From our friends at Freedom to Marry:

Caroline Kennedy became the 100,000th signer on Freedom to Marry’s Open Letter urging President Obama to support the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples.

“Falling in love, getting married, and building a family is part of the American dream,” said Caroline Kennedy. “I believe that all Americans, including committed gay and lesbian couples, should have the opportunity to pursue that dream.”

Freedom to Marry’s “Say I Do” campaign was launched on March 14th with an Open Letter to the President signed by prominent Americans, including civil rights leaders, Hollywood stars, musicians, and business leaders. Since then, 100,000 Americans have joined the campaign and signed on to the letter calling on the President to join “the majority of Americans who support the freedom to marry.”

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• Learn more about the “Say I Do” campaign and sign the Open Letter
• Learn more about Marriage

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• Learn more about Freedom to Marry’s Roadmap to Victory
• Learn more about Marriage

Freedom to Marry will be running ads nationwide featuring gay, lesbian and straight couples talking about why marriage matters to them. The organization has pledged to raise and spend $10 million over the next three years on the “Why Marriage Matters” campaign, which launched today with an initial national cable buy on CNN.

“Across the country the thinking of many Americans, from the president to the people next door, continues to – as President Obama put it – ‘evolve’ toward support for same-sex couples joining in the freedom to marry. Freedom to Marry’s team has crunched over a decade’s worth of polling data and field experience to crack the code on moving the reachable but not yet reached,” said Evan Wolfson, Founder and President of Freedom to Marry. “By engaging friends, families, and neighbors in personal conversations aboutwhy marriage matters, each of us can help fair-minded people wrestling with a lack of information and uncertainty, and change hearts and minds.”

Freedom to Marry analyzed over 85 data-sets representing 6 years of research to develop messages that are proven to be effective in swaying public opinion around marriage. In particular, the data showed that people who have had conversations with their gay and lesbian friends about why marriage matters to them are more likely to support the freedom to marry. By shifting the conversation from a focus on rights to a conversation about shared values of love and commitment, support for the freedom to marry grows. In partnership with local and state groups, the Why Marriage Matters campaign will include a variety of mixed media advertising, including TV, radio, and online ads.

“Marriage matters to gay people in similar ways that it matters to everyone. Gay and lesbian couples want to get married to make a lifetime commitment to the person they love and to protect their families,” said Thalia Zepatos, Director of Public Engagement for Freedom to Marry. “As Americans see their gay and lesbian friends, families, and coworkers in loving and committed relationships, they realize there is no good reason to withhold the protections and support that only come with marriage. It is as simple as the Golden Rule.

The following is the ad that began airing today:

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• Learn about “Why Equality Matters”
• Learn more about Marriage