Throwback Thursday - NOM unleashes 'The Gathering Storm' against marriage equality

In 2009, the now toothless National Organization for Marriage unleashed a $1.5 million ad campaign against marriage equality. The center of this campaign was a television ad entitled The Gathering Storm, which attempted to shift the narrative to the idea that marriage equality will cause discrimination against those who disagree with it:

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The backlash against this ad was immediate and vicious. Its campy nature was parodied constantly by "response" commercials. I've included several of them below. However, the long term effect of The Gathering Storm cannot be ignored because it formed the building blocks of the "religious liberty" argument which is now used in various attempts to justify anti-LGBTQ discrimination.

Still, the parodies are hilarious.

Tell the Washington Post not to sugarcoat its coverage of the anti-gay hate group Alliance Defending Freedom

Don't let the Alliance Defending Freedom fool you. Its goals are not noble.

No news briefs today. There is something more important happening.

Yesterday, the Washington Post published a fluff article on the anti-gay hate group the Alliance Defending Freedom.  The article is very one-sided, making ADF and its lawyers look normal and their goals noble. The first paragraph should give you a idea of what I'm talking about:

Two days before the announcement of Justice Anthony M. Kennedy’s retirement, a woman who stood to gain from it was on the steps of the Supreme Court once again. Kristen Waggoner’s blond bob was perfectly styled with humidity-fighting paste she’d slicked onto it that morning at the Trump hotel. Her 5-foot frame was heightened by a pair of nude pumps, despite a months-old ankle fracture in need of surgery. On her wrist was a silver bracelet she’d worn nonstop since Dec. 5, 2017, the day she marched up these iconic steps, stood before the justices and argued that a Christian baker could legally refuse to create a cake for a gay couple’s wedding.

It's like writing an article on long-time racist David Duke and going into detail about how his face-lift makes him look "distinguished."  Bear in mind that the Alliance Defending Freedom may purport to "protect Christians," but its definition of doing this is making sure that the LGBTQ community's equality and safety are undermined.  I am very disappointed that the Washington Post and the author of the article, Jessica Contrera, took this direction.

I've prepared two tweets which you can retweet, mark as a favorite, or build upon for your own tweet. The tweets include two items about the ADF which aren't included in the article. The goal is to demand more nuanced coverage when it comes to groups and people purporting to "protect Christians" from us.  And also to send a message to those groups, such as the Alliance Defending Freedom, that with more spotlight comes more scrutiny. You will be pulled out in the sunlight for the world to see you as you truly are. Not as you pretend to be.

@washingtonpost @mjcontrera (You failed to mention this in your normalization of the Alliance Defending Freedom. Please do better in the future). Alliance Defending Freedom is working to keep LGBTQ people from adopting children https://t.co/jo33DGdpoS

— Holy Bullies (@holybullies) July 5, 2018

@washingtonpost @mjcontrera (ADF has defended imprisoning gays & sterilizing trans people in foreign countries. Please do not normalize them or their lies.) Alliance Defending Freedom is attacking nearly every aspect of LGBTQ equality https://t.co/QXDwX87PwE

— Holy Bullies (@holybullies) July 5, 2018

Related post - The Christian Legal Army Behind ‘Masterpiece Cakeshop’ - A much more detailed and truer article about the Alliance Defending Freedom.