Gay rights supporters lost public support when they used economic boycotts, vandalism and alleged death threats against backers of California’s same-sex marriage ban, lawyers defending the measure argued Thursday.

David Thompson, who is representing Proposition 8 sponsors in a federal trial challenging the ban, presented news coverage of the tactics to counter an assertion by a political scientist that gays are a politically unpopular group facing intense opposition from powerful religious groups and ongoing threats of violence themselves.

“When people read about this on the Internet, would (it) have the potential to diminish political support?” Thompson asked Stanford University professor Gary M. Segura about the tactics of gays. “Politically, it’s kryptonite, is that correct?”

Segura answered that he considered boycotts an acceptable political tool, but that “organized violence or even broad disorderly behavior certainly has a negative impact.”

Read more of Lisa Leff’s AP article here.