Marriage, The Democratic National Convention and Latinos

Marriage and Family Advocates to rally during DNC
By Electa Draper
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 05/13/2008 04:13:29 PM MDT

The Alliance for Marriage Foundation and the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders announced today they will host a rally in support of traditional marriage and family in Denver during the Democratic National Convention.

The Catholic Latino association's executive board, which includes Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput and San Antonio Archbishop Jose Gomez, is working with prominent national Latino leaders to encourage the Democratic Party "to stand up for marriage."

The Democratic Party has deviated from its commitment to the institution in the last 20 years, said Rev. Samuel Rodriguez Jr. of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.

"When mom and dad are in the home it is the primary antidote to the Latino dropout rate, proliferation of gang activity, drugs and a number of social ills," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez, an adviser to Alliance for Marriage, said that while the groups are in favor of every single American's civil rights; the party needs to affirm that the institution of marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman.

"We don't want anyone touching that because it works for our community," Rodriguez said.

The Virginia-based Alliance for Marriage and CALL, founded in September and based in San Antonio, say they are nonpartisan coalitions that include religious and business leaders, civil rights advocates and legal experts.

Rodriguez said that Democratic candidates are expected to receive a greater percentage of Latino votes than in past recent elections. It could be more than 60 percent, he said.

The planned rally would encourage Latino voters to urge leaders to protect marriage, he said.