Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry Responds to Republican National Committee Growth and Opportunity Memo

RNC Must Remove Anti-Gay Language from Platform

New York- March 20, 2015 – This week the Republican National Committee released a memo outlining the strides they have made since the 2012 elections. The memo is an update on the progress of the recommendations of the Growth and Opportunity Project, which showed younger voters were troubled by the tone and messaging used by some in the GOP.

Jerri Ann Henry, campaign manager of Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry, released the following statement:

"With the hiring of new staff and the implementation of new youth outreach programs, the Republican National Committee has laid the foundation to conduct outreach to young voters. Now, we implore the RNC to take actions that will make the party more reflective of the values of younger voters by eliminating all language from its 2016 GOP platform that diminishes gay people, including language opposing the freedom to marry. Young Republican-leaning voters made it clear after the 2012 elections that they are less inclined to back candidates who oppose the freedom to marry. Polling reflects these views with 61% of conservatives under 30 and 56% percent of Republicans under 45 who support the freedom to marry. The RNC platform must be changed or these outreach efforts won’t be terribly effective."

Last year, representatives from Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry visited key presidential states including New Hampshire, Iowa, Nevada and South Carolina to discuss the Reform the Platform campaign, a $1 million initiative to remove anti-gay language from the 2016 GOP platform. The tour will resume this month with trips planned for Ohio, Michigan and Texas.

Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry is a campaign to highlight and build support for the freedom to marry among young conservatives across America. They represent the rapidly growing numbers of young conservatives across the country that agree all Americans should be able to share in the freedom to marry. Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry is a project of Freedom to Marry.