According to Jeremy Hooper from the blog Goodasyou.org, the National Organization for Marriage is fighting against the possibility of same-sex marriage in the state of New York by running a commercial ad it used in 2009.
The commercial claims of "dire consequences" if same-sex marriage is approved in New York.
However, one of those "dire consequences" was proven to be a lie. Starting at .07 is the following claim:
Massachusetts schools teach second graders that boys can marry other boys.
That claim is an alteration of an original claim NOM made that kindergartners were "being taught about gay marriage in Massachusetts."
In February of this year, the Pulitzer Prize winning site PolitiFact called out the National Organization for Marriage for pushing that misleading statement.
At the time, NOM was fighting the passage of same-sex marriage in Rhode Island. The organization sent out brochures claiming:
"Massachusetts’ public schools teach kids as young as kindergartners about gay marriage. Parents have no legal right to object!"
During the investigation of this claim, PolitiFact talked to:
- Christopher C. Plante, executive director of the Rhode Island Chapter of NOM,
- Kris Mineau, executive director of the Massachusetts Family Institute,
- Jonathan Considine of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education,
- the Massachusetts Comprehensive Health Curriculum,
- the Massachusetts Teachers Association, and
- Thomas Gosnell, president of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts.
PolitiFact concluded that NOM's claim was inaccurate:
Bottom line: The National Organization for Marriage mailing says that Massachusetts public schools teach kindergartners about gay marriage. The wording, including the present tense verb, gives the impression this is happening now, in many schools.
But the group’s only evidence is two incidents five years ago. It’s possible that somewhere, in one of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, other kindergartners have been taught about same-sex marriage. But NOM couldn’t cite any other examples. We find its statement False.
So other than changing the grades of the children, NOM is still pushing a misleading implication that "being taught about gay marriage" is part of the Massachusetts school curriculum.
In the commercial aimed at New York, NOM also cites the story of children in California attending the gay wedding of their teacher as yet "another danger" of gay marriage. However, NOM conveniently omitted the fact that parents gave their children permission to attend this wedding.
The irony of NOM's commercial is that earlier today, the organization announced a $500,000 ad campaign geared to stopping the passage of gay marriage in New York.
NOM's tactics are more sophisticated, but they still add up to the lie told by Anita Bryant regarding children and "gay recruitment" when she led opposition against a Florida pro-gay ordinance in the 70s
No doubt the organization figures if pushing the implication of "gays recruiting children" worked for Bryant, then why can't it work for them.
Especially in light of the fact that NOM has more money to finance this lie.
2 comments:
Alvin- Your blog is outstanding and I read you everyday. But I just wanted to point out, on the off chance you were not aware, that Politifact, Pulitzer not withstanding, has demonstated time and time again a seriously conservative...leaning, to the point of intellectual dishonesty. Case in point, this particular NOM ad should have, by the standard Politifact applies to liberal/progressive judgements, been given a "pants on fire" designation.
Here's the thing... if second graders read a book called "King and King" or "My Uncle's Wedding", it DOES teach them that same sex marriage is ok.
And that is a GOOD thing. We all know that marriage equality is a fact. It happens that it is legal in more and more places around the globe daily. So even if it ISN'T yet legal where you are, it is still a fact, and teaching kids that is not a bad thing. Like using any other age appropriate educational tool based on teaching tolerance, this is the right thing to do!
However, NOM would have people think that teachers who say, "One of your classmates might have two daddies or two mommies and that is OK, it is another kind of family, just like your family is" are showing 5 year olds pornography! Shame on NOM. The only hope we have that kids will grow up without those ugly prejudices that NOM pushes is if teachers DO and parents DO and everyone DOES teach that same sex marriage exists, and that it is ok.
This will NOT make more kids gay. And that is the basis of NOM's message, the lie that if kids KNOW about homosexuality, they will become homosexuals. Lies, lies, lies, but that is the button this commercial aims to push with people who don't know any better.
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