In Washington, the Americans defended the traditional marriage

Several thousand Americans took part on Saturday in a nationwide march in defense of the traditional marriage in Washington. In the middle of the day, they held a rally on the central city boulevard, and then climbed Capitol Hill to the buildings of Congress and the US Supreme Court.

The march was initiated by the National Organization for the Defense of Marriage, which defends traditional moral and family values. She takes fairly conservative positions on many other issues, in particular denying women the right to abortion. Its director, Frank Schubert, said they were able to attract “people from all over the country” to participate in the event.

This is the third year in a row that such a march has been held in Washington. This time it is timed to coincide with the Supreme Court's consideration of the issue of same-sex marriage, or, as official documents put it, “equality of rights in marriage,” which begins on Tuesday. The nation's highest court is set to determine whether the U.S. Constitution guarantees gay minorities the right to enter into same-sex marriage or whether the issue should be resolved at the local level under individual state laws.

The March for Marriage is our last and greatest opportunity to show the Supreme Court, the media and opinion leaders in Washington that American citizens continue to support marriage as a union between a man and a woman and are demanding that their voices be heard and their opinions heard were treated with respect,” Schubert said.

In fact, as sociological research shows, every year more and more Americans support same-sex marriage. According to the latest survey conducted in March of this year by the Pew Center (Pew), 54% of US citizens believe that sexual minorities should be given the right to enter into such marriages. Sociologists note that the majority of supporters of this opinion - 69% - are observed in the age category from 18 to 29 years.

Same-sex marriage is currently legal in 38 US states and the District of Columbia. They are prohibited by law in eight states, and litigation continues in the rest. US President Barack Obama supports the rights of sexual minorities to enter into same-sex marriages, but believes that this issue should be regulated not at the federal, but at the local level.