Gay rights supporters in California have until August to collect a list of signatures showing those in favor of overturning Proposition 8 which ended same-sex marriage in the state.

The California Secretary of State's office gave college students Kaelan Housewright and Ali Shams permission, Tuesday, to circulate their petition.

If 695,000 signatures are collected, a repeal to Prop 8 would appear on California's 2010 ballot. Their initiative seeks to replace the word "marriage" on all state laws with the term "domestic partnership," giving same-sex couples identical rights to those traditionally married.

Supporters say the measure applies "equally to all couples, regardless of sexual orientation."

The Battle Brews On

Lawsuits seeking to overturn Prop 8 have dominated California courts since voters approved the measure last November. Prop 8 defines marriage as the union between one man and one woman.

During a California Supreme Court hearing last week, justices said they would not invalidate the measure, but would allow the 18,000 same-sex marriages conducted before the ban to remain.

A new poll also shows gay marriage continues to divide the state.

About 48 percent say they would now vote in favor of allowing same-sex marriages, while 47 percent say they would not. The other 5 percent remain undecided.

Sources: CBN News, The Christian Post