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Monthly Archives: February 2011

After SSM: What Next?

February 21, 2011 – 9:00 am

From the State of the LGBT Movement address for 2011 [full text here]: "Truly transformative change, change that shifts the very foundations of our society ... this is the change to which we are called."

By NOM Staff | Posted in Same Sex Marriage | Comments (14)

CA bill would force AG to do "his duty"

February 21, 2011 – 8:00 am

State Senator Tom Harman of California's 35th Senate District introduced Senate Bill 5. The bill officially titled “Attorney General: Defense of Initiative Statutes,” would require the Attorney General to defend against constitutional challenge, at the trial court level or as a respondent or appellant at the court of appeal or the Supreme Court, a constitutional amendment or an initiative statute that has been approved by the voters. [source]

By NOM Staff | Posted in California, Prop 8, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (5)

Dr. Morse: Privatizing Marriage is Never the Answer

February 19, 2011 – 12:56 pm

Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse of the Ruth Institute wrote back in 2009 - and it's still true today - that "Far from settling the marriage debate, ‘getting the state out of marriage’ will reduce liberty, leave cultural questions simmering, and harm our nation’s children." [More]

By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (5)

"So Far, So Good!"

February 19, 2011 – 8:00 am

Pro-SSM folks often claim that gay marriage won't hurt anyone. This line from the movie Le Haine comes to mind (from the English subtitles):

"It's about a society on its way down, and as it falls, it keeps telling itself, 'So far so good... so far so good... so far so good.' It's not how you fall that matters. It's how you land."

h/t: Steve Perisho

By NOM Staff | Posted in Same Sex Marriage | Comments (11)

Audio: Maggie's Testimony in New Hampshire

February 18, 2011 – 3:50 pm

Maggie was in New Hampshire yesterday, and published a report of her impressions here. Below is the audio of the testimony she gave before the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Comments were limited to under three minutes:

By NOM Staff | Posted in New Hampshire, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (7)

Chuck Colson on the "Intolerant Boycott" of Chick-fil-A

February 18, 2011 – 3:35 pm

Chuck Colson:

Is giving away chicken sandwiches an act of homophobic bigotry? According to certain homosexual groups and websites, it is: when you give away sandwiches to people attending a conference on marriage. You heard that right. Gay-rights groups are slandering and boycotting the well-known national fast-food chain Chick-fil-A—you know, the one that says we should “eat more chicken.”

That's the subject of today's BreakPoint. Listen and read here.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Free Speech | Comments (7)

Dr. Morse talks Marriage at Steubenville (+ find out where you can hear her next!)

February 18, 2011 – 12:38 pm

Dr. Morse and the Ruth Institute are co-hosting the "Love and Life in the Divine Plan" conference with Aquinas College in Nashville, TN February 25-26th. Get more information on that conference at the official website.

This week Dr. Morse was in Ohio talking to college students. This from the University of Steubenville's report:

"Marriage will be what this generation makes of it," said Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, founder and president of the Ruth Institute. "My generation had its turn. It's time for the millennials to step up to the plate."

Morse answered the question "Same-Sex Marriage: Why Not?" before a packed house Wednesday, February 2, as part of Franciscan University's Distinguished Speakers Series. [Continue reading]

Here is a brief video excerpt of her talk:

By NOM Staff | Posted in Events, Marriage | Comments (1)

NEW: NOM's Quick-Read Newsletter Format - Marriage's Fierce Fights & Sweet Victories

February 17, 2011 – 7:14 pm

Dear Marriage Supporter,

This is what I love about the marriage fight: The fights are fierce, and the victories are incredibly sweet. (Speaking of which, don’t miss the Rush Limbaugh video below.)

I write to you in media res.

We do not know yet how the fight for marriage deep in blue territory will turn out.

There are some groups who prefer to fight only those battles they know they will win.

You know that's not me. You know that's not NOM.

We take the fight where it needs to go--throw everything we can at it--and, praise God, we've won many sweet victories together for marriage.

And we know these victories would not be possible without you. With so much happening in the defense of marriage, not to mention life in general, we are testing a new format to make it easier and faster for you to get the marriage news you want. As always, your feedback on this new format is encouraged and appreciated!

Game-Changing Moments in Maryland and Rhode Island

They said gay marriage was a done deal in both Maryland and Rhode Island. But if the mainstream media were on our side--or even fairly reporting what's happened--you would know that extraordinary strides have been made in public response for marriage in Maryland and Rhode Island. Read about what’s been happening in both these deep blue states.

New Poll: Marylanders Stand for Marriage!

Today we released the results of a new poll that shows Marylanders support marriage as the union of one man and one woman by a large margin--54 percent to 37 percent. And 78 percent of Marylanders say the voters, not the politicians, should decide this issue. Keep reading for the full poll results.

Marriage Amendments Move Forward in Wyoming and Indiana
Meanwhile, marriage amendments continue to make steady progress in Wyoming and Indiana.

CA Supreme Court Takes Up Prop 8 Standing Question

And there's good news out of the California Supreme Court: It has agreed to take up the question of whether ballot initiative proponents have standing under California law to speak for the initiative.

As I told the press, "This decision is welcome news for all supporters of traditional marriage, including the more than 7 million California voters who supported Proposition 8 and voted to preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman. . . ." Keep reading to understand why this decision is so important.

Rush Limbaugh on the Social Issues "Truce"

One final bit of news: If you get the chance, go and take a look at what Rush Limbaugh had to say this week about the idea of a “truce” on social issues.

video3

Words have meaning. A truce declared by only one side is not a truce; it's unilateral surrender.

We do not know yet who will win this great fight in the short term. Keep the pressure on!

Thank you for all your calls and your letters, for the hundreds of you who showed up to the hearings, and for every single one of you who have sacrificed to make the work we do here at NOM possible.

We do know Who wins this battle in the end.

Semper fi,

n Brian Brown

Brian S. Brown
President
National Organization for Marriage

P.S. The intense fights in multiple states in such a short time period are draining our coffers. Please, if you can, dig down and give generously to NOM this week! $5 or $50, each precious gift will be used to swell the chorus of Americans of every race, creed, and color speaking up for God's truth about marriage.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Same Sex Marriage | Comments Off

Maggie's Report from New Hampshire

February 17, 2011 – 3:48 pm

Just returned from the magnificent state house in Concord, New Hampshire.

The Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, dapper and bow-tied, was a rare combination of humor and dignity. “This is the most democratic legislature in the United States,” he said, “we are the third-largest democratic body in the world.” As all of us speaker’s tended to get long-winded he also jumped in with things like “The Chairman’s Motto: “Nicer is concise.”

And he began with a joke: “Obviously good people can disagree, otherwise there would never be any marriages at all!”

Kevin Smith, leader of the local family policy council Cornerstone, gave a great testimony.

My favorite Kevin Smith line: “The sky didn’t fall in 2008 when the voters repealed same-sex marriage. The sky didn’t fall in Maine either the next year in 2009, when the voters repealed gay marriage passed by the legislature.”

I began by thanking the chairman for asking for a debate that was not just civil but “friendly.” The state house, the chamber, the crowds, the looming giant portraits of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and other more local heroes (excuse me a minute I’m going to Google "John Hale").

“What unites us as Americans is greater than what divides us—even across as great a divide as this” I said.

“The majority of courts, as well as the majority of people, have rejected the idea that gay marriage is a right. Why? It is not discrimination to treat different things differently. Our historic understanding of marriage is not discriminatory—I realize many people here disagree-but that is our actual position.

Marriage is the union of husband and wife for a reason: these are the only unions that make new life and connect those children in love to their mother and father.

Marriage addresses a unique problem and offers a unique opportunity—and in both ways the public good is involved in these unions in a distinct way.

My three minutes was almost up so I did not get a chance to say to the handful of conservative Republican legislators pushing to get government out of the marriage business: “This is not the reason that individual couples marry, necessarily, but it is necessarily the reason why the government is in the marriage business. The close relationships between marriage and regulating procreation explains what is otherwise inexplicable: why the government is in the love business at all.”

By Maggie Gallagher | Posted in New Hampshire, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (12)

BREAKING: New Poll Shows Majority of Maryland Voters Believe Marriage is Only One Man-One Woman

February 17, 2011 – 10:36 am

From our press release (scroll down to see full release):

By a 54-37 margin, Maryland voters believe that marriage should only be between a man and a woman, according to a new poll released today by Lawrence Research.

The poll, commissioned by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), also found that 78% of the state’s voters believe the voters of Maryland, rather than the legislature (14%), should have the final word on the issue of whether or not to legalize same-sex marriage.

... Another poll conducted in January claimed that Maryland voters favor same-sex marriage by a 51-44 margin, but used the phrase “giving them the same legal rights as heterosexual married couples in areas such as tax exemptions, inheritance and pension coverage.” According to Dr. Gary Lawrence of Lawrence Research, the addition of this pro-legalization argument – couching the legalization of same-sex marriage as only about granting rights and benefits to gay couples – without a counter-balancing statement from the opposing side injects a bias into those results.

Maryland Poll FINAL - 02.17.11

By NOM Staff | Posted in Maryland, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (13)

NOM Statement on Recent Prop 8 Developments

February 17, 2011 – 10:00 am

The National Organization for Marriage praised the decision of the California Supreme Court to consider whether the proponents of Proposition 8 have legal standing to appeal the decision of federal district judge Vaughn Walker invalidating Prop 8. Brian Brown, NOM’s president said:

“This decision is welcome news for all supporters of traditional marriage including the more than 7 million California voters who supported Proposition 8 and voted to preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman. In accepting the case, the California Supreme Court has established a clear pathway for the decision of voters to finally be respected.

We have no doubt that the state Supreme Court will find that the proponents of Prop 8 have the right to defend the initiative. After all, this Court has already allowed these very proponents to defend Prop 8 in state court proceedings. We’re confident the Supreme Court will find that the proponents of Prop 8 can also defend the initiative in federal court, especially because then Attorney General Jerry Brown abandoned his oath of office and refused to defend the people’s decision to enact the initiative.

This is a very positive development that will lead to a ruling on the constitutionality of the initiative in federal court, and the eventual upholding of the initiative in the United Stated Supreme Court.”

By NOM Staff | Posted in California, Prop 8, Same Sex Marriage | Comments Off

AP: NH lawmakers take up gay marriage repeal

February 17, 2011 – 9:45 am

From the Associated Press:

A big crowd is expected in Concord, N.H., when the House Judiciary Committee considers two bills that would repeal New Hampshire's same-sex marriage law.

... Democratic Gov. John Lynch has said he will veto a repeal bill if it reaches his desk. Republicans hold supermajorities in both the House and Senate which would be enough to override a veto if the GOP caucus was united in repealing gay marriage.

The law has been in effect a little over a year. [source]

By NOM Staff | Posted in New Hampshire, Same Sex Marriage | Comments Off

Rush Limbaugh on the Social Issues “Truce”

February 17, 2011 – 2:52 am

One final bit of news: If you get the chance, take a look at what Rush Limbaugh had to say this week about the idea of a “truce” on social issues.

Words have meaning. A truce declared by only one side is not a truce; it's unilateral surrender.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Same Sex Marriage | Comments Off

CA Supreme Court Takes Up Prop 8 Standing Question

February 17, 2011 – 2:48 am

As I told the press, “This decision is welcome news for all supporters of traditional marriage, including the more than 7 million California voters who supported Proposition 8 and voted to preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman. In accepting the case, the California Supreme Court has established a clear pathway for the decision of voters to finally be respected. We have no doubt that the state Supreme Court will find that the proponents of Prop 8 have the right to defend the initiative. After all, this Court has already allowed these very proponents to defend Prop 8 in state court proceedings. We're confident the Supreme Court will find that the proponents of Prop 8 can also defend the initiative in federal court, especially because then-Attorney General Jerry Brown abandoned his oath of office and refused to defend the people's decision to enact the initiative. This is a very positive development that will lead to a ruling on the constitutionality of the initiative in federal court, and the eventual upholding of the initiative in the United States Supreme Court.”

By NOM Staff | Posted in Same Sex Marriage | Comments Off

Game-Changing Moments in Maryland and Rhode Island

February 17, 2011 – 2:22 am

If the mainstream media were on our side--or even fairly reporting what's happened--you would know that extraordinary strides have been made in public response for marriage in Maryland and Rhode Island.

Last week the mainstream media's talking point was: One senator in Maryland allegedly switched his vote BECAUSE of the people's testimony on our side.

Well, that senator scheduled his media conference before the testimony.

That's really all you need to know. There was a carefully planned narrative which somehow instantly dominated the headlines with this message: If you support marriage as the union of one man and one woman you are nasty, brutish, mean--and probably short, too.

It's pretty extraordinary for a politician to forthrightly condemn so many good people who disagree with him.

Here's the video--thanks to the gay press--of our own Maggie Gallagher's testimony in Maryland.

But here's the more important point:

They said gay marriage was a done deal in both Maryland and Rhode Island.

In Rhode Island, the House was supposed to be the easy part. Instead, last week, because of an extraordinary outpouring of public support for marriage, the bill has been pulled in Rhode Island, with the House Speaker saying it is “too soon” for a vote. Here's one story about how NOM-RI has changed the debate.

Here's fighting Joe Cavanaugh testifying in Rhode Island, in a local news report.

It's amazing that so many good people of all races and creed and colors are coming out to support marriage!

Here's a photo of another senator who surprised folks by announcing he's voting to uphold marriage, Maryland Sen. Ulysses Currie (D-Prince George's). The Washington Post reported, “'It might have a lot to do with my background, coming up in the South, coming up through the churches,' Currie, the son of a North Carolina sharecropper, said in an interview. 'That has as much to do with it as anything.'”

We do not know yet what the results will be in Maryland. We do know the fight is great, the public outpouring is intense--and in the end, in Maryland we have the referendum process.

We are optimistic!

By NOM Staff | Posted in Same Sex Marriage | Comments Off