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Category Archives: Same Sex Marriage

Stop Pelosi: Sign the Petition

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Dear Friend—We’ve got an urgent situation. Nancy Pelosi remains fully committed to using the coronavirus crisis to impose elements of her extreme liberal agenda, which could include special “goodies” for the LGBT community. We’ve got to stop her.

Please sign our petition urging President Trump, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell and House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy to stop Nancy Pelosi from hijacking the coronavirus crisis to advance her extreme liberal agenda.

SIGN NOW
The “goodies” that the LGBT community are demanding are very bad for the rest of the country. LGBT lobby groups are pushing many extreme, dangerous ideas that strip Americans of their religious liberty rights, put a lawsuit target on people of faith, risk the safety and security of girls and women, allow biological males to compete against (and dominate) females in athletic competitions, give those who identify as LGBT special legal rights, and force people of faith to abandon their beliefs if they want to remain in business, participate in commerce, keep their jobs or pursue their ministry objectives.

Please sign our petition urging President Trump and Congressional Republican leaders to stop Pelosi’s dangerous gambit.

What Pelosi wants to do is weaponize “Rahm’s Rule,” the prescript advanced by former Obama Chief of Staff and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel that Democrats should use every crisis as an opportunity to pursue ideas that otherwise could not be enacted. This cynical, destructive, approach to the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis cannot be tolerated. Already, Pelosi has secured millions of dollars for pet projects such as the Kennedy Center only to see them lay off employees after receiving the taxpayer funding. It’s outrageous.

Sign Our Petition To Stop Pelosi
NOM has had a keen eye on Nancy Pelosi’s activities for several weeks now. We’ve worked hard to shine a public light on her desires to use the crisis to the advantage of her allies, including big donors in the LGBT community. We’ve scoured all the legislation that has been considered the moment we could gain access to it. So far, we’ve helped to prevent Pelosi from succeeding.

We are fortunate to have allies like President Donald Trump, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell and House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy. They have been alerted to Nancy Pelosi’s gambit, and they’ve helped make sure that she is not able to deploy Rahm’s Rule. But she is certainly not done trying, so we must keep up a public spotlight on her.

Sign Our Petition Today
We’ve launched this petition drive so that President Trump and our key allies in Congress hear from thousands of Americans that they demand that Pelosi’s attempts be stopped. We want them to know that the American people have their backs and are not going to tolerate Pelosi using the health and economic crisis posed by COVID-19 as a tool to advance her extreme agenda.

We’re asking all NOM supporters to sign the petition today. In doing so, an email in your name will go to the White House and the offices of Senator McConnell and Rep. McCarthy sending a powerful message that you stand with us, and the American people, in demanding that Nancy Pelosi’s desire to hijack the current crisis to advance her agenda be defeated.

Thank you for your help.

Faithfully,

Brian S. Brown

PS – If you are able, please consider making a donation today, which will be instantly matched. This doubling of your contribution will help us get our petition in front of more Americans. Thank you.

It's Working


Our push to urge Members of Congress to introduce legislation to protect people of faith from governmental persecution for living out the truth of marriage in their daily lives and at work is working. Thousands of people have reached out to members of Congress urging them to introduce and support the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA). These patriots know that without the legal protections that FADA would provide, faith-based nonprofit groups, small businesses, churches, pastors and priests, schools, charities and individuals will continue to be subject to targeting by government officials whenever they do not embrace the extreme agenda of LGBT activists and the left.

We need to keep the pressure up on Congress so that when they return to Washington after Labor Day they give us action, and not more empty promises. That's why I am asking you to please support the National Organization for Marriage with an immediate financial contribution. The plain fact is that we need to raise additional resources to push Congress and the Trump administration to provide the protection they have repeatedly promised.

Many NOM members have responded with help, and for that I am grateful. If you have not yet been able to make a contribution, I ask that you prayerfully consider one now.

If you have not yet contacted your member of Congress to ask him or her to introduce and support the First Amendment Defense Act, there's still time to act. You can click on this link to look up your Representative in Congress. (You'll have to enter your zip code).

The reality of the political situation in America today is that Republicans in Washington – from President Trump on down to the most junior member of the House of Representatives – owe their election to people of faith, who form the core base of political support that delivered both houses of Congress and the White House to the Republican Party. Despite this, we've heard little but talk from them since they were sworn into office this past January. We need them to stop talking and start doing. Introducing and passing the First Amendment Defense Act needs to happen now.

You can help NOM push for urgently needed legal protections by contributing to support NOM and by contacting your Representative in the House to urge action on the First Amendment Defense Act.

Faithfully,

Brian S Brown

Donate Today!

Eleventh Hour Fight in Illinois

National Organization for Marriage

Dear Marriage Supporter,

It's hard to believe that the legislature, facing issues like a $100 billion budget shortfall and the corresponding desperately needed pension reform, is spending hours of the taxpayers' time lobbying behind closed doors for same-sex 'marriage'!

But even if the legislature didn't have other pressing issues and higher priorities that they were ignoring, the proposal to redefine marriage would still be outrageous for two very simple reasons: it's bad policy and it's being pushed against the will of the people of the state.

Click here to contact your state representative today and let him or her know — in no uncertain terms — that the people of Illinois stand for marriage as the union of one man and one woman!

They didn't have the votes to pass this bad bill in the spring session. So gay 'marriage' activists poured MILLIONS of dollars into a lobbying campaign over the past few months trying to buy up the votes they need to impose their radical social agenda.

In spite of their efforts, right now it appears that a vote (if it is scheduled) could go either way. So it's absolutely critical that your representative hears from you right away.

Please act now to ensure that your opinion is heard in Springfield and that your representative voices and votes for your values in the House!

Unless we send this clear message to the legislature, they might think they can get away with sneaking the vote under the radar. They might think that people have become weary of tracking this long-fought-over bill and that this is their last opportunity. And if they pass that bill... well, I hardly need to remind you what the consequences would be.

We've seen how marriage redefinition leads to those who believe in traditional marriage being punished, labeled 'bigots' and 'haters' in the public square, and forced to be silent about their deeply held beliefs or face repercussions. And their children? They're taught in schools that the values planted in them at home are bigoted and outdated, the equivalent of racism!

We must not allow that to happen in Illinois! We cannot let the pro-marriage majority be relegated to a second-class citizenship status.

This is the 'eleventh hour' moment for this long fight. We can win a great victory, but only if you act right now to contact your state representative. Let the leaders in Springfield hear you loud and clear: the people of Illinois will not stand idly by and allow marriage to be redefined against their will.

Finally, after you have taken action today, please take a moment to forward this message to your family and friends throughout Illinois urging them to do the same.

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Faithfully,

Brian S. Brown

Hawaii, Please Contact Your Legislators Today

National Organization for Marriage

Dear Marriage Supporter,

We've all been incredibly moved to see the tremendous outpouring of support for marriage at the grassroots level all across the state of Hawaii. The rally last week at the statehouse was incredible — a reported 10,000 people attended! And thousands more have submitted testimony in opposition to SB 1, the proposed legislation that would redefine marriage.

Please contact your state House Representative to let him or her know to vote against SB 1 and oppose redefining marriage.

Several news articles over the weekend suggest that the House is considering amending the legislation to put in place enhanced religious liberty protections. While preserving religious liberty is certainly important, this points out the fundamental problem with redefining marriage — it creates a whole host of conflicts that tears our society apart.

Not only are people of faith punished for believing in marriage as the union of a man and a woman, but redefining marriage puts every citizen, especially our children squarely in the crosshairs. Anyone who refuses to support same-sex marriage will be labeled a bigot and a hater. For adults, that comes with severe consequences that could affect someone's ability to earn a living, practice a profession and even raise a family. And school children will be taught that they have the choice of marrying anyone regardless of sex, even if that teaching squarely conflicts with what the child is taught at home or in church.

You see, once marriage is redefined then true marriage as we've always known it ceases to exist. There would be only one institution of 'marriage' recognized by the law — and it would be this new genderless version. Everyone will be governed by this new construct of 'marriage,' whether you like it or not.

The only way to avoid the inevitable clash and impairment of civil rights is to reject redefining marriage. Any attempt to mitigate the damage through passage of "religious liberty protections" will inevitably leave most unprotected and eventually leave even those covered without the protections that were promised.

Please act today — use this link to send an urgent message to your representative about this very important issue. And even if you've already called your legislator, call again to remind him or her that you remain strongly opposed to SB 1 redefining marriage.

And after you have taken a minute or two to contact your legislators, please take just a moment more to forward this message to your family and friends so they can do the same.

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May God bless you and your family,

Brian S. Brown

Victory is Just Hours Away

National Organization for Marriage

Dear Marriage Supporter,

In just a few hours, the polls will open in Virginia and voters will make their decision on electing their next Governor. The race is very close between Ken Cuccinelli, a principled pro-marriage, pro-life champion, and Terry McAuliffe, the discredited former chief of the Clinton Administration. Turnout is key and every vote counts.

Please vote tomorrow, and vote for Ken Cuccinelli, along with his running mate, E.W. Jackson for Lt. Governor.

The importance of this race goes far beyond the borders of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It will help set the tone for the 2014 midterm elections, and will be closely watched and analyzed by candidates, consultants and party leaders on both sides of the aisle.

Electing a pro-marriage champion like Ken Cuccinelli would be a great blessing. It would make it easier for other conservatives to attract support from national party leaders and donors. Though he appears to be narrowly behind, Cuccinelli could pull ahead with a strong turnout of conservatives.

Please do not let anything prevent you from getting out to vote tomorrow for Ken Cuccinelli and E.W. Jackson, and urge all your friends, neighbors and colleagues in Virginia to do the same.

Help get out the vote! Share this email:

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Faithfully,

Brian S. Brown

Anderson: "The ENDA Agenda"

On Thursday at The National Review Online, Ryan T. Anderson from Heritage - and co-author of What is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense - took on "The ENDA Agenda."

Ryan AndersonRyan points out a remarkable confluence where "conservatives and libertarians alike oppose this bill," explaining why:

Of course, employers should respect the intrinsic dignity of all their employees. But ENDA is bad public policy. Its threats to our freedoms unite civil libertarians concerned about free speech and religious liberty, free marketers concerned about freedom of contract and government interference in the marketplace, and social conservatives concerned about marriage and culture[.]

Ryan then spells out the connection between ENDA and threats to traditional marriage believers on the basis of precedents we've seen set by local and state legislation of a similar kind to ENDA:

It is hard to square ENDA’s basic purpose with any robust protection of citizens’ rights to speak freely of religious or moral convictions about marriage and sexuality. Indeed Americans are paying the price where their state or local governments have passed sexual-orientation and gender-identity statutes.

You can read the entire piece here.

Heritage Releases New Report on ENDA

In addition to the resources we shared earlier, our readers may want to check out The Heritage Foundation's new backgrounder report on the "Employee Non-Discrimination Act of 2013" (ENDA). [Click here to read our action alert about this bill.]

The new report from Heritageauthored by Ryan T. Anderson, is (like the "fact sheet" we posted earlier) entitled "ENDA Threatens Fundamental Civil Liberties."

Here's just an excerpt:

[ENDA] would further weaken the marriage culture and the ability of citizens and their associations to affirm that marriage is the union of a man and a woman and that sexual relations are reserved for marriage so understood.[14] ENDA would treat these convictions as if they were bigotry.

Furthermore, ENDA would ban decisions based on moral views common to the Abrahamic faith traditions and to great thinkers from Plato to Kant as unjust discrimination. Whether by religion, reason, or experience, many people of goodwill believe that our bodies are an essential part of who we are. On this view, maleness and femaleness are not arbitrary constructs but objective ways of being human to be valued and affirmed, not rejected or altered. Thus, our sexual embodiment as male and female goes to the heart of what marriage is: a union of sexually complementary spouses. Again, however, ENDA would deem such judgments irrational and unlawful.

You can click here to read or download the report and study it before contacting your legislators.

Crunch Time in Illinois: Vote to Redefine Marriage Reportedly to Be Scheduled for Next Week

National Organization for Marriage

Dear Marriage Supporter,

Several news reports and discussions with Illinois pro-family leaders point to backers of same-sex marriage bringing the issue to the floor of the state House of Representatives for a vote next week.

This is crunch timeplease contact your state House Representative immediately to urge him or her to vote against redefining marriage.

The vote is too close to call and could go either way. Even backers of same-sex 'marriage' admit they don't yet have the votes. It's critically important that legislators hear from you right away.

Preserving marriage as the union of one man and one woman is an incredibly important thing to do. Doing so keeps the focus of marriage on what's right for children, in addition to the benefits to the couple. The social science is crystal clear and confirms our own personal experience — children have the best chance of thriving when they experience the love of both a mother and a father.

Men and women make unique, irreplaceable, contributions to parenting. Both genders are needed for human flourishing. Backers of redefining marriage want to shift the purpose of marriage away from its central role in forming strong families and onto a public recognition of romantic relationships. That's a very slippery slope to travel.

Once we say that marriage simply is the state's recognition of a loving and committed relationship, we've lost any principled argument to limit it to two people, or to prevent other romantic entanglements from being called 'marriage' as well. This will be a very destabilizing force on society at a time when we should be working to strengthen families. Children have suffered decades of abandonment from absent fathers. Now with same-sex 'marriage' they are going to be told that fathers don't really matter after all. Or mothers for that matter, either.

That is the wrong message to deliver to our children and grandchildren.

Furthermore, whenever marriage is redefined people who believe in traditional marriage as God designed it are punished. Anyone who cannot accept this radical new idea of 'marriage' will soon find themselves in conflict with the law. Individuals have been sued and fined. Small businesses have been forced to close. Charities have shut down. The record is filled with examples of people being punished because their views about marriage come in conflict with the law. Tragically, it's religious freedom that is the loser.

Do you remember back to the controversy over Chick-Fil-A's CEO saying that he believed marriage should be the union of one man and one woman? The very thought sparked a furor among homosexual groups and their political allies. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel declared that Chick-Fil-A would never be allowed to do business in Chicago. All because their CEO supports traditional marriage!

So don't let anyone tell you otherwise — if marriage if redefined, there is going to be real harm inflicted on individuals, businesses and religious groups.

The future of marriage in Illinois hangs in the balance. We can win a great victory if you act right now to contact your state representative. If we fail to mobilize the faithful, we could well lose — and suffer the consequences for years to come.

Please, time is of the essence. I urge you to act today.

Faithfully,

Brian S. Brown

The ENDA Rational Argument

Proponents of the Employee Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which is approaching a vote in the Senate are quick to dismiss arguments that the bill may be a Trojan horse for the same-sex marriage agenda.

(This is a tactic with which those of us in the marriage debate are very familiar. When an argument for traditional marriage is first made, it is scoffed at and dismissed outright. When that argument is then proven to be valid and true, it is studiously ignored. It is the equivalent in public discourse of putting your fingers in your ears and humming.)

EmployeesBut the arguments for marriage will not go away simply by activists' pretending they don't exist.

And neither will arguments proving ENDA to be a threat to marriage.

A great resource outlining such arguments has just been released this week over at the website of The Heritage Foundation.

The factsheet entitled "ENDA Threatens Fundamental Civil Liberties" points out:

ENDA would further weaken the marriage culture and the ability of civil society to affirm that marriage is the union of a man and a woman, and that maleness and femaleness are not arbitrary constructs but objective ways of being human. ENDA would treat these moral convictions as if they were bigotry.

Download the factsheet for yourself here.

And while you're at Heritage, you can also check out some other resources on ENDA.

For example, there is a lengthy paper entitled ENDA and the Path to Same-Sex Marriage from back in 2009 which, along with its Executive Summary, demonstrates how even same-sex marriage activists themselves have claimed "legislation like ENDA as a key step on the 'incremental' path to same-sex marriage":

[L]aws like ENDA have already proved to be an important step toward legal recog­nition for homosexual unions in several states throughout the country. In states including Ver­mont, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Cali­fornia, Connecticut, and Iowa, courts have cited sexual orientation nondiscrimination laws in decisions mandating same-sex marriage or some other form of legal recognition for homosexual unions. And no state has legislatively redefined marriage without first enacting a sexual orientation nondiscrimination law [SOURCE].


Once you've gotten appraised of these arguments which are only the beginning of the rationale for why ENDA is such dangerous legislation, click here to find out how you can help make sure that this law is rejected and Americans' first amendment rights are protected.

The Senate is Building a Trojan Horse

National Organization for Marriage

Dear Marriage Supporter,

A bill coming up for a vote in the Senate next-week innocuously named the "Employee Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 (ENDA)" is nothing other than a Trojan horse built to attack the foundational institution of marriage between a man and a woman.

This disastrous piece of legislation is modeled on various local and state non-discrimination statutes that have already been used as tools in advancing the same-sex 'marriage' agenda around the nation. In the wake of Justice Kennedy's misguided opinion in the DOMA case (Windsor v. U.S.) it is certain that this federal ENDA bill will become a fulcrum used by same-sex 'marriage' activists to try to foist a marriage redefinition regime on the entire country.

Why is ENDA so dangerous? Because with the precedent set by this bill, courts in states around the country would soon find easy rationale for ruling that any organization or business that treats same-sex 'marriage' as different from man-woman marriage are discriminatory by definition. Under the law, individuals holding the common-sense belief that marriage is about giving kids a mom and a dad would be subject to punishment. Expressions of support for true marriage in the workplace would no longer be a fundamental right, but discriminatory, bigoted and an actionable offense!

I need you to contact the Senate right away and let them know where you stand on this egregiously flawed law. Urge them to reject ENDA and to preserve pro-marriage Americans' rights to speak, vote, donate, or act in defense of marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

In particular, there are eight senators who need to hear from you today. These senators are 'on the fence' and you can bet they'll be hearing from noisy same-sex 'marriage' lobbyists who want this legislation passed so that they can use it as a tool for forwarding their radical agenda.

Here is the contact information for these key legislators. Take some time today to call their offices and voice your opinion on ENDA using the recommended talking points below:

Senator John McCain (R.–AZ) —   202-224-2235
Senator Rob Portman (R.–OH) —   202-224-3353
Senator Orrin Hatch (R.–UT) —   202-224-5251
Senator Kelly Ayotte (R.–NH) —   202-224-3324
Senator Jeff Flake (R.–AZ) —   202-224-4521
Senator Dean Heller (R.–NV) —   202-224-6244
Senator Pat Toomey (R.–PA) —   202-224-4254
Senator John Barrasso (R.–WY) —   202-224-2946

 

Ask for a legislative staffer if you get through, or leave a voicemail to make sure these senators know where the majority of Americans stand on this dangerous bill. Here are some talking points to guide your discussion:

"I oppose ENDA because it is a threat to religious liberty, workplace civility, and traditional marriage."

"This bill will be used to bully and intimidate traditionally-minded citizens and organizations like we've already seen occurring in states that have passed they own ENDA-type laws."

"Believers in traditional marriage are already threatened with stigmatization by the reckless wording of Justice Kennedy's DOMA decision, and this bill will put them in even more danger of being labeled bigots or haters by those who disagree with them."

"Employees nationwide shouldn't feel that their workplaces are hostile environments just because of their belief in marriage."

"This bill will almost certainly be used as a tool for pushing a nationwide redefinition of marriage."

"I urge you to reject this bill and protect religious liberty and marriage."

After you've made your calls today, don't forget to use the NOM Action Center to send an email to your own senators and urge them to cast a vote for marriage and religious liberty next week.

And be sure to share this message with your family and friends, via email, or on Facebook and Twitter so that they can take action, too!

We need as many people as possible to become aware of the threat of this Trojan horse being built in the senate before it becomes a weapon in same-sex 'marriage' activists' arsenal.

Thank you for taking action today!

Faithfully,

Brian S. Brown

P.S.: If you'd like to learn more about ENDA or do more to stop this dangerous legislation, Family Research Council's legislative action arm, FRCAction, is leading the charge with a great online resource: www.FightENDA.org. Be sure to check it out!

Time is Short to Stop the Bullying of Children in School Showers and Bathrooms

National Organization for Marriage

Dear Marriage Supporter,

Our children face enough struggles at school without having to worry about being harassed and bullied by someone of the opposite sex forcing their way into the most vulnerable areas of public schools — showers, bathrooms, changing areas and locker rooms. But that's exactly what is going to happen if a new law in California is allowed to take effect.

California lawmakers have passed what's being called the coed-bathroom law. It mandates access to all school facilities including showers and restrooms based on "gender identity" and not a student's actual sex.

The temptation some people may have is to chalk this law up to another crazy idea coming out of California. But that would be a mistake. Rather, this new law illustrates where the gay lobby is going with their never-ending crusade to strip society of all gender norms and differences.

California is the first state to pass a law like this, but several other states have had similar legislative proposals. And Massachusetts has passed something similar by way of administrative regulation.

If the law is allowed to stand in California, it could be coming to your state before you know it. That's the bad news.

The good news is that we have an excellent chance of stopping this law in its tracks and making sure it never takes effect. But time is short — we have only one week left to stop this law.

NOM California is working with allies in the Privacy For All Students coalition to qualify a referendum putting the co-ed bathroom law on the ballot. Once the referendum qualifies for the ballot, the law is suspended and does not take effect until voters can decide if they want to approve or reject the law.

Our polling shows that voters are highly likely to reject the law if it is presented to them. The challenge is obtaining the nearly 505,000 signatures we need to succeed.

If you live in California, or can forward this email to someone who does, please go to the coalition website to download a petition. Complete the petition (be sure to read the instructions) and mail it back immediately. Petitions must be received by November 6th to be processed in time to be submitted to counties on November 8th.

Please also make an immediate contribution to NOM California so that we have the resources to finish the petition drive strong. Because of the short timeframe to mount a referendum, it's necessary to supplement the volunteer effort with a paid petition drive. We must help the coalition raise $77,500 immediately to finish the paid petition portion of the qualification effort.

We are nearly out of time. Hundreds of thousands of signatures have been collected, but we need more.

If you live in California, please help us by signing the petition today. Regardless of where you live, please also make an immediate donation to NOM California so that we have the resources needed to complete the petition drive.

We are counting on you to help protect the privacy and security of our children and grandchildren and prevent them from being exposed to members of the opposite sex in school showers, bathrooms and locker rooms. Please act today.

Faithfully,

Brian S. Brown

Support Ken Cuccinelli - a True Champion for Marriage and Life

National Organization for Marriage

Dear Marriage Supporter,

NOM is honored to support Virginia's Attorney General — Ken Cuccinelli — in his campaign for Governor of the Commonwealth. Cuccinelli is facing off against Clinton crony Terry McAuliffe, an ardent pro-abortion, pro-marriage-redefinitionist. The election is one week from today — on November 5th.

Many of the polls show that McAuliffe leads Cuccinelli by 7-8 points, but that's a close race in an election like this. It all comes down to turnout. Historically, turnout in an "off" year election consists of older, more conservative voters who can be expected to support Cuccinelli in larger numbers.

But whether Ken Cuccinelli was ahead by 7 or 8 points, or behind by 70 points, NOM would be proudly supporting him regardless. Why? Because Ken Cuccinelli is a man of principle.

Won't you please stand with NOM by supporting Ken Cuccinelli with a gift of $25, $50, $100, $500 or more today?

I've had it with politicians who tell us one thing when they are being interviewed or completing a candidate questionnaire, but then when the pressure is on can't be counted on to keep their word.

Ken Cuccinelli is a trusted leader who will stand for the truth of God's design for marriage no matter the season. He knows that children have the best opportunity to thrive when they are raised in a loving home by a mother and a father. He knows that marriage as the union of one man and one woman has served society well for thousands of years. And he respects the voices of Virginia's voters, who overwhelmingly approved the state's marriage amendment back in 2006.

Terry McAuliffe? He was against gay marriage...before he was for it. Or was he? He attacks Ken Cuccinelli for supporting true marriage, but then refuses to answer reporters' questions about his own position. All he can manage to say are platitudes such as "it's not my priority" ... "It's not something I am going to focus on" ... and, "the state constitution is not going to change on my term."

I thought we were done with "Slick Willie" back in the 90's.

I also want to commend the principled leader running alongside Cuccinelli for the office of Lieutenant Governor — E. W. Jackson. Dr. Jackson is a not only a man of faith, he's a brilliant and highly regarded conservative leader. He is a Baptist minister who studied at Harvard Divinity School, and holds a law degree from Harvard Law School. He graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Massachusetts. He's an accomplished author and lecturer, and has been a conservative leader for decades.

This drives the left batty, because Dr. Jackson is also African American. The left can't stomach the idea of an African American conservative, especially one who is as knowledgeable and persuasive as Dr. Jackson.

This importance of this race for governor in Virginia stretches beyond the borders of the Commonwealth itself. It will help set the political tone as we head into the crucial mid-term elections of 2014.

If Ken Cuccinelli is able to pull out a victory with our help, it will be impossible for the media to make the claim that only moderate or liberal Republicans like Chris Christie can win election. But if Cuccinelli is not successful and Christie is, the media spin will be unrelenting. We'll have months of hearing from media such as the New York Times and people like Karl Rove — who lost virtually every election he was involved with in 2012 — about how the GOP must "moderate" its views on social issues like marriage and life if Republicans are to win.

Please join us in rewarding principle and send a true conservative leader to the governor's office in Virginia. Please give generously to Ken Cuccinelli by donating online today.

Thank you.

Faithfully,

Brian S. Brown

Paid for by the National Organization for Marriage. Not authorized by any candidate.

What It All Means, NOM Marriage News, October 25, 2013

National Organization for Marriage

Dear Marriage Supporter,

This week the battle for marriage in our country has taught us quite a lot about what this fight means for us and for our country. It has also taught us a lot about the meaning of some other things we take for granted.

What Leadership Means

In New Jersey this week, we learned the meaning of leadership — or, rather, its opposite. Governor Chris Christie on Monday abandoned his principles and the people of New Jersey to the whims of an activist Judiciary when he withdrew his administration's appeal to the Supreme Court of a lower ruling that had ordered same-sex 'marriages' to begin in the Garden State.

As I noted in my comments on the decision Monday, "The mark of a leader is to walk a principled walk no matter the difficulty of the path. Chris Christie has failed the test, abandoning both voters and the core institution of society — marriage as the union of one man and one woman."

To be fair, Christie is not responsible for redefining marriage — that was accomplished by an out-of-control judiciary. However, he is responsible for leaving the field of battle and refusing to fight a principled fight when it was most needed. By surrendering, he has guaranteed defeat in the Garden State.

But while this surrender proved to demonstrate what leadership is not, the same day provided a contrasting image of leadership worth celebrating: that, from Pennsylvania's governor, Tom Corbett.

Governor Corbett was pressured following the Christie administration's announcement to follow suit in Pennsylvania and give up the Pennsylvania government's defense of the standing law in that state that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. But Corbett isn't backing down. He said that the case in New Jersey was "no precedent" for what is going on in Pennsylvania and that he would see the case there through the full process of judicial review. Thank you Governor Corbett for demonstrating what it really means to be a leader!

What Privacy Means

Recently I wrote to our California supporters to urge them to support NOM's efforts in California as part of a coalition to defend students' privacy there against a heinous law recently passed which allows any student to use the shower, bathroom or locker room of his or her choice regardless of biological sex!

We are working with the Privacy for All Students coalition supporting a ballot referendum to overturn this dangerous and invasive new law. Certainly students with gender-identity confusion shouldn't be subjected to bullying or discrimination, but California law already protects students from such discrimination and bullying. Rather than protect against bullying, the new law IS bullying! It violates student privacy and security by forcing them to share the most vulnerable areas of school with members of the opposite sex. Imagine being a high school girl forced to undress before the eyes of an opposite-sex peer, and to be told that his so-called "gender identity" entitles him to shower next to you. Worse, if you complain, you might be accused of discrimination against him!

This is an outrageous new law that is terribly conceived and horribly flawed. It just shows you how much the homosexual lobby thinks it can get away with in advancing their agenda.

Please visit www.privacyforallstudents.com today to find out how you can help us ensure every student in California has the right to his or her privacy upheld and protected by the law! If you live in California, please download a petition and return it promptly. And please consider making a contribution to help the campaign be sure they collect the signatures they need.

What Liberal Thought Means

A remarkable essay earlier this month deserves to be read and re-read by every marriage advocate in our country. It is a great resource for engaging in conversation and debate about this issue, whether at home, at school, around the water-cooler at work, or in the public square.

The essay by James Kalb was published in the Catholic World Report on October 2nd and it eviscerates the liberal thinking that has too long dominated our nation's public discourse, and undergirded the Supreme Court's decisions in June against DOMA and Proposition 8:

Liberal thought is entrenched as the basis for public discussion, and it doesn't like the idea of a network of expectations and obligations to which people are subject other than those generated by state and market. What's just, liberals believe, is for individuals to be free from all social pressure in their private lives as long as they perform their duties as employees, taxpayers, and citizens of a diverse, tolerant, and multicultural society. If people are pressured to act one way or another for some reason other than the needs of liberal institutions, that's bigotry and discrimination, and eradicating it is one of the central duties of government.

However strong and entrenched that way of thinking is, it needs to be disputed and overthrown.

Kalb explains what we lose when we trade age-old institutions like marriage, which pre-exist the state, for a modern notion of rights and privileges which the State arbitrarily creates out of thin air:

If marriage is to be something we can rely on, it can't be a sentimental celebration or optional lifestyle choice whose content depends on the orientation and goals of the parties. It has to be understood as something definite that, simply because of what it is, has intrinsic functions that are basic to human life. To be itself, it must therefore be understood as a union of man and woman that accepts the natural consequences of such a union, and there have to be distinct understandings of men, women, the relations between the two, and what they owe and have a right to expect from each other.

Be sure to read the whole wonderful piece today.

What Fatherhood Means

An article in the Washington Times this week revealed growing concern about "irresponsible fatherhood" in our country and lamented that "despite myriad efforts by fatherhood programs, too many men are ending up in multiple relationships, with multiple children from multiple mothers."

What the article failed to mention was that efforts to protect and promote fatherhood are distinctly at odds with the drive to redefine marriage. Because when marriage is redefined, so is the meaning of fatherhood. Rather than the father being a unique and irreplaceable role in the life of a child, a father becomes merely "Spouse 1" or "Spouse 2" — interchangeable and replaceable, an optional role easily replaced in an 'alternative family' model.

But we did have two shining examples of fatherhood this week, of a kind: spiritual fatherhood. Two great pastoral leaders gave shining examples of what it means to care for the 'children' given to one in ministry.

Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfield, IL responded with a strong press statement to a planned same-sex 'marriage' protest at his Cathedral on Tuesday — part of a larger effort of lobbying by same-sex 'marriage' activists in Illinois who are beginning to see the writing on the wall that gay 'marriage' advocates simply don't have the votes to redefine marriage in this fall session.

In response to plans by a group named the Rainbow Sash Movement to disrupt the Cathedral's religious services on Tuesday, Paprocki announced:

People wearing a rainbow sash or who otherwise identify themselves as affiliated with the Rainbow Sash Movement will not be admitted into the cathedral and anyone who gets up to pray for same-sex marriage in the cathedral will be asked to leave.

Of course, our cathedral and parish churches are always open to everyone who wishes to repent their sins and ask for God's forgiveness.

Meanwhile, in Virginia, another spiritual leader has taken a strong stand in the face of plans to undermine true marriage there.

I've told you before about plans by the Richmond City Council to use a same-sex 'marriage' ordinance as a political power play. Well, the members preparing the ordinance are still at it; and that attracted a strong response from a local pastor, Bishop Daryl Husband, Sr. of Mount Olivet Church in Richmond.

Writing at the blog of the Coalition for African American Pastors, Bishop Husband had this to say about the ordinance:

Today I urge the people of Richmond to stand up to our City Council and tell them that the people of Virginia have already spoken on marriage — loudly and clearly. We believe that this vital institution — the bedrock of our society — is solely the union of a man and a woman. This arrangement has served all civilization well for countless ages, and in our day is the best means we have of ensuring every child the opportunity to have both a mother and father. Tell your Councilmember to scrap this terrible proposal, Ordinance 2013-154, and to stop playing politics and get back to work for the people of Richmond.

Bravo to these brave men for standing up for marriage and leading their congregations to do the same!

What Marriage in America Means

Finally, from Hawaii comes an important reminder of something that we here at NOM have always maintained to be crucial for the fate of marriage in the United States. On this important issue, the people should decide!

A coalition called Let the People Decide, of which NOM is a very proud partner, has begun running some wonderful ads in Hawaii and I want to share one with you today. It's especially touching because it reflects the great cultural heritage and richness of Hawaii which some of us perhaps have experienced in visits to the beautiful state. And thus it reminds us, too, that marriage is a universal value that every heritage and every culture has treasured and honored throughout history. Hawaiians are asking for their right to do the same — and I pray that they are afforded that right!

Thank you for continuing to stand strong for marriage and for our treasured freedoms. It is my honor to stand with you.

Bathroom Backlash

National Organization for Marriage

Dear Marriage Supporter,

Let me start by thanking all of you who responded to our request to support the referendum to overturn California's incredible new co-ed bathroom law.

And then let me gently persuade any of you who have not signed a referendum petition and made a donation to help this effort.

I know it sounds like the end of a "slippery slope" scenario: "If we don't do this or that, then we will have boys in the girls' locker rooms". But it is true.

California's legislature approved it and Governor Brown signed it into law. It will take effect on January 1, 2014. Starting on that day, any boy can claim to identify as a girl and start using the girls' bathrooms, showers and locker rooms. And girls can claim to identify as boys and use the boys' facilities.

It will be an absolute right. There is no check or safeguard to assure that the claim of gender identity is sincere. But let me be clear, even if there were safeguards to assure that the claim of gender identity is sincere, I would still object to forcing boys and girls to share bathrooms, showers and locker rooms.

Why?

Because nakedness trumps sincerity. I do not want a naked boy in front of a young girl in the shower or bathroom even if he sincerely identifies as a girl.

We should have compassion for students that are uncomfortable with their sexuality or believe that biology has betrayed them. But we have to also have compassion for all of the other students whose privacy will be denied and who will be uncomfortable when these facilities are no longer sexually separate.

How can we possibly be so committed to relieving the discomfort of a handful of students but totally ignore the discomfort and privacy concerns of the 99%+ of other students?

How can we claim that this will decrease bullying, when forcing boys and girls to share bathrooms IS bullying?

Thankfully Californians are having a bathroom backlash.

There is a plan to stop this law from being implemented and allow the voters to reject it. But that plan depends on you and me.

NOM California has joined the coalition of Privacy For All Students to qualify a referendum to overturn this law. I am asking all supporters of true marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and anybody with common sense, to take a stand for privacy and safety by supporting this referendum.

If you have not done so, please visit the PFAS web site at www.privacyforallstudents.com. There you can download a petition, sign and return it in the mail. You can also get church resources and other information for collecting signatures.

Please also make an immediate donation to NOM California to help us cover the costs of this referendum effort. To gather the almost 505,000 valid voter signatures required to qualify the referendum, it is necessary to have paid signature gatherers collect a portion of these signatures. It is an expensive process and we need your immediate help. Your donation to NOM California will be used to help us support the petition drive.

Remember, time is short. All signatures must be submitted to the PFAS office by November 6 so PFAS can process and have these delivered to each county by November 8.

Your signature on the petition and financial support is needed right away. Please do not delay.

Faithfully,

Brian S. Brown

Christie Surrender Provides an Object Lesson in (Lack of) Leadership

National Organization for Marriage

Dear Marriage Supporter,

This past Monday was a sad day for New Jersey and the nation as we watched Governor Chris Christie surrender on marriage. His backing down also provides an important object lesson in leadership (or lack of it) and gives us a great opportunity to contrast what happened in New Jersey with what's going on elsewhere: what happens when people fight for the truth of marriage.

Please help us today to continue the principled fight for the truth of marriage and make sure that elected officials defend God's design for marriage, not abandon it.

To be sure, the blame for the imposition of same-sex 'marriage' in New Jersey belongs with an activist judiciary that once again imposed their values on the citizenry. Still, the failure of the courts to act responsibly and grant a stay of the ruling imposing same-sex ‘marriage' is no excuse for Governor Christie throwing in the towel and dropping the appeal of the underlying issue.

Because of his failure of leadership, there's now little chance in the short term to restore true marriage in the state. In fact, now that he's abandoned the fight, it's highly likely that next month the Legislature will override Christie's earlier veto of legislation redefining marriage.

Christie's decision will have many consequences — for New Jersey and for his own career. It won't be long before people of faith in New Jersey begin to feel the consequences that have been demonstrated in other states. We'll see individuals sued, fined and persecuted. Small businesses put out of business. Students punished. Church groups will be targeted. Charities may have to close if their views are not in alignment with a redefined version of marriage. These things, and more, are becoming commonplace in any state that redefines marriage.

Governor Christie can also forget any idea he might have had of securing the Republican nomination for president. Already provoking suspicion for his embrace of President Obama and for the legislation he signed to prohibit parents from seeking certain types of counseling for their children with same-sex attraction, Governor Christie surrendering on marriage will be seen as the final act of betrayal. Conservatives and people of faith who make up the core of the GOP will never forgive his failure to lead on marriage when leadership was needed most.

So in surrendering in the face of difficulty, Christie not only ensured that marriage would be redefined in New Jersey, he mortally wounded his own political career.

Contrast that to what is happening in states like Illinois, Pennsylvania and Hawaii.

All year same-sex 'marriage' activists have been claiming they have the votes to redefine marriage in Illinois. They've had President Obama, Governor Pat Quinn, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, legislative leaders and union activists all on their side. Yet this past May when the bill was on the line, its prime sponsor declined to bring it up for a vote, finally forced to acknowledge he didn't have the votes he'd been claiming.

In response, homosexual advocacy groups announced a multi-million dollar campaign to push the issue in a fall legislative session that began this week. Activists loudly claimed they'd have the votes this time. And now? The bill's author is acknowledging that he still doesn't have the votes, and likely will not bring it to the floor for consideration.

How did this happen?

First, principled legislators refused to cave to pressure and instead fought for what is right and true. African American pastors, in particular, got engaged and worked with their congregations to make it clear to legislators that a vote for same-sex ‘marriage' would be unacceptable.

Second, the pro-family movement became engaged and fought a fierce battle. NOM has been at the forefront of the effort, working with groups like the African American Clergy Coalition, Coalition of African American Pastors, Illinois Family Institute, Illinois Family PAC, Illinois Catholic Conference and others.

Third, legislators of both parties began to worry that if they voted to redefine marriage, they'd face primary opponents who would use the issue to remove them from office.

You see, exercising leadership works. It coalesces allies, motivates people to get off the sidelines, and demonstrates that you have the courage to fight for principle.

Will you help NOM continue to work to lead the marriage movement in America? Elected officials, pastors and activists across the country are turning to NOM for help and direction. Please give us the support we need to continue to show leadership in this critically important battle.

What's happened in Illinois is not an isolated example.

In Pennsylvania, the state's law defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman has been under attack from the left. The state Attorney General announced that she would not defend it. Meanwhile, a local government official — a County Register of Wills — was openly flaunting the law, declaring that he'd ‘marry' same-sex couples regardless of what the law provided.

NOM sprang into action and organized supporters across the state to contact Governor Tom Corbett and call on him to step in and defend marriage in court, and demanded that he file legal action against the local official who was illegally issuing same-sex ‘marriage' licenses. Thousands of people responded to our call to action, and Governor Corbett listened. The Governor is now actively defending the lawsuit challenging marriage, and he's won a court order against the Montgomery County Register of Wills ordering him to cease his illegal conduct.

Most wonderful of all, the other day when Chris Christie surrendered on marriage, a couple of Pennsylvania legislators went to Governor Corbett and asked him to do the same thing. To his credit, Governor Corbett refused, and continues to stand strong for the truth of marriage. That's what leadership looks like.

Please help NOM continue to organize the grassroots to hold elected officials accountable, praising people like Governor Tom Corbett who stand on principle and condemning those like Chris Christie who abandon the fight in the face of pressure.

We can only be effective if we have your financial support. Those funds give us the ability to write directly to constituents, call them on the phone, email them, sponsor rallies, air advertisements, and undertake a range of other activities to educate and mobilize the strong majority of Americans who agree with us on marriage.

Let me also tell you about leadership in Hawaii. Like Illinois, Hawaii has a super majority of Democratic legislators in both houses of the Legislature, and a Democrat governor. Governor Neil Abercrombie wants to redefine marriage, and he's called a special session of the Legislature for next week to attempt to do so. Like the author of the bill in Illinois, Abercrombie claims he's got the votes to succeed, even though he refuses to say who they are.

NOM is working with allies in Hawaii to preserve marriage and demand that the citizens be given the right to vote on this critical issue. A large coalition of allies has been formed called the Let The People Decide coalition. It includes NOM, the Hawaii Family Advocates, Hawaii Family Forum, a diverse mix of pastors and church groups, and many others.

For the past several weeks, marriage supporters have been attending legislative constituent meetings, calling their representatives and standing on countless street corners during rush hour, waving signs to show their support for marriage. Pastors have preached about the importance of preserving marriage, and people are responding in droves.

This past Monday, NOM launched a major statewide television advertisement campaign designed to educate and mobilize marriage supporters throughout the islands. We're also phoning tens of thousands of marriage supporters in Hawaii to urge them to contact their state representatives. We've had to virtually empty our coffers to take these steps, but we are determined to do everything possible to prevail.

It's called leadership.

And it's working. Thousands of constituents have contacted their legislators to demand the right to decide the marriage issue, just as voters in nearly three dozen other states have done. A poll released this week showed that 70% of Hawaii voters believe that they should decide the issue, not legislators meeting in special session.

Will we be successful in Hawaii, one of the most Democratic states in the country? We'll see. But one thing is for sure — surrender always fails.

So that's the contrast. In New Jersey, the courts attempt to impose their skewed views of marriage and a governor surrenders the fight, even while claiming to still be on our side. His surrender eliminates any chance of prevailing. But in states like Illinois, Pennsylvania and Hawaii, people of principle exert leadership, refusing to buckle to political pressure — and achieve remarkable success.

We believe in leadership, and we believe in you. Please help us continue to fight for what is good and right — the truth of God's design of marriage.

Faithfully,

Brian S. Brown