Same-sex marriage advocates say New England is paving way

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(Host)  A national same-sex marriage advocate says the passage of laws in northern New England this year will pave the way for other states to adopt similar measures.

Jennifer Pizer is the National Marriage Project Director for Lambda Legal. 

In a lawsuit brought by the group in 2005, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples can’t be barred from marrying. 

Pizer says recent legislative action legalizing same-sex marriage in Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire has helped change the public’s perception of the issue.

(Pizer) "I think there’s been a huge boost in not just interest, but the focus of the conversations; instead of dismissing it as an odd idea, a novel idea that doesn’t quite seem to make sense for people.  The shift in New England, I think, has affected how people think about the issue nationwide."

(Host) Currently six states recognize same sex-unions.  Pizer says New York and New Jersey may also pass gay marriage laws in the coming months. 

Brian Brown is executive director of the National Organization for Marriage, which opposes same-sex marriage.  Brown says he sees no change in public opinion. 

He cites a recent Gallup Poll that indicates a majority of Americans are against legalizing same-sex marriage – a number that is unchanged from two years ago.

(Brown) "So the idea that the public is driving these legislative changes is, I think, just false.  I think what’s happened is there’s been a concerted effort to focus on the Northeastern states that don’t have initiative and referenda and to pass same-sex marriage through these legislatures and then the people don’t have a chance to have their say."

(Host) Brown points to the passage of Proposition 8 in California, which reversed a court ruling legalizing gay marriage. 

He says his group is working to help place a referendum before Maine voters in November to overturn that’s state’s law as well.

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