Last summer, Louis Marinelli was a power-player for the National Organization for Marriage’s “Summer for Marriage Tour” – an event designed specifically to discourage marriage equality and promote a strict, DOMA-inspired definition of marital union.
But that was then. Fast forward one year, and Marinelli can now be found gearing up for what he hopes will be a very different kind of tour. Tentatively scheduled to begin in San Diego on August 14, 2011, Marinelli’s “Summer for Marriage Equality Tour” is, as he puts it, a testimony to his altered perspective regarding marriage equality, and his dedication to spreading a message in support of same-sex marriage across the nation.
In an online statement designed to help raise funds for the event, Marinelli describes the dual theme of his tour. He notes that “marriage equality is not an ideological issue,” confined to the liberal left, but rather a bi-partisan concern based in support for the “constitutional rights of all citizens” – and that the “Summer for Marriage Equality Tour” will help show the growing bi-partisan support for gay marriage that is slowly breaking down stereotypical barriers across the country.
“If I, an opinionated conservative can change my mind, it won’t be long before many other conservatives do, too,” Marinelli said – “not to mention Independents.”
Although the proposed marriage equality tour is still in the planning stages and dependent on successful fundraising, Marinelli has already released a schedule spanning mid-August through September, 2011. The tour will launch here in San Diego and continue throughout the country .
To find out more about the Summer for Marriage Equality Tour, or to make a contribution, visit Marinelli’s tour site online: http://louisjmarinelli.com/summer-tour-2011
