NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP/FBW)—In the wake of severe Election Day setbacks, a coalition of more than 20 homosexual and liberal organizations released a joint statement Jan. 13 outlining their goals for the future and re-stating their commitment to fight for legalized same-sex “marriage” nationwide.

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“[W]hen we look at the state of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights today, we have every reason to be optimistic,” the statement reads. “Our movement is strong, it is determined, and it is gathering momentum every day.”

The 1,200-word statement comes more than two months after the same-sex “marriage” movement saw 11 states pass constitutional marriage amendments and America re-elect a conservative president that the homosexual movement opposed.

Messengers to the Florida Baptist State Convention in Jacksonville voted Nov. 9 to launch an effort to amend the Florida constitution to ban same-sex “marriage.” The motion, introduced by Lakeland pastor Jay Dennis and adopted unanimously, was met with immediate derision from gay rights groups. However, it also garnered an endorsement from an influential ally, the Catholic Diocese of St, Augustine which includes 17 counties in north Florida. Jacksonville’s Florida Times Union reported Dec 12 comments from Bishop Victor Galeone championing the effort.

“We should get right on the bandwagon of pushing for a federal amendment defining marriage as a stable union, a permanent union, between a man and a woman,” he said.

The Florida State Board of Missions will consider strategies to accomplish the resolution during its meeting Jan. 27-28.

The homosexual lobby has undergone a self-examination and is also debating the legal tactics and political strategy they should use in the future.

The statement, embraced by 22 organizations, signals a unifying of sorts within the homosexual movement that hasn’t been seen in weeks. It is signed by such prominent groups as the American Civil Liberties Union’s Lesbian & Gay Rights Project, the Human Rights Campaign and Lambda Legal.

In the statement the groups pledge to work toward eight goals, such as fighting to overturn the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell policy” and supporting the “freedom to marry.”

In the statement the coalition claims the mantel of a “civil rights” movement.

Although some black leaders have sided with the homosexual activist movement, others have been critical of the comparisons to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Bernice King, daughter of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., said last year of her father: “I know deep down in my sanctified soul that he did not take a bullet for same-sex unions.”

The statement notes that — despite the setbacks on Election Day — 2003 and 2004 were full of victories for the homosexual activist movement.

“... The speed with which our movement is advancing on all fronts is absolutely historic — and it hasn’t happened by chance or by accident.”

The groups criticize what they label “anti-gay extremists” — presumably Christian conservative organizations. These extremists, the statement says, are “small but powerful” and manufacture “inaccurate stereotypes.”

Exit polls showed that white evangelicals and born-again Christians made up 23 percent of voters in November.

The statement lists eight immediate priorities:
— “We must fight for equal employment opportunity, benefits and protections — and the federal and state laws that safeguard them.
— “We must fight against anti-LGBT violence and for the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity in federal hate crimes law that already protects Americans based on race, religion and national origin.
— “We must fight — in both the private and public sectors — for better access to health care and insurance. We must advocate for HIV/AIDS policies — including age-appropriate, LGBT-inclusive comprehensive sexuality education — that effectively address this epidemic at home and abroad.
— “We must insist on safe schools, where youth can learn free from bullying, harassment and discrimination.
— “We must fight for family laws that give our children strong legal ties to their parents.
— “We must work to overturn the military’s discriminatory anti-LGBT ban, which dishonors service members who serve their country with valor and distinction.
— We must continue to expose the radical right’s efforts to advance a culture of prejudice and intolerance, and we must fight their attempts to enshrine anti-gay bigotry in our state and federal laws and constitutions.
— “And we must continue our vigorous fight for the freedom to marry and the equal protections, rights and responsibilities that safeguard our families, strengthen our commitments and continue to transform understanding of our lives and our relationships.”

Even though homosexual activists suffered a setback on Election Day, they could see some major victories this year. Washington state’s Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a same-sex “marriage” case in March. Including Washington, nine states are defending their marriage laws against homosexual and liberal activists.

Lavy, of the Alliance Defense Fund, said homosexual activists fail to recognize the opposition to same-sex “marriage” doesn’t come simply from religious people.

“The concept of marriage is as old as history,” he said. “It is something that is universal across cultures and religions.”

The organizations that signed the statement were: American Civil Liberties Union Lesbian & Gay Rights Project; Equality Federation; Freedom to Marry; Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders; Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation; Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Leadership Institute; Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network; Human Rights Campaign; Lambda Legal; Log Cabin Republicans; Mautner Project; National Association of LGBT Community Centers; National Black Justice Coalition; National Center for Lesbian Rights; National Center for Transgender Equality; National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs; National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; National Youth Advocacy Coalition; Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays; Servicemembers Legal Defense Network; Sigamos Adelante: National Latino/Hispanic LGBT Leadership; and Stonewall Democrats.