By Michelle Bauman
Washington D.C. am (EWTN News):
Reports of an effort to add
language supporting “gay marriage” to the official Democratic
platform this fall have sparked controversy both within and
beyond the party.
Brian
Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, said
the addition of such rhetoric shows that “the outcome of the
presidential election may determine the future of marriage in
our country.”
On July
30, several media outlets reported that the Democratic drafting
committee has voted to add a plank endorsing “gay marriage” to
the party’s national platform.
Although the platform has not yet been finalized
and would need to be formally approved at the Democratic
National Convention in September, the reports have already led
to controversy.
Brown
believes that the move will harm the Democratic Party in the
upcoming election.
“Voters in virtually every one of the presidential swing states
have voted for marriage as the union of one man and one woman,”
he explained.
The
definition of marriage has been placed on the ballot in 32
states, and in each case, voters have upheld marriage as the
union of one man and one woman.
These marriage amendments could be threatened if
the Democratic Party formally endorses a redefinition of
marriage, said Brown.
“That makes the definition of marriage a key issue in these
swing states,” he said, and voters need to realize “that the
outcome of the election is a proxy for the survival of
traditional marriage in our nation.”
He noted that the Democratic National Convention
will take place in the battleground state of North Carolina,
where voters overwhelmingly adopted a constitutional amendment
to protect marriage in May. The amendment received 61 percent of
the vote and enjoyed a plurality of support among Democrats.
Although the drafting
committee’s decision was reported to be unanimous, the
Democratic Party is far from unified in supporting same-sex
“marriage.”
A survey conducted June 28-July 9 by the Pew Research Center
found that 65 percent of Democrats support a redefinition of
marriage to include homosexual couples, while 29 percent oppose
it.
On May 9, President
Barack Obama became the first U.S. president to officially
endorse “gay marriage.” The move led a wave of lifelong
Democrats to leave the party, including prominent Pennsylvania
committeewoman Jo Ann Nardelli.
Several prominent members of the Democratic Party
have backed away from the president’s stance, refusing to back
the controversial position.
Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) and Senator Jon Tester
(D-Mont.) have voiced opposition to “gay marriage.” Senators Joe
Manchin (D-W.Va.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Claire McCaskill
(D-Mo.) have also spoken out against a federal redefinition of
marriage.
The Coalition
of African-American Pastors, a grassroots movement of black
religious leaders, is taking a stand against the push for
same-sex “marriage.” The group is working to raise awareness
about marriage and has started a petition to support it.
Rev. William Owens, president and founder of the
coalition, said that President Obama has “forgotten the black
community” in order to cater to the demands of gay activists.
Owens told EWTN News on July 31 that the black
community is already struggling in the areas of education, the
economy and jobs. Initiatives that weaken the family just “add
to the problems we already have,” he said.
He explained that the African American community
does not want a redefinition of marriage and cannot be taken for
granted by Obama in the upcoming election.
“We must hold him accountable,” he said.
