Three groups on Monday announced a
coalition to win broader rights for LGBT Ohioans. But the coalition
remains uncommitted to an effort to repeal the state's 2004
voter-approved constitutional amendment limiting marriage to
heterosexual unions.
Equality Ohio, the state's largest gay
rights advocate, announced the coalition in an email to supporters.
“Today, Equality Ohio, the Human
Rights Campaign and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force announce
a powerful statewide coalition to win full equality in Ohio,”
Equality Ohio Executive Director Elyzabeth Joy Holford wrote in the
email.
“By bringing together our resources
and expertise, we will join with our state and national allies to
launch an unprecedented effort to achieve equality in Ohio,”
Equality Ohio said in a statement. “Building on what we learned
from last year's campaigns in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and
Washington, we will activate our combined memberships of over 75,000
Ohioans to fight for passage of the Equal Housing and Employment Act,
statewide anti-bullying legislation and, ultimately, marriage
equality.”
However, the coalition cautioned
against acting too soon on the marriage front.
“We understand that there will be and
are other efforts to do similar work in Ohio, including repealing
Ohio's constitutional amendment banning marriage equality. While we
believe that many hands make light work, we also know that acting
prematurely or without the expertise of other like-minded groups can
create dramatic set-backs.”
FreedomOhio began its effort to repeal
the ban last year, and has said it will have sufficient signatures to
put the issue on November's ballot.
(Related: Booed
soldier Stephen Snyder-Hill joins effort to repeal Ohio's gay
marriage ban.)