A prominent opponent of same-sex marriage has been invited to the Island by the group Concerned Citizens of Bermuda.

Ryan Anderson, who is a member of the conservative American think-tank the Heritage Foundation, lectures on the constitutional implications of same-sex marriage, which became legal across the US this year.

Dr Anderson is to speak at two free public forums at Hamilton Princess, Bermuda on “the politics of marriage and what governments must know”, according to an advertisement taken out by the group.

Meanwhile, more than 7,000 people have signed an online petition by Concerned Citizens of Bermuda for marriage to be kept “as a special union ordained by God between a man and a woman”.

The group has been described by supporter Gary Simons, of the Cornerstone Bible Fellowship, as “a cross-section of concerned citizens in Bermuda”.

While no organiser has come forward, a press release yesterday attributed comments to a spokesman, Melvyn Bassett, who said that the group had hoped Dr Anderson would bring “a much-needed clarity concerning the constitutional questions about marriage”.

The lectures will “present a public case for marriage between a man and a woman along with answering questions asked by the public in the topic”, the statement added.

Dr Anderson is a member of staff at another conservative group, the Witherspoon Institute, and focuses on the political and social aspects of marriage law. According to the Washington Post, Dr Anderson avoids opposing same-sex marriage on religious or moral grounds.

The majority of local opposition to same-sex marriage, which was the topic of public forums launched by the Bermuda Government last month, has centred on religious objections.

Concerned Citizens of Bermuda has kept up a steady campaign over the past month, with paid advertising backing its online petition.

Dr Anderson came to prominence in 2012 with the publication of What is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defence, which he co-authored.

That book was cited by dissenting judges in recent US court cases on marriage, including the ruling in June in which states bans on same-sex unions were deemed unconstitutional.

Dr Anderson, who is on vacation and was not available for comment last night, will deliver his talk next Tuesday and Wednesday, from 7pm until 8.30pm.

Bermudians remain “split” on the issue, according to Patricia Gordon-Pamplin, the Minister of Community, Culture and Sport, who initiated the public forums and a request for feedback after the Bermuda Government was presented with a petition backing same-sex marriage.

• Update: The Hamilton Princess, Bermuda, has announced it will not be hosting the talks: www.royalgazette.com/article/20151125/NEWS/151129791