I find it a tad ironic that you're engaging in fear-mongering about fear-mongering, though there's a touch of truth to what you say. Nevertheless, on an issue like this, the ultimate 'goal' has to be to convince people that there's nothing wrong with gay marriage, so a ballot on the matter is, IMO, the only way to really legitimize it. Right now I know a lot of people who were fence-sitters or lukewarms supporters of gay marriage who strongly resent the acts of the judiciary on this matter, and resent being told that they are ignorant or bigoted, the legislature passing something will not offend to that degree, the law would be viewed as legitimate, but a general ballot is the clearest and cleanest way to show the will of the people and gay marriage is neither complex technically, lengthy in concept, or a matter of grave urgency, so it's one of the relatively few matters the public could vote on, in my opinion the course of wisdom is to go that route, by and large citizens accept 51% of other citizens as more valid and swaying then a judge or even 51% of elected reps, if the ultimate goal is to get people to accept gay marriage as valid, 51% of their fellowing citizens saying 'yes it is' is far more convincing then any action of the government.