News (USA)

‘Freedom to Marry’ to launch national marriage equality public education campaign

‘Freedom to Marry’ to launch national marriage equality public education campaign

Why Marriage MattersFreedom to Marry, a national marriage equality advocacy organization, is set to launch the first-ever national public education campaign aimed at increasing nationwide support for marriage equality.

The groundbreaking campaign — “Why Marriage Matters” — includes ads nationwide featuring gay, lesbian and straight couples talking about why marriage matters to them.

The organization has pledged to raise and spend $10 million over the next three years on the “Why Marriage Matters” campaign, which will launch during Freedom to Marry Week on Valentine’s Day with an initial national cable buy on CNN.

“Across the country the thinking of many Americans, from the president to the people next door, continues to ­­­– as President Obama put it ­ — ‘evolve’ toward support for same-sex couples joining in the freedom to marry,” said Evan Wolfson, Founder and President of Freedom to Marry.

“By engaging friends, families, and neighbors in personal conversations about why marriage matters, each of us can help fair-minded people wrestling with a lack of information and uncertainty, and change hearts and minds,” he said.

Evan Wolfson
Evan Wolfson

Wolfson said his team "has crunched over a decade’s worth of polling data" and analyzed over 85 data-sets representing 6 years of research to develop messages that are proven to be effective in swaying public opinion around marriage.

In particular, the data showed that people who have had conversations with their gay and lesbian friends about why marriage matters to them are more likely to support the freedom to marry.

“As Americans see their gay and lesbian friends, families, and coworkers in loving and committed relationships, they realize there is no good reason to withhold the protections and support that only come with marriage," said Thalia Zepatos, Director of Public Engagement for Freedom to Marry.

The "Why Marriage Matters" campaign will include a variety of mixed media advertising, including TV, radio, and online ads.

Watch on of the videos here; there are more videos and stories at the "Why Marriage Matters" website.

Freedom to Marry was launched in 2003 by Wolfson, a civil rights attorney generally considered the architect of the national marriage equality movement.

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