Ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court's forthcoming ruling on same-sex marriage, a group billing itself as "an organization of folks from all walks of life" who support equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community has launched.
The One Million Kids campaign launched Jan. 22 with the release of a new website, a Facebook page and a Twitter handle. Additional components will emerge over the coming weeks in an effort to give "kids, parents and allies a voice around LGBT equality," according to founder Brad Delaney.
"Some of us identify as LGBT, some of us are allies, others grew up in families with loving, committed same-sex parents and ALL of us believe in full equality,” organizers wrote in press materials. "Whatever your story, we invite you to join us as we work to build a movement to show that We Are. We Love. We Stand. United."
One Million Kids makes its virtual debut just one day after One Million Moms, a division of the American Family Association best known for threatening to boycott JCPenney after the retail group hired Ellen DeGeneres as its spokesperson, announced the creation of One Million Dads.
Described as a group "for all men, not just fathers," One Million Dads is a conservative website "that will encourage, motivate, and teach so men will have the leadership skills needed to disciple their family, church, and country," according to One Million Moms' Director Monica Cole.
The choice to name the campaign One Million Kids was "absolutely" an intentional one, especially in the wake of the One Million Dads news, Delaney said.
"We hope that by adapting a similar name, we will be able to turn the conversation from one of hate to one of love and acceptance," he said.
He went on to note, "We foresee a day when a gay parent can put a picture of their family or partner on their desk at work without fear of being fired and the day when kids aren't bullied by their peers for either being LGBT, being perceived as LBGT or having LGBT parents."
Head here for more forthcoming information on One Million Kids.
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