成人X站

MYNORTHWEST NEWS

$10 million campaign for marriage equality in all 50 states

Jun 26, 2013, 4:09 PM | Updated: Jun 27, 2013, 8:45 am

The ACLU has also established a war chest to promote same-sex marriage in the 37 states where it&#8...

The ACLU has also established a war chest to promote same-sex marriage in the 37 states where it's still banned. (AP Photo/File)

(AP Photo/File)

Advocates of same-sex marriage, emboldened by two U.S. Supreme Court rulings Wednesday are pressing their advantage in states where gay marriage is still against the law. The American Civil Liberties Union is launching a $10 million campaign through 2016.

When the high court essentially struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, it set in motion changes in the way federal rights and benefits are granted.

“There are 1,100 laws and programs under which same-sex couples will now have the same benefits that previously only straight couples could have,” said Doug Honig with the ACLU office in Seattle. He said the first priority is to make sure those changes happen.

The ACLU has also established a war chest to promote same-sex marriage in the 37 states where it’s still banned.

“We’re mounting a campaign to take marriage equality state-by-state across the country,” Honig announced. The campaign will enlist the GOP in the cause, including strategist Steve Schmidt, who has worked with Fortune 500 companies and worked on George Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign.

“It’s really not a partisan cause, it’s really about love and respect,” argued Honig. “And the ACLU nationally has hired a major, very experienced Republican strategist and he’s going to help with this effort.”

Honig thinks testimonials from Washington state will advance the cause.

“When you have legal marriage in one state, it really sets an example for other states, that this is something that can be done, that this doesn’t have negative consequences, that’s it’s actually a very positive thing for the people of this state,” said Honig.

The ACLU plans to do outreach to gay conservatives and frame the issue of same-sex marriage in the context of freedom, fairness, and limited government intrusion. Details of the campaign are outlined in an advertisement in the Thursday edition of the Wall Street Journal.

MyNorthwest News

missing 10-year-old marysville...

Frank Sumrall

Marysville Police searching for missing boy, 10, last seen July 6

A 10-year-old boy from Marysville is missing, prompting a search by local law enforcement.

38 minutes ago

travis decker sighting idaho woods...

MyNorthwest Staff

Possible Travis Decker sighting reported in Idaho woods, U.S. Marshals investigating

The U.S. Marshals Service is investigating a possible sighting of Travis Decker, the man accused of kidnapping and killing his three young daughters near Leavenworth, in the woods of Idaho.

2 hours ago

texas flash flood wa...

Ted Buehner

Texas flash flood tragedy: What Western WA must learn before it’s too late

The catastrophic Texas flash flood along the Guadalupe River in the Hill Country outside of San Antonio is simply heartbreaking. What can be learned and applied here in Western Washington?

2 hours ago

Photo: A law enforcement vehicle's lights....

成人X站7 News Staff

One dead, five injured in Sedro-Woolley shooting

The Sedro-Woolley Police Department (SWPD) says one person has died, and five were injured in a shooting on Saturday night.

17 hours ago

fireworks injured...

成人X站 Newsradio Newsdesk

Harborview confirms 47 people injured from fireworks-related incidents

Forty-seven people suffered injuries related to fireworks incidents over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, medical staff with Harborview Medical Center confirmed.

19 hours ago

One of two homes that burned in a two-alarm fire in northeast Tacoma Saturday evening. (Photo: Taco...

Tom Brock

Two homes, historic warehouse burn in separate two-alarm fires in Tacoma

Tacoma firefighters battled two, separate, two-alarm fires on Saturday and they say one of them was started by people illegally setting off fireworks.

20 hours ago

$10 million campaign for marriage equality in all 50 states