Some party leaders were frustrated by the optics of passing such a resolution. | AP Photos RNC OKs anti-gay marriage stance

HOLLYWOOD, Calif.—With no debate, the Republican National Committee voted unanimously here Friday to reiterate the party’s opposition to gay marriage.

The push from social conservatives came after last month’s “autopsy” report called for more GOP outreach to gays and said the party must change its tone on the issue to appeal to younger voters.


Some party leaders were frustrated by the optics of passing such a resolution at a spring meeting in the heart of one of the country’s most gay-friendly enclaves, and there was a clear effort to avoid a public back-and-forth over the measure. The resolutions committee passed it during a private Wednesday session that was closed to the press.

The language of the resolution affirms the party’s “support for marriage as the union of one man and one woman” — a position that was already in the platform that passed at last August’s Republican convention.

A Wall Street Journal/NBC poll released earlier in the day found that 53 percent of registered voters now favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry, with 40 percent in opposition. The poll found that 54 percent of independents back gay marriage, but 66 percent of Republicans oppose it.

The resolution goes on to describe heterosexual marriage as “the solid foundation upon which our society is built” and “the optimum environment in which to raise healthy children for the future of America.”

“It has been proven repeatedly that the most secure and nurturing environment in which to raise healthy well adjusted children is in a home where both mother and father are bound together in a loving marriage,” the RNC resolution said.

It also “implores the U. S. Supreme Court to uphold the sanctity of marriage in its rulings on California’s Proposition 8 and the Federal Defense of Marriage Act.”

Other resolutions passed by the 168-member governing body of the Republican Party praised Ron Paul, called for “cooperation with the conservative grassroots,” and expressed support for the space program.