They aren't the only ones raising the 'spectre' of gay marriage and so forth. The gays were dancing in the streets yesterday (at least some of them) talking about how this was the first step in 'ending discriminiation.' The legal recognition of gay marriages was one of the 'spectres' they raised.
The gays were wrong. Romer v Evans was the first (and only) Supreme Court step toward 'ending discrimination' because Romer was an Equal Protection ruling, Lawrence was not. This may've been one of many steps in that direction, but this ruling did not establish any sort of precedent toward marriage (O'Connor's concurrence would have, which is why it drew such unusual ire from Scalia's dissent).
The legal recognition of gay marriages was one of the 'spectres' they raised.
Gays have been raising that spectre since probably the Stonewall riots, and no one is under any illusion that this is not their ultimate goal. However, the fact of the matter is that marriage will come in one of two ways: (1) as an Equal Protection judgment; (2) as a Full Faith & Credit judgment (assuming at least one state legalizes, first). Most likely the latter. Lawrence did neither, nor did Lawrence provide a precedent to either, nor was Lawrence any sort of necessary prelude to same-sex marriage...