Alliance for Marriage

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The Alliance for Marriage (AFM), founded in 1999, was a non-profit organization based in the United States. The organization described itself as "dedicated to promoting marriage and addressing the epidemic of fatherless families in the United States." The group was founded by Matt Daniels and was headquartered in Virginia. [1] [2] AFM is most known for having drafted the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA) to the United States Constitution, introduced originally by Rep. Ronnie Shows (D-MS). [3] The amendment would define marriage in the United States as the union of one man and one woman. The amendment was later renamed the Marriage Protection Amendment, which, as of 2014, last failed a Senate cloture motion in June 2006. The organization was defunct as of May 2021, [4] [5] although its website, with a rarely-updated blog, remained active until at least October 2020. [6]

Contents

Founder

In a 2004 profile in USA Today , Daniels claimed diverse support for the AFM, crediting it to his upbringing. He was raised by a single mother in Spanish Harlem:

Daniels' views on family, he says, are based in large part on personal experience. He insists he wants to protect what he did not have himself: a dad who stuck around to raise him in a traditional family. [7]

Daniels was profiled in the Los Angeles Times, [8] The Atlantic, [9] and USA Today.

Federal Marriage Amendment

The FMA as introduced in 2002 consisted of two sentences:

Marriage in the United States of America shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this constitution or the constitution of any state, nor state or federal law, shall be construed to require that marital status or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon unmarried couples or groups.

and was first debated in the Senate on July 14, 2004. [10] The Federal Marriage Amendment was considered a significant issue in the 2004 presidential election. The Senate last attempted a cloture motion on the Amendment in June 2006, which failed 48-50, short of the necessary 60 votes. [11] Later in 2006, the Alliance for Marriage announced they were shifting their focus toward building a network of state lawmakers who would support the Federal Marriage Amendment. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

Equal Rights Amendment Proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States ensuring equal rights regardless of sex

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. Proponents assert it would end legal distinctions between men and women in matters of divorce, property, employment, and other matters. The first version of an ERA was written by Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman and introduced in Congress in December 1923.

The Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA), also referred to by proponents as the Marriage Protection Amendment, was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that would legally define marriage as a union of one man and one woman. The FMA would also prevent judicial extension of marriage rights to same-sex (gay) or other unmarried homosexual couples. An amendment to the U.S. Constitution requires the support of two thirds of each house of Congress and ratification by three fourths of the states. The last Congressional vote on the proposed amendment occurred in the House of Representatives on July 18, 2006, when the motion failed 236 to 187, falling short of the 290 votes required for passage in that body. The Senate has only voted on cloture motions with regard to the proposed amendment, the last of which was on June 7, 2006, when the motion failed 49 to 48, falling short of the 60 votes required to allow the Senate to proceed to consideration of the proposal and the 67 votes required to send the proposed amendment to the states for ratification. George Bush endorsed this proposal and made it part of his campaign during the 2004 and 2006 election cycles.

Same-sex marriage in the United States Marriage between members of the same gender within the United States of America

The availability of legally recognized same-sex marriage in the United States expanded from one state in 2004 to all fifty states in 2015 through various court rulings, state legislation, and direct popular votes. States each have separate marriage laws, which must adhere to rulings by the Supreme Court of the United States that recognize marriage as a fundamental right guaranteed by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as first established in the 1967 landmark civil rights case of Loving v. Virginia.

This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 2004.

Utah Constitutional Amendment 3

Utah Constitutional Amendment 3 was an amendment to the Utah state constitution that sought to define marriage as a union exclusively between a man and woman. It passed in the November 2, 2004, election, as did similar amendments in ten other states.

U.S. state constitutional amendments banning same-sex unions

Prior to the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), U.S. state constitutional amendments banning same-sex unions of several different types passed, banning legal recognition of same-sex unions in U.S. state constitutions, referred to by proponents as "defense of marriage amendments" or "marriage protection amendments." These state amendments are different from the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment, which would ban same-sex marriage in every U.S. state, and Section 2 of the Defense of Marriage Act, more commonly known as DOMA, which allowed the states not to recognize same-sex marriages from other states. The amendments define marriage as a union between one man and one woman and prevent civil unions or same-sex marriages from being legalized, though some of the amendments bar only the latter. The Obergefell decision in June 2015 invalidated these state constitutional amendments insofar as they prevented same-sex couples from marrying, even though the actual text of these amendments remain written into the state constitutions.

2006 Wisconsin Referendum 1

Wisconsin Referendum 1 of 2006 was a referendum on an amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution that would invalidate same-sex marriages or any substantially similar legal status. The referendum was approved by 59% of voters during the general elections in November 2006. All counties in the state voted for the amendment except Dane County, which opposed it. The constitutional amendment created by Referendum 1 has been effectively nullified since June 26, 2015, when the United States Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that state-level bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional.

2006 Idaho Amendment 2

Idaho Amendment 2 of 2006 is an amendment to the Idaho Constitution that made it unconstitutional for the state to recognize or perform same-sex marriages or civil unions.

Nebraska Initiative 416 was a 2000 ballot initiative that amended the Nebraska Constitution to make it unconstitutional for the state to recognize or perform same-sex marriage, same-sex civil unions or domestic partnerships. The referendum was approved on November 7, 2000, by 70% of the voters. The initiative has since been struck down in federal court and same-sex marriage is now legally recognised in the state of Nebraska.

2004 Michigan Proposal 2

Michigan Proposal 04-2 of 2004, is an amendment to the Michigan Constitution that made it unconstitutional for the state to recognize or perform same-sex marriages or civil unions. The referendum was approved by 59% of the voters. The amendment faced multiple legal challenges and was finally overturned in Obergefell v. Hodges by the U.S. Supreme Court.

2004 Oklahoma State Question 711

Oklahoma Question 711 of 2004, was an amendment to the Oklahoma Constitution that defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman, thus rendering recognition or performance of same-sex marriages or civil unions null within the state prior to its being ruled unconstitutional. The referendum was approved by 76 percent of the voters.

Same-sex marriage in Utah has been legally recognized since December 20, 2013, when the state began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples as a result of the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah ruling in the case of Kitchen v. Herbert, which found that barring same-sex couples from marriage violates the U.S. Constitution. The issuance of those licenses was halted during the period of January 6, 2014 until October 6, 2014, following the resolution of a lawsuit challenging the state's ban on same-sex marriage. On that day, following the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to hear an appeal in a case that found Utah's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the state to recognize same-sex marriage.

Same-sex marriage in Nevada has been legally recognized since October 9, 2014, when a federal district court judge issued an injunction against Nevada's enforcement of its same-sex marriage ban, acting on order from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. A unanimous three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit had ruled two days earlier that the state's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. Same-sex marriage was previously banned by an amendment to the Constitution of Nevada adopted in 2002. The statutory and constitutional bans were repealed in 2017 and 2020, respectively.

Citizens for Equal Protection v. Bruning, 455 F.3d 859, was a federal lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska and decided on appeal by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. It challenged the federal constitutionality of Nebraska Initiative Measure 416, a 2000 ballot initiative that amended the Nebraska Constitution to prohibit the recognition of same-sex marriages, civil unions, and other same-sex relationships.

North Carolina Amendment 1 2012 state amendment

North Carolina Amendment 1 was a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in North Carolina that amended the Constitution of North Carolina to prohibit the state from recognizing or performing same-sex marriages or civil unions. The amendment did not prohibit domestic partnership agreements, but defined male–female marriage as "the only domestic legal union" considered valid or recognized in the state. On May 8, 2012, North Carolina voters approved the amendment, 61% to 39%, with a voter turnout of 35%.

2012 Minnesota Amendment 1

Minnesota Amendment 1 was a legislatively referred constitutional amendment proposed to ban marriage between same-sex couples in the state of Minnesota, that appeared on the ballot on November 6, 2012. It was rejected by 51.90% of voters.

Same-sex marriage in Oklahoma Overview of the status of same-sex marriage in the U.S. state of Oklahoma

Same-sex marriage has been legal in the U.S. state of Oklahoma since October 6, 2014, following the resolution of a lawsuit challenging the state's ban on same-sex marriage. On that day, following the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to review the case that found the ban unconstitutional, the federal Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the state to recognize same-sex marriage.

Same-sex marriage in Arkansas is legal under the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, a landmark case in which same-sex marriage bans were struck down on June 26, 2015. Prior to that, same-sex marriage in Arkansas was briefly legal for a period beginning on May 9, 2014, as the result of a ruling by Sixth Judicial Circuit Judge Chris Piazza, striking down the state's constitutional and legislative ban on same-sex marriage as violating the Constitution of the United States. Approximately 541 same-sex couples received marriage licenses in several Arkansas counties before the Arkansas Supreme Court stayed his ruling pending appeal on May 16, 2014.

2006 Virginia ballot measures

The 2006 Virginia State Elections took place on Election Day, November 7, 2006, the same day as the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate elections in the state. The only statewide elections on the ballot were three constitutional referendums to amend the Virginia State Constitution. Because Virginia state elections are held on off-years, no statewide officers or state legislative elections were held. All referendums were referred to the voters by the Virginia General Assembly.

Matthew "Matt" Daniels is an American academic, writer, and former activist against same-sex marriage. Daniels was the leading author of the Federal Marriage Amendment and opposed gay marriage on the grounds that it would harm children.

References

  1. ↑ Gilgoff, Dan (2007-03-06). The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America Are Winning the Culture War. St. Martin's Press. pp. 143–. ISBN   9781429917094 . Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  2. ↑ Hill, Mike (2004-01-01). After Whiteness: Unmaking an American Majority. NYU Press. pp. 102–. ISBN   9780814735435 . Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-05-10. Retrieved 2008-07-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ↑ "Alliance for Marriage - GuideStar Profile".
  5. ↑ "Home". Alliance for Marriage. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  6. ↑ "Blog". Alliance for Marriage. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  7. ↑ Karen S. Peterson, Man Behind the Marriage Amendment Archived 2012-07-24 at the Wayback Machine , USA Today, US News, April 12, 2004
  8. ↑ Fiore, Faye (February 15, 2004). "Lawyer Was Ready for the Marriage Debate". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  9. ↑ Foer, Franklin (March 1, 2004). "Marriage Counselor". The Atlantic . Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  10. ↑ "Bush calls for ban on same-sex marriages". CNN . February 25, 2004. Archived from the original on 15 May 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  11. ↑ Duncan, Ann W.; Jones, Steven L. (2008). Church-state Issues in America Today: Religious convictions and practices in public life. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 54–. ISBN   9780275993702 . Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  12. ↑ National gay marriage opponents switch tactics | Alliance for Marriage shifts focus to states (Archived at the Internet Archive)
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