Alliance for Marriage
Encyclopedia
The Alliance for Marriage (AFM), founded in 1999, is a non-profit organization
based in the United States
. The organization describes itself as "dedicated to promoting marriage
and addressing the epidemic of fatherless families
in the United States." The group was founded by Matt Daniels and is headquartered in Virginia
.
The Alliance for Marriage is most prominent for their role as the organization that drafted the Federal Marriage Amendment
(FMA) to the United States Constitution
, introduced originally by Rep. Ronnie Shows (D-MS). The amendment would define marriage
in the United States
as the union of one man
and one woman
. The amendment has been renamed the Marriage Protection Amendment.
policies. Unlike some other organizations considered part of the Christian right
, the Alliance for Marriage has significant support from Catholics, Jews, and Protestants, as well as leaders from minority faith communities, civil rights figure Walter E. Fauntroy
, the Rev. Ray Hammond, a prominent Boston pastor, and several religious leaders in the Latino
community such as Rev. Samuel Rodriguez who serves on their Board of Advisors.
According to a 2004 profile in USA Today
, this diverse support is credited in large part to the unique upbringing of AFM President Daniels, who was raised by a single mother in Spanish Harlem
. This also apparently provided his primary motivation for founding AFM:
Daniels' two sister organizations Alliance for Marriage (lobbying) and Alliance for Marriage Foundation (education) shared boards and staff. Flying high in 2004-2005, Daniels was interviewed as Power Player of the Week on FOX News and garnered major profile pieces in the Los Angeles Times, the Atlantic, and USA Today. However, after the defeats in Congress of the Federal Marriage Amendment and the later re-named Marriage Protection Act, the marriage battle moved out of DC and into the states where AFM had no presence.
The influence of Daniels waned rapidly as did contributions. After peaking in 2006 at $2.6 million, AFM/AFMF revenues plummeted 47% to $1.35 million by 2008 according to IRS 990 tax returns available at Guidestar. Without any partners or grassroots footprint to physically impact anything outside the beltway, almost $300,000 went out the door to "online asset creation" consultants ActiveAllies in 2007-2008.
By the end of 2008, Daniels' compensation and benefits ($218,545) alone now ate up 16% of all revenues. (For comparison, Family Research Council's 2008 tax return shows that their President Tony Perkins' almost identical compensation ($221,450) equaled only 1.5% of annual revenues since he was running an organization 10 times the size of AFM.) AFM/AFMF ended fiscal 2008 over $230,000 in the red.
By 2010, AFM and AFMF were defunct: only a one page website remains celebrating past media stories about Daniels. No phone, address, or contact information are given.
.
For arguments for and against same-sex marriage in general, see Same-sex marriage#Controversy.
The Alliance for Marriage’s amendment introduced in 2002 consisted of two clauses. It stated:
Controversy surrounding the second sentence of the original amendment has led to an alternative version that only includes the first sentence. However, only the original amendment was debated in the Senate when it came up for a vote on July 14, 2004.
The Federal Marriage Amendment
was widely considered a significant issue in the 2004 presidential election, and the continued political disagreement over the definition of marriage has become an important and divisive issue in American politics. For more information on this controversy, see Same-sex marriage in the United States
.
In the wake of the Democratic takeover of Congress (see United States general elections, 2006
) and the new leadership that does not share their views, the Alliance for Marriage announced they were shifting their focus from the Congressional level to the state level. They plan on building a nationwide network of state lawmakers who would support the Federal Marriage Amendment. Ultimately, three-fourths of the state legislatures would have to approve any federal constitutional amendment.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
based in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The organization describes itself as "dedicated to promoting marriage
Marriage promotion
Marriage promotion is a neoliberal policy aiming to produce “strong families” for the purposes of social security; as found in 21st century American maternalism.The George W...
and addressing the epidemic of fatherless families
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
in the United States." The group was founded by Matt Daniels and is headquartered in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
The Alliance for Marriage is most prominent for their role as the organization that drafted the Federal Marriage Amendment
Federal Marriage Amendment
The Federal Marriage Amendment H.J. Res. 56 was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would have limited marriage in the United States to unions of one man and one woman...
(FMA) to the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
, introduced originally by Rep. Ronnie Shows (D-MS). The amendment would define marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as the union of one man
Man
The term man is used for an adult human male . However, man is sometimes used to refer to humanity as a whole...
and one woman
Woman
A woman , pl: women is a female human. The term woman is usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent...
. The amendment has been renamed the Marriage Protection Amendment.
Founder and History
The Alliance for Marriage exists in large part as a response to perceived legal and social challenges to traditional views of marriage, and therefore promotes socially conservativeSocial conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
policies. Unlike some other organizations considered part of the Christian right
Christian right
Christian right is a term used predominantly in the United States to describe "right-wing" Christian political groups that are characterized by their strong support of socially conservative policies...
, the Alliance for Marriage has significant support from Catholics, Jews, and Protestants, as well as leaders from minority faith communities, civil rights figure Walter E. Fauntroy
Walter E. Fauntroy
Walter Edward Fauntroy is the former pastor of the New Bethel Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., and a civil rights activist. He is also a former member of the United States Congress and was a candidate for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination, as well as a human rights activist...
, the Rev. Ray Hammond, a prominent Boston pastor, and several religious leaders in the Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
community such as Rev. Samuel Rodriguez who serves on their Board of Advisors.
According to a 2004 profile in USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, this diverse support is credited in large part to the unique upbringing of AFM President Daniels, who was raised by a single mother in Spanish Harlem
Spanish Harlem
East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem and El Barrio, is a section of Harlem in the northeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. East Harlem is one of the largest predominantly Latino communities in New York City. It includes the area formerly known as Italian Harlem, in which...
. This also apparently provided his primary motivation for founding AFM:
Daniels' views on family, he says, are based in large part on personal experience. He insists he wants to protect what he did not have himself: a dad who stuck around to raise him in a traditional family.
Daniels' two sister organizations Alliance for Marriage (lobbying) and Alliance for Marriage Foundation (education) shared boards and staff. Flying high in 2004-2005, Daniels was interviewed as Power Player of the Week on FOX News and garnered major profile pieces in the Los Angeles Times, the Atlantic, and USA Today. However, after the defeats in Congress of the Federal Marriage Amendment and the later re-named Marriage Protection Act, the marriage battle moved out of DC and into the states where AFM had no presence.
The influence of Daniels waned rapidly as did contributions. After peaking in 2006 at $2.6 million, AFM/AFMF revenues plummeted 47% to $1.35 million by 2008 according to IRS 990 tax returns available at Guidestar. Without any partners or grassroots footprint to physically impact anything outside the beltway, almost $300,000 went out the door to "online asset creation" consultants ActiveAllies in 2007-2008.
By the end of 2008, Daniels' compensation and benefits ($218,545) alone now ate up 16% of all revenues. (For comparison, Family Research Council's 2008 tax return shows that their President Tony Perkins' almost identical compensation ($221,450) equaled only 1.5% of annual revenues since he was running an organization 10 times the size of AFM.) AFM/AFMF ended fiscal 2008 over $230,000 in the red.
By 2010, AFM and AFMF were defunct: only a one page website remains celebrating past media stories about Daniels. No phone, address, or contact information are given.
Federal Marriage Amendment
For information about the amendment, see Federal Marriage AmendmentFederal Marriage Amendment
The Federal Marriage Amendment H.J. Res. 56 was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would have limited marriage in the United States to unions of one man and one woman...
.
For arguments for and against same-sex marriage in general, see Same-sex marriage#Controversy.
The Alliance for Marriage’s amendment introduced in 2002 consisted of two clauses. It stated:
"Marriage in the United States of America shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman."
"Neither this constitution or the constitution of any state, nor state or federal law, shall be construed to require that marital status or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon unmarried couples or groups."
Controversy surrounding the second sentence of the original amendment has led to an alternative version that only includes the first sentence. However, only the original amendment was debated in the Senate when it came up for a vote on July 14, 2004.
The Federal Marriage Amendment
Federal Marriage Amendment
The Federal Marriage Amendment H.J. Res. 56 was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would have limited marriage in the United States to unions of one man and one woman...
was widely considered a significant issue in the 2004 presidential election, and the continued political disagreement over the definition of marriage has become an important and divisive issue in American politics. For more information on this controversy, see Same-sex marriage in the United States
Same-sex marriage in the United States
The federal government does not recognize same-sex marriage in the United States, but such marriages are recognized by some individual states. The lack of federal recognition was codified in 1996 by the Defense of Marriage Act, before Massachusetts became the first state to grant marriage licenses...
.
In the wake of the Democratic takeover of Congress (see United States general elections, 2006
United States general elections, 2006
The 2006 United States midterm elections were held on Tuesday, November 7, 2006. All United States House of Representatives seats and one third of the United States Senate seats were contested in this election, as well as 36 state governorships, many state legislatures, four territorial...
) and the new leadership that does not share their views, the Alliance for Marriage announced they were shifting their focus from the Congressional level to the state level. They plan on building a nationwide network of state lawmakers who would support the Federal Marriage Amendment. Ultimately, three-fourths of the state legislatures would have to approve any federal constitutional amendment.
See also
- Federal Marriage AmendmentFederal Marriage AmendmentThe Federal Marriage Amendment H.J. Res. 56 was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would have limited marriage in the United States to unions of one man and one woman...
- Same-sex marriage in the United StatesSame-sex marriage in the United StatesThe federal government does not recognize same-sex marriage in the United States, but such marriages are recognized by some individual states. The lack of federal recognition was codified in 1996 by the Defense of Marriage Act, before Massachusetts became the first state to grant marriage licenses...
- Same-sex marriage legislation in the United StatesSame-sex marriage legislation in the United StatesIn response to court action in a number of states, the United States federal government and a number of state legislatures passed or attempted to pass legislation either prohibiting or allowing same-sex marriage or other types of same-sex unions.-Federal level:...
- Culture warCulture warThe culture war in American usage is a metaphor used to claim that political conflict is based on sets of conflicting cultural values. The term frequently implies a conflict between those values considered traditionalist or conservative and those considered progressive or liberal...
External links
- Official website
- “Man Behind the Marriage Amendment USA Today article