Jan 09, 2004  |  By: RYAN LEE  | COMMENTS     

Same-sex couples may soon have a new — and unlikely — advocate in their fight to achieve marriage equality.

Either that, or the conservative American Family Association will be a bearer of false witness.

Late last year, the Tupelo, Miss.-based anti-gay group pledged to forward to members of Congress the results of a poll on its Web site asking if gay marriage should be legalized in the United States.

Some gay Web surfers apparently took the promise to heart, forwarding a link to the poll to gay e-mail lists, with a note to circulate it widely among supporters of marriage equality.

As of Wednesday, some 469,804 people — 59.6 percent of those participating — voted for the option, “I favor legalization of homosexual marriage.”

Some 62,508 votes were tallied for the option, “I favor a ‘civil union’ with the full benefits of marriage except for the name,” meaning more than 67 percent of respondents support legal recognition of same-sex couples.

Only 249,758 people — 32.47 percent — selected the third option — “I oppose legalization of homosexual marriage and ‘civil unions.’”

Participants in the poll must provide a valid e-mail address before submitting their vote.

“I think it’s a great response from the GLBT community,” said Mark Shields, a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay rights group. “I hope the community will continue to harness that energy in more effective ways.”

Representatives of the AFA did not return calls by press time.

The poll numbers are at odds with the AFA’s basic principles, and its “Help Save Marriage” campaign.

The three-pronged campaign includes the online poll, a petition supporting the Federal Marriage Amendment — a proposal before Congress that would define marriage as exclusively the “the union of one man and one woman” — and a letter-writing campaign to federal lawmakers.

The AFA’s petition supporting the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage has collected, as of Wednesday, more than 857,589 signatures, according to the group’s Web site.

While he dismissed the AFA’s online poll on gay marriage as “unscientific” and “online entertainment,” Shields said he hopes the group will follow through with its pledge to present the results to federal lawmakers.

“It’s surprising that they are continuing to put the numbers out there,” Shields said.

Proponents of marriage equality can also turn to HRC to register their support. Some 500,000 people have signed the group’s online petition, which says, “I do. I do support the right of all Americans to marry, including gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender couples.”

The HRC, through its Web site, also provides tools to write letters to members of Congress and newspapers, and a guide to setting up visits with politicians to share personal stories.

But there are more effective ways in which gay men and lesbians can show their support for marriage equality, according to Shields.

“Certainly with the [Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s] marriage ruling, this is a time when the country is chewing on this issue,” he said.
“Because of that gay people need to become a part of the political process. So much in the upcoming election that it’s crucial each of us always, always, always votes.”