Before the bill was vetoed, Koskovich and Smith realized that nothing they knew of was planned in terms of gathering to respond to the bill. In response, they planned an organized assembly in advance by producing flyers asking that people organize at the Castro District regardless to either celebrate if the bill was passed or protest if the bill was vetoed. Wilson at first promised during an electoral campaign to sign the AB101 bill, but vetoed it. This was widely condemned as dishonest by the LGBT community of California. He claimed he vetoed the bill out of fear that it would be harmful to businesses from potential increases in lawsuits and make California overall less competitive economically. He also questioned the need for the bill, claiming that there were already laws protecting gay employees from discrimination. However, some political observers have claimed that he decided to veto the bill due to pressure from religious right organizations and conservatives that he needed the continued support of to help fund his re-election campaign.
Protest
Koskovich and Smith rented a truck with a sound system inside to serve as a stage for the protest. They did not have police permits to organize. According to Koskovich, around 8,000-10,000 people showed up to protest. Former police chief Frank Jordan showed up to the protest. According to Koskovich, he showed up in an attempt to gain publicity and earn more votes, as he was running for Mayor of California at the time. However, a group of militant protesters chased him out of the area, leading to one of his shoes falling off during the struggle. When the group was organized, they agreed to march to the Ronald Reagan State Office building. Koskovich claimed that he never incited anyone to destroy property and was fearful that the protest would lead to violence against local businesses not directly affiliated with the government of California. Because of this, he determined that the office was a more appropriate place to channel potential violence if it did occur, leading to him directing the protest there. When protesters arrived, there were only three police barricades and eight SFPD officers. It was difficult for any outside police officers to enter due to the fact that the crowd of protesters surrounded the building. The eight police officers responded by going inside the building and hiding. This caused the protest to move forward, as several windows of the building were smashed and a corner of the building was lit on fire. Koskovich claimed to never have engaged in any property destruction that occurred, stating that he was near the back of the crowd acting as a legal observer.
Aftermath
State Assemblyman Terry Friedman condemned the riots, claiming that they would make passing the bill much more difficult. Friedman sent telegrams to leaders of various gay and lesbian groups asking them to stop violent demonstrations against the veto and asked California law enforcement to arrest rioters that threatened the safety of property and other people. Mark Weinstein, a spokesperson for the Gay and Lesbian Townhall of California, responded to claims condemning the riots saying-
We've been told to wait for our freedom for decades and we're not waiting any more... We waited patiently for the governor to sign the bill and he didn't. People have to understand. We're fighting for our lives. This is not an opinion poll.
Protests against the veto continued, although in a smaller-scale than the initial riot. Weinstein called for another march to the capital on National Coming Out Day, a two-day boycott towards retail stores during Thanksgiving weekend, and a homosexual rightsballot initiativeto let California voters decide rather than the California legislature and governor. Steve Martin, the president of the Stonewall Gay Democratic Club, reported that homosexual Republicans involved in his organization were re-registering to voting Democrats at a rate of "40 to 60 per day" in response to Wilson's veto of the bill. A year after the protest in 1992, Assembly Bill 101 was signed by the Pete Wilson and passed by state legislature.
