Marriage equality advocacy groups are airing a series of television ads in Texas this week ahead of a federal appeals court hearing on Friday in the challenge to Texas’ same-sex marriage ban.
The ad features Fort Worth police officers talking about why they support the freedom to marry in Texas, and their support for colleague Chris Gorrie, a detective who wants to someday marry his partner Justin Burks.
“Texans believe in freedom and liberty, and part of that is being able to marry who you love,” says Officer Jay Doshi. “So Chris should be able to marry whoever he loves.”
The campaign by Texas for Marriage, a joint effort of Freedom to Marry and Equality Texas, comes just days before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in New Orleans is slated to hear arguments in cases challenging same-sex marriage bans in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
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“Our ad shows Ft. Worth police officers standing up for their gay colleague‘s freedoms,” said Marc Solomon, national campaign director of Freedom to Marry. “With poignancy, they remind Texans that anyone who puts their life on the line to protect other Americans should not be treated unequally or be denied the ability to protect their own family by being barred from marrying.”
Watch:
The ad is airing in multiple Texas markets, including Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Pasom Houston, and San Antonio.
