In an article entitled "Gay marriages stir up conservatives again", Mary Leonard discusses a political movement against gay marriage and activists' aims to enact a federal constitutional amendment permitting only heterosexual marriage and making presidential candidates to take action on same-sex union. Conservatives are trying to prevent gay rights from expanding, by means of pulpits, petitions, and political action committees. Reverend Jerry Falwell declared that he was pushing for a heterosexual marriage amendment in August. The Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution in June, condemning homosexual marriage. Similarly, leaders of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops supported a constitutional amendment that would ban gay unions. Member of the Arlington Group, a coalition of 21 evangelical Christian and other conservative organizations, will come together outside Washington to declare October 12 to 18 Marriage Promotion Week. They plan to preach against gay marriage, collect 1 million signatures for the amendment, and they also plan on telling lawmakers to defend traditional family values.
Dr. Jerry Falwell (en, d. 2007), the founder of Li...
Crowd in support of Gay Marriage
English: Protesters gathered inside the state capi...Republican National Committee chairman, Gillespie says that the federal marriage amendment may be addressed in the GOP's 2004 platform. President Bush has not yet endorsed the amendment but comments on it, saying that marriage is for a "man and a woman". Political analysts say that candidates could find "traction" in the gay marriage issue. So far, Howard Dean has not endorsed gay marriage but Democratic candidates Kucinich, Sharpton, and Braun have. Still, leaders of the Arlington Group say they will push every candidate for national and state office to vow their support for the amendment.
The article on a possible federal marriage amendment was interesting because it pertained to the whole amendment process and who has what rights. Conservatives are trying to push for the amendment and so far they've been starting petitions, forming committees, lobbying, and...