HOUSTON -- Several elected city officials spoke out Tuesday about the state's proposed amendment on the November ballot that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

City Controller Annise Parker and several other city officials joined gay rights activists outside City Hall to voice their opposition to Proposition 2, which would ban same-sex marriage in the state of Texas.

Parker -- who is openly gay, has a partner and adopted children -- fears if the Proposition 2 passes, it will promote hate and discrimination against homosexual couples.

"I would hope and pray that most Texans wouldn't embrace something like this. But, if they don't know about it and they walk into the ballot box and all they see is something that talks about a defensive marriage or in support of marriage, they are going to vote for it without realizing it," Parker said.

Many opponents of the proposition said that even if the constitutional amendment passes, it likely will result in a lawsuit that could drag on for years in the court system.

Texas already has a law banning same-sex marriage, but supporters of Proposition 2, including Gov. Rick Perry and religious groups, believe that putting it in the state constitution would strengthen the law.

Texans will vote on the issue on Nov. 8.