As Court Weighs Cases, Groups Launch A $1 Million Campaign for Same-Sex Marriage

Human Rights Campaign and Freedom to Marry are leading the orgs launching a new ad campaign featuring clips of Laura Bush, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell and President Obama expressing support, in their own ways, of same-sex marriage.

The ads will run on cable news outlets CNN and MSNBC, as well as on Sunday talk shows. Full page print ads appeared today in the New York Times. The cost of the campaign is reportedly $1 million.

The issue isn't facing a ballot measure any time soon, but the Supreme Court will hear arguments at the end of March in a series of cases challenging California's ban on same-sex marriage and the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. Illinois is considering a gay marriage bill, which has passed the state Senate and is being debated in the House. A same-sex marriage bill is about to be introduced in Minnesota, with word that a GOP lawmaker is preparing to co-sponsor the legislation after previously voting to place a measure on the state ballot to ban it. That measure, a constitutional amendment, was defeated in November.

The ad from the Respect for Marriage Coalition is below.