A group of conservatives who support
gay marriage have said they are disappointed with the Republican
Platform's stance on marriage.
On Tuesday, the Republican National
Committee's (RNC) platform drafting committee approved a marriage
plank in the 2012 Republican Platform which supports a federal
“constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man
and one woman” and “campaigns underway in several other states
to” amend their constitutions to define marriage as a heterosexual
union. The platform also criticizes President Barack Obama's
decision to no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) –
the 1996 law which bars federal agencies from recognizing the legal
marriages of gay and lesbian couples – in court.
Republicans will ratify the platform at
next week's convention in Tampa, Florida.
“As conservatives supporting the
freedom to marry, we understand there are divergent opinions on
marriage among conservatives and within the Republican Party,” the
group Young
Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry said in a statement.
“Even so, there are a number of things we all agree on.”
“Given these shared beliefs about
marriage, we are very disappointed the Republican platform includes
specific language that opposes marriage for same-sex couples.”
The group said it would continue to
work on building support for marriage equality from within the party.
“As conservatives, we believe that
the freedom to marry is directly in line with the core ideals and
principles of the Republican Party – less government, more
individual freedom, personal responsibility and the importance of
family.”