NOM BLOG

Category Archives: Media

"Family Friendly" Apparently Offends Some

Many in the gay marriage movement claim that they have no desire to force their lifestyle on anyone else, they only want the freedom to love and marry whomever they wish. But sometimes this carefully-crafted claim is undermined by the real-world actions of the homosexual community itself.

PrideParadeAn example of this was seen last week, as controversy erupted in the media about the Dallas Pride Parade. MyFoxDetroit reported that organizers had stated ahead of this year's event- which took place on Sunday- that "rules related to nudity and sexual behavior would be enforced more strictly than in past years. Police said anyone violating indecency laws in front of children could be charged with a felony."

But many in the gay community were unhappy about the stricter enforcement of the rules, not only in Dallas but across the country:

The warnings outraged some local activists, whose reactions swiftly echoed through gay-oriented social media nationwide.

"To make the parade more 'family friendly' and to accommodate comfort for the increasing number of attending heterosexuals and corporate sponsorship, participants are being asked to cover up!" activist Daniel Scott Cates wrote on his Facebook page. "The 'queer' is effectively being erased from our pride celebration."

Another activist, Hardy Haderman, wrote an aggrieved column for the Dallas Voice, a weekly serving the gay community.

"The assimilationists insist we tone down and throw away all our joyous sexiness," he wrote. "Why? To do that turns the Pride Parade into a We-Are-Ashamed parade, and I refuse to be part of that."

The rules are hardly extreme, however: the article explains that they "were drafted to conform with the city's public nudity ordinance and the state's anti-obscenity law, which bars the parade from featuring sexual paraphernalia and 'real or simulated sex acts.'"

This leaves us wondering how public displays of nudity in front of children and sexual acts on public streets doesn’t equate to forcing others to be exposed to elements of a lifestyle that is understandably objectionable to many.

New Zealand Legislators Committed "Arrogant Act of Cultural Vandalism"

New Zealand held its first same-sex ceremonies yesterday, which you've probably heard something about in the news over the past 24 hours. The media has been at it again, celebrating NZ same-sex weddings with as much hype as possible, all the while ignoring the fact that legislators redefined marriage back in April despite strong opposition and very little debate at the time.

You won't hear much about it in the mainstream media, but conservative groups, religious leaders, and Kiwis across the nation are speaking out this week, saying that the new law "defies the national mood and common sense". We agree.

Wellington, New Zealand“Despite their grandiose view, the politicians never had the authority to redefine marriage,” said Bob McCoskrie, the national director of Family First NZ. “They committed an arrogant act of cultural vandalism with no clear public mandate."

Many people have commented on the bias in reporting on the day’s events. The mainstream media featured laudatory coverage of the weddings themselves, giving little attention to opponents' views.

Australian couple Trent Kandler and Paul McCarthy were flown from Australia to Wellington by Tourism New Zealand, where a “wedding” was held at the national museum, Te Papa.

NewspaperAir NZ provided an in-flight “wedding” ceremony for a lesbian couple, Lynley Bendall and Ally Wanikau, where Jesse Tyler Fergusson from the TV series Modern Family was present. The package included a honeymoon at a Palms Spring Resort in the U.S.

Lance Huxford is calling for people to complain to the media, saying he is “shocked at the unbalanced coverage of the same sex marriage law coming into effect on both TV 1 and TV 3.”

“We must continue to speak up for marriage as uniting a man and a woman with each other and any children born from that union” Dame Colleen Bayer, national director of Family Life International NZ, said. “For the sake of our children, we cannot stand by and let marriage be mocked.” -LifeSiteNews

Catholic Priest Denies Communion to Same-Sex Couple -- and the Media Reaction that Follows

From GoLocalProv:

Reverend Brian Sistare, the pastor at Sacred Heart Parish in Woonsocket, is currently denying Holy Communion to Lew Pryeor and Pierre Leveillee, a gay couple who are members of Sacred Heart’s regular congregation.

CommunionAs it is customary for Catholic priests to refuse Holy Communion to those who are unrepentant–and with knowledge of the Church’s teachings regarding homosexuality–one would think that this issue would be of small surprise and concern to the public.

For some reason, however, progressives have begun to salivate over Pryeor’s and Leveillee’s dilemma.

It’s interesting to consider the precise motivation for far-left progressives–people known to mock and ridicule the entire notion of “religion,” ... According to their own principal assumptions, for progressives to be concerned with two homosexual Catholics being denied Holy Communion is like sticking up for a child being forbade fairy dust at The Magic Kingdom–and then covering the story on RIFuture.org.

As one would expect from people who have no principles other than power, today’s progressive position seems to be this: Catholics are silly. Unless they’re gay Catholics.

The private happenings at Sacred Heart Parish simply provided RIFuture with an easy hit-piece against the political Right.

NOM Regional Director Christopher Plante on Relevant Radio

Chris PlanteOur own Chris Plante, Regional Director for NOM-Rhode Island, appeared on the Drew Mariani Show today to discuss attacks on marriage and our religious liberties, and also how we can continue to build a strong marriage culture for the future.

The segment begins around the 33:00 mark:


Get Ready for Washington Post to Get a Whole Lot More One-Sided About Marriage Debate

Media bias favoring marriage redefinition? It may be nothing new, but the Washington Post may be taking that bias up a notch in the near future. Newsbusters reports that the Post's new owner, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, spent a reported $2.5 million last year to support same-sex marriage in Washington state.

BezosAmazon CEO Jeff Bezos' $2.5 million pledge to defend Washington's gay-marriage law marks by far his biggest entry into politics and thrusts him into the national debate over the rights of same-sex couples.

The donation, which Bezos made with his wife, MacKenzie, is likely the largest political contribution to a gay-marriage campaign in the country and dwarfs all of Bezos' previous political giving.

It also positions Amazon as a sort of corporate counterpoint to Chick-fil-A, the fast-food chain whose president made headlines with recent comments that America risked "God's judgment" by supporting same-sex marriage.

For the record, Bezos's contribution paid off as Washington's Referendum 74 on gay marriage passed last November 52 to 48 percent.

MRC's Bozell on Censoring the Pro-Marriage Point of View

Brent Bozell, founder and president of the Media Research Center, calls out the media for censoring pro-marriage points of view:

"...The official gay censorship lobbies – from the Orwellian-named “GLAAD” to the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association – define “fairness and accuracy” as being stories that try to scrape “fairness” away, treating opposition like used gum on someone’s shoe. GLAAD created what they call the “Commentator Accountability Project” designed to discourage reporters and TV bookers from booking “hate” guests.

... To quote GLAAD censor Aaron McQuade, “Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from the consequences of speech.” If they prevail, the “consequences” of speaking in opposition to the gay lobby equals zero bookings. In their dream land, every “news” segment looks like the usual MSNBC “Lean Forward” gay segment where everyone embraces the equality and fluidity of “sexual preference.”

But they’re not censors, they insist."

National Organization for Marriage Calls for Balanced News Media Coverage for Same-Sex 'Marriage'

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 18, 2013
Contact: Elizabeth Ray or Jen Campbell (703-683-5004)


"An important new study proves that the news media is overwhelmingly biased in favor of same-sex 'marriage,' leaving viewers to wonder if they are trying to shape the news rather than cover it." — Brian Brown, NOM president —

National Organization for Marriage

Washington, D.C. — Citing an independent news analysis, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today criticized the national news media for their overwhelming bias in favor of same-sex 'marriage.' According to the study released by The Pew Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, stories with more statements supporting same-sex 'marriage' outweighed those with more statements opposing it by a margin of roughly 5-to-1.

"Those of us on the front lines of defending true marriage have experienced first-hand the news media's bias in favor of redefining marriage," said Brian Brown, NOM's president. "But this important new study proves that the news media is overwhelmingly biased in favor of same-sex 'marriage,' leaving viewers to wonder if they are trying to shape the news rather than cover it."

The Pew Center journalism research project studied nearly 500 news stories published from March 18 through May 12 and found that nearly half (47%) primarily focused on support for same-sex 'marriage,' while only 9% primarily focused on opposition. In contrast to the news media treatment of the issue, the Pew Center study found that comments by the public via Twitter were evenly split (31% in favor; 28% opposed), reflecting the close division of the country on whether marriage should be redefined to accommodate same-sex couples.

"This is a fascinating study that reveals the underlying bias of the media in support of redefining marriage," Brown said. "Yet despite that, the public isn't buying it at least based on reported Twitter comments. We call on editors, producers and reporters to carefully study their own coverage in light of this proven bias, and ensure that the voices of NOM and other supporters of marriage are fairly and adequately reflected in their coverage. This is especially important in covering the upcoming Supreme Court rulings expected by the end of the month, and their aftermath."

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To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage, please contact Elizabeth Ray (x130), [email protected], or Jen Campbell (x145), [email protected], at 703-683-5004.

Video: Brian Brown on Hannity: "We're Going to Fight This"

Our president was recently on a special segment of Hannity on FOX News and shared his story. When he said "Our donors are not going to be intimidated, we're going to fight this" the studio audience broke out into applause:

NCRegister: Hollywood's 'Gay Culture' Reshaping America

The National Catholic Register:

HollywoodThe entertainment industry centered on Hollywood has helped reshape Americans’ views on sexuality, family and marriage.

But this change results from Hollywood’s powerful homosexual culture, whose ideological leaders tolerate no dissent — even from other homosexuals — and who have filled a vacuum in the industry left by the absence of faithful Christians.

... More than 5,000 members of the rich and famous attended the Los Angeles GLAAD Media Awards in April, which honored President Bill Clinton with the Advocate for Change Award. Clinton has apologized for signing into federal law the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which now faces a constitutional challenge in the U.S. Supreme Court.

However, GLAAD has made known that not all homosexuals in Hollywood are welcome, especially when they step out of line with GLAAD’s agenda. Bret Easton Ellis, screenwriter and author of the book American Psycho, took to Twitter to claim that GLAAD had banned him from the awards ceremony over controversial tweets criticizing what he called the “politically correct gay agenda.”

GLAAD's vice president of communications, Rich Ferraro, told the Hollywood Reporter that GLAAD did not want Ellis and his tweets overshadowing an event “advocating for equality in the Boy Scouts, marriage and across the country.”

Video: NOM's Eastman on Fox News Greta Van Susteren

Last night our Chairman John Eastman appeared on Greta Van Susteren to discuss the IRS leak of NOM's documents:

Politico, The Hill, Fox News, Breitbart, HotAir Cover NOM's Announcement on Suing the IRS

More and more top news outlets are drawing attention to this important story!

Politico:

IRS-NOM News"...In April 2012, the Huffington Post and the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights group, posted IRS documents indicating GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney had given $10,000 to the anti-gay marriage group. While the same inspector general who uncovered the IRS’ targeting of conservative groups was investigating the case, NOM has been frustrated with the pace of the investigation."

The Hill:

"...For over a year, NOM has argued that the IRS directly leaked confidential tax information, which included a list of private donors. With the IRS back under harsh scrutiny after it apologized for targeting Tea Party groups, NOM is taking legal action, and inviting other conservative causes to do so as well."

FoxNews:

"...Accusations of improper IRS behavior surfaced again in 2012 when a prominent anti-gay marriage group accused the agency of leaking private tax files that listed then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney's group as a contributor. The National Organization for Marriage documents were later published by a group whose president was tied to the Obama re-election campaign.

NOM claimed that someone from the IRS fed the liberal Human Rights Campaign documents listing its 2008 contributors. On that list was a $10,000 donation from Romney’s political action committee. The Human Rights Campaign then published the documents online, saying it had uncovered one of the group’s “top secret donors,” and accused Romney of attacking lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality."

Breitbart.com:

"...The National Organization for Marriage, a conservative organization whose confidential records were leaked by the IRS to its left-wing critics, announced on Tuesday it will sue the tax agency for damages. NOM’s 2008 tax return was, according to a press release the group sent out on Tuesday, taken by the IRS and subsequently leaked to its primary political opponent the Human Rights Campaign."

HotAir.com:

"...Matt Lewis reported on the leak at the time, which culminated in HuffPo trying to make political hay of a Romney-affiliated donation to NOM. In 2012, NOM requested an investigation by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, the same office that authored the draft report on the IRS’ targeting of conservative groups, which is to be released this week. They were interviewed, but never heard anything of an investigation’s process: “Nothing has come of the investigation if there is indeed one, and the agency has refused to answer any questions about the status of its examination,” NOM said in a press release."

Cringe-Inducing: MSNBC Host Uses Young Daughter to Push Gay Marriage

The Blaze:

Regardless of where you stand on the issue of gay marriage, few will likely agree with MSNBC host Krystal Ball's decision to use heryoung daughter to promote gay marriage during a segment titled "Political Playground" on Thursday.

"What if you were in love with a girl? Would you marry a girl?" Ballsasks her daughter.

The little girl seems to be well versed in New York law, as she replies by saying girls can marry girls and boys can marry boys in New York but not in other places.

... Ball went on to explain how "strange" it was that other states haven't decided to allow gay marriage.

"They should change that, shouldn't they?" Ball says.

CNN, MSNBC Refuse to Interview Gay Son After He Refuses to Bash Father

The Blaze reports on the media bias against those who hold traditional views of marriage -- as we know all too well:

During an interview Sunday, Rep. Matt Salmon's (R-Ariz.) gay sontold KPNX-TV that CNN and MSNBC cancelled interviews with him after he told them he would not bash his father for his stance againstgay marriage.

Matt R. Salmon told KPNX-TV that he is disappointed that his father has not changed his position on gay marriage, however, he still enjoys a good relationship with him and supports him. He also said his father is not a "bigot."

"People want controversy," Salmon said.

Accused of canceling the interviews are MSNBC's "The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell" and CNN's "Piers Morgan Live."

The younger Salmon said MSNBC cancelled his scheduled interview because "they had intended to be critical of him and" he was unwilling to do so. Additionally, he claimed CNN was "very gung ho" about doing an interview but then became disinterested when he reiterated he wouldn't attack his dad.

Video: All the March for Marriage Speakers!

Did you miss the March for Marriage? Now you can watch the whole program of our rally on the National Mall!

This playlist plays the individual speakers one by one, as well as the introduction and closing remarks by our President Brian Brown:

What's the next step? Signing our citizens petition to the Supreme Court!

Video: Jeremy Irons Shares His Reservations About Redefining Marriage

Movie star Jeremy Irons, in a moment rarely scene in interviews of celebrities, speaks honestly and intelligently about his concern that redefining marriage will have serious consequences:

Academy-Award-winning actor Jeremy Irons raised questions about same-sex marriage in an interview yesterday with HuffPostLive.

“Could a father not marry his son?” asked Irons.

“Well, there are laws against incest,” said the host.

“It’s not incest between men,” Irons replied. “Incest is there to protect us from inbreeding, but men don’t breed.”

“It seems to me that now they’re fighting for the name,” Irons said. “I worry that it means somehow we debase, or we change, what marriage is. I just worry about that.” (First Thoughts)