The Alliance for Marriage Foundation and the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders announced they will hold a rally in support of traditional marriage and family in Denver during the Democratic National Convention.
The Catholic Latino association’s executive board, which includes Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput and San Antonio Archbishop Jose Gomez, is working with prominent national Latino leaders to encourage the Democratic Party “to stand up for marriage.”
The Democratic Party has not maintained its commitment to marriage in the past 20 years, said the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez Jr. of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.
“When mom and dad are in the home, it is the primary antidote to the Latino dropout rate, proliferation of gang activity, drugs and a number of social ills,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez, an adviser to Alliance for Marriage, said that while the groups support civil rights for all Americans, the party has to affirm the institution of marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman.
“We don’t want anyone touching that because it works for our community,” Rodriguez said.
The Virginia-based Alliance for Marriage and CALL, with headquarters in San Antonio, say they are nonpartisan coalitions.
Rodriguez said that Democratic candidates are expected to receive as much as 60 percent of the Latino vote.
The planned rally would encourage Latino voters to urge leaders to protect marriage, he said.
Electa Draper: 303-954-1276 or edraper@denverpost.com
