Craig Stowell, a former Marine and co-chair of Standing Up For New Hampshire Families, is leading the campaign on Change.org urging New Hampshire state legislators to oppose H.B. 437, a bill to repeal same-sex marriage that legislators could vote on as early as this week. Craig started the campaign for his openly gay brother, Calvin, who he calls his best friend.
“When I enlisted in the Marines, I took an oath to defend freedom and liberty, and now I’m defending my brother's freedom here at home,” said Stowell. “When my wife Berta and I were married, Calvin was right there by my side as my best man. I want the opportunity to be his best man when he finds the person he wants to marry.”
Within hours of the campaign’s launch, Craig had recruited hundreds of people from across the state of New Hampshire to sign his petition on Change.org, the world’s fastest growing platform for social change, and he predicts the number will continue to grow.
“Craig’s campaign has resonated not only with thousands of Granite Staters, but with more than 100,000 people across the country,” said Mark Anthony Dingbaum, organizing manager at Change.org. “Craig won’t stop defending his brother, and his campaign is inspiring thousands of others to stand up for the people they love, too.”
Recent polls have shown that New Hampshire residents overwhelmingly support the freedom to marry for same-sex couples, with a poll from the University of New Hampshire showing support at 62 percent. New Hampshire became the sixth state in the nation to extend marriage to gay and lesbian couples when the law went into effect on January 1, 2010.
Live signature totals from Craig Stowell’s campaign on Change.org:
http://www.change.org/petitions/new-hampshire-state-legislators-dont-repeal-the-freedom-to-marry
