After a mixed bag
of news for same-sex marriage supporters lately, three
national gay rights groups are launching a $250,000 ad
campaign today declaring their commitment to achieving
marriage equality. The ads will run in 50 publications
around the country, from The New York Times to
the Houston Voice gay weekly, and
are endorsed by 11 religious leaders and nine mayors,
the Associated Press reports.
The campaign's
organizers--the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force,
the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and
Freedom to Marry--say it's the largest-ever
print-advertising buy by the gay rights lobby. It
comes after recent legal setbacks in New York and Georgia,
where the highest courts in each state ruled against
marriage equality, but also after both houses of
Congress voted down the proposed federal marriage amendment.
"From coast to coast, millions of people and
hundreds of organizations are working to protect gay
and lesbian families by ending their exclusion from
marriage," read the ads, which feature photographs of
five same-sex couples who've been together for as long as
53 years. "Along the way, there will be advances and
setbacks, but we will not stop until every American
family is treated fairly, with dignity and equality
under the law."
"This is a long-term conversation," Evan
Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, told
the AP. "Our job is to make sure people hear
about gay families and why marriage matters, and not be
drowned out by the horse race of the moment."
Added Neil Giuliano, GLAAD's executive director:
"This clearly shows a maturing of the movement,
broadening the base in our quest for equality. It
shows we have the capacity to speak loudly and strongly
nationwide." (The Advocate)
