Gay rights groups
launch ad campaign in support of marriage equality

After a mixed bag of news for same-sex marriage supporters lately, three national gay rights groups are launching a $250,000 ad campaign today declaring their commitment to achieving marriage equality. The ads will run in 50 publications around the country, from The New York Times to the Houston Voice gay weekly, and are endorsed by 11 religious leaders and nine mayors, the Associated Press reports.

The campaign's organizers--the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and Freedom to Marry--say it's the largest-ever print-advertising buy by the gay rights lobby. It comes after recent legal setbacks in New York and Georgia, where the highest courts in each state ruled against marriage equality, but also after both houses of Congress voted down the proposed federal marriage amendment. "From coast to coast, millions of people and hundreds of organizations are working to protect gay and lesbian families by ending their exclusion from marriage," read the ads, which feature photographs of five same-sex couples who've been together for as long as 53 years. "Along the way, there will be advances and setbacks, but we will not stop until every American family is treated fairly, with dignity and equality under the law." "This is a long-term conversation," Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, told the AP. "Our job is to make sure people hear about gay families and why marriage matters, and not be drowned out by the horse race of the moment." Added Neil Giuliano, GLAAD's executive director: "This clearly shows a maturing of the movement, broadening the base in our quest for equality. It shows we have the capacity to speak loudly and strongly nationwide." (The Advocate)