A new group announced on Thursday will
work to put more supporters in the four states with gay marriage
referendums.
United for Marriage is backed by
leading gay rights groups Freedom to Marry, the Human Rights Campaign
(HRC) and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund.
“There's no doubt in our minds that
this year is a turning point,” Jay Cash, national campaign director
for United for Marriage, said in a statement. “Americans
overwhelmingly want to stop shutting same-sex couples out of
marriage. We know that the best antidotes to the inevitable anti-gay
attacks are real stories about why marriage matters to same-sex
couples and their families. Through this effort, we'll significantly
grow the number of people who can tell their stories in these four
states.”
This fall, voters in Minnesota will
decide on a constitutional amendment which aims to ban gay marriage
in the state, while Maryland and Washington state voters are being
asked to uphold – or reject – laws legalizing such unions
approved by lawmakers. Maine voters will decide whether to legalize
gay nuptials in the state. If approved, it would become the first
state to do so at the ballot box.
United for Marriage will ask supporters
to donate a week's worth of time in one of the four states. A second
initiative will place volunteers in states near them for a weekend.
(On the Net: United
for Marriage.)