Heated Wednesday testimony in the federal Proposition 8 trial hinged on a question fundamental to the case, one that Prop. 8 proponents and marriage equality advocates bitterly disagree: Do gays and lesbians have sufficient power to protect themselves in the American political system?

Gary M. Segura, a Stanford University political science professor and expert witness for the plaintiffs in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, testified extensively that despite recent gains that include the election of openly gay politicians like Houston mayor Annise Parker and gay-positive rhetoric from President Barack Obama, gays and lesbians lack a critical mass of meaningful political allies — in part because they are still a minority despised by many Americans and are attacked by some local and national lawmakers who find it politically advantageous to do so.

Moreover, gays face relentless ballot initiatives aimed at revoking hard-won rights, measures often supported by religious institutions colluding to keep marriage equality off the table, as was the case in California, Segura testified.

During cross-examination, defense attorneys read off a litany of incremental gains for gays over the past decade, attempting to illustrate the power gays wield both as politicians and political donors. Segura countered all such points with stark realities. Cities like Houston that have elected openly gay mayors continue to have laws banning benefits for same-sex spouses (Parker, who was elected in December, cannot get benefits for her partner through the city because a voter blocked such benefits through a referendum). Antigay ballot initiatives and state constitutional amendments banning gay marriage have proliferated across the country in recent years, as have hate crimes committed because of the victim's real or perceived sexual orientation.

What pro-gay laws that have been passed “are attempts to redress discrimination,” Segura said. “The purpose is to ameliorate a disadvantage; a wrong that exists. While it’s good to have [these laws], it’s difficult to conclude that’s a measure of political power.”

A true LGBT ally, Segura said, is someone who expends political capital for gays, even when it is not politically expedient to do so. Few politicians mentioned in Wednesday’s proceedings appeared to fit his description.