Two major events centered on traditional values converge tomorrow in Washington: the Road to Majority conference and the March for Marriage.
Let’s start with the March for Marriage: The rally brings together thousands of grassroots activists on Capitol Hill. They come to stand for marriage as it has traditionally and historically been defined — between a man and a woman.
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Organizers call the event an “indispensable vehicle” for showing the world — and mainstream media — that support for the preservation of marriage is still alive and well. Christopher Plante, a regional director of the National Organization for Marriage, the lead march sponsor, told The Daily Signal:
We believe Americans have the right to live as they choose but they do not have the right to define marriage for the rest of us. …So tomorrow, we will promote marriage as the union between a man and woman because we believe it should be protected in law, politics, and culture.
Jennifer A. Marshall, vice president for the Institute for Family, Community and Opportunity at The Heritage Foundation and a scheduled speaker, said: “Our message will be that marriage, the union of a man and a woman, is critical for children and for our future.”
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The roster of notable speakers also includes Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kansas; Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor and nationally syndicated TV and radio host; and Rick Santorum, founder of Patriot Voices and former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania.
The scheduled attendance of Archbishop of San Francisco Salvatore Cordileone attracted some controversy when House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a professing Catholic, publicly pressured him to withdraw. Pelosi described the event as “venom masquerading as virtue.” (Cordileone politely declined the California Democrat’s request by sending this letter.)
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In a blog post by the Human Rights Campaign, the gay rights group’s spokesman, Fred Sainz, called the National Organization for Marriage “the proud leaders of a hateful handful – the last grasp of a reactionary rump.”
March organizers say they’ll decline to return the name-calling and expect protesters to be present to argue that the case for “traditional” marriage is already lost. The rally and march will go on from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., wrapping up at the Supreme Court. On Twitter: #March4Marriage
>>> Watch Recap of March for Marriage
As for the Road to Majority conference, this second traditional values event in Washington is sponsored by the Faith and Freedom Coalition. The gathering, billed as the “premier event for people of faith and conservative activists,” will be held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel from Thursday through Saturday.
A slew of high-profile members of Congress and other newsmakers are on the speakers list, from Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to twin entrepreneurs David and Jason Benham, who were fired by HGTV for their Bible-based outspokenness on marriage and abortion. On Twitter: #RTM2014