One side has hired a lobbyist, aired TV and radio advertisements, and staged a series of public events in hopes of getting its message out.

The other has yet to hit the airwaves, hold a news conference or make a major public push beyond appealing for support on its own Web sites. With Vermont lawmakers poised to begin a week's worth of hearings on a bill that would legalize gay marriage, groups in favor of the idea have been maintaining a higher profile than those opposed to it.

"Something will happen," said the Rev. Craig Bensen, president of Take It to The People, a group that opposes same-sex marriage. "We'll be there for the hearings." ...

Before the hearings, it's been a one-sided discourse. The Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force has hired the Montpelier lobbying firm of Kimbell, Sherman & Ellis, and began airing TV commercials March 5 that feature couples talking about marriage equality.

It has held news events all week: Tuesday, it was mental health and human service organizations saying children of lesbian and gay parents are as likely as those of heterosexual parents to flourish. Wednesday, it was 181 members of the Vermont clergy vowing their support for the right of same-sex couples to participate in civil marriage. Today, representatives of more than 250 Vermont lawyers are to announce their support.

By contrast, neither Take It to The People nor Vermont Renewal, a Rutland-based opponent of same-sex marriage, has held a public event or aired a single commercial.

Labels: gay marriage, Vermont

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