Dear Friends of Marriage,
On Monday, at 1pm, the New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing and vote on same-sex marriage. If passed out of committee, the bill could be voted on by the full Senate as early as Thursday.
Please make time to call the Senate Judiciary Committee members today. And if there's any way you can make time to attend the hearing on Monday, your presence will be GREATLY appreciated!
Dear Friends of Marriage,
Thank you again for your part in the tremendous victory for marriage on Tuesday! I truly believe that were it not for your persistent phone calls and emails, the outcome could have been very different.
Same-sex marriage advocates now have a list of 38 state senators, including all 30 Senate Republicans and 8 of the 32 Senate Democrats, they will try to persuade or replace before another same-sex marriage bill is introduced (probably in 2011). Undoubtedly, the pressure on these 38 courageous senators -- many of whom had refused to say how they would vote in advance of the vote -- will intensify in the days ahead.
Dear Friends of Marriage,
I've heard from many of you who were shocked and simply appalled at the anti-religious bigotry shown by supporters of same-sex marriage in the DC Council debate over same-sex marriage.
Unfortunately, that isn't even the worst of it. The Council's treatment of representatives from the Catholic Church, expressing concerns that it would be forced to choose between its charitable work and its religious convictions, has been nothing short of shameful. Several members of the Council are nearly giddy at the chance to punish the Catholic Church -- and religious believers of all stripes -- by passing a same-sex marriage bill.
DC Councilman Tommy Wells -- who not that long ago actually supported school vouchers -- has just written an open letter to Senate subcommittee Chairman Dick Durbin strongly opposing the reauthorization of the DC school voucher program this year. Why? Because some of the kids in the program use the vouchers to attend Catholic schools, and the Catholic Church opposes same-sex marriage. Read More
Dear Friends of Marriage,
Same-sex marriage advocates are pulling out all the stops in a last-ditch effort to pass a gay marriage bill in New Jersey before Governor Christie takes office in January.
As of today they don't have the votes, and they know it.
Brian Brown with the National Organization for Marriage spoke to CBN News about how the legal battle over gay marriage could affect the rest of the country. Watch it here.
Jennifer Pizer and Brian Brown spoke with VPR's Jane Lindholm about strategies they'll pursue in states where same-sex marriage is being debated.
Union Leader, June 3, 2009
Legislators vote today on amending the same-sex marriage bill so it meets Gov. John Lynch's approval and can become law. It's telling, however, that Senate President Sylvia Larsen had to violate Senate rules to get this language passed.
Senate rules require that all committee of conference votes be unanimous. They also require that committees of conference contain senators from each party. When Sen. Sheila Roberge, R-Bedford, refused to sign the conference report approving the amendment to the same-sex marriage bill, Sen. Larsen removed her from the committee and replaced her with Sen. Matthew Houde, D-Plainfield. Voila! The language was passed.
Supporters of same-sex marriage talk all day long about fairness. But to get their bill through, they intentionally violated Senate rules written to guarantee minority approval of controversial legislation. Gov. John Lynch ought to veto the bill for that reason alone. A matter as divisive as this should pass into law by force of persuasion, not by sleight of hand.
We have just three weeks in which to bring HJR 6 to the floor for a vote in the Iowa House. If we can get it to the floor, I am confident it will pass.
Unfortunately, the measure is being blocked by the House leadership, and will require a 2/3 majority to even bring it to the floor. Already, Iowa legislators are hearing from their constituents, and some are even canceling town hall meetings and other public events simply because they don't want to face voters angry about their unwillingness to stand for marriage.
Let's keep the pressure on!
We have identified a list of 33 Iowa House members whose support will be critical to our efforts to bring HJR 6 -- the Iowa Marriage Amendment -- to vote by the full House during the last two weeks of this year's legislative session.
These 33 legislators need to know how critical this issue is, not only to their own constituents, but also to the entire nation, as the Iowa decision will embolden and energize gay marriage activists all across the nation. The Court had it wrong -- "The traditional notion that children need a mother and a father" isn't "based more on stereotype than anything else." It's based in common sense, natural law, and the very essence of the way God designed the family structure. Marriage is about moms and dads -- raising their baby together.
But gay marriage activists are targeting these legislators, too. We have a short window of time to act before this year's session ends and need your help today.
Together we can send a message to the Iowa House of Representatives: Vote YES on HJR 6, and let the people vote to protect marriage!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL 3, 2008
CONTACT: Elizabeth Ray (x130) or Mary Beth Hutchins (x105), 703-683-5004
IOWA SUPREME COURT IMPOSES SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
Brian Brown, executive director of the National Organization for Marriage: “Injustice has been served today. The gay marriage movement has once again used the courts to push an untruth on unwilling Iowans: same-sex unions are not marriages and Iowans should not be forced to treat them as such.”
(Princeton, NJ) – The Iowa Supreme Court released its decision today upholding a lower court’s decision to overturn the definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. This landmark decision came three months after the court heard arguments from six same-sex couples who had attempted to file for marriage licenses.
“Injustice has been served today,” said Brian Brown, NOM. “The gay marriage movement has once again used the power of the courts to push an untruth on unwilling Iowans: same-sex unions are not marriages and Iowans should not be forced by law to treat them as such.”
“Unlike the people of California, the people of Iowa have no direct way to get this issue on the ballot so that they can take marriage back from the courts,” notes Maggie Gallagher, president of NOM. “Once again the most undemocratic branch of government is being used to advance an agenda the majority of Americans reject. Marriage means a husband and wife. That’s not discrimination, that’s common sense.”
“Even in states like Vermont where they are pushing this issue through legislatures, gay marriage advocates are totally unwilling to let the people decide these issues directly,” agreed Brown. “They’ve just about run out of courts willing to radically redefine marriage. The next step for gay marriage advocates will be to use these new laws to push Congress to overturn the federal Defense of Marriage Act, and then use the federal courts to impose gay marriage on all 50 states.”
NOM is a national marriage organization that also assists state groups fighting marriage battles. Along with the California group Protect Marriage, NOM was widely credited with putting Prop 8 on the ballot for California voters and emerged as the largest single donor to the Prop 8 effort. NOM’s current media and robocalling campaigns “Don’t Mess with Marriage” and “Gay Marriage Has Consequences” have helped generate enormous grassroots resistance to gay marriage bills pushed in Vermont and New Hampshire.
To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, Executive Director, NOM, contact Elizabeth Ray (x 130, eray@crcpublicrelations.com) or Mary Beth Hutchins (x.105, mhutchins@crcpublicrelations.com) by calling 703-683-5004.
