In the run-up to this week’s Supreme Court bakeoff on gay marriage (which includes a call to strike down both California’s Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act), a group called the Respect for Marriage Coalition has launched an advertising campaign in support of same-sex marriage.

TV spot:

Via Politico:

A national coalition backing same-sex marriage is releasing a new ad Friday, leading into next week’s Supreme Court debates on the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8.

The $150,000 ad buy is the latest step in a $1 million campaign. The ads will be broadcast on stations in Washington, D.C., including the Sunday political talk shows and will air throughout next week on national cable.

“A growing majority of Americans have come to believe it’s time to allow marriage for gay and lesbian couples. Here’s why,” the ad from the Respect for Marriage Coalition begins. The ad features regular Americans talking about their gay and lesbian relatives and friends. The ad ends with the line, “It’s time to give gay and lesbian couples the freedom to marry.”

Along with the TV spot, the group also ran this full-page ad in yesterday’s New York Times:

Among the nearly 100 companies supporting gay marriage were these Boston firms:

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Liberty Mutual Group, State Street Corporation, Boston Scientific Corporation, Boston Medical Center, and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance.

Stay tuned for further (local) details.