TAMPA, Fla. –The Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry and Log Cabin Republicans will be running an ad in Wednesday’s Tampa Tribune calling on the GOP to support the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples.
With The Republican National Conference gearing up for Mitt Romney’s address, the full-page color ad, features photos of same-sex couples and their families, emphasizing that the freedom to marry is fully consistent with principles valued by conservatives: freedom, personal responsibility, and the importance of family.
The ad headlines with a quote from Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council underlining the GOP platform
“The Institution of marriage is the foundation of civil society. Its success as an institution will determine our success as a nation.”
There follows a series of photos of same-sex couples and their families above a bold headline and subsequent copy that reads:
“We agree. That’s why Log Cabin Republicans and Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry believe that government should stop denying marriage licenses to committed gay and lesbian families. As conservatives, we believe that the freedom to marry is directly in line with the core ideals and principles of the Republican Party. Family values means valuing ALL families.”
R. Clarke Cooper, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans said in a statement, “Gay or straight, Republicans are united in the belief that strong families are critical to a free society. As fellow conservatives, Log Cabin Republicans actually agree with Tony Perkins about the importance of family values. The difference is we believe that the freedom to marry is directly in line with the core ideals and principles of the Republican Party – less government, more individual freedom, personal responsibility and the importance of family.”
“The writing is on the wall for the Republican Party: Stand up for the values they say they believe in, or risk being seen as irrelevant with younger conservatives,” said Sarah Longwell, vice president at Berman and Company and a member of the Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry leadership committee. “This is a party that should support freedom – for all people, and all families.”
The ad comes in the wake of the party’s extreme stance on marriage in its draft platform, which includes support for a federal constitutional amendment banning the freedom to marry for same-sex couples. Tony Perkins, the president of the anti-gay Family Research Council, authored the marriage plank, which is expected to be ratified at the convention.
