A $1 million media campaign in support of same-sex marriage will feature President Barack Obama, ex-first lady Laura Bush and ex-Vice President Dick Cheney.

The campaign by the Respect for Marriage Coalition will feature full-page ads in several major newspapers across the United States as well as television commercials on national cable stations.

The print ads will run in Politico, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal and their focus will be to show support for same-sex marriage from both Republicans and Democrats.

The television commercials will not feature new interviews but instead use existing clips with Mrs Bush, Mr Cheney and former Secretary of State Colin Powell discussing same-sex marriage.

In one ad, Laura Bush is quoted as saying: “When couples are committed to each other and love each other, then they ought to have the same sort of rights that everyone has.”

Last November, Americans voted to approve equal marriage in Maine, Maryland and the state of Washington. In Minnesota, where same-sex marriage is banned by statute, a referendum to cement this ban into the state’s constitution was also defeated.

In January, President Barack Obama made a speech which said “our journey is not complete” until equal rights for gay people is reached, and referred to the importance of the Stonewall riots in terms of moves towards equality.