(Los Angeles, California) A gay marriage equality group says a local Los Angeles TV station refused to run a same-sex marriage ad during Super Bowl programming on the advise of the National Football League.

The group said that it was told the NFL considered the ad “advocacy,” a category which the NFL says it excludes.

It is the second time in weeks that the ad, featuring a same-sex African American couple, has been rejected by an LA station.  KABC refused to run the 30-second sport during its coverage of President Obama’s inauguration.

GetToKnowUsFirst.org Project Organizer John Ireland said he was shocked to see the other advocacy ads run during the NFL programming.

“We bought ads before, during and after the Super Bowl in ten markets across California. We planned this buy weeks in advance and heard late Friday that the NFL rejected our ads because they violate the NFL’s ‘no advocacy’ policy. I was truly stunned while watching the programming, to see that they had selectively blocked our ads, while allowing other advocacy ads to air,” said Ireland.

Among the advocacy ads which did air were PSAs for TobaccoFreeCA.org and DontBeAnAsterisk.org, an anti-steroids advocacy campaign.

“We are disappointed that this ad couldn’t reach an audience with images of our families during one of the most watched programming events of the year,” said Neil G. Giuliano, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

Giuliano said that GLAAD has asked for a meeting with KNBC and GetToKnowUsFirst.org to discuss why the commercial was rejected and find ways to remedy the situation.”

The PSAs were produced for GetToKnowUsFirst.org by the non-profit organization POWER UP. Gina Levy, who directed the PSAs, said she was angry that the ad buy was blocked.

“Marriage Equality is a civil rights issue,” she said in a statement. “As a straight woman, I know this affects all of us, not just people who happen to be gay. It is important for us all to get to know these families. It’s a shame that’s not going to happen today.”