How NOM wins - Creating doubt and fear about children

The National Organization has a mantra which it likes to repeat. It goes like this:

"When the people lend their voice to the issue of marriage by voting, they will stand up for traditional marriage every time."

At first glance, NOM does have a point. The track record is on their side because when people have voted in referendums on the subject of marriage equality, they have rejected it.

However, as the old saying goes, the devil is always in the details. The end result is all that matters, not what shaded, dirty, and underhanded things it took to get the end result.

And in the case of NOM, this is definitely true. Question One, a documentary about how NOM aided in defeating marriage equality in Maine in 2009, thoroughly points that out:

[Marc] Mutty, who took leave from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Maine to help lead the campaign to overturn the Legislature’s 2009 law legalizing same-sex marriage, granted the filmmakers nearly unrestricted access in the “Yes on 1″ war room.

Mutty, featured prominently in a production shot over the three months leading up to the election, is interviewed during the campaign and at home. He appears as a reluctant participant in the campaign. He expresses discomfort with the tactics deployed by Schubert Flint, a California public relations firm hired by the National Organization for Marriage.

Mutty, who said he had to step outside of himself to run the campaign, is shown telling volunteers that their message need not convince people they were right about the issue.

“All we have to do is create doubt,” he said.

And how do they create doubt? Simply by claiming that marriage equality is damaging to the family, especially the children:

However, Mutty grows increasingly troubled by Schubert Flint television ads stating that gay marriage will lead to homosexuality being taught in public schools.

“We all use a lot of hyperbole and I think that’s always dangerous,” Mutty said. “You know, we say things like ‘Teachers will be forced to (teach same-sex marriage in schools)! Well, that’s not completely accurate and we all know it, you know?”

In other words - and these are words which need to be repeated consistently and continuously - when people vote against marriage equality, it's not because they are standing up for traditional marriage. It's usually because organizations like NOM make them fear that gays are trying to corrupt their children.

It's nothing new or original. And it's certainly not noble. It's the same homophobic game Anita Bryant played in 70s when she led the charge against gay rights in Florida - i.e. if gays get equality, they are going to want your children next.

If you aren't convinced by my words, allow the following montage of NOM flyers to prove my point:

The only thing about "traditional" about NOM's tactics is how those without an clear cut argument always stoop to lies and fear mongering.

My fellow blogger Jeremy Hooper pretty much nails what we must do to combat this mess:

 . . . if we are going to win, we are going to have to become even better about knowing groups like NOM better than they know their own efforts. And I don't mean just know them in an anecdotal, "Yeah, yeah, they talk about school books -- now can we go have a cocktail?" sort of way: I mean we must truly KNOW what the organized marriage opposition movement is doing in this country to stop or chip away at our existing rights, as well as UNDERSTAND how and why they are doing it. 

Related post:


NOM exploiting children to stop gay marriage in New York

NOM President Claims Marriage Equality Will “Normalize Pedophilia”

NOM Still Promoting Bogus Link Between Pedophilia And Homosexuality

Know Your LGBT History - The Jackal

For today's Know Your LGBT History post, I've selected The Jackal (1997).

The Jackal is a remake of a 1973 movie entitled The Day of the Jackal. Both movies are about an unnamed assassin paid gobs of money to kill a high ranking official. In the original movie, the assassin's target was French president Charles de Gaulle. In the remake, it was the First Lady.

What makes both movies so interesting is how the assassin covers his identity, moving from person to person and murdering whomever to keep said identity secret.

In both movies, he takes up with a gay man, making sure to dispose of the man when he no longer needs him.

The remake is viciously direct when it comes to this. The Jackal, played by  BruceWillis, takes up with a gay man in order to hide out. There is a small hint that the two had sex, seeing that the gay man thinks that they are beginning a relationship.

Of course that ludicrous notion dies out in a scene so ridiculous that you can't get mad at what happens.

One could almost look at it as a parody of the many times in the movies where they create a gay character, only to kill him off:



Next week - Something nice and foreign that's just begging for an American remake. I would have posted it this week but I had forgotten about it until this post was half written. I'm not telling you what it is. Tune it next Friday.

Past Know Your LGBT Posts: .
 

'Catholic Bishops worry about being thought of as bigots' and other Friday midday news briefs

Catholic Bishops Fear That Support For DOMA May Mark Them As Bigots - Not with just DOMA but all laws and potential amendments outlawing marriage equality. Here is a tip - if you don't want to be thought of as bigots, then maybe it's not a good idea to team up with groups who claim that gays rape children, have sex with animals, and eat bodily wastes - that one was for you, Archbishop Nienstedt.

LGBT: Domestic Violence Became Even Greater Problem Last Year - BEFORE the religious right distorts this news - and they will - read the entire post. Domestic violence is not indicative of gay relationships any more than it is indicative of heterosexual relationships.


Gillibrand: Open Adoption To Gays, Lesbians - Way to lead on this issue, Senator Gillibrand!

Liberty Counsel: SPLC Doing To Us Just What Nazis Did To Jews - Sorry guys, but your claims are trash and you yourself provide all of the proof we need for that.

NC NAACP President to present open letter against anti-LGBT constitutional amendment at Equality NC’s Conference Keynote Panel - Excellent news. However, I am sure that there will be a group of bought-and-paid-for, I mean "concerned pastors and black leaders" who will try to count this.

Some Catholics not happy with Minnesota archbishop's anti-gay marriage push

Minnesota Archbishop John Nienstedt

Earlier this month, Minnesota Archbishop John Nienstedt sent out word to every church in his diocese to start ad hoc committees in order to push for the state's constitutional amendment against gay marriage. At the time, I wrote that he was going too far in devoting the Catholic Church's tax-exempt resources to an arena  - i.e. politics -  which may put his integrity and that of the church's in question.

According to a recent issue of the Minnesota Independent, I am not the only one who seems to have a problem with Nienstedt's push:

One lay Catholic who works for a church-affiliated organization, who asked not to be identified for fear of losing their job, told the Minnesota Independent that the organized campaign in support of the marriage amendment was “offensive, divisive and against the image of Christ we see in the Gospels.”

“But honestly after the sex abuse scandal and the cover-ups made by the hierarchy, nothing they do shocks me anymore,” the source said. ”After watching the Catholic Church use funds to pay for their lawyers, pay off victims and now shove through this amendment, I’ve decided to withhold my tithe from the church. I do not want to provide them more money to defend themselves or lobby against me and those I love. Instead, I will give that money directly to services in Minnesota that provide food and housing for the poorest among us.”

The puzzlement that Nienstedt would devote resources to the amendment fight was a constant theme in the article:

Scott Alessi, writing for U.S. Catholic, which is published by a Roman-Catholic community of priests and brothers called the Claretian Missionaries, said Niensted’s decision was “unusual.”

“Nienstedt has made clear that for priests in his archdiocese, fighting to ensure that the state defines marriage in the same way as the church is today’s top priority,” Alessi wrote.

Alessi wondered if anti-gay marriage amendment was the most appropriate use of resources: ”If an archbishop can call upon all his pastors to form grassroots committees, appoint parish leaders, and organize a large-scale effort, is this the issue on which to do it? What if every parish developed an unemployment committee dedicated to helping out of work people in the parish community find jobs?”

The answer to why Nienstedt made this "unusual push" lies in a document which he signed two years ago - The Manhattan Declaration.  The Manhattan Declaration was signed by over one hundred and twenty-five members of the religious right and leaders from the Catholic church and it says that signees will not abide by any laws which support abortion or marriage equality.

NOM continues to embarrass itself in photo scandal

The National Organization for Marriage finally admitted that it did wrong in the recent photo-stealing scandal. However, the way NOM admitted wrongdoing was in an underhanded way which totally backfired yet again.

According to Jeremy Hooper from Goodasyou.org, they replaced the lying photo with this one:

However according to Hooper, this photo is yet another misdirection:

Even though the text clearly identifies the "we" as a "collation of Granite State Citizens," what you see is the NYC march that NOM held on the very day same-sex couples began marrying in the city and state. That same rally at which the majority of marchers were bussed in from other places. 

So instead of a comment admitting wrongdoing, NOM tries to cover up its lies by making yet another easy-to-detect error.

Damn. I am sooo jealous of the fun Jeremy is having right now.

Gay student viciously brutalized on video. Where the $#! is HIS anti-defamation alliance?

For all of those "people" who will defend teachers who attack gay students and same-sex families, for all of those "people" who will engage in an extreme media blitz to obscure a situation involving a student possibly harassing a gay teacher, this video is a reminder on who the real victims are. When you defend things which fosters ignorance, situations like this are expected to occur. Where is this young man's defense fund?:



More information about this situation on Towleroad.

In other news:

SLDN Files DOMA Challenge, Seeking Equal Benefits for Same-Sex Military Spouses - Good news.

Linda Harvey: I Should Sue Wayne Besen - I WISH she would. I really do. I got so much stuff in my "Linda Harvey archives" which needs to be used.

Guest column by Ron Hill: Feds Help Anti-Gay Hate Groups Raise Cash - A post for the ignorant people who say that we shouldn't give any of the religious right groups attention.

Illinois Republican Senators Unanimously Support Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples - How long will it take for NOM to trumpet this futile gesture while ignoring the pictures it stole?

How dare Target help to keep gay youth from committing suicide!

From Joe Jervis of Joe.My.God. comes this monstrosity:

Earlier this week, I wrote about how the "Florida Family Association" was complaining about how MTV was supposedly  "promoting homosexuality" by airing a public service announcement from the Trevor Project during one of its shows, Degrassi.  The Trevor Project is an organization devoted to preventing suicide amongst lgbtq youth.

There was specific anger towards Target because it is a main advertiser during Degrassi.

Now it seems that the American Family Association has now undertaken a campaign against Target via its group One Million Moms.

The Trevor Helpline promotion aired during the "Beat It" episode of Teen Nick's Degrassi series when teen Riley, the openly gay football captain and starting quarterback, declined reparative therapy for his homosexuality. Not only is Teen Nick now featuring a show that encourages the nation's youth to embrace alternate lifestyles, but the family retail chain Target Corporation is helping through sponsorship. Upon discovering that Target Corporation is one of the main advertisers during the shameful and inappropriate program Degrassi, OMM is disappointed and the retail chain needs to be held accountable. At least three Target advertisements appeared during each episode of Degrassi this past weekend. They are openly recruiting teens and children to become 'gay' on a program that also promotes the transgender and homosexual lifestyle.

The idea that the AFA's campaign is vile and disgustingly homophobic is a given. What gets me is the group the organization is using to promote it. No doubt by pushing this campaign via astroturfed One Million Moms, AFA is pushing the implication that mothers are concerned by the so-called promotion of homosexuality.

Seems to me that any true mother would be more concerned with keeping her child from committing suicide, no matter if that child is gay or heterosexual.