Rick Perry, Republican candidate for
president, has signed a pledge promising to oppose gay marriage.
The National Organization for Marriage
(NOM) announced Perry, the Christian conservative governor of Texas,
had joined GOP candidates Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, former
Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania Senator
Rick Santorum in signing their pledge. Former Minnesota Governor Tim
Pawlenty also signed but has since dropped out of the race.
“Kudos to Gov. Rick Perry for making
it clear: he's a marriage champion!,” said Brian Brown, president
of NOM. “The purpose of NOM's Marriage Pledge is to move from
vague values statements to concrete actions to protect marriage.
Gov. Perry joins Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum as a
signer of NOM Marriage Pledge. By doing so, Perry makes crystal
clear that, contrary to the conventional wisdom, gay marriage is
going to be a bigger issue in 2012 than it was in 2008, because the
difference between the GOP nominee and Pres. Obama is going to be
large and clear. We look forward to demonstrating that being for
marriage is a winning position for a presidential candidate.”
Candidates who sign NOM's 5-point
pledge promise to support a federal constitutional amendment banning
gay marriage, defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court,
appoint judges and an attorney general who will “respect the
original meaning of the Constitution,” appoint a presidential
commission to investigate the “harassment of traditional marriage
supporters,” and back legislation that would allow a ballot
question on the issue for voters of the District of Columbia
(Related: NOM
calls on Herman Cain to sign anti-gay marriage pledge.)