James Dobson’s Colorado Springs-based group has begun a telephone lobbying campaign in support of Senate Joint Resolution 2, which would allow Wyoming voters to decide whether the state should recognize same-sex marriages from out of state:
“Wyoming already has a law in place that says only marriages between a man and a woman may be conducted in the state. However, the state is bound to recognize marriages performed in other states, some of which allow same-sex marriages and civil unions. ‘Those phone calls are part of an effort to encourage and enable Wyomingites who care deeply about protecting marriage to contact their legislators,’ said Sonja Swiatkiewicz, director of issues response for Focus on the Family Action. Swiatkiewicz said the calls began on Friday. She declined to disclose the cost of the effort or how many calls the group were being made. She said her group has worked for the past several years to pass amendments in other states defining marriage as existing only between men and women…The group’s calls have been targeting voters in districts represented by some members of the Senate Education Committee. The resolution has been assigned to the committee but has yet to come up for a vote. Sen. Curt Meier, R-LaGrange, is one of the sponsors of the resolution. He said Tuesday that it hasn’t been scheduled for a committee vote because there isn’t enough support there to pass it.”
Said Equality Wyoming spokesman Bob Spencer: “I really don’t like to see an out-of-state group getting involved. I just don’t think it’s necessary. I feel like the Focus on the Family has just moved into the state and wants to see this happen, and I hate to see us go in that direction. I think that equality is important for all people.”
Focus on the Family group lobbies for anti-gay-marriage bill [billings gazette]
