Days before the Supreme Court is set to begin its October term, gay marriage advocates announced the launch of a national television ad campaign declaring "it's time" for the legalization of same-sex unions.
The 30-second spots will begin airing during this Sunday's network morning shows and will run on cable news stations later in the week,
according to a press release from the group, Freedom to Marry.
The ad, called "It's Time," says that in all but 19 states gays are "banned from marrying. They’re taxed unfairly, denied Social Security and parenting rights, and can lose a family home when their loved one dies" which results in "real harms to real families."
Story continues below video.
Freedom to Marry founder and president Evan Wolfson said the ad is intended to underscore the "human costs of prolonging marriage discrimination" and that after 40 lower court rulings affirming gay marriage, "even opponents are saying it's time to bring the country to national resolution - and it is, indeed, time."
A May
Gallup Poll found that 55 percent of Americans support legalization of gay marriage, an all-time high.
In 2011, support for gay marriage eclipsed the 50 percent mark. Since 2012, it has remained above that level, but it has leveled off, according to Gallup.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to review seven same-sex marriage petitions on September 29,
according to The Guardian.
However, the Court is not compelled to hear any of the cases and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg recently indicated that cases pending before lower courts could impact which, if any, the high court will review.
In a September speech to an audience at the University of Minnesota Law School, Ginsburg said that cases pending before the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals might influence the Supreme Court’s decision to take up the petitions sooner or to wait.
Story continues below video.
She said “there will be some urgency” if the bans on gay marriage are permitted to stand. She, however, declined to speculate on which way the justices would come down on the issue.
The cases already up for consideration by the court are from Utah, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Virginia and Indiana. A subsequent case from Ohio may follow,
Politico reports.