NEW YORK, NY –Today, the Unite for Marriage coalition launched the national countdown to #DecisionDay — the day the U.S. Supreme Court will rule on the issue of marriage for same-sex couples living in all 50 states. In preparation for the Court’s ruling later this month, the coalition has relaunched its website and developed new resources in support of a growing list of what will be over 100 local #DecisionDay events nationwide. The website and social media properties (see below) will be a one stop shop for individuals wanting to participate in actions as well as media wanting to cover #DecisionDay from a national, regional or local perspective and connect with local organizers and media representatives. The coalition is being led by Marriage Equality USA, Freedom to Marry, Family Equality Council, GLAAD and the National LGBTQ Task Force and supported by a diverse coalition of national partners (complete list at http://www.uniteformarriage.org/coalition.html).
Unite for Marriage continues the work it began in 2011 when it supported over 300 local events in April and June related to the Supreme Court marriage cases, as well as a two days of rallies and faith events in Washington, D.C. attended by thousands of supporters. Unite for Marriage works to support and elevate the stories of committed couples and their families in the media and to amplify the bipartisan support for marriage. In addition, Unite for Marriage is helping to drive the conversation around non-marriage issues that will still affect the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people regardless of the Court’s decision.
Polling shows that 63% of Americans support the freedom to marry, which extends to majority support in every region of the country. Additionally, the Williams Institute recently released a report that shows that in states with the freedom to marry, support grows much more rapidly than in states that continue to exclude same-sex couples from marriage. The report predicts that by 2016, more than half of the 50 states will show super-majority support of 60% or higher.
With the U.S. Supreme Court set to announce their decision in June, Unite for Marriage is working to make a strong case in the court of public opinion about why marriage matters and how marriage discrimination is harmful.
For more information, visit http://www.uniteformarriage.org.
