Star Power - While the President voices his support for the Federal Marriage Amendment, there haven't been any marquee names joining the organized campaign against the FMA. Even though an amendment faces high hurdles to pass, the effort to defeat this measure could be galvinized by a straight spokesperson, from outside the typical political fray.

Could someone have identified such a spokesperson already? This morning, I got an email forwarded from John's UVa gay alumni group. The intent of the message was encourage people to write to Oprah Winfrey and ask her to take a public position on the FMA, and to feature good news about gay families on a future show. The rational is that the talk show host is a person who is not only respected by millions of Americans, but also, as a woman and an African-American, is someone who would be sensitive to issues of discrimination.

Winfrey might be sensitive to the issue, but would her audience be? I was watching show yesterday, which featured the "gorgeous men of decorating" including two gay men: Nate Berkus and Thom Filicia. The women in the audience went wild for them, but in a oh-look-at-the-cute-stuffed-animal kind of way. Would they be catcalling if Thom was there to talk about gay marriage? Oprah has, in the past, supported the gays, having been featured on "the puppy episode" of Ellen. Even though her core audience may not be ready for a conversation about the FMA yet, it sounds like Congressional action may not be that far away. Therefore, doing a balanced program on the issues may be one way to provide the facts to a broader audience. And perhaps the women in this audience can convince their husbands to soften their stances on the issue. People in middle America are clearly living in fear of something they know nothing about and don't understand. Look at the piece in yesterday's USA Today: "May the Williams boy or girl go to a classmate's birthday party if that classmate has two mommies? Not likely. But, Julie Williams says, 'We'll pray on it.'" Polling data shows that they aren't the only ones who are unsure of how to reconcile their desire to be tolerant while also respecting tradition.