The
Marriage Minutemen of Massachusetts -- Citizens Making a Difference
by Standing Up for Marriage
By
April Perry
Living in Boston, I felt helpless last November when I heard the results of the Goodridge case and the resulting order from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to legalize same-sex marriage. “Something has to be done,” I complained to my husband. His only response was: “So what are you going to do about it?” As an LDS mother of three pre-school children, I felt that I was too busy taking care of my family to get involved with politics. After a two-hour discussion with my husband regarding our responsibility to defend the sanctity of the family, I booked a last-minute flight to Arizona and registered to attend the November 21st Defend Marriage & Family Conference sponsored by United Families International.
I arrived in Arizona with plans to be the equivalent of a summer intern. I arrived back in Massachusetts as a “CEO” — the Massachusetts state chair of the Defend Marriage chapter. At the conference, I was educated on how to address the tough issues, trained to organize my friends and neighbors, and acquainted with the United Families approach: no yelling, no hate speech, no religious arguments; simply sound, rational data supporting the defense of marriage.
The American Minutemen had basic weapons of war to deter the British. UFI gave me the Guide to Family Issues: Sexual Orientation. It’s a 30-page booklet, also available online, providing talking points on each of the major arguments of homosexual activists, and listing references to more than 40 peer-reviewed articles from scholarly journals supporting our view that affirming the natural family is essential to building and maintaining a strong society.
We established a committee here in Massachusetts and we hand delivered guides to more than 150 legislators, legislative aids, and chiefs of staff prior to the February 11th Constitutional Convention in Boston. We encouraged lawmakers to support an amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Then we hand-delivered or mailed guides to the major media outlets in Massachusetts and distributed 400 guides around the state. We also distributed 4,000 copies of our Defend Marriage petition and 4,000 two-page guides to citizens in a grassroots campaign supporting an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to defend marriage.
Members of our organization attended three rallies at the State House as the Constitutional Conventions took place. We provided positive pro-family signs, informational flyers, and support for those who did not want to align themselves with the hateful “gay-bashing” crowd. United Families International helped us establish a website where people could find out how to contact their legislators and receive information about our organization. We established a nine-person steering committee that will continue to move this work forward.
As I participated in all of these activities, the response was outstanding. The legislators I spoke with seemed pleasantly surprised to hear logical social science data instead of warnings that they would “go to hell.” People at the rallies enthusiastically held up our signs and thanked us for our non-confrontational approach, and the media coverage we received always portrayed us as those not resorting to only religious or personal beliefs. Several people who read our issues guide asked, “Why isn’t all of this information on the news? Everyone needs to read this.”
Was this process easy? No. There were times when I got up at 4:30 a.m. and worked in the dark so as not to wake my children. I sent emails and made phone calls while feeding my baby his rice cereal. I maneuvered through an obstacle course of clipboards, rally signs, and other materials that I store in our tiny Boston apartment.
Was it worth it? Yes. Through the constant support of UFI leadership, I have learned to speak with legislators as an educated citizen who cares about the family. I no longer fear being interviewed by the media. I have met hundreds of devoted family defenders through our grassroots campaign. While we haven’t yet carried the day here, I have come to fully agree with Margaret Mead’s statement: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world: indeed it's the only thing that ever has!”
On
April 19th, 1775, the Minutemen defended their beliefs and values at Lexington and Concord. There were few at first, and
after the battle of Lexington, it looked as though they might be defeated. Throughout
that historic day, more and more willing men added to their
numbers when they heard the call. They were willing to risk
their lives for such an important purpose.
We are the Marriage Minutemen of today, but if we are silent, we are powerless tomorrow. The reality of same-sex marriage has come to my state. If it is not an issue in your state now, it will be soon. I encourage you to study the issues, be willing to get involved, and let your voice be heard. United Families International will continue its efforts in support of a federal marriage amendment. This is a battle we must all win at our respective state levels.
Please go to the federal marriage amendment petition today: www.unitedfamilies.org. Thank you.
To get involved in the Defend Marriage and Family campaign, call the United Families International office, (480) 632-5450. To read about UFI/Massachusetts, please see: http://www.massunitedfamilies.org/ufimass/index.cfm.
