Homosexual Groups Issue Advisory

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Homosexual Groups Issue Advisory

Special Report - June 18, 2008
As California begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples this week, a coalition of national homosexual legal and advocacy groups is advising gay and lesbian couples to get married but hold off on most lawsuits in other states—at least for now. The joint advisory, “Make Change, Not Lawsuits,” was released June 10 by four homosexual legal organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, and five national homosexual advocacy groups, including the Human Rights Campaign, in response to the California Supreme Court’s decision last month to legalize same-sex marriage in that state. The six-page advisory begins by asking: “Now that we’ve won marriage in California, should we be bringing cases in other states or suing the federal government?” The answer? Not necessarily, according to the pro-homosexual coalition.

Instead, it urges same-sex couples to “get married in California” but “don’t go suing right away.” The advisory explains: “The fastest way to win the freedom to marry throughout America is by getting marriage through state courts (to show that fairness requires it) and state legislatures (to show that people support it). We need to start with states where we have the best odds of winning. When we’ve won in a critical mass of states, we can turn to Congress and the federal courts. At that point, we’ll ask that the U.S. government treat all marriages equally. And we’ll ask that all states give equal treatment to all marriages and civil unions that are celebrated in other states.”

The advisory warns against “ill-timed lawsuits,” and says the focus should be on changing state laws in states where homosexual activists have the best chances of winning. It states, “So, going forward, we’ll use the California Supreme Court’s brilliant reasoning and stirring language to try to persuade legislatures to end marriage discrimination in several states that are nearly ready to pass marriage laws. We’ll show the opinion to courts in Connecticut and Iowa that are already considering marriage cases. We’ll work to identify other state legislatures and courts that may be ready to do the right thing.”

The advisory ends by emphasizing that homosexual activists must “hold on to the win in California,” noting that “marriage in California will transform the national debate on the freedom to marry,” and that “California is an American trendsetter.” Defeat may be just around the corner for same-sex marriage advocates, as Californians will vote in November on an amendment to the state constitution that would define marriage as the union of a man and a woman. The advisory acknowledges the effects of the state marriage amendment, warning that if it passes, “the fundamental freedom to marry would be denied to lesbian and gay couples.”

To date, 26 states have amended their constitutions to define marriage as between a man and a woman, and Florida will vote on a state marriage amendment, along with California, this November. In the majority of states that have voted on marriage amendments, the measures have passed by a significant majority.