The Threat to Marriage
Marriage Debate Shifting to the Legislatures
Even as a string of court decisions have now rejected claims for same-sex marriage, gay marriage advocates have already shifted their attention to the state legislatures. SSM proponents are actively persuading legislators in blue states that there is no real political risk in voting for gay marriage, despite what the polls say. And they will push the battle where pro-family forces are weakest: the Northeast and West Coast. Legislators in several of these states have already adopted marriage-like civil unions or domestic partnerships, with little or no political fallout.
Now advocates are pushing for same-sex marriage, and there are no pro-marriage organizations on the ground capable of stopping this wave. Most pro-family organizations are (c)(3) ministries which do not frighten Democratic politicians in blue states.
Tim Gill Launches Multi-Million Dollar Campaign to "Flip" State Legislatures on Marriage
Meanwhile, Quark Xpress founder Tim Gill and his network of pro-same-sex marriage millionaires are pumping millions into state elections. As the Atlantic Monthly recently summarized: The software mogul Tim Gill has a mission: Stop the Rick Santorums of tomorrow before they get started. How a network of gay political donors . . . is reshaping American politics. (March 2007) Gill is already credited with "flipping" legislatures in more than 5 states, including Colorado and New Hampshire. Gill alone spent $15 million dollars in 2006 in state elections.
In the next 2 years, if nothing changes, state legislatures in the Northeast are going to begin passing same-sex marriage: New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, as well as California. Even in Maine, gay advocates are telling their supporters just three to five years. Swiftly and soon, more than a third of Americans will be living under legal same-sex marriage regimes. Gay marriage will spread throughout the U.S. either by direct court actions and/or through cultural pressures.
The NOM Response
The National Organization for Marriage is a critically urgent response to this new push for same-sex marriage. By undertaking targeted projects in key states, NOM seeks to (a) educate the public about the consequences of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, especially for children and people of faith, and (b) organize a political response to the Tim Gill coalition, supporting pro-marriage legislators and exposing key proponents of same-sex marriage.
