Pelosi Endorses Dem Marriage Plank

Big news from Freedom To Marry:

"Freedom to Marry is proud to have Leader Pelosi joining our call to put the Democratic Party squarely on record in support of the freedom to marry as part of the national platform. A strong majority of Democrats and Independents support the freedom to marry, and standing up for all families is not just the right thing to do morally, it's also right to do politically. I hope more people will quickly join Leader Pelosi by signing Freedom to Marry's Democrats: Say I Do petition so together we can get the party, and the country, where the majority of Americans already are."

Chris Geidner got the scoop at Metro Weekly. He notes:

The former House speaker's support for the move comes in response to Freedom to Marry's announcement on Feb. 13 that it was launching a campaign to ask the Democrats, as the group put it, to "Say I Do" to including such a marriage equality plank in the party's platform. The platform, a detailed statement of the party's positions that will be finalized at the Democratic National Convention this September, has never included language in support of the right of same-sex couples to marry. And the leader of the party, President Obama, opposed marriage equality in the 2008 campaign. He said in December 2010 that his position on marriage equality was "evolving" but that he still "struggle[s]" with it. His press secretary, Jay Carney, said this past week of Obama's position, "You know his position, where it stands now, on the issue of same-sex marriage, so I really don't have much to add on that."

Freedom To Marry Demand Marriage Equality Plank At Dem Convention

Via press release:

From now through the September convention, Freedom to Marry will organize to secure inclusion of a freedom to marry plank in the party platform. Freedom to Marry’s Democrats: Say I Do campaign will enlist Democratic party leaders, elected officials, activists, and voters to make the case to the Platform Drafting Committee in support of the freedom to marry plank. As the Committee holds field hearings and other mechanisms for public participation, Freedom to Marry will mobilize committed same-sex couples, both married and those unable to marry, as well as family members, friends, and allies, to make the case. Elected officials such as Freedom to Marry’s Mayors for the Freedom to Marry will join business and labor leaders and others in talking about why marriage matters. And to ensure that all Americans can be heard, Freedom to Marry has launched an online petition that people can sign, urging the party to include the plank in its national platform.

Here's the petition.