Freedom to Marry and Utah United for
Marriage on Friday released an ad featuring a Utah couple talking
about their support for their gay son.
In the 30-second commercial, Drs. Wendy
Matis and Dale Smith of Millcreek, who are celebrating 25 years of
marriage, speak about their desire for their two children to marry,
including son Sean, who is gay.
“We always wanted our children to
feel like their family was there for them,” Dr. Matis says. “We
want Sean to have what we have – a happy marriage. The three weeks
when marriage was legal here, we felt just as good as everyone else.”
Freedom to Marry President Evan Wolfson
said the ad “sends a Mother's Day message that marriage matters to
loving and committed gay couples for the same reasons as anyone
else.” (The video is embedded on this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
“In quiet conversations all across
Utah, as across the country, people are coming to understand that
ending exclusion from civil marriage strengthens families and
strengthens the community, while harming no one,” he added.
The 10th Circuit Court of
Appeals in Denver is currently reviewing a federal judge's ruling
striking down Utah's ban on marriage for gay and lesbian couples.
Kitchen v. Herbert is the first such case to be heard by a
federal appellate court since the Supreme Court struck down a key
provision of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in June.