gay marriage and agreed to endorse the legal brief. For the first time publicly, the mayor revealed that he has a gay daughter.

Sanders, who is seeking re-election, has been criticized for his reversal by some conservatives and religious groups.