Washington United for Marriage Releases TV “Bandwagon” Ad Showcasing Support for Referendum 74 & Freedom to Marry

In a new, statewide television ad launched today entitled “Bandwagon” that showcases the broad and deep support for Referendum 74 that crosses party, generational and geographic lines, Washington United for Marriage (WUM) makes the case for defending the state’s bipartisan marriage law and the freedom to marry.

The ad features a wide cross section of Washingtonians highlighting the support for R74 that includes 521 businesses, from corporate giants to small town retailers and entrepreneurs, 135 faith leaders and organizations, 184 elected officials, and nearly 35 children and family advocacy organizations.

“We are closing this campaign exactly as we promised and that’s by building a broad coalition of the best of Washington state,” said WUM campaign manager Zach Silk.  “We have built a groundswell of support that comes from every corner of the state, from our smallest, rural towns to our urban centers, and from our corporate giants to our faith leaders. People fundamentally understand that marriage really matters and that in Washington, everyone should be able to marry the person they love.”

Included in the 30-second spot are some of the families and leaders featured in previous ads such as Robin and Steve Boehler of Mercer Island, who simply want marriage for all three of their daughters, including their lesbian daughter.  The Boehlers also appear in a shot at the close of “Bandwagon” that includes their daughter Lindsay, her husband, Barry and their two children.

Chad and Lisa Johnson, who grew to understand the importance of marriage as they got to know their neighbors, Colleen Ozolitis & Lee Ann Martinson, and shared child-rearing tales of each family’s five-year-old who met at pre-school.

Representing the growing support from the faith community, Rev. Gib Rossing and his wife, Beth of Olympia, appear in the ad, and Bishop Grant J. Hagiya, Pacific Northwest & Alaska Conference of the United Methodist Church, reminds voters that, “We are all God’s Children.”

Also featured in “Bandwagon” are Brad Smith, executive vice president and general counsel for Microsoft; Maud Daudon, president and CEO of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce; former Republican state senator Cheryl Pflug of Maple Valley; John and Christine Diedrich of Tacoma, who are both firefighters for the city; Tom and Debbie Lambro of Renton; Vickie Neumier of Redmond who is a nurse and member of SEIU Healthcare 1199 NW; Katie Hultquist and Laura Cox of Seattle who are parents of twins; and Sirena Rivera of Tacoma, a recent UW-Tacoma graduate.

The text of the ad follows and you can view it here: http://youtu.be/6b92JG2Mmjc

Montage  “Bandwagon”

:30 WUM

 

Beth Rossing

Love, commitment

Gibb Rossing

the sharing of a life together.

Robin Boehler (with her husband, Steve)

That’s what we all hope for.

Laura Cox (with her partner, Katie Hultquist)

Including same-sex couples.

Chad Johnson (with his wife, Lisa)

I used to think domestic partnerships were enough

John Diedrich (with his wife, Christine)

but now I realize they’re no substitute for marriage.

Bishop Grant Hagiya

We’re all god’s children

Steve Boehler (with his wife, Robin)

That’s why we’re voting to Approve Referendum 74

Cheryl Pflug

Republicans….

Christine Diedrich 

Democrats….

Debbie Lambro (with her husband, Tom)

Independents.

Maud Daudon

16 Newspapers across Washington.

Vicki Neumeier

Pediatricians…

Sirena Rivera

Students…

Brad Smith

Businesses…

Boehler & O’Neill Family

Families…

Lisa Johnson

It’s about fairness.

John Diedrich

It’s about freedom.

The freedom to marry the person you love.

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