Gay Marriage PR War Heats Up
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Advocates and opponents of gay marriage geared up for a PR battle this week, with one side taking their message the airwaves while the other made their case directly to lawmakers.
Yesterday, members of Marriage Equality Rhode Island took a grassroots approach, handing out over 13,000 postcards from constituents to Rhode Island lawmakers urging them to support gay marriage.
Each card, which was signed by a Rhode Island citizen, read: “I am your constituent and a voter. I support equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. Please take a stand against discrimination and support legislation allowing same-sex couples to legally marry within Rhode Island. All Rhode Island families deserve equal protection under the law.” (Click here to view GoLocalProv’s exclusive video from the event.)
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTMeanwhile, the state chapter of the National Organization for Marriage announced it was launching a TV ad campaign opposing the effort to open up marriage to gay couples. The group is making the case for a referendum on gay marriage—pointing out that newly inaugurated Governor Lincoln Chafee can’t claim a mandate on the issue. Chafee said passing the law would be one of his top priorities in his inaugural address last week.
Group: Chafee doesn't have a mandate
“Lincoln Chafee got just 36 percent of the vote in the recent election, and fewer popular votes than the Cool Moose Party’s candidate for Lieutenant Governor,” said Christopher Plante, Executive Director of NOM-RI. “Our message is that getting 36 percent of the vote is no mandate to redefine the institution of marriage for all of Rhode Island society.”
The NOM RI ad will air on broadcast and cable channels. The group will spend more than $100,000 on the campaign, according to Plante.
Plante warned legislators against following Chafee “off the cliff in pursuit of same-sex marriage,” saying that lawmakers who had voted for it in New Hampshire and Maine had been voted out and replaced with supporters of traditional marriage.
“If legislators in Rhode Island wish to redefine marriage, they should put this issue on the ballot where the people themselves can decide if they wish to abandon one of the most fundamental institutions of society,” Plante said.
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