Missouri’s approval of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriages has had an impact on the Show-Me State’s delegation to the Republican National Convention. About two dozen gay rights demonstrators calling themselves “Gays Against Bush” showed up outside Blue Smoke – a jazz bar / barbecue restaurant on East 27th Street. Andrew Conte, one of the protesters, says the group had learned the Missourians would be partying at the establishment and targeted the event with protesters, placards, and chanting. On August 3, Missourians voted overwhelmingly in favor of a proposal to amend the state constitution to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. In so doing, Missouri became the first state in the nation to constitutionally ban same-sex marriages. Conte realizes Missouri is probably as conservative as New York City is liberal. The delegates seemed to take the protest in stride. The demonstration, staged under the watchful eyes of several members of New York’s finest, was peaceful and went off without incident.