Brian Brown, Philadelphia Chpater

Brian Brown is recognized by many as one of the nation’s foremost advocates for preserving marriage as the union of a man and a woman — and articulating its importance to society.

Brian Brown- President, National Organization for Marriage – Philadelphia Chapter

Brown co-founded the National Organization for Marriage in 2007 and served as the organization’s first executive director before becoming its president in 2011. He led NOM’s work in California to qualify Proposition 8 to the ballot, and successfully campaigned throughout the Golden State in 2008 to urge voters to adopt the measure.

Brown, who is also the founder and chairman of ActRight.com — a clearinghouse for conservative action which has helped raise over $7 million from grassroots activists to support conservative causes and candidates — is still involved in the battle for marriage and the related issue of religious liberty. He spoke with Legatus magazine staff writer Brian Fraga.

A year after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex “marriage” in Obergefell v. Hodges, what have been its effects?

When you redefine marriage in the law, there are going to be profound effects, and one of those is the whole notion of gender. The difference between male and female is now called into question and undermined. It’s no surprise to us that we’re now having battles over bathroom bills, which are sort of the tip of the iceberg.

The second impact has been an all-out assault on religious freedom. Under the guise of anti-discrimination we’re seeing discrimination by the government against people of faith across the country. We’ve had bakers and florists sued by the state, videographers put out of business, wedding halls put out of business.

We have seen lawsuit after lawsuit trying to punish those who hold the truth that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. We predicted all this, and it’s happening.

Is the marriage debate over?

The people of this country didn’t somehow endorse same-sex “marriage” in the wake of the Supreme Court decision. In fact, a number of polls in the following months showed opposition to same-sex “marriage” was actually higher. The fundamental idea put forward by the other side that once the court issued its decision, this issue would be settled, has been excluded. It’s not true.

So you believe the marriage issue is still alive and relevant in political campaigns?

I see ourselves in a position that’s analogous to the pro-life movement in the years immediately after Roe v. Wade. It’s up to us to make sure that we grow as a movement and never accept the lie that is unfortunately embedded in our law — that there is nothing unique and special about mothers, fathers, husbands and wives. That’s going to take years. It could take decades. It could take longer, but that’s what we’re called to do.

Do you see the National Organization for Marriage continuing to have a visible presence post-Obergefell?

Our supporters and members are more devoted than ever. We did an action alert to support the First Amendment Defense Act. We’ve worked for years to advance that, and we’re going to get a hearing and a vote in Congress. That’s a big deal. We have over 167 sponsors in Congress on this bill. That took a lot of work and it took the grassroots activism of thousands of Americans who are not going to give in or give up.

What are NOM’s current public policy priorities?

There is one piece of federal legislation that we are wholeheartedly behind, that we want to see passed, and that’s the First Amendment Defense Act. What we need now is a simple common sense solution that says that the government cannot punish or discriminate against organizations and individuals that maintain the truth that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.

We’ll be having another March for Marriage on June 25 in Washington, D.C. It will be heavily focused on the threats to religious liberty and the threats to our first freedom. There is a reason our founders put religious freedom in the First Amendment of the Constitution. The time is now to rally around that.

BRIAN FRAGA is a Legatus magazine staff writer.