Former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman rallied the brief's signatories.

As promised, a broad coalition of 131 Republican leaders, including many former governors and members of Congress, have submitted an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to rule in favor of marriage equality in the Proposition 8 case. In their brief, they recognize that hundreds of thousands of children are already being raised by same-sex couples, and their families would benefit from marriage:

Hundreds of thousands of children being raised by same-sex couples — some married, some precluded from marrying — would benefit from the security and stability that civil marriage confers. The denial of civil marriage to same-sex couples does not mean that their children will be raised by married opposite-sex couples. Rather, the choice here is between allowing same-sex couples to marry, thereby conferring on their children the benefits of marriage, and depriving those children of married parents altogether. [...]

It is precisely because marriage is so important in producing and protecting strong and stable family structures that amici do not agree that the government can rationally promote the goal of strengthening families by denying civil marriage to same-sex couples. As British Prime Minister and Conservative Party Leader David Cameron explained, “Conservatives believe in the ties that bind us; that society is stronger when we make vows to each other and support each other. So I don’t support gay marriage despite being a Conservative. I support gay marriage because I’m a Conservative.”

In contrast, the many conservative groups that filed briefs against equality, such as the Mormon Church, the Catholic Bishops, and the Family Research Council, imagined a universe where same-sex couples never raise children and are prevented from doing so when same-sex marriage is not legal. These conservatives recognize that any argument based on protecting children is an argument for marriage equality.

Here is a list of some of the notable members of the Republican party who signed onto this brief:

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Former RNC Chair Ken Mehlman came out in 2010, and earlier this year apologized for participating in the anti-gay tactics that were part of President George W. Bush’s re-election campaign. Now he has launched a new non-profit, Project Right Side, to recruit conservatives to support marriage equality. He introduced the campaign in a Wall Street Journal column today:

Some misperceive the issue of marriage equality as exclusively progressive. Yet what could be more conservative than support for more freedom and less government? And what freedom is more basic than the right to marry the person you love? Smaller, less intrusive government surely includes an individual deciding whom to marry. Allowing civil marriage for same-sex couples will cultivate community stability, encourage fidelity and commitment, and foster family values. [...]

Conservatives don’t need to change core convictions to embrace the growing support for equal rights for gay Americans. It is sufficient to recognize the inherent conservatism in citizens’ desire to marry, to be judged on their work, and not to be singled out for higher taxes or bullying at school. These objectives can be achieved while also protecting religious liberty, as demonstrated by states enacting civil marriage with exemptions for religious institutions.

Mehlman’s rhetoric is not new. He has been making the case for equality in “Republican terms” since he came out, supporting campaigns in states like New York and Maryland to legalize same-sex marriage. What is new is the polling Mehlman has collected as part of Project Right Side. Here are a few data points he provides from a poll conducted in battleground states on election night:

• 56 percent said they support marriage equality.
• 62 percent said that the federal government should provide benefits to same-sex couples whose marriages are recognized in their state.
• 78 percent support some form of legal recognition, through either marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnerships.
• 80 percent believe the Golden Rule should apply to how gays and lesbians are treated.

Any effort to unabashedly support marriage equality is welcome, but some have been critical that Mehlman’s post-coming out political maneuvering still supports anti-gay Republicans as well. In February, the Huffington Post noticed that Mehlman was still helping raise funds for House Speaker John Boehner (R), who continues to spend taxpayer money to legally defend the odious Defense of Marriage Act. Change.org similarly noted that Mehlman has supported numerous Republican candidates who blatantly oppose marriage equality. Project Right Side may effectively convince some conservatives, but hopefully it does more than just cancel out the anti-gay politicians Mehlman’s efforts help sustain.

Former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman has issued what may be his first public apology for his role in fomenting anti-gay sentiment during President George W. Bush’s 2004 re-election bid:

As for his role in the 2004 Bush campaign and its exploitation of marital politics, Mehlman is candid — and remorseful.

“At a personal level, I wish I had spoken out against the effort,” he says. “As I’ve been involved in the fight for marriage equality, one of the things I’ve learned is how many people were harmed by the campaigns in which I was involved. I apologize to them and tell them I am sorry. While there have been recent victories, this could still be a long struggle in which there will be setbacks, and I’ll do my part to be helpful.”

Eleven states voted on ballot measures banning same-sex marriage during the 2004 election, as conservatives hoped to bring out their base for the President. But political scientists have said that the turnout in those states “was no higher than in the 39 without them” and estimate that “the presence of these referendums likely had no effect on the outcome of the Bush-Kerry presidential contest.” Meanwhile, Mehlman — who came out as gay in 2010 — has worked to advance same-sex marriage in New York, Maryland, and New Hampshire.

Yesterday, ThinkProgress LGBT spoke with former Bush campaign chief and RNC chair Ken Mehlman, who came out as gay last year, about his efforts to whip support for marriage equality in New York. Mehlman told us that Republicans he has spoken to have been “very thoughtful and carefully considering this issue” and said that he was “cautiously optimistic” about the measure passing before the legislature adjourns on June 20th. Below are excerpts from our interview:

Mehlman’s 30-second elevator pitch:

“I would argue that they should support it first because it’s consistent with the principles that we as Republicans believe, which include maximizing freedom, which include encouraging strong families, and which include following the golden rule and I would also encourage them to support it because their constituents support it…and that number is increasing exponentially with time and with demographic change.”

Making the case in “Republican terms”:

“We’re celebrating marriage. What we’re doing is, the marriage between a man and a woman doesn’t change. What we’re doing is we’re recognizing the wonderful civil relationship that exists between two people who commit to one another and want to spend their lives together and recognizing the stability that provides, the societal benefit that provides, recognizing the dignity it provides to the two people involved, and the benefit it provides to other families out to encourage us to provide it to other people.”

Has the gay wedge lost its edge in 2012?

“There is no question if you look at the data and you look at the data across the country and you look at the data by political affiliation, almost every measure you can look at indicates there is increased support for the right to marry and for gay rights generally. You certainly saw last year one out of five Republican senators support the end of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, so there are precedents for Republicans supporting efforts to ensure that there is equality and freedom, and I hope you see more of that going forward.”