Dems Have a Plan to Counter Growing Success of State Marriage Initiatives

by Jody Brown
July 27, 2006

(AgapePress) - - The Democratic Party has apparently decided to take a different tack in its efforts to bring legalized homosexual "marriage" to every state in the country. Determined to provide more coordinated support to advocates of same-sex unions, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) recently announced it has adopted a five-point plan for fighting state ballot measures defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

In 2004, the Democratic Party made it clear it stood opposite President George W. Bush on defending traditional marriage. "We repudiate President Bush's divisive effort to politicize the Constitution by pursuing a 'Federal Marriage Amendment,'" it says on page 38 of The 2004 Democratic National Platform for America. In the statement prior to that, the party says such an issue should be left to the states. "In our country, marriage has been defined at the state level for 200 years, and we believe it should continue to be defined there," it says.

Since that platform was written, the number of states installing the traditional definition of marriage as part of their constitution has grown to 20 -- and as many as seven more are set to consider similar initiatives this fall. Sensing that its "leave it to the states" approach needs some tweaking, the DNC has apparently decided to add more structure to the state-level efforts to legalize same-sex marriage.

For example, the DNC recently contributed $10,000 to opponents of the pro-marriage "Protect Marriage Illinois" initiative in the state of Illinois. A spokesman for the pro-homosexual group National Stonewall Democrats -- in an interview with the Washington Blade, a pro-homosexual publication -- confirmed that contribution, adding that homosexual activists in the state were "very pleased" with the DNC's help.

In the same article, DNC spokesman Danien LaVera spelled out the Committee's five-point plan for fighting state ballot measures that would ban same-sex marriage:

1. Label "anti-gay" ballot measures as "divisive" ploys by the Republicans and others to deflect voter attention from other important issues, including "the Bush administration's failed policies."
2. Begin a state "party-building" operation that includes specific training for state party operatives in all 50 states on how to campaign against ballot measures banning homosexual marriage.
3. Work closely with the National Stonewall Democrats to "develop strategy and talking points" to combat state measures defining marriage as being between one man and one woman.
4. Work cooperatively with homosexual organizations fighting ballot measures in each state where they surface, providing campaign advice, expertise, and logistical and financial support.
5. Empower and organize GLBT [gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender] communities around the country through the help of Brian Bond, the DNC's new "gay outreach organizer."

According to LaVera, a number of these actions are already in place. The state party-building effort (Point #2), for example, was begun by DNC chairman Howard Dean, who is on record saying that the July 7 pro-marriage ruling by the New York Supreme Court "relies on outdated and bigoted notions about families." LaVera also tells the Blade that the DNC's involvement in the Illinois marriage initiative shows how "highly successful" cooperation between his organization and pro-homosexual groups can be.

The DNC will not be alone in its efforts to combat marriage protection initiatives at the state level. The Blade quotes spokespersons from two high-profile homosexual rights groups -- the Human Rights Campaign and the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force -- who say the groups are committing several million dollars toward ballot measure fights. Their goal, says a NGLTF official, is to gain legalization of same-sex marriage in ten states over the next ten years -- "either through legislative or judicial action."

As of late, neither avenue has proven successful for advocates of same-sex marriage. Their most recent setback came out of Washington State, where on Wednesday the state Supreme Court ruled the Defense of Marriage Act passed by voters in 1998 is constitutional -- and said that in a democracy, marriage should be defined by elected governmental representatives, not by judges.

Currently, Massachusetts is the only state in which homosexual marriage is legal; the state of Vermont recognizes "civil unions." States considering constitutional marriage amendments in November include Arizona (pending certification of petition signatures), Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin.