During a debate on gay marriage in New
York, CNN anchor Don Lemon asked Brian Brown whether he's certain
that he wants New York voters to decide the issue.
Brown, the president of the National
Organization for Marriage (NOM), the nation's most vociferous
opponent of gay marriage, reiterated the claim made by opponents that
the majority of voters remain opposed to the institution.
“In 2009 we heard from the lead
sponsor Tom Duane that the votes were there and the bill ended up
being defeated 38 to 24,” Brown said. “So the notion that this
is a done deal is simply wrong.”
“The Legislature should not be
deciding something as important as the future of marriage. The
voters of New York should have the same ability as 31 other states.
Every single state that this has been put to a vote the voters
directly have said, 'No. We know what marriage is. We know that it
is unique and special and we do not want it redefined.'”
Brown's assertion prompted Lemon to
ask: “58 percent of New Yorkers support same-sex marriage … Are
you sure you want to take it to the voters?”
“Absolutely sure,” Brown said. “We
saw polls just like this in California and in Maine. Polls that were
worded in a very biased way. I have absolutely no doubt that if the
voters of New York had a free and fair vote and they could vote on
the issue of marriage, they would vote to protect it.” (The video
is embedded in the right panel of this page.)