At last year’s inaugural March for Marriage in Washington D.C., the 8,000 or so marchers turned the corner from Constitution Avenue towards the Supreme Court to find several hundred protesters. It was quite the scene as opponents of protecting marriage blocked the path of the larger crowd from reaching the Supreme Court steps. Thankfully there was no violence, but there was plenty of chanting and shouting.
In utter charity and peace, the racially-diverse crowd of marriage supporters faced the court, politely stepping around those who opposed them. It was impossible for any person of good will to see hatred motivating those marching for marriage.
And the crowds themselves couldn’t have been more different. The mostly white, young-adult, D.C. protesters squared off against a racially diverse group of peaceful marchers from teenagers to senior citizens, and families with small children. It was far from the distorted picture members of the news media like to paint about those who defend traditional marriage. You won’t see crowds of African-American, Asian and Hispanic grandmothers rallying for marriage on the evening news when the narrative is that marriage defenders are “bigots.”
Yesterday’s March for Marriage was different. Again, the pro-marriage crowd hiked up Constitution Avenue and turned the corner. This time, however, the opponents of traditional marriage were represented by, maybe, 150 people holding signs and chanting. It was difficult to hear them over the chorus of “Amazing Grace” sung by the marchers. The marchers briefly stopped to kneel in prayerful solidarity opposite the Supreme Court (the other side was camped out in front of it, across the street) to say the Lord’s Prayer as the police asked the protesters to let us pass through on our planned route. They obliged, seeing the futility of trying to stop the continuing lines of marriage defenders.
And here is where the absurdity of the deliberately distorted media narrative surrounding so much of the marriage debate was most stark: the larger pro-marriage crowd enveloped the few counter protesters. In utter charity and peace, the racially-diverse crowd of marriage supporters faced the court, politely stepping around those who opposed them. It was impossible for any person of good will to see hatred motivating those marching for marriage.
The solidarity and charity of the defenders of marriage was on full display, in radical opposition to the way we are always portrayed in the media. Those trying to force a redefinition of marriage on the country may have secular power, but we have the truth about marriage, and love in our hearts for the One who gave us this most essential human institution. They are using their power to advance the absurdity and injustice of redefining this God-given institution, and as custodians of the truth, we must respond in every forum we can. There is no Culture of Life without a vibrant defense and celebration of marriage and family, and we are honored to stand with all of our brothers and sisters in their defense.
This piece is reprinted with permission from HLI.org. View more pictures from the March for Marriage on HLI’s Facebook page.
