The Lawsons want both of their twin sons to have the freedom to marry

August 28, 2012

Last week, a new video advertisement began airing on television screens in Maine, which advocates are tirelessly working to make the first state to proactively win marriage at the ballot in November. The spot features Dan and Pat Lawson, a couple from Monroe, Maine that has been married for 30 years. 

Dan and Pat explain that they have a set of twin sons, one of whom is gay. "Marriage matters to both of them," Dan says.

The couple goes on to talk about what they've learned in their thirty years of marriage and why they want both of their sons to have the freedom to marry someday.  

"Marriage is a commitment that comes from your heart," Dan says. "If that person wasn't there, you're not going to be complete. And if my son finds someone who he's in love with and wants to create a bond with that lasts a lifetime, that's marriage in my mind."

The video featuring the Lawsons is part of the Why Marriage Matters Maine public education effort, which is designed to spark conversation about the meaning of marriage across the state. Although all forms of media attention are important for the Maine ballot campaign, we know that television advertising continues to be one of the most dominant ways that voters get information about elections. Public education efforts like this ad are essential for showing Mainers why marriage matters and getting the word out about how the proactive ballot initiative stands to protect all loving and committed couples in the state. 

Earlier this summer, Why Marriage Matters Maine had success with their video of the Gardner Family - including 90-year-old World War II veteran Harlan - who wants his granddaughter to be able to marry her long-term partner. Read more about that ad HERE.  

Similar public education campaigns have begun on television screens in Washington state and Minnesota, where ballot questions concerning the freedom to marry will also be put to a vote in November.