At last, the anti-same sex marriage outfit, the National Organization for Marriage and the pro-same sex marriage group Freedom to Marry, have found common ground.
“NOM is saying this is an urgent time for marriage and that a strong marriage makes a strong family and groups of these strong families make strong neighborhoods, strong towns, strong cities and strong states. At FTM we couldn’t agree more. We agree that marriage is vital and important in terms of taking care of our families and that it is key to building strong families whether you are straight or gay,” said Michael Crawford, the New Media Director at Freedom to Marry.
Crawford highlighted FTM’s agreement with NOM during a conference call, attended by Religion Dispatches, to announce its “Summer of Marriage” tour that will visit 17 states and Washington DC this summer. The tour is in response to a similar tour planned by NOM to defend marriage as a heterosexuals-only institution, and to—in NOM’s words: “show America that no longer will you stand idle while the iconoclasts continue to pilliage (sic) the values of our Nation as they travel from state to state in pursuit of the homosexual agenda.”
This is where NOM and Freedom to Marry part ways, according to Crawford: “Unlike NOM we believe that all committed and loving couples should be able to marry.”
To drive that point home, FTM will shadow NOM’s planned summer tour route, starting July 14 in Augusta, Maine, and ending on August 15 in Washington DC.
Crawford said they’re not looking to get into shouting matches with NOM; instead, FTM sees this as a chance to set the record… well… straight.
“What we’re really seeing this as is a fantastic opportunity to tell stories about the lives of gay and lesbian couples and put a positive spotlight on why marriage is so important to gay and lesbian couples,” Crawford explained. “We will also show that where gay and lesbian couples can marry that nothing has happened. Heterosexual s are not getting divorced in droves, and the states where gay couples can marry have not fallen off the face of the earth. What has really happened is that there are more couples that are married and more families that have been strengthened.”
Interestingly, as NOM prepares for its kickoff, it is not relying on just Christians to do the heavy lifting. Instead they are sending out an interfaith call for support:
Not a Christian? Not a problem. This isn’t just a Christian issue, it’s a national issue, speaking to our very national identity.
Sean Eldridge, the communications director for Freedom to Marry, said they intend to put gay and lesbian couples back into that national identity, as full citizens.
“Our goal is to demonstrate that there are loving, committed same-sex couples across the US who deserve, and thankfully in some states now have, the protection and the responsibilities of marriage. We’re not going to let NOM get away with distracting from and distorting the truth about our families and the protections that we need.”
