Both Sides In Same-Sex Marriage To Hold National Lobby Week"
by Doreen Brandt - 365Gay.com Newscenter Washington Bureau
Article Posted: September 25, 2003 12:01 a.m. ET
(Washington, D.C.) Organizations in favor and opposed to same sex marriage have earmarked the same week for national demonstrations to promote their views.
Southern Baptists, Jerry Falwell, Dr. James Dobson, Focus on the Family and other conservative churches and lobby groups announced Wednesday that they had earmarked October 12-18 'Marriage Protection Week'.
"There is a tremendous and titanic clash of values and morals that is taking place in our society between the Judeo-Christian understanding of truth and the neo-pagan understanding of truth," said Richard Land, head of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.
"The best legal minds in the country have come to the conclusion that the only way we can protect ourselves from having the judiciary force same-sex 'marriage' upon an unwilling nation is to have a constitutional amendment that says specifically that nothing in the U.S. Constitution or any of the state constitutions shall be construed as requiring that marriage be anything other than the union of a man and a woman," Land said.
"For too long, 97 percent of our nation's citizens have been denied an appropriate voice as the courts, media and Congress have allowed the avowedly gay 3 percent of our population to assert their agenda," said Tom Elliff chairman of the Southern Baptist Council on Family Life. Elliff ABC's new situation comedy "It's All Relative," that features a same sex couple as an example.
The conservative Christian groups are urging churches to highlight the battle against same-sex marriage in churches across the country during ' Marriage Protection Week'. Organizers have set up a website, www.faithandfamily.com , where churches can download posters and sample petitions to urge politicians to support a constitutional ban on gay marriage.
The same week, supporters of same-sex marriage will hold Marriage Equality Week. Hundreds of Metropolitan Community Churches across the United States will dedicate the week to the legalization of same-sex marriage.
"During the same week that the Religious Right will work to deny a basic human right to gays and lesbians, hundreds to faith communities will take public stands in support of equality in the marriage laws for gay couples."
"We are not seeking special treatment," said Rev. Troy Perry, MCC Moderator.
"We seek equality. We are asking that the marriage laws by applied equally to all couples, regardless of sexual orientation. That is the only gay agenda -- equality for everyone under the law."
Metropolitan Community Churches performs more than 6000 same-sex weddings annually, but only those performed in two Canadian provinces, Ontario and British Columbia are legal, and even then they are legal only in Canada. The rest are considered invalid.
"These are weddings that are blessed in the sight of God, but still not recognized by most governments," Perry said. "To not recognize my marriage and the marriages of thousands of other same-sex couples, is discrimination -- and we will not stand for that any longer."
MCC has more than 43,000 members in 22 countries.
Rev. Perry wed his partner of 18 years, Phillip Ray DeBlieck, in Toronto earlier this year after Ontario's historic legalization of same-sex marriage in June.
In July, Perry announced a Five-Step Plan to legalize same-sex marriage in the U.S. that includes Valentine's Day demonstrations, partnering with other gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender activist groups and eventually, a legal case with other human rights groups.
"Metropolitan Community Churches' observance of "Marriage Equality Week" will provide a positive countervoice for all types of families, including gay and lesbian families," said Rev. Perry, a former delegate to the White House Conference on Hate Crimes and the first openly gay member of the Los Angeles Human Rights Commission.
MCC has set up an online resource kit for Marriage Equality Week www.MCCchurch.org .
