HRC is the nation’s largest LGBT lobbying group. Even gay activists were surprised by the extent of their victories on election day, winning ballot propositions in four states and seeing the election of the nation’s first openly lesbian Senator, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin. HRC also contends that the gay vote helped re-elect President Obama.
Marriage traditionalists point to this year’s overwhelming victory of Amendment One in North Carolina this year, which amends the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Such marriages had already been banned by the legislature.
On Saturday, even the conservative editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal ran side-by-side op-eds arguing the marriage issue on Tuesday, making space for Republican Ken Mehlman, the former manager of George W. Bush’s 2004 presidential campaign, making the case for same-sex marriage.
HRC has been touting a one-third drop in donations to the anti-same-sex marriage group National Organization for Marriage acccording to its 2011 tax return, which also indicates that just two mystery donors provided 75 percent of its funding.
HRC’s new ad seeks to generate support for same-sex marriage among the public, reasoning that the high court usually follows public opinion. In addition, five state legislatures inDelaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota and Rhode Island plan to take up same-sex marriage starting in January.
Narrated by actor Morgan Freeman, the carefully scripted ad makes this appeal to the non-gay public:
“America stands at the dawn of a new day. Freedom, justice and human dignity have always guided our journey toward a more perfect union. Now across our country, we are standing together for the right of gay and lesbian Americans to marry the person they love. And with historic victories for marriage, we’ve delivered a mandate for full equality. The wind is at our back. But our journey has just begun.
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