Frank Schubert, a leading opponent of
gay marriage, has said he loves his lesbian sister.
The 56-year-old Schubert led the 2008
campaign to approve Proposition 8, California's gay marriage. Today,
he is managing four statewide campaigns where voters will decide the
issue in the fall – in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington
state.
In an AP profile, Schubert, a Roman
Catholic, is described as “part Karl Rove and part Pat Robertson.”
“Five thousand years have shown that
marriage between a man and a woman serves us well,” Schubert said
before describing the alternative as a culture based on personal
desires.
Gay rights activist Julie Davis said
she admired Schubert's political skill.
“Whether we like it or not, he's done
a very good job of tapping into fears people have about homosexuality
that are still very real,” she
told the AP.
Schubert insisted that his opposition
to marriage equality was not a reflection of how he feels about his
younger sister, Anne Marie Schubert, who is raising children with her
partner.
“I love my sister very much, and I
wanted her to know that my working on this issue was not a reflection
of me seeing her as a less valuable person,” he said.
He added that he expects to win in all
four states.