In the 24 hours after Maine voters rejected same-sex marriage, emotions are still raw for volunteers and organizers of the No On One campaign. They say they remain proud of their message, of the families headed by same-sex couples who shared their stories along the way and of the strong showing at the polls. And they say they are determined to pursue the goal of marriage equality for all Mainers no matter how long it takes.

The emotional divide over same-sex marriage was evident at a news conference called by No On One supporters on the steps of Portland City Hall. A protestor showed up carrying a sign that said: "The People of Maine Have Spoken; Enough is Enough." When several No On One supporters tried to block her from view, a passerby came to her defense.

Man: "Go away! Why don't you leave her alone?"
Woman: "I am - I'm asking you why she isn't happy."
Man: "The vote was decided."
Woman: "I know. Then why aren't you happy?"
Man: "Why aren't you happy?"

While there is no celebration for gay and lesbian couples and their supporters after Tuesday night's vote, Pat Peard of No On One says she's proud of the dignity displayed by her campaign. "Are we disappointed? Yes, we're very disappointed. Do we feel deeply what happened to us last night? Of course we do. This is personal. This wasn't a job for anybody."

But instead of talking about her sadness, about how she'd like to marry her own partner of 28 years before she dies, Peard says she's focusing on how grateful she is to the 8,000 people who worked on the campaign and to the 47 percent of Maine voters who supported marriage equality.

Some families headed by same-sex couples publicly shared their stories of why the legal protection of marriage matters to them. Among them, 14-year-old Sam Putnam, his mom and her partner of five years, Michelle Patrick. Sam Putnam first spoke at a public hearing on the same sex marriage bill. The family later appeared together in television ads.

Patrick says testifying was Sam's idea. "Being public in the ads, you know, it's putting us out there, you know, in the public eye, which is a little unnerving. But when you're standing up for something that's right, you'll do anything that you need to do."

At the news conference, an emotional Betsy Smith of Equality Maine thanked the families who came forward. "And while we know voters gave consideration to them, it seems in the end that Mainers are not ready to treat these families fairly. Having the protections of the law as well as the respect and dignity that comes only with marriage is a journey on which we will continue."

"The people have spoken and it's time for those in power to listen and to follow the lead of the people," says Frank Schubert, a California-based political consultant who helped guide Yes On One/Stand for Marriage Maine to victory. His consulting firm was also instrumental in the defeat of same-sex marriage in California last fall.

"One of the things that just amazes me is statements from the other side that get picked up by the media as if they're true - like it's inevitable that same-sex marriage is going to be legal, that we're on the wrong side of history," Schubert says. "Give me a break. I've got 4,000 years of history on my side. They have about two weeks. Ha."

Schubert is encouraged by the fact that 31 states, including Maine, have now rejected same-sex marriage by referendum. Only five states have legalized it. But for Olympia Moy of New York, who came to Maine to volunteer for No On One, the defeat of same-sex marriage in California and Maine has become a cause for action. Moy says she will never sit on the sidelines again.

"A lot of us said that no matter what happens, we look beyond this as a single night," Moy says. "And we look at this as movement building, and that we have given a lot of people skills -- and myself personally -- skills we never thought we would have, in making these phone calls, raising money and going out to knock on doors and providing people with the messaging to see same-sex couples as actual individual people."

People like Sam Putnam's two moms, who say they will go home and feed the dog, make sure the kids do their homework and live like a family the way they always have, whether same-sex marriage in Maine is legal or not.