Fort Worth Police Officers Make Case for Same-Sex Marriage in Statewide Ad

Ahead of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals tackling Texas' ban on gay marriage later this week, a group of Fort Worth police officers are speaking out in support of marriage equality on behalf of a gay colleague.

In the ad, three employees of the Fort Worth Police Department say Chris Gorrie, a police officer since 2006, should be allowed to marry whomever he wants and that those who support freedom and liberty should also support his freedom to marry.

The 30-second ad, placed by Texas for Marriage, a joint campaign by Freedom to Marry and Equality Texas, began airing Sunday in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin and El Paso, among other cities, and will run through Monday.

“Our ad shows Ft. Worth police officers standing up for their gay colleague‘s freedoms,” said Marc Solomon, national campaign director of Freedom to Marry. “With poignancy, they remind Texans that anyone who puts their life on the line to protect other Americans should not be treated unequally or be denied the ability to protect their own family by being barred from marrying.”

A transcript of the ad can be read below:

Chris Gorrie: I became a police officer in 2006.
Monica Jackson: Chris makes a sacrifice everyday along with the rest of us.
Jay Doshi: He puts his life on the line just like I do.
Chris Gorrie: My partner Justin and I — we live together. Eventually one day we’d like to get married just like everybody else.
Allison Fincher: A lot of people think gay people shouldn’t be able to get married — that makes no sense.
Chris Gorrie: Freedom is a big deal; the freedom to marry, the freedom to say what you want to say, and the freedom to do what you want to do.
Jay Doshi: Texans believe in freedom and liberty and part of that is to be able to marry who you love, so Chris should be able to marry whoever he loves.

The ad, above, can also be seen here on YouTube.

George W. Bush media adviser Mark McKinnon serves as a chair of the campaign, which hopes to win bipartisan support for marriage equality ahead of Friday's court date.

On Friday, the New Orleans federal appeals court will hear the state defend a ban on same-sex marriage. A San Antonio federal judge has ruled the law unconstitutional but let the ban remain in effect pending appeal. The same court will also hear cases on same-sex marriage from Louisiana and Mississippi.

Contact Us