Home
|
Contact Us
|
NOM BLOG
Home » October, 2011

Monthly Archives: October 2011

Dem-Leaning Polling Firm: Clear Majority of Iowans Support Marriage Amendment

October 19, 2011 – 10:30 am

Public Policy Polling:

A constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in Iowa would start out with the lead, 50-43.

41% of Iowans think gay marriage should be legal to 48% who believe it should be illegal, a spread that matches the one for the constitutional amendment.

The balance of power in the Iowa Senate currently hinges on the outcome of the special election in Senate District 18. The Democrat, Liz Mathis, opposes allowing Iowans to vote on marriage. The Republican, Cindy Golding, supports the right of Iowans to vote on marriage.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Iowa, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (9)

137,000+ Washingtonians Exposed to Potential Harassment

October 19, 2011 – 10:00 am

Hopefully gay marriage advocates have learned the tactics used in California and elsewhere backfire with the electorate:

...the Secretary of State's Office on Monday began making public the names of 137,500 people who signed Referendum 71 petitions two years ago to bring a domestic-partnership law to a public vote.

... Stephen Pidgeon, an attorney representing Protect Marriage, called the decision a "dramatic setback to the right of privacy in the state of Washington."

"There were death threats, serious death threats; there were acts of violence, harassment and published declarations that there would be harassment," he said. -- The Seattle Times

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

VA Board of Social Services to Reconsider Adoption Policy

October 19, 2011 – 9:30 am

An update from the HuffingtonPost:

The Virginia Board of Social Services will be briefed this week on public comments submitted in response to the proposed regulatory change.

... The board faced pressure from religious groups and Virginia officials. Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli told the board it lacked the legal authority to enact the regulations, and Gov. Bob McDonnell also came out against the regulations, saying faith-based adoption groups should not have to place children with households led by same-sex couples.

... There are no per se restrictions on gay individuals adopting or fostering children in Virginia. Child-placement agencies are under current law allowed to reject gay single individuals' applications to adopt or provide foster care. The proposed regulations would prohibit that type of discrimination.

Eileen Guertler, director of public affairs and citizen services for Virginia's Department of Social Services, told The Huffington Post in an interview that there are some adoptions to gay individuals every year in Virginia, though she could not provide any figures.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Adoption, Law, Religious Liberty, Virginia | Comments Off on VA Board of Social Services to Reconsider Adoption Policy

Pastor Comes to Viki Knox' Defense

October 19, 2011 – 9:00 am

Religion News Service:

The pastor of a high school teacher who has been vilified for an anti-gay tirade on Facebook came to the woman’s defense, calling her a “very loving person” who should not be fired for expressing her religious beliefs.

The Rev. Milton B. Hobbs, pastor of New Covenant Fellowship in Clark, N.J., said special education teacher Viki Knox is not homophobic and that her comments, when taken in the context of the Bible, were not false.

...Hobbs said his greater concern is the possibility Knox will be disciplined for expressing an opinion on a personal Web page, noting she did not incite violence or advocate harm.

“Any Christian who makes a stand that’s unpopular can expect to be persecuted. That’s in the Bible, too,” Hobbs said. “But no American should expect to be prosecuted for exercising free speech. At what point does that stop?”

We've written about the Viki Knox story on the NOM blog here.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Education, Free Speech, New Jersey, Religious Liberty | Comments (2)

Peoria Diocese Drops Adoption, Foster-Care Services to Resolve Conflict With Civil Unions Bill

October 19, 2011 – 8:00 am

Catholic Culture World News:

The Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, has dropped a legal challenge to a state law requiring equal treatment for same-sex couples in adoption and foster-care services.

The Peoria office of Catholic Charities, which faced the loss of government contracts because it would not comply with the new state law, has chosen to set up a new organization, without formal ties to the Catholic Church, to handle adoption and foster-care cases. The staff of Catholic Charities will join the new organization, which will abide by the new regulations.

“I have a responsibility to assure that Catholic Charities operates consistently with the teachings and values of the Church,” said Peoria’s Bishop Daniel Jenky in explaining the decision to drop the legal case. The newly established office will not follow the precepts of the Church, but it will not operate under the “Catholic” label.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Adoption, Illinois, Religious Liberty | Comments (2)

Tune-In Tomorrow to Hear Marriage Debate Featuring Maggie Gallagher on Minnesota Public Radio

October 18, 2011 – 8:46 pm

Exciting news!

Last week NOM co-founder Maggie Gallagher debated Dale Carpenter of the University of Minnesota. The debate was sponsored by the Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law and Public Policy at the University of St. Thomas Law School. You will be able to hear a shortened version of the debate (their two opening statements and two rebuttals) from 11AM to 1PM tomorrow on Minnesota Public Radio News.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Minnesota | Comments (12)

Four New York State Senators and Their Same-Sex Marriage Money Dance

October 18, 2011 – 4:40 pm

LetThePeopleVote.com

Dear Marriage Supporter,

Money dance.

Perhaps you’ve heard about the practice of some brides and grooms dancing for money with supporters at their wedding. Well, last Thursday the four Republican senators who pushed same-sex marriage through in New York this summer were doing a money dance of their own – dancing with wealthy contributors like Michael Bloomberg and Tim Gill, who purchased their allegiance during the recent legislative session.

These four senators reportedly raised well over a million dollars in a single night – in their quest for wedding cash purchased at the expense of their values and promises made to New York voters.

Help fight back!

With your help, NOM has been running billboards throughout the state to hold legislators accountable.

LetthePeopleVote.com has just released a new online ad showing these four senators dancing for money.

Now I need you to help NOM PAC New York take this fight to the next level. A handful of multimillionaires are trying to buy the Republican Party and force same-sex marriage on the nation. The only way to fight back is for every one of us to stand up and make our voices heard – by talking to our friends, by getting personally involved, and by putting whatever funds we have to work in the fight to protect marriage.

We may not have multi-millionaires to bankroll an entire campaign in one night, but we have something better – hundreds of thousands of Americans who agree that marriage is important and deserves to be protected.

I am challenging you to make a generous donation to NOM PAC New York today. Over the next seven days, our goal for NOM PAC NY is to gain 1000 new donors and raise $100,000 to protect marriage in New York.

Help meet our goal and send a message to the multimillionaires who think they can force same-sex marriage on the nation. Please make your most generous gift of $1,000, $500, $100, or even $50 or $20 today.

Brian Brown

Brian Brown

Brian S. Brown
Treasurer
NOM PAC New York

Contribute

By Brian Brown | Posted in New York, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (7)

Grisanti Ignores Hundreds of Voters Who Showed Up in Buffalo To Protest His SSM Vote

October 18, 2011 – 12:45 pm

Under media scrutiny for selling his vote and betraying his constituents, Sen. Grisanti said a very strange thing to the press:

State Senator Mark Grisanti: "To say 'you're next,' first of all I don't know what that means, second of all it was done by an organization that's based out of Utah, that pays no taxes in New York state, that doesn't care about Western New York whatsoever.

Huh? NOM has supporters in all fifty states, including New York. Just look at the hundreds of Western New Yorkers who showed up for out Let The People Vote Rally in Buffalo:

Sen. Grisanti -- these are New York taxpayers. These are your constituents.

These are the folks you betrayed in cashing in on your vote for gay marriage.

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

Media Coverage of NOM's "Money Dance" Ad

October 18, 2011 – 12:15 pm

NOM's "Money Dance" ad lampooning the pro-SSM New York Senators who betrayed the voters is already being noticed by New York media:

Times-Union Capital Confidential: "The National Organization for Marriage is out with a JibJab-ish web ad attacking the four GOP Senators who voted for same-sex marriage last June. This is a response to the recent fund-raiser held for the lawmakers in New York City."

New York Daily News Daily Politics: "The senators, as you can see, are Roy McDonald, Mark Grisanti, Steve Saland and James Alesi [...] As we noted here on The Daily Politics two weeks ago, NOM is also waging a billboard campaign against the Republican quartet."

WIVB Buffalo: "The organization behind the billboard that's up along Interstate 190 also has released a new web ad called, "Money Dance." The ad features the four senators dancing with wealthy contributors. It's in response to a fundraiser Grisanti attended Thursday in New York City hosted by Mayor Michael Bloomberg."

Buffalo News: "The event was used as new attack material by the conservative National Organization for Marriage, which has vowed to spend $2 million to defeat Grisanti and the other Republican senators in next year's elections. The group already has taken out billboards in the senators' districts and on Friday launched an online advertisement labeled "Money Dance" against the four lawmakers."

Politics on the Hudson: The National Organization for Marriage is up with an online ad today against the four Republicans senators who voted in June to legalize same-sex marriage. [...] NOM has a “Let the People Vote” campaign that is seeking to overturn the same-sex marriage law, which took effect in July, through a constitutional amendment."

WNED Buffalo: State Senator Mark Grisanti continues to be dogged by his vote in June on the Marriage Equality bill. Grisanti was one of four Republicans who sided with Democrats to get the legislation passed. Now, critics are claiming that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg hosted a lavish fundraiser recently to pay the Senators back.

By NOM Staff | Posted in New York, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (1)

Chairman of MN for Marriage: "Campaign Finance Board Oversteps Its Authority"

October 18, 2011 – 11:45 am

John Helmberger is the chairman of the Minnesota for Marriage campaign. He writes in the Star-Tribune:

The Star Tribune waxes righteous ("Voters should know amendment donors," Oct. 6) that the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board has "made the right call" in a ruling that attempts to force nonprofit organizations to disclose the identity of supporters if the nonprofit group contributes to the marriage-amendment campaign.

Nobody disagrees that voters are entitled to know who contributes to the marriage campaign. But the changes the Campaign Finance Board proposes are not authorized by law and would mislead the public, resulting in the disclosure of people who did not contribute to the campaign.

... the board simply does not have the legal authority to arbitrarily change Minnesota campaign reporting laws. That is the job of the Legislature. For almost a decade, the board has been asking the Legislature to expand or change the definition of "association" to be able to regulate nonprofit corporations in this manner, and the Legislature refused to grant it. The board has acted illegally in claiming legal authority it does not possess.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Law, Marriage, Minnesota | Comments (2)

Local Media Asks Did Money Sway Grisanti's Flip-Flop on Marriage?

October 18, 2011 – 11:17 am

Senator Grisanti is "feeling the heat", Local News 4 reports:

Bravo, marriage defenders! Your efforts are helping us put on notice the Albany politicians who betrayed marriage for money!

By NOM Staff | Posted in New York, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (6)

Illinois Senator Introduces Bill to Allow Religious-Based Foster Care to Continue

October 18, 2011 – 10:30 am

The State-Journal Register:

Catholic Charities would be able to continue its foster care and adoption services without serving same-sex couples under legislation introduced this week by state Sen. Kyle McCarter.

The bill would amend the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act to allow religious-based child-welfare agencies and those operated or owned by a religious organization to refer such couples to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services for other adoption and foster care options.

McCarter, R-Lebanon, introduced the legislation in response to an ongoing legal battle between Catholic Charities agencies and the state after the civil union law took effect June 1.

“I do believe that if it’s sent to the floor, there’s enough votes to pass it in the House and the Senate,” McCarter said Friday. “Catholic Charities is responsible for a majority of adoptions and placements of foster kids in southern Illinois, and they do it for a fraction of the cost, and they do it with an extreme amount of compassion.”

By NOM Staff | Posted in Adoption, Catholic Church, Civil Unions, Illinois, Religious Liberty | Comments (4)

John Boehner, U.S. House Step Forward to Defend DOMA

October 18, 2011 – 10:00 am

FoxNews:

Gays and lesbians are not entitled to the same heightened legal protection and scrutiny against discrimination as racial minorities and women in part because they are far from politically powerless and have ample ability to influence lawmakers, lawyers for a U.S. House of Representatives group said in a federal court filing.

... "A spate of recent news stories only confirms the conclusion that homosexuals are far from politically powerless," the filing reads.

... "gays and lesbians cannot be labeled `politically powerless' without draining that phrase of all meaning," it says, arguing that the court should deny Golinski's motion for summary judgment in her favor.

The administration [has] characterized gays and lesbians as minorities with limited political power. It had previously said it would not defend the marriage act.

The House's Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group has stepped in to defend it.

By NOM Staff | Posted in DOMA, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (6)

CA Schools Scrambling to Implement SB48, As Parents and Teachers Seek to Opt Out

October 18, 2011 – 9:00 am

The Los Angeles Times:

...teachers and administrators are flummoxed about how to carry out a new law requiring California public schools to teach all students — from kindergartners to 12th graders — about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans in history classes.

"At this point, I wouldn't even know where to begin," Principal Don Wilson said.

... The law has sparked confusion about what, exactly, is supposed to be taught. Will fourth-graders learn that some of the Gold Rush miners were gay and helped build San Francisco? Will students be taught about the "two-spirited people" tradition among some Native Americans, as one gay historian mused?

School districts will have little help in navigating this sensitive and controversial change, which has already prompted some parents to pull their children out of public schools.

... Calvary Chapel Corona — an evangelical Christian church of 1,200 congregants in western Riverside County — is an active opponent [of SB58]. At least seven families pulled their children from public schools in protest.

"This law teaches children that it's OK to be gay, and that's not my Christian values," said Bryan Breuer, who withdrew his children from public schools. "I don't understand trying to force this on my children."

Grace R. Callaway, a public school teacher near Yuba City, said she will refuse to teach LGBT issues to her fifth- and sixth-graders because she believes homosexuality is a "destructive lifestyle."

... How administrators plan to handle "conscientious objectors" like Callaway is unclear.

By NOM Staff | Posted in California, Children, Education, Parenting | Comments (23)

New Colorado Group Forms to Counter Tim Gill Political Machine

October 18, 2011 – 8:30 am

The Denver Post:

A new conservative political group formed to highlight economic issues has unveiled its first endeavor — automated calls ripping an education tax measure on the Nov. 1 ballot.

Compass Colorado was formed to blunt liberal group ProgressNow and similar efforts in the state, said Compass president Tyler Houlton.

"The days of conservatives putting up a haphazard front against the liberals' well-oiled Colorado machine are officially over," he said.

After an initial blitz against Proposition 103, the group expects to be very involved in state and federal economic issues, Houlton said.
Compass Colorado is the latest conservative group formed to counter the liberal movement that includes ProgressNow Colorado and wealthy donors such as Pat Stryker and Tim Gill.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Colorado, Politics | Comments (1)
Home NOM Blog Donate Advocacy Center
Copyright 2011