Watch Video Here

Last year in July over a thousand NE Ohio Values Voters gathered at Cleveland Public Square to support marriage between one man and one woman.  Watch Marriage Rally Here 

"Defending Marriage Against An Activist Judiciary

A serious threat to our country's constitutional order, perhaps even more dangerous than presidential malfeasance, is an activist judiciary, in which some judges usurp the powers reserved to other branches of government.  A blatant example has been the court-ordered redefinition of marriage in several States. This is more than a matter of warring legal concepts and ideals. It is an assault on the foundations of our society, challenging the institution which, for thousands of years in virtually every civilization, has been entrusted with the rearing of children and the transmission of cultural values.

A Sacred Contract: Defense of Marriage
That is why Congressional Republicans took the lead in enacting the Defense of Marriage Act, affirming the right of States and the federal government not to recognize same-sex relationships licensed in other jurisdictions.  The current Administration's open defiance of this constitutional principle-in its handling of immigration cases, in federal personnel benefits, in allowing a same-sex marriage at a military base, and in refusing to defend DOMA in the courts- makes a mockery of the President's inaugural oath. We commend the United States House of Representatives and State Attorneys General who have defended these laws when they have been attacked in the courts. We reaffirm our support for a Constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. We applaud the citizens of the majority of States which have enshrined in their  constitutions the traditional concept of marriage, and we support the campaigns underway in several other States to do so."

Below are comments from Chris Long, President of Ohio Christian Alliance and Phil Burress, President of Citizens for Community Values

Ohio Christian Alliance Response to Senator Portman's

Chris Long, President

Ohioans woke up last Friday morning to read the startling news headline that Ohio U.S. Senator Rob Portman had changed his position on traditional marriage to now support homosexual marriage.  This stunning news surprised and saddened people across the State of Ohio.  Mr. Portman stated that he had changed his position because of his son's announcement that he was a homosexual.  He went on to say that he now supports marriage between two same-sex partners, to the surprise and chagrin of many.  Mr. Portman went on to express love and support for his son, which many understand.  But when he changed his policy position, he crossed a line and violated the trust of the voters that supported him in 2010, who believed that he carried with him into office the same traditional values that they hold so dear. 

To change his policy position on the institution of marriage in the middle of his 6-year term is a betrayal of those voters who entrusted him with their sacred vote for office.  Mr. Portman says that religious institutions shouldn't be forced to perform weddings or recognize marriage they don't condone, but does he really believe that in the future  there won't be charges filed and prosecutions levied against individuals and institutions that hold a different view and speak opposition to homosexual marriage? For an example of where homosexual marriage has been legalized, one only has to look to our neighbor to the north, Canada, to find that pastors who preach from the Scriptures that condemn homosexuality are being prosecuted for hate speech crimes. If homosexuality is granted marital status and the full complement of the civil rights code here in the U.S., it is only a matter of time until this same legal scrutiny that exists in Canada will come here to the door of Bible preaching churches and institutions, including the Ohio Christian Alliance. The Senator's belief that religious institutions will not be penalized does not instill confidence in people of faith who hold to a traditional view of marriage, and who now worry that their religious views will one day become criminalized.  His decision was not conducted in a vacuum, and the timing of the decision was politically  orchestrated to have the greatest impact before the Supreme Court's hearing of the federal DOMA case. 

It is unfortunate that Senator Portman did not seek the advise and counsel of this organization and other fundamental clergymen before making such an announcement that will affect so many. 3.3 million Ohioans voted in favor of the state constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman.  Many of those same Ohioans in 2010 supported Mr. Portman for office to represent them as their U.S. Senator.  It is understandable that these Ohioans now feel saddened and dismayed by the Senator's announcement. 

-Chris Long, OCA President

Excerpt from the Cleveland Plain Dealer article of Friday, March 15, 2013:

"Portman, who backed the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act now under review by the U.S. Supreme Court, said he now thinks parts of that bill should be repealed, though he hasn't considered introducing such legislation himself because economic policy issues are his specialty.
In 2011, Portman's spokesman told The Plain Dealer: "Rob believes marriage is a sacred bond between one man and one woman.
Portman said he believes that same-sex couples who marry legally in states where it's allowed should get the federal benefits that are granted to heterosexual married couples but aren't currently extended to gay married couples because of DOMA, such as the ability to file joint tax returns. Family law has traditionally been a state responsibility, Portman says, so the federal definition of marriage should not preempt state marriage laws.
If Ohio voters were to reconsider the gay marriage ban they adopted in 2004, Portman said he might support it, depending on its wording, though he would not be likely to take a leadership role on the issue just as he didn't take a leadership role in 2004. He stressed that he doesn't want to force his views on others, and that religious institutions shouldn't be forced to perform weddings or recognize marriages they don't condone."

Citizens for Community Values

Phil Burress, President,  

I met Rob Portman before he went to Congress in 1993. I consider Rob and his wife Jane to be good friends and pray for them as they work their way through the difficult situation as parents of having a son reveal his same-sex attraction.
 
Rob called me Thursday night at 9:00 p.m. to share about his situation and the position he was taking concerning his son and same-sex marriage.
 
I believe Rob will understand why, as much as I might ache for my friend and the painful emotional struggle of his son's identification as gay, that it does not change why I still strongly support natural marriage as only between a man and a woman.
 
I explained to Rob that my wife and I served on the board of an organization that saw thousands of homosexual men and women walk away from that behavior, many who went on to a natural marriage and were also blessed with children. I told him we would pray that some day his son would as well.
 
For Rob, it appears his beliefs on same-sex marriage changed when it became personal. I understand that. Yet it does not change the truth that homosexuality is not innate. The evidence of that is in the lives of so many today that live free of unwanted same sex attraction.
 
Many Ohioans know family members and friends who identify as homosexual. Yet an overwhelming number of Ohioans also voted to affirm marriage as only between one man and one woman. They didn't do so out of some misplaced hatred or fear of homosexuality. Like my wife and I, they understood the importance of a married mother and father in the life of children. They understood that a mother and father each bring unique and character shaping attributes to a child's life. The simple truth is that a mother cares for and nurtures a child in a way a father just can't. In the same way, a father cares for and relates to a child in the way a mother can't. That is the inescapable truth of the debate Rob has now ignited in Ohio over same sex marriage.

Not every family would make the same decision Rob did. Many parents, because of their deep and abiding love for their child, would not accept and embrace their child's decision regarding homosexuality. My wife and I believe that if you love someone you tell them the truth. They may not like what they hear, but you love them anyway. 

The question now is not whether parents love their children when they identify as gay. It is whether Ohioans will allow the personal experience of one high-profile family to sway its deeply held belief in the original purpose and meaning of marriage.