Heritage Foundation Launches $1.3 Million Thanksgiving Campaign To Run Ads Against Gay Marriage Bill During College Football, NFL Games

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The Heritage Foundation has launched a $1.3 million ad campaign to run an advertisement against a new gay marriage bill during football games over the Thanksgiving holiday. The 30-second ad will run during NFL Thanksgiving Day games and various college football games.

The campaign is being launched ahead of a final vote in the Senate on Monday to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, which would codify the right to same-sex marriage.

Conservative Foundation Believes The Bill Is Deceptive

Heritage and other conservatives say the bill is deceptively named and would not deliver new rights to same-sex couples and that it leaves people of faith vulnerable to litigation and other forms of retaliation. 

"America’s religious liberty is under attack with this impending vote in the Senate," said Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts. "This legislation does not add one additional benefit to same-sex couples in the United States; it’s an attack that sets the stage to take rights away from people of faith.

"What it does accomplish is deputizing radical activists to target Americans who cannot in good faith endorse anything other than a man-woman marriage. The American people deserve all the facts."

Heritage believes that the 50 Senate Democrats and 12 Republicans who voted to advance the bill last week are "sneaking" through a bill that would "expose religious schools and nonprofits to lawsuits" The foundation also worries that the law could give the IRS a basis for stripping the tax-exempt status of dissenting religious groups.

This specific campaign includes $300,000 worth of digital ads and totals $1.3 million, which is the largest ad campaign launched by Heritage to date.

The ad is set to air in local broadcasts during the NFL Thanksgiving Day matchups between the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions, and New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys. It will also be seen during coverage of four rival college football games, including Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers on Friday and Indiana Hoosiers and Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and all other happenings in the world of golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.