SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Freedom to Marry unveiled a television ad campaign in Minnesota as part of its public education efforts designed to spark conversation about the meaning of marriage across the nation.
The ad, the latest to launch in Freedom to Marry’s Why Marriage Matters educational campaign, is scheduled to run for several weeks in the Twin Cities and Duluth. Titled Grandparents, it features Yvonne and Fred Peterson of Duluth, whose grandson is gay.
The Petersons describe the joy of their nearly six decades of marriage and their initial opposition to marriage for same-sex couples. Fred concludes: “The world is changing. Gay and lesbian people want to get married for the same reason that I wanted to marry my wife. Why shouldn’t other people be able to enjoy the happiness and love we’ve enjoyed through our lifetime?”
“The Petersons highlight the very reason public education is so important in the fight for marriage for all committed couples,” said Thalia Zepatos, Freedom to Marry’s director of Public Engagement. “They started out with an opposing view and have come to see that marriage for everyone benefits us all. Local stories are the best conversation starter – and conversation is the best vehicle for helping people to see that the protections and responsibilities that come with marriage should be for everyone …”
