Gay Marriage Opponents Debuting First 2 TV Ads
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) -- A new round of TV ads hit the airwaves Monday, trying to sway voters on the marriage amendment issue.
Minnesota for Marriage, a group pushing for a constitutional amendment that would limit marriage to one man and one woman, released the first of its two ads.
One of the ads argues the importance of protecting the traditional definition of marriage between a man and a woman. The other argues voters should decide on the marriage debate, not judges or elected officials.
Minnesota for Marriage purchased $175,000 in TV ad time for the two ads that will air on Twin Cities TV stations.
"They really show the good in marriage and how it promotes something good for society. Men and women coming together, they're not interchangeable," said spokeswoman Autumn Leva.
Minnesota for Marriage is coming in a little late to the game.
The rival campaign, Minnesotans United for all Families started airing its TV ads two weeks ago.
"This amendment limits the freedom to marry for some Minnesotans because of who they are and it singles out gay and lesbian couples from the love commitment and responsibility marriage is," said spokeswoman Kate Brickman.
The group has been ahead in terms of fundraising. It's already put down a $1 million for TV ads to run this month.
Meanwhile, Minnesota for Marriage is aggressively fundraising in an effort to fund more advertisements to air later this month.
Some professional athletes haven't been shy about voicing their stance on the issue. Vikings punter Chris Kluwe has been an adamant supporter of same-sex marriage, and now a former Viking offensive lineman is taking his stance public in a new ad from the Minnesota Catholic Conference supporting the marriage amendment defining it as a union between one man and one woman.
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Matt Birk, who is now with the Baltimore Ravens, is featured in the ad.
"A lot of people say, live and let live… Let everybody do what they want. But this is too important of an issue to do that on. We need to stand up and fight for it and preserve it for our sake, for our childrens' sake, for the sake of our entire society," said Birk.
The ad featuring Birk coincides with an editorial he wrote in Sunday's Star Tribune newspaper. Kluwe, meanwhile, is expected to post a response to Birk's ad sometime Monday. Earlier this fall, Kluwe's impassioned statement opposing the gay marriage amendment garnered national media attention.
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