Speaking at the National Organization
for Marriage's (NOM) March for Marriage, Kansas Rep. Tim Huelskamp, a
Republican, said he had a message for “every man in America.”
An estimated 2,000 people participated
in NOM's second annual rally and march to the steps of the Supreme
Court.
With three cases challenging state
marriage bans already heard at the appellate level and more on the
way, both sides believe the issue will be settled next year at the
Supreme Court.
Outside the court, marchers prayed for
a ruling upholding state bans.
(Related: At
NOM's anti-gay marriage rally, Brian Brown claims “right side of
history.”)
While several former elected officials,
Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee among them, spoke at the event,
Huelskamp, the chief sponsor of the Federal Marriage Amendment, was
the only member of Congress to address the crowd.
“I love my wife,” Huelskamp said of
his wife of 20 years, Angela.
“And I want to close with this, with
a message to every man in America, every man in this crowd, every
husband in America: Your children need you. Your woman, your wife,
she needs you. It's time that you become a real man and stand up for
those who need you. Love your family. Love your wife. Love your
children. Because they need you. They're desperately looking for a
husband. They're desperately looking for a father.”
“Be a real man of God, because this
is about you and your wife and your children,” he added. (The
video is embedded on this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
(Related: Mike
Huckabee: Gay marriage will unleash God's judgment on United States.)