Ariel Cheung

Post-Crescent Media

Gay marriage supporters partnered to launch Wisconsin Unites for Marriage on Thursday.

The grassroots campaign plans to organize events and petitions supporting same-sex marriage.

Appleton was one of five cities selected to announce the coalition.

APPLETON – As a ruling on gay marriage in Wisconsin draws near this month, supporters of marriage equality are banding together to promote their cause through Wisconsin Unites for Marriage, a new public education coalition.

On Thursday, Appleton was one of five cities where the launch was formally announced. The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, Fair Wisconsin and Freedom to Marry partnered on the project, and representatives joined Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna, the Rev. Roger Bertschausen and a Green Bay couple at RiverHeath apartments Thursday afternoon.

"You see the numbers, you see the trends across the country," Hanna said. "Over half the people in the country support marriage equality, and that number is much higher among younger generations. So it's time."

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The grassroots campaign will organize a petition campaign asking Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen to stop defending the state's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and has plans to schedule bus rides to Chicago for an Aug. 25 rally before a court hearing regarding the ban.

"Now is the right time to deepen our work," said Katie Belanger, president of Fair Wisconsin. "It's more important now than ever that we have a strong public dialogue about the importance of marriage equality and the impact the freedom to marry will have on so many caring and committed couples in the state of Wisconsin."

In June, a federal judge struck down Wisconsin's ban on same-sex marriage, determining the ban violated gay couples' equal protection and due process rights.

Soon after, the decision was put on hold when Van Hollen appealed the ruling. Van Hollen said the U.S. Constitution doesn't require states to grant rights, but merely prevents them from depriving people of fundamental rights.

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of appeals will hear arguments about the constitutionality of same-sex marriage bans in Wisconsin and Indiana on Aug. 26. The appeals will be heard by a three-judge panel after a petition to be heard by the entire bench was denied.

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Aimee Zaleski and her wife moved to Appleton three years ago so Zaleski could accept a job at Kimberly-Clark. While her employer and new city have taken strides in welcoming gay couples, Zaleski said the state laws almost stopped her from moving.

"We all lose when that happens, not just the state. Great employers like K-C and others in the Fox Cities lose because they're trying to build a diverse workforce, and the state's working against them," she said. "Cities like Appleton lose economic growth and development, as well as their efforts toward building diversity."

On Thursday, Lisa and Berri West, who were among the first same-sex couples to wed in Brown County in June, discussed the ongoing court proceedings.

"It's close to us and something that we're waiting for and counting the days down to when that final judgment comes," said Lisa West, 39, who works for an insurance company.

The Wests already entered into a domestic partnership and celebrated their commitment three years ago, but the June 9 wedding was a sign the state was standing up for same-sex couples, they said.

"That actual day (in June), it was bittersweet, because we knew there was still a fight ahead," said Berri West, 30, a stay-at-home mom who cares for the couple's children. "But we had already done the big celebration, so that was kind of the sweet side of it."

— Ariel Cheung: 920-993-1000, ext. 430, or acheung@postcrescent.com; on Twitter @arielfab