NOM to be investigated in Iowa for refusing to disclose donors

The National Organization for Marriage continues to have a bad year. According to Freedom to Marry, the organization will be investigated in Iowa:

The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board voted today to investigate the National Organization for Marriage, the virulently anti-gay group, for refusing to disclose the names of donors who funded its efforts to oust Iowa Supreme Court justices during the 2010 and 2012 elections. Marc Solomon, national campaign director of Freedom to Marry, released the following statement:

“For years, NOM has taken huge contributions from a few anti-gay donors in exchange for shielding their names from campaign finance authorities, whether or not that required flouting the law. Those days are quickly coming to an end. NOM’s desperate appeals to the US Supreme Court have been rejected, and soon the public will see who bankrolls NOM’s anti-gay campaigns,  which — according to NOM internal documents — include a goal ‘to drive a wedge between gays and blacks.' "

This investigation was spurred by a complaint by Fred Karger’s Rights Equal Rights in June arguing that NOM’s filings never revealed the donors behind its contributions of more than $600,000 in 2010 and its in-kind donations to help oust justices in 2012. In Maine, where Karger filed a similar complaint against NOM in 2009, the state’s highest court ruled in May that it must reveal the names of donors to its 2009 efforts to block the freedom to marry in Maine. Twice in 2012, the US Supreme Court rejected NOM’s requests to hear challenges to the Maine public disclosure law.

'Focus on the Family doesn't want children to know about same-sex families' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Focus On The Family: It’s ‘Orwellian’ To Teach Kids That LGBT People Exist - You know when they say junk like this, I publicize it. Don't ignore it. You ignore it and people won't know what we have to put up with.

Russian Officials Commit Human Rights Violations While Denying Human Rights Are Being Violated - There is nothing snarky I can add to this article.

Gay Military Spouses May Get Benefits Under Proposal - Yes! I am all for this.

Fox Guest Bill Cunningham: "In The Good Ol' Days ... Gay Meant You Were Happy And Ayds Was An Appetite Suppressant" - I personally yearn for the days when they didn't let every "Tom, Dick, and Dumbass" on television.

Guinness: 'Cultures Where You Have A High View Of Homosexuality Have A Very Low View Of Women' - See comments from news brief number one.

Lindsey Graham challenger retweets gay slur about him

Lindsey Graham

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham has been the subject of long-time rumors that he's gay. No matter how many times he denies it, the rumors don't stop.

And now it seems that they are making their way into upcoming 2014 Senate race where he faces three primary challengers from the Tea Party. According to Politico:

Sen. Lindsey Graham’s primary challenger retweeted a tweet that calls him “Nancy boy,” according to the Sunlight Foundation’s Politwoops, which monitors politicians’ deleted tweets.

Nancy Mace on Tuesday tweeted: “RT @PaulSteel4: @nancymace we support you here in Florida. Nancy Mace vs Nancy boy graham.”

 “Nancy boy” is an early 20th century term, often considered derogatory, for an effeminate or homosexual man. Mace, who announced on Saturday she will be challenging Graham in the primary, deleted the tweet after 10 minutes, Politwoops said. Mace’s account is not a verified account. The Mace campaign did not return calls for a comment.

If there is one place in which a vicious whispering campaign would be effective, it is in South Carolina. Remember in 2000,  John McCain's  presidential campaign was derailed by several rumors, including the claim that his wife was a drug addict and their adopted daughter was the product of an affair