March on Marriage Fails to Attract a Crowd at the Capitol, Gallup Knows Why

Last Thursday, the National Organization for
Marriage (NOM) held its second annual March on Marriage at
the U.S. Capitol Building. Despite boasting big conservative names
such as former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum and former Arkansas Gov.
Mike Huckabee, the event ended up having a tiny turnout.

Less than a month before the protest, Brian Brown, the president
of NOM, wrote a blog post titled “Demand for Buses Is
Overwhelming—We Need Your Help.” He announced that his
friend, New York state Sen. Ruben Diaz, was bringing over 100 buses
and more than 5,000 people. Diaz also put out a
press release the week before saying that anyone could ride the
bus completely free of charge.

The Washington Blade
estimated that there were about 2,000 people total in
attendance. The picture in the top right shows a sparse crowd. The
folks who did show up were surprisingly
lethargic. Gawker noted that:

Even when implored to participate, these people who presumably
took off work to prove how invested they are in maintaining gays’
second-class citizenship, were quiet and otherwise
unenthusiastic.

One reason for the apathy from New York may have been that
same-sex marriage has been legal there for three years already.
Diaz’s press release acknowledges the uphill battle:

You should also know that even though the New York State
Legislature voted to approve the legality of same-sex marriage, we
will still keep fighting the good fight and providing testimony
that there are millions and millions of Americans who believe that
the people should be allowed to vote on this matter. This way,
instead of judges and legislators imposing their definition of
marriage on our society, the people can decide once and for
all.

But it’s not clear a vote would come out how Diaz imagines. The

most recent Gallup poll on the subject from last month shows
that a record high 55 percent of Americans think that same-sex
couples should be “recognized by the law as valid, with the same
rights as traditional marriages.” In many states, the people

have already spoken and have decided in a popular vote that
same-sex marriage should be legal. Abroad, France, Spain, Portugal,
Brazil, Argentina, and many other countries now allow for gay
marriage as well.