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Rick Perry Signs Anti-Gay Marriage Pledge

Rick Perry has joined Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, and Rick Santorum in signing the National Organization for Marriage’s anti-gay marriage pledge. The candidate — who had previously claimed that marriage should be left up to the states — vowed to establish a “presidential commission on religious liberty” to investigate instances of discrimination against conservatives, “send a Constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman to the states for ratification and appoint U.S. Supreme Court and federal judges who will “reject the idea our Founding Fathers inserted a right to gay marriage into our Constitution.” Earlier this week, Time Magazine discovered that Perry compared homosexuality to alcoholism in his 2008 book about the Boy Scouts.

Update:

A copy of the pledge — this one with Michele Bachmann’s signature — is below:

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NOM’s statement: “Perry makes crystal clear that, contrary to the conventional wisdom, gay marriage is going to be a bigger issue in 2012 than it was in 2008, because the difference between the GOP nominee and Pres. Obama is going to be large and clear. We look forward to demonstrating that being for marriage is a winning position for a presidential candidate.”

Update:

Last November, Rick Perry talked to Jon Stewart about his support for states’ rights — including to pass marriage equality — in stark contrast to the federal constitutional amendment NOM’s pledge calls for. In response to Stewart’s suggestion that “we might start gay marrying all over the place,” Perry responded, “But you know what? That’s your call. That’s your call.” Watch it: