(RALEIGH) -- Protestors in gathered in Raleigh Monday for the first of what is slated to be a monthly series of protest against the marriage amendment. Monday night, North Carolina U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, who blamed Republicans for using gay marriage to distract people from the state's troubled economy, stopped short of taking a firm stand on either side.

"It's an issue that the people of North Carolina have spoken on.  I believe it is a state issue and I don't think it was appropriate to limit people's rights within the constitution of North Carolina," said Hagan.

The issue will likely not fade from the headlines anytime soon. The group of Raleigh protestors chose the 14th of every month to stage rallies and demonstrations. The date is symbolic of the U.S. Constitution's 14th amendment, the Equal Protection Clause.