If you weren’t able to catch my interview on Talkline this morning live, through the magic of YouTube, you can listen to it below.  When you’re done (or if you caught it live) what’d you think?

About Jeremy Dys

Jeremy Dys is the FPCWV's President and General Counsel. In addition to his duties of providing strategic vision and leadership to the FPCWV, Dys is the chief lobbyist and spokesman. Dys is regularly featured in local, state, and national print, radio, and television outlets. He lives close to Charleston with his wife and growing family.

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Unless you managed to escape all radio, TV, or Internet signals over the weekend, you know by now that the New York Legislature has redefined marriage to include same-sex couples.  There are, and no doubt will be, plenty of opinions offered on the matter.  For a good place to start, consider Al Mohler.

For my part, I’d like to ask you to consider with me some of the lessons that we can learn from New York’s experience.  What follows is no doubt incomplete, but it is a good start as we consider how to move forward in the face of what seems an inevitable (though it is not) cultural change:

First, the protection of marriage is not a ‘Republican thing.’ One of the most thoughtless criticisms of efforts to define marriage as between one man and one woman in West Virginia’s constitution is that it is a ploy by a secret society of Republicans to unseat Democrats.  That’s not unique to West Virginia, of course.  Most every state who has defended marriage has had to endure this criticism that is grounded only in political narcism, not reality.  For instance, in West Virginia, a supermajority of registered Democrats favors defining marriage as between a man and a woman, but ask party leadership and you will be quickly convinced that this is the new McCarthyism!

No, what we learned in New York is that – despite one of the most pro-marriage platform’s in GOP history – Republicans can and will abandon their party tradition, and the voters who placed them in office, to redefine marriage.  Call it ideology, call it anticipating change (at least one of the GOP state -senators in NY is facing redistricting, making his district significantly more Democratic), call it whatever you wish, Republican politicians are still politicians and will often act, even unpredictably, in self-interest ahead of party platform and voter direction.  What happened in New York could happen in West Virginia. Republican politicians are just as capable of redefining marriage as are Democrat politicians.

Second, Governors matter, but shouldn’t. A few years ago, same-sex activists tried to redefine marriage in New York, but their efforts were stymied.  Switch to a governor who uses the bully pulpit for the same-sex agenda and suddenly the vote is up-ended.  One could argue that by force of personality or political chicanery, Gov. Andrew Guomo engineered the passage of this legislation.  Yet, oddly, beyond his signature, he did not have a single role to play in the matter.  He could not draft legislation, introduce it, move it through committees, and, certainly, he could not vote one way or the other on it.  What he could do was keep the political and media spotlight on the topic for as long as he pleased.

West Virginians face the election of a governor in October.  He, in fact, may have less of a legal role to play in the defense of marriage.  For West Virginians to have the opportunity to vote on the definition of marriage, only state-senators and delegates will vote on a resolution; it bypasses the governor’s desk completely on its way to the ballot box.  Still, as was the case with Gov. Cuomo, how a governor’s voice – silently or loudly – is used on this matter may, and likely will, affect the ultimate outcome.

Third, follow the money. The reason Republicans can betray party and voters comes down to money.  This is especially true when one considers where the predominant pressure was applied to GOP lawmakers: fundraising.  The chief Republican political fundraiser in New York is NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg.  He is also a proponent of redefining marriage.  Offend him – which he said you would if you defended marriage – and suddenly your re-election money dries up.  The donor base for the WV GOP is not that deep.  Though less likely, what happened in New York could happen again in West Virginia.

Fourth, beware the direct flight to New York. In the last year or so, American Airlines has begun flying direct flights from Charleston’s Yeager Airport to New York City.  This is important because New York has no residency requirements when it comes to obtaining a marriage license.  So, conceivably, same-sex couples from West Virginia can hop a flight to New York, get ‘married,’ and be ‘honeymooning’ at the Greenbrier by night fall.  While that’s good for American Airlines, it spells doom for a West Virginia law that will now be compromised by same-sex activists seeking to have their New York ‘marriage’ recognized under state law.

New York reminds us that same-sex activists prefer to wage this battle outside the direct grip of the popular vote.  Rather than submit the question to the 62% of Americans who support traditional marriage, same-sex activists would rather continue the discussion in the judge’s chambers and the legislative committee room – out of the immediate reach of the people.

Finally, no matter the outcome, the faithful must be faithful. I was impressed by the fervor I saw in many protestant pastors speaking on this issue.  A prominent, former New York Giants football player even staked his reputation on his faith to support marriage as between a man and a woman.  The Catholic Church was quite active in defense of the institution of marriage, as were thousands of faithful Catholics and protestants across the state.  Whether or not their efforts were ultimately successful it not the point; their faithfulness to Scripture is.

Likewise, I encourage West Virginia’s pastors, priests, and parishioners alike to continue in their faithful defense of marriage as the sacred and lifelong union between one man and one woman.  Firmly, I believe that if we are to be successful in defining marriage as one man and one woman in our state constitution, we must have the active, ongoing support of pastors and churches across the state.  More firmly, I believe that, in this day of moral confusion over gender, sex, and the meaning of marriage, we must have men faithfully preaching the truth of Scripture from their pulpits – now perhaps more than ever!

What the outcome will be for West Virginia is not dependent upon what happened in New York, but there are lessons to be learned.  One lesson ought to be painfully clear: what we have said from the beginning, what we have continued to predict would be the case has come true.  Now is not the time for West Virginia’s lawmakers to ignore the issue.  It is the duty of every lawmaker in West Virginia to secure the right of all West Virginians to vote on the definition of marriage.

About Jeremy Dys

Jeremy Dys is the FPCWV's President and General Counsel. In addition to his duties of providing strategic vision and leadership to the FPCWV, Dys is the chief lobbyist and spokesman. Dys is regularly featured in local, state, and national print, radio, and television outlets. He lives close to Charleston with his wife and growing family.

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