MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — A few hundred Liberians representing the Christian and Muslim faiths and civil society organizations gathered here Saturday to launch a campaign to press the government to ban same-sex marriage.

The campaign is seeking 1 million signatures supporting a resolution to ban gay and lesbian activities here.

More than 25,000 signatures have already been gathered, the head of the citizens' movement spearheading the campaign, Jim Tornonlah, told The Associated Press.

The Liberian senate recently passed a bill strengthening the law against homosexuality. It must be approved by the House of Representatives before it is sent to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to sign into law.

Earlier this year Johnson Sirleaf expressed her opposition to same-sex marriage saying that if a law supporting it was brought before her she would not sign it.

However after the United States State Department took exception to her stance on gay rights, she softened her position and said that her government would "guarantee people's civil liberties."

At Saturday's anti-gay marriage rally, an outspoken clergy, representing the Liberia Council of Churches, Rudolph Marsh, lashed out at the influence of foreign powers.

"There are good things in America that we can copy," he said, "we don't have to copy the bad ones; let's leave the bad ones with Americans."

Marsh called on Liberian Christians and Muslims to remain united "and stand together and tell the world that Liberia is a place of civilized people and will not allow same-sex marriage." Continued...