NOM BLOG

Monthly Archives: July 2010

NOM to LGBT Leaders: Stop Scaring Your Supporters with Lies!

NOM President Brian Brown released the following statement yesterday:

“It is becoming clear that the national gay marriage network is attempting to coordinate a message they know to be false: that NOM tolerates or even encourages violence toward gay or lesbian Americans. These groups – including Freedom to Marry, Equality California and prominent gay bloggers – are attempting to use this false claim as a way to divert attention from organized harassment of supporters of marriage, and for raising money and building their lists. It’s unconscionable that they would deliberately misrepresent our views and scare their own followers just to raise money for themselves.

“The groups are showing a photo of a disturbing sign raised at a NOM rally by a single individual. This sign suggesting violence was immediately rebuked by NOM and we demanded that the individual take it down. NOM issued a nationwide email blast the following day saying, ‘We told the individual to take down his sign because it is wrong and not reflective of NOM’s aims, methods and message: we come together in love to support marriage as one man and one woman.’

“Gay marriage groups know that NOM does not advocate or condone violence and that we have already condemned the brief display of this sign. Despite this, they are sending emails to their supporters asking for money. Equality California went as far as titling their fundraising email, ‘NOM’s Solution to Gay Marriage: Kill Gay Couples.’ We hope that gay and lesbian Americans will see the lengths to which groups like Freedom to Marry and Equality California go to manipulate them so that they will give money. It’s truly shameful.
 
Read the whole thing.

NOM Calls on Gay Rights Leaders to Repudiate Politics of Hatred, Disrespect.

NOM released the following statement today:

National organization for marriage

TO GAY RIGHTS LEADERS:

REPUDIATE THE POLITICS OF HATRED, DISRESPECT FOR THE MARRIAGE VOWS OF THE MAJORITY

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) released the following statement in response to the escalating attacks on NOM’s “Summer for Marriage” 23 city bus tour by major and mainstream gay rights leaders:

“In the last two weeks, we’ve seen mothers harassed, children threatened, and outrageous efforts to disrupt and drown out our rallies from gay marriage activists. Rather than repudiating these tactics, major gay rights leaders are now blaming NOM for the behavior of their own supporters. This is irresponsible and wrong, and we call on them to repudiate these tactics, which are being driven by their outrageous persistent efforts to paint Americans who believe marriage is one man and one woman as haters or bigots. What they really hate is that we are showing middle America the real face of the gay marriage movement, on videotape, for all the world to see,” said Brown.

Unlike the Human Rights Campaign or Freedom to Marry, NOM leaders do not need to wait to be asked to repudiate extremism, we have consistently called on our supporters at each rally to reject hatred and incivility, and to demonstrate love and respect for Americans who disagree with our views on marriage, including members of the LGBT community.  As Bishop Morlino said at the Madison rally, “There is no place for gay-bashers” in our movement.

View protestor’s videos here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4loOZl3xHj0

http://www.youtube.com/NationForMarriage#p/u/4/Ny10_M1nDEk

http://www.youtube.com/NationForMarriage#p/u/8/HWUkBQXrjpM

The National Organization for Marriage is a nonprofit organization with a mission to protect marriage and the faith communities that sustain it. Founded in response to the growing need for an organized opposition to same-sex marriage in state legislatures, NOM serves as a national resource for marriage-related initiatives at the state and local level. For decades, pro-family organizations have educated the public about the importance of marriage and the family, but have lacked the organized, national presence needed to impact state and local politics in a coordinated and sustained fashion. NOM seeks to fill that void, organizing as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, giving it the flexibility to lobby and support marriage initiatives across the nation. Find out more at www.nationformarriage.org.

To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage, please contact Elizabeth Ray, [email protected] (x130), or Mary Beth Hutchins (x105), [email protected], at 703-683-5004.

Election Watch 2010: Pro-SSM Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold falls behind pro-marriage GOP candidate Ron Johnson

Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold, once a Wisconsin progressive institution, is now two points behind leading GOP challenger Ron Johnson, according to a July 27 Rasmussen poll of likely voters. Unbelievable opportunities for potential pro-marriage pickups in once solid blue states!

Gay Marriage Radicals Reach New Low

By now, you've heard all about the incredible display of intolerance from supporters of gay marriage.

They've come to our peaceful marriage rallies in city after city to harass and intimidate us. We've seen men harass a nursing mother, refusing her request to feed her children in private and instead stare at her and block her ability to watch our rally from a safe distance. We've seen protestors draped in the rainbow flag storm the stage and scream, red-faced into the microphone to prevent our speakers from talking. We've seen them bait a five year old child, asking her if she's being raised by her mother to be a bigot. We've even heard a gay marriage supporter threaten to kidnap a child in attendance at a rally.

I thought I had heard and seen it all, but the radicals reached a new low yesterday in Madison, Wisconsin. NOM and its supporters gathered peacefully in Madison to pray for marriage and to stand in support of marriage remaining a sacred union between men and women.

We were honored to have Bishop Robert Morlino of the Diocese of Madison address the crowd. Bishop Morlino spoke of the need to love one another even as we disagree on the issue of same-sex marriage. Yet when he led the crowd in the Lord's Prayer, the gay marriage radicals screamed and booed him.

This is the face of intolerance. Isn't it something when people who so loudly demand tolerance from everybody else, show such intolerance for those who simply wish to pray to God for the preservation of His sacred institution?

The NOM Summer for Marriage Tour started out as a simple exercise to bring together supporters of marriage across the country to rally in support of an institution that we hold dear, something that has served society well since before there even was a society. And we've done that with hundreds of supporters across the country joining our tour, and tens of thousands joining our bus tour online.

But something else has happened along the way -- the people of America are seeing for the first time with their own eyes how radical our opponents truly are. These people who scream at our supporters, mock priests, taunt children and boo the Lord's Prayer are the very same people who, with a straight face, promise that they would never force their values on us if America would only legalize gay marriage.

Their lies have been laid bare for the world to see. And the world is watching it backfire on them. Last week alone, over 1.3 million people read about the gay radicals on Facebook. Millions more watched news reports and read about their antics in various news publications. Today in St. Paul, we had one of our largest rallies to date, with between 200 and 250 supporters coming out to stand for marriage. And rather than the protests dampening turnout, I've lost count how many people have come up to me to say that they came to the rally because they saw the videos of the protestors and are more determined than ever to stand up for marriage.

To say that the display of anger and intolerance has been a public relations disaster for the gay marriage movement is the understatement of the century. That's why two gay marriage groups yesterday attempted embarrassing efforts at spin control to try to deflect the public's attention away from what is happening at the marriage rallies.

Yesterday, the Human Rights Campaign issued a statement claiming the Summer for Marriage tour was an elaborate stunt designed to draw lawful protestors who are wrongly being portrayed by made-up stories of as harassment. Their problem, of course, is the video evidence that we have of screaming gay marriage radicals storming the podium and harassing nursing mothers and booing a Catholic Bishop leading a group in the Lord's Prayer.

Marriage Tour 2010 Marriage Tour 2010 Marriage Tour 2010

Do these look like "made up stories of harassment" to you? Unfortunately for the Human Rights Campaign, these are the faces of what the future will look like for anyone who opposes same-sex marriage. Groups like HRC and their supporters will use the full force of the law -- lawsuits, legislation, regulations and even public intimidation and harassment -- to force their vision and values on the American people. This is becoming more and more clear to America with every passing tour stop.

The group "Freedom to Marry"issued their own statement yesterday, but they apparently forgot to coordinate their message of the day with HRC. Instead of accusing us of "made up stories of harassment" this group showed a repulsive picture of someone whose sign featured a noose, implying that homosexuals should be put to death. They went on to "demand" that NOM repudiate thisœ"incitement to violence."€ We'd treat this call seriously if it weren't such a contrived stunt.

First of all, NOM has already repudiated this display of intolerance -- and did so on the spot (not through a press release). We demanded this individual to take down his sign, because it was inconsistent with NOM's aims, methods, and message: We come together in love to support marriage as one man and one woman.

Second, at every rally we make it clear that our fight is not with gay Americans, it is with a bad idea. The Lord teaches us that we are to love all His children. We approach the issue of marriage from the perspective of love. You can watch video of NOM's Chair, Maggie Gallagher, making this point here.

Our opponents are becoming more and more desperate as they watch their carefully scripted narrative of same-sex marriage crumble before the eyes of the American people.

We need your help to continue our successful Summer for Marriage tour and to continue to publicize this issue. If the tour is coming to a city near you, please come to show your support. We need all our supporters to rally around the cause, especially in these trying times. Visit www.marriagetour2010.com for all the latest tour information.

We also need your financial help to continue the tour. This is a costly and difficult tour to organize and implement. We have to feed, house and transport staff and volunteers in nearly two-dozen cities -- not to mention the cost of preparing, securing and keeping the bus and support vehicles on the road for the month-long tour. Please make a special contribution today to enable us to bear all the expenses of this historic tour.

There's no doubt that God is working a wondrous thing with the Summer for Marriage tour. We are changing hearts and minds across America. People are rallying to our side. Please keep us in your prayers, and remember us with a financial gift as well.

May God bless you and your family.
-Brian

New Poll: Black Californians oppose gay marriage 2-1

The black church, both here and in Africa, has proved particularly resistant to the idea of redefining marriage. Or, as Bishop Robert Battle told the Marriage Tour rally in St. Paul today: “The African American church is firm on the biblical truth that marriage is one man and one woman.”
 
A new poll from Public Policy Polling shows that in California, 60 percent of African-Americans oppose gay marriage, while just 28 percent support it.  Leaders of the black church, like Bishop McKinney of the Church of God in Christ  in San Diego and others, are a big part of the reason why.

NOM Election Watch: In NH, another Pro-Gay Marriage Republican Bites the Dust

A new poll shows Kelly Ayotte trouncing the openly pro-gay marriage Republican Bill Binnie by 33 points. Congrats to Kevin Smith and Cornerstone Action for their ad campaign, which Politico highlighted as "Binnie slammed on gay marriage, immigration."

Maggie: On the Road to Madison for Marriage

I woke this morning in Elgin, Illinois, and pointed the nose of the rental car towards Madison, Wisconsin.

My leg of the National Organization for Marriage’s 23 city “summer for marriage” bus tour began last Friday in Columbus, Ohio and ends at noon on Tuesday with a rally on the statehouse steps in Madison.

In Providence, Rhode Island several hundred very angry, and very morally self-confident protestors stormed the podium, trying to shout down NOM’s president Brian Brown, and failing in that endeavor, satisfied themselves with hurling insults and threats at small children.

One pro-gay marriage advocate said, “You better watch that kid or I’m going to kidnap him.” Of course, he didn’t mean, it right?

We’ve taken to showing the video to cops in advance, just to make sure they know what could happen. In Columbus, our folks were a little concerned, but the cops reassured us: “Nothing like that is going to happen here.”

Sure enough when one young firebrand urged the crowd to storm NOM’s podium in Columbus, the cops made it clear that was a very poor idea.

Why do you need cops to enforce basic norms of civility? Should it really require courage to say to make a marriage you need a husband and a wife?

There’s a certain ritual quality to this exercise of American democracy, on both sides. We trod on well-worn paths our forefathers laid out, amplified by new technology. The Providence outrages may cut down on the number that physically show up for marriage, but they also helped dramatically swell the crowds joining NOM’s new virtual bus tour at www.marriagetour2010.com. For the first time, we brought our own videographer along, making us far less dependent on the mainstream media to get our message out to our folks.

Similarly, pro-gay marriage folks spend $35,000 to hire a camera to follow us around, as if we were some big-time political campaign. Kind of flattering, really, if a little silly.

Looking across the square in Colubmus to the counter-protestors, I saw a group of young people full of passionate zeal that flamed into fierce, hot anger at those who dare to disagree with them. “Hate is not a family value,” they shouted, and from the podium, I agreed.

“Hate is not a family value,” I told the marriage supporters, “[T]he 62 percent of Ohioans who came together across lines of race, creed and color to protect marriage as one man and one woman in the Ohio Constitution are not haters, and it’s just wrong for anyone to call them that.”

It’s good to get out of the bubble, to come face-to-face with those with whom we passionately disagree.

In Indianapolis a few days later, I look across from the east steps of the Capitol, past the protestors to the magnificent Civil War memorial, a fountain topped by an obelisk in a piazza that spoke deeply of the city fathers’ grand and cosmopolitan ambitions, and of trials we can only imagine.

The protestors I can see are mostly young, and caught up in the drama in their mind. If they are to be the moral heroes, who is the villain? In their own heads, these young folks are joining a great civil rights drama. They missed the original civil rights movement, they missed the sixties, the sexual revolution even is just old hat, something their mamas did. This is their moment, here on the streets of Indianapolis, or Columbus, or Lima, or Madison, this is their Selma.

Only instead of a pack of cops with dogs and hoses determined to strip them of their rights, backed up by an angry potential lynch mob, there’s just me, a plump middle-aged woman, speaking for millions of Americans who believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. “Marriage deserves its unique status because these are the only unions that can make new life and connect those children in love to their own mother and father,” I tell them.

“We love you Maggie! We forgive you Maggie! Jesus forgives you Maggie!” the kid with the bullhorn shouted, trying to drown out our own speakers. They were an ambivalent group, trying briefly to rise to the higher angels of their natures, like Martin Luther King, but then so few of us are Rev. Dr. Martin Luther Kings. “Maggie sucks! Maggie sucks!” they chanted.

Because after all, they are just American kids.

From the podium I spoke again. “We will fight for marriage, and we will win!” Our crowd cheers.

And then I added, “We will not forget that those who disagree with us on this issue may agree on many other things. They are our fellow citizens, our neighbors, our friends, our family members.”

God bless America.

- Maggie

Quick Recap on Madison Wisconsin: Brian is Back!

With Brian Brown at the helm, the crowd of pro-marriage supporters who gathered on the steps of the state capitol in Madison, Wisconsin felt immediately at ease.

“We respond to intolerance and to incivility with love,” he told the pro-marriage crowd. Bishop Morlino who spoke echoed that message. He called for two Our Fathers, one for all the good folks in Wisconsin who know that marriage is a man and a woman, and one for those who disagree with us, that they will come to know the truth. He emphasized that there is no place in our movement for hatred of gay people, who have the right to be protected from unjust discrimination.

In a rare joint appearance, Maggie Gallagher told the crowd that our mission doesn’t end with winning this fight against gay marriage. Far more important is what we are for: building a civilization of love in which each year more and more children are born to and protected by their own mom and dad united by a loving marriage.

The intrepid Julaine Appling of the Wisconsin Family Institute—who fought the good fight for the Wisconsin marriage amendment that was approved by 59 percent of the people of Wisconsin in 2006, pointed out that the way the world works in Madison (with moral zealots shouting down their opponents) was not the whole world. “Marriage is under attack,” she said, “And the Wisconsin Family Institute is going to keep up the fight.”

Pastor Ron Dobie of Christ the King Community Church echoed Maggie’s sentiment: In protecting marriage we need to build marriages ourselves that shine like a beacon of light to the world. Both believers and non-believers get married, and all those marriages matter, he reminded us, but those of us who believe in Christ have a special obligation to show—through our own families’ lives—that love can be real, that marriage can incarnate love. For this good, we will fight.

State Senator Glenn Grothman provocatively told the crowd the reason the protestors try to shout us down is they know, deep in their hearsts, we are speaking the truth in love.

A number of people came up after the rally, telling us that the Madison cops (God bless ‘em), in their zeal to keep the counter-protestors out, were preventing them from joining NOM’s rally.

“Do not be afraid” was the theme, in the end truth and love will prevail.

Maggie Gallagher interview on Lars Larson show

Heritage Foundation to Congress: Marriage is Worth a Fight

From the Heritage Foundation blog:

Cinderella Congress: Marriage is Worth a Real Fight

Perhaps the biggest news out of last week’s reaction to a federal judge striking down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was pundits’ response to the way the Obama Administration “threw the fight.” Echoing some of the most notorious boxing matches in the history of the ring, the Obama-Kagan Justice Department engaged in what even one supporter of same-sex marriage, the distinguished constitutional law scholar Richard Epstein, labeled “almost like collusive litigation,” where the adversaries in a case are secretly on the same side.

The collusion boils down to this: attorneys in the Obama Justice Department, who have sworn that they will “well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office” in which they serve, abandoned not one but all four of the bases for DOMA asserted by Congress. “Congress” in this instance was no small minority cobbled together at the last instant for legislation it scarcely debated, but a bipartisan majority that encompassed 85 percent of both houses of Congress, joined by a Democratic president who had access to comprehensive reports that amplified the many grounds for DOMA.

Read more.

BREAKING NEWS: NJ Supreme Court Refuses SSM Case

Six same-sex couples in New Jersey asked the NJ Supreme Court to bypass the normal legal process and rule directly on their claim that civil unions are not enough.  The Court just declined.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=7575672&rss=rss-wpvi-article-7575672

Marriage Tour Media Roundup – Sunday, July 25th

Gay Rights Advocates Protest Marriage Defenders

By Caroline May, The Daily Caller, July 25, 2010

The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is traveling around the country on a month-long tour promoting traditional marriage. The "Summer for Marriage Tour 2010: One Man One Woman" is targeting some of the key battleground areas in the ongoing debate over gay marriage.

Maggie Gallagher, president of the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy and one of the event's speakers, told The Daily Caller that the group plans to stop in 23 cities in 19 states. "We recognize we need to get out there and rally the troops," she said. "Our goal is to attract and educate supporters and activists"

While tour participants have been peaceful, gay rights activists at a couple stops have responded with venom, according to Brian Brown, president of the NOM.

Last Saturday, the tour stopped in Albany, New York and last Sunday in Providence, Rhode Island. In both places, Brown said, marriage advocates were besieged by gay rights protesters.

Read more.

Maggie: Another successful rally in Lima, Ohio!

It was a hot, sweaty summer day when we pulled up in the NOMobile to the parking lot at Dave's Market in Lima, and by 2 p.m. it was even hotter. "Heat index of 105," the reporter from the Lima News muttered.

But about 30 Ohioans braved the blistering sun to stand for marriage. (Not a huge number, but more than twice as many as the very well-behaved protestors who showed.)

Congressman Jim Jordan sent a statement of encouragement, and Jamie Gruber made her debut on the NOM Summer for Marriage bus tour, as well.

Jamie is executive director of the Ruth Institute, a project of NOM, and as she said, she works with young next generation leaders to create a culture of lifelong married love in one of the most hostile territories on earth: the American college campus!

Jamie had a message for gay marriage advocates: "We are not giving up on the next generation, we are going to fight for marriage and we are going to win!"

My message: This fight is not over. Even here in Ohio, activist federal judges are now threatening to take away Ohioans right to vote for marriage. But the Supreme Court reads election returns. Our job this November is to elect politicians who will vote to protect the people's right to marriage.

The crowd was enthusiastic--and I also have to say, grateful to NOM. One young man Eric told me, "Don't stop getting this message out. People need to understand how important it is." I spoke with one young couple who showed up with the most adorable baby in tow. He's a law student in Cincinnati and he told me that some things are right, even when they aren't cool, and he feels the need to stand for marriage for the sake of his daughter, and for all the other kids who will suffer, if we lose the truth about what marriage means and what it's for: divorce, unchastity, same-sex marriage are part of a continuum of challenges.

Family at Lima rally

His shirt said he was an Alum of BYU so I ventured to ask if he was LDS (yes, he was), and I thanked them both for all that their faith community has done to stand for marriage.

Monday, its Indianapolis, be there!

-Maggie

Bobbi Radeck of CWA-Ohio in Columbus

"Concerned Woman for America stands together with NOM in one voice: Gays and lesbians have the right to live as they want to, but they do not have the right to redefine marriage for the rest of us."

National organization for marriage Calls on Leaders of Marriage Equality Rhode Island AND Queer Action to Repudiate Bullying Tactics

“Gay marriage advocates…approached and threatened children. This has no place in a civilized society.”

Brian Brown, President of NOM

WASHINGTON, DC - After pro-gay marriage advocates stormed the podium at their recent Providence, Rhode Island rally, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is calling on leaders of the gay marriage movement in Rhode Island to repudiate tactics of harassment at public rallies.

“We are calling on the leaders of Marriage Equality Rhode Island and Queer Action to repudiate the words and actions of followers who stormed the podium, who attempted to prevent NOM speakers from being heard, and most importantly those gay marriage advocates who approached and threatened children. This has no place in a civilized society. We understand that this is a difficult issue and that followers in a crowd can do things that leaders do not approve. We are asking Rhode Island gay marriage leaders to draw a line in the sand and say ‘this was wrong, we’re sorry, it won’t happen again.’

NOM is particularly concerned about incivility and threats directed at children and parents of children who attended.

“You’d better watch that kid or we’re going to kidnap him,” one man said. The incident was captured by NOM's videographer and is posted here: http://www.marriagetour2010.com/2010/07/alert-breaking-news-video-protestors-storming-the-podium-threatening-young-children-police-standing-by-doing-nothing

A woman identified by NBC news as a leader of Queer Action, Susan Heroux, later justified the tactics of the protestors. Heroux told a reporter from The Boston Edge that gay marriage counter protestors at NOM’s Providence rally did nothing wrong.

"People expressed themselves in a respectful manner," Heroux told The Boston Edge.

“When I first met Susan Heroux, she introduced herself to me as the Board Chair of Marriage Equality Rhode Island,” added Maggie Gallagher, Chariman of NOM, “And she is still featured prominently on their website under their ‘friends and neighbors’ gallery. We pledge to continue NOM’s own commitment to respect the rights of gay marriage supporters to speak, organize and rally for their views. We are calling on all people of good will but especially leaders for gay marriage in Rhode Island to make it publicly clear to their followers that harassment and threats, especially to children and mothers of young children, are unacceptable behavior.”

To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage, or Maggie Gallagher, Chairman of NOM, please contact Mary Beth Hutchins (x105), [email protected], at 703-683-5004.