SEATTLE, May 4, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A crowd estimated at 25,000 gathered Saturday in Seattle’s Safeco Field for a “Mayday for Marriage Rally,” in support of traditional marriage. “The Mayday for Marriage Initiative,” a coalition of Washington State leaders of Christian churches organized the event, with the focus of the day being a stand against the rising trend of same-sex unions.
Keynote speaker at the event, James Dobson, founder of the pro-family organization Focus on the Family, warned of the consequences that legitimizing same-sex unions would have on Americans. Most troubling, he said, was a “threat to religious liberty and the church,” referring to the recent passage of bill C-250 in Canada, criminalizing any public disapproval of homosexuality.
Dobson said the only solution to the “tidal wave” of homosexual “marriage” was “with a federal marriage amendment.” Dobson argued that the issue should be decided at a federal level, not left to individual states. After Dobson’s closing remarks of encouragement to continue to fight for marriage, he was cheered by a deafening and lengthy standing ovation.
Conference organizers allowed protesters access to the event, who heckled loudly and raucously during the presentations. Dobson, addressing this group, said “We welcome you here. We love you.” The crowd applauded loudly. An airplane circled the park pulling a banner that read “Get out of our ball park bigots.” Read Baptist Press coverage of the event: https://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=18197