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Monthly Archives: January 2012

News Coverage: NOM's $250K Washington State Commitment

January 23, 2012 – 3:00 pm

The Associated Press:

Earlier this week, the National Organization for Marriage announced that it would spend $250,000 to help fund primary challenges to any Republican who crosses party lines to vote for same-sex marriage in Washington state.

The News Tribune:

With same-sex marriage legislation only one vote short of approval in the state Senate, pressure is building on five uncommitted senators who will likely decide the issue.

A coalition of religious conservatives is lobbying lawmakers in Olympia to oppose same-sex marriage, while the National Organization for Marriage announced last week that it would spend $250,000 in the state to help defeat any Republican who supports the bill.
... The uncommitted lawmakers are being inundated with calls, emails and lobbyist visits. The first hearings on the legislation, scheduled for Monday in the House and Senate, could heat matters up even more.

... Big crowds are expected for the hearings Monday.

Stand for Marriage Washington, a loosely organized coalition of conservative lawmakers, well-known evangelical pastors, the Tri-City Tea Party and the Constitution Party of Washington, predicts as many as 10,000 people will flood the Capitol for a noontime rally in opposition to same-sex marriage.

“We have to create among these legislators a belief that they will lose their jobs if they vote to redefine this law,” said Joseph Backholm, of Washington Family Policy Institute, a member of the coalition. “We have to convince them to be more afraid of us than of the other side.”

By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Same Sex Marriage, Washington | Comments (15)

Couple Boasts About Hiding Gender of Son for Five Years

January 23, 2012 – 2:30 pm

From Yahoo!'s lifestyle blog:

It's a boy! And he's five. Beck Laxton, 46, and partner Kieran Cooper, 44, have spent half the decade concealing the genderof their son, Sasha.

"I wanted to avoid all that stereotyping,"Laxton said in aninterview with the Cambridge News. "Stereotypes seem fundamentally stupid. Why would you want to slot people into boxes?"

... the sandbox is just a precursor to the classroom. When Sasha turned five and headed to school, Laxton was forced to make her son's sex public. That meant Sasha would have to get used to being a boy in the eyes of his peers. Still, his mom is intervening. While the school requires different uniforms for boys and girls, Sasha wears a girl's blouse with his pants.

"I don't think I'd do it if I thought it was going to make him unhappy, but at the moment he's not really bothered either way. We haven't had any difficult scenarios yet."

.. As for Laxton, she says she's open to her son pursing any career or sexual preference he chooses as he matures. "As long as he has good relationships and good friends," she says, "then nothing else matters, does it?"

By NOM Staff | Posted in Children, Culture, Parenting | Comments (43)

News Coverage: NOM's $250K New Hampshire Commitment

January 23, 2012 – 2:00 pm

The Associated Press:

The National Organization for Marriage has pledged to spend $250,000 to help elect New Hampshire lawmakers who support repealing the state’s gay marriage law.

The organization said Friday it will work to hold accountable lawmakers who oppose the repeal.

The Union-Leader:

After playing a big role in the 2010 elections, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) said Friday it intends to spend $250,000 in New Hampshire legislative races to help legislators who support repeal of the state's same-sex marriage law.

The bill (House Bill 437) is expected to be up for a vote in February.

NOM president Brian Brown said that “61 percent of New Hampshire GOP primary voters support a legislative definition of marriage as the union between a man and a woman alongside of a provision for civil unions. We intend to hold every legislator accountable for his or her vote on marriage. Those who support HB 437 will be rewarded, while those who don't will suffer the consequences in the next election.”

... NOM says it helped mount successful legislative election efforts on the same-sex marriage issue in Minnesota, Maine, California, New York and New Hampshire.

The group contends it is “particularly effective at ending the careers of Republican officials who abandon marriage. For example, the group aired ads critical of Republican candidate Bill Binnie's position on same-sex marriage that resulted in his defeat in the GOP US Senate primary campaign in 2010.”

By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, New Hampshire, Same Sex Marriage | Comments Off on News Coverage: NOM's $250K New Hampshire Commitment

The National Organization for Marriage Pledges Referendum Campaign if Legislature Tries to Redefine Marriage

January 23, 2012 – 12:00 pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 23, 2012

CONTACT: Elizabeth Ray or Anath Hartmann at (703-683-5004)

"Washington voters deserve the right to vote on marriage just as voters in 31 other states have been able to do." —Brian Brown, NOM's President—

Olympia, WA — The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today pledged to work with allies in Washington State to mount a referendum campaign to ensure that voters have the final say on the definition of marriage in Washington. Legislation, House Bill 2516 and Senate Bill 6239, has been introduced to abandon Washington's historic definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman, thus imposing same-sex marriage on the state.

"NOM will not stand by and let activist politicians redefine marriage, the bedrock of civilization, without voters having a say," said Brian Brown, NOM's president. "Just as we mounted a People's Veto in Maine and were responsible for qualifying Proposition 8 to the ballot in California, we will make sure that voters in Washington have the ability to decide the definition of marriage for themselves."

NOM was the largest contributor to the Proposition 8 ballot qualification and led the Question 1 People's Veto campaign in Maine. Both measures passed, overturning gay marriage and preserving marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

"Thirty one states have voted on the definition of marriage and everyone voted to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman," Brown said. "Not only will we mount a successful referendum campaign, we will hold every Washington legislator accountable for his or her vote. We'll challenge Republicans in primaries, and we will take on Democrats in the General Election and make sure that their constituents know they tried to abandon the most important social institution ever devised without voters being given a say in the matter."

To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage, please contact Elizabeth Ray, [email protected], (x130) or Anath Hartmann, [email protected], (x105) at 703-683-5004.

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By NOM Staff | Posted in Press Releases, Same Sex Marriage, Washington | Comments (9)

Sen. Diaz: "Very Good Chance" Democrats Will Lose Ex-Sen. Kruger Seat

January 23, 2012 – 10:00 am

In a letter to his fellow Democrat Senators in New York:

“I am not a political analyst, I am not a political consultant, neither am I a political strategist, but looking at our recent situation as Democrats in the New York State Senate, I cannot refrain from putting in my two cents.”

“Can our leadership re-claim the Majority in the next year’s election? From what I see, this is not impossible, but it will be very difficult due to the fact that Senator Oppenheimer is resigning and I am very concerned that her seat might be won by a Republicans and the Democrats could lose that seat. Also, with Senator Carl Kruger’s resignation, that open seat might also be in jeopardy – there is a very good chance that a Republican may win that seat also.”

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

Maggie Gallagher on "The Growing Science of Sex Difference"

January 23, 2012 – 8:00 am

NOM co-founder Maggie Gallagher's syndicated column in Human Events:

The headline at the online magazine Miller-McCune.com just about says it all: "Sex on the Brain Proves Costly for Men."

In an intriguing set of empirical studies just published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, a team of social scientists led by professor Sanne Nauts shows that the mere prospect of speaking with an unknown woman reduces men's (but not women's) performance on cognitive tasks.

In the first study, 71 college students at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands were asked to complete a "lip-reading task" while supposedly being observed on a webcam by an unseen researcher who would instant message them. When the alleged researcher messaging them was named "Lisa," the men performed worse than when the purported observer messaging them had a male name.

In a second study -- this one involving 90 students -- the researchers decided to create even more distance between actual interaction with a woman to see if merely imagining that they were about to interact with a woman could affect men's cognitive performance.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture, Research/Study | Comments (4)

I Respond to WA State Rep. Pedersen's Anti-Christian Jab to a Constituent

January 22, 2012 – 11:00 am

Over at my personal blog I take State Rep. Jamie Pedersen of Washington to task for sending this message to a Christian constituent of his who asked him to stop his attacks on marriage:

"I believe that our state has a strong interest in not discriminating against — and harming — the families of same-sex couples based on the religious views of a small and dwindling minority."

I respond to Pedersen's jab:

First, it takes some gumption to tell a constituent that they are for “harming families.”

Second, “the religious views of a small and dwindling minority.” Hold the phone. A majority of people polled by Gallup in Washington State said religion “was an important part of their daily life.” Gay marriage has never been approved by a majority of citizens, and if gay marriage is voted on by the people of Washington state, it will fail there too. The attempt to call believing Christians a “small and dwindling minority” is offensive, and speaks more of his bigotry against people of faith than anything else.

Third, Pedersen’s promises about religious liberty are a red herring. There is no mention, for instance, of any protections provided for individual religious liberty, and there are numerous and increasing examples of individual religious liberty being curtailed wherever marriage is redefined. What, for instance, will happen to religious adoption agencies? The same thing as what just happened in Illinois because of their civil unions legislation? Not hard to imagine. But of course, Pedersen would be happy to see Catholic and faith-based organizations pushed out of the public square. They are, after all, in his mind, “harming” people.

By Thomas Peters | Posted in Civility, Same Sex Marriage, Washington | Comments (25)

Culture Wars Go International: Pushback on Obama's Use of U.S. Power on Social Issues

January 22, 2012 – 10:00 am

Wendy Wright for C-FAM:

The citizens of several countries are pushing back against President Obama’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender foreign policy imperative. Leaders in El Salvador launched a website on “Obama’s Corrupting Foreign Policy” and are asking the U.S. Senate to reject Obama's nominee for ambassador to their country.

President Obama announced in December that the promotion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) behavior is a top foreign policy priority, even for the U.S. military overseas. At the same time, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a high-profile speech at the UN equating LGBT status with religion. The State Department told oambassadors worldwide to recognize “gay pride month," and it released alist of “accomplishments” including the fact that a U.S. ambassador had published an OpEd promoting the LGBT agenda on behalf of the United States .

... In Pakistan, the US embassy hosted an LGBT “pride celebration” in June which provoked protests in several cities. A leader of one of the rallies said, “America has unleashed a storm of immoral values" and "we’ll resist at all costs.” The U.S. ambassador to Serbia promoted a homosexual rights march in that country last October which led to riots with an explicitly anti-Western tone.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture, Politics, Religious Liberty, Same Sex Marriage, South America | Comments (23)

Black Pastors Join Pro-Family Groups to Condemn Southern Poverty Law Center for Bigotry

January 22, 2012 – 9:00 am

LifeSiteNews:

A coalition that includes black pastors and pro-family organizations held a protest outside the headquarters of the Southern Poverty Law Center yesterday to protest the organization’s ongoing “slander” against pro-family organizations.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which has traditionally sought to counteract racist organizations in the south, has recently begun to categorize pro-family groups as “hate groups” for opposing the homosexual political agenda and condemning homosexual behavior as immoral.

Groups condemned as “hateful” by the SPLC include The Illinois Family Institute, Mass Resistance, Abiding Truth Ministries, and Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, all of which appeared at the protest or made supporting statements. The Family Research Council has also been condemned by the SPLC.

Among the African-American pastors protesting at SPLC headquarters were Pastor Glen Sawyer, of the Mt. Zion Church of God in Christ (Camden, North Carolina), Pastor Wil Nichols, Victorious Praise Fellowship (Durham, North Carolina), Pastor Jon Robinson, Kingdom C.O.M.E. Ministries (Clairton, Pennsylvania), and Pastor Kenneth Jefferson of Greater Harvest.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Same Sex Marriage | Comments (12)

Press Release: NOM Congratulates Newt Gingrich on South Carolina Win

January 21, 2012 – 8:21 pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 21, 2012
Contact: Anath Hartmann or Elizabeth Ray at 703-683-5004

NOM Logo

Former Speaker of the House has signed NOM's Marriage Pledge

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Brian Brown, the president of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today congratulated GOP presidential contender Newt Gingrich on his victory in the South Carolina primary.

"NOM congratulates Newt Gingrich on his impressive come-from-behind victory in South Carolina." said Brown. "We have had three different victors in state contests thus far — Rick Santorum in Iowa, Mitt Romney in New Hampshire and now Newt Gingrich in South Carolina. What all these states have in common is that they have picked candidates who have signed NOM's Marriage Pledge. They are all winners and NOM supports each of them."

Gingrich, Santorum and Romney have each signed NOM's Marriage Pledge, which commits signatories, if elected, to taking specific steps toward preserving the institution of marriage as the union between one man and one woman. Rep. Ron Paul is the only remaining Republican presidential candidate not to have signed the pledge, and he is not considered to have any realistic chance of becoming the Republican nominee.

"It is now clear that the Republican Party will nominate a candidate who is strongly committed to preserving marriage as the union of one man and one woman," Brown said. "We have succeeded in making the preservation of marriage a key issue in this race, and we will continue to do so throughout the primary season, and into the general election against President Obama."

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To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage, please contact Elizabeth Ray (x130) or Anath Hartmann at 703-683-5004.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Press Releases, South Carolina | Comments (36)

Annoyance as Gay Marriage Activists Attempt to Hijack Australian Open

January 21, 2012 – 1:00 pm

Almost 75% of almost 3,000 online respondents said gay marriage activists ought not to be protesting the Australian Open over tennis champion Margaret's Court views on marriage, according to the Herald Sun:

Gay rights activists plan to storm the Australian Open in protest at anti-gay comments by Australian tennis champion Margaret Court.

Activists plan to inundate Margaret Court Arena and raise hundreds of rainbow flags. Thousands of supporters have already backed the protest.

Protest co-ordinator Doug Pollard urged people to wear rainbow colours to the event each day.

... Australian Sex Party president Fiona Patten said the Australian Open was a great platform to promote tolerance.

"Hopefully this sends the message that the majority of the community believe everybody should be treated equally," she said.

But the Australian Christian Lobby urged a rethink.

"Margaret Court has never sought to use either her status or this event to politicise her views, or even publicise them, instead the gay activists have, and with unbelievable vitriol," managing director Jim Wallace said.

Court, who made comments last month opposing gay marriage, will head to the open next week and said she had no reservations about attending despite the uproar.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Australia, Civility, Marriage, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (16)

MARRIAGE ALERT: Tell your legislators to vote YES on HB437 to Repeal Same-Sex Marriage

January 21, 2012 – 12:26 pm

Header

Now is our moment!

For more than two years, we've been working and waiting for an opportunity to repeal same-sex marriage in New Hampshire. News reports now indicate that the vote will take place in February.

Thanks to your efforts, and those of many others, a majority in both houses now supports marriage and is expected to vote YES on House Bill 437 to repeal same-sex marriage.

Governor Lynch

Unfortunately, Governor Lynch—once a defender of marriage—has now become an unbending advocate of same-sex marriage and is expected to veto the repeal bill.

Now is the time that we need to be talking to legislators, letting them know how strongly their constituents feel about marriage.

Take Action Now

Click here to look up phone numbers for your state senator and representatives.
(NOTE: Please use the district office phone number wherever one is listed, as members do not maintain individual offices in the Capitol.)

A personal phone call from a constituent is one of the most powerful and effective means of contacting elected officials, especially state house members who answer their own phones. Please take a moment to make a few phone calls today. Tell them it's time to follow through with the mandate voters gave them in 2010 and repeal same-sex marriage.

You can also contact your state senator and representatives by email using NOM's online advocacy system. In 5 minutes or less, you can send a personalized message to your elected officials. Click here to send your email now.

Take Action Now

HB437 is a compromise bill—but it's a compromise that respects and restores the definition of marriage, while also allowing existing same-sex marriages to remain intact and providing benefits through civil unions.

Every vote counts, so please contact your legislators right away. I'll be sure to keep you up to date as things continue to develop.

By Brian Brown | Posted in New Hampshire, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (2)

EMERGENCY ALERT! Marriage Hearing in Trenton on Tuesday!

January 21, 2012 – 11:30 am

Email Header Image

Dear Marriage Supporter,

It's time to stand up and be counted!

Please, if there is any way you can arrange your schedule, come to Trenton on Tuesday morning for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the same-sex marriage bill.

The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday morning at 11am, but please come early as large crowds are expected.

Senate President Steve Sweeney is working to fast-track a vote on the same-sex marriage bill, and this public hearing is the first step in that plan.

Please come early and bring 3 friends with you. Same-sex marriage activists are calling for a "massive crowd" to fill the committee room and to testify in support of the bill. You don't have to testify—just be there to show your support for marriage.

Let your legislators know that you care about marriage—enough to take time out of your week to come to Trenton.

New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee
Tuesday, January 24, 2012 @ 11am
Committee Room 4
125 West State Street
Trenton, NJ 08625
(click here for directions)

Meanwhile, whether you can attend the hearing or not, it's critical that we ramp up the pressure on your state senators and representatives with phone calls and emails!

Take Action Now

Use this link to take action now!

Gay marriage advocates are pulling out all the stops. The only way to stop them is for you—and all your friends and family—to let your legislators know exactly where you stand on marriage.

Please, take five minutes to contact your legislators right now. Then forward this email to five friends, post it on Facebook, or print a copy and take it with you to church.

Together we can stop this effort, but it's going to take all of us.

By Brian Brown | Posted in Marriage Election Watch, New Jersey, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (3)

Billie Jean King: "I'm For SSM, But Not Against Margaret Court"

January 21, 2012 – 11:00 am

Billie Jean King, who dines with Margaret Court every year at Wimbledon, unsurprisingly comes out for gay marriage but perhaps more surprisingly says she respects and remains friends with Margaret Court.

King also asks this question:

"But I would like for people to think about this in reverse? If we controlled the world and the straight people didn't have the rights, how would they feel?" King said. "How would they think? I don't think they'll come up with a good answer. What if overnight you're straight, and you're in the position we are. I always try to do that with every issue, but it's a no brainer if you reverse it what the right answer is." --The Desert Sun

A new way to look at things? What would you say to her argument? If the situation were reversed and 98 percent of the world were gay, would opposite-sex marriage be obvious? (Or would marriage and the human race not exist??)

By NOM Staff | Posted in Australia, Civility, Culture, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (14)

UK Think Tank: Cost of Equality Act "Far Outweigh" Any Benefits

January 21, 2012 – 9:00 am

The UK Christian Institute takes on the same faulty economic arguments used here to redefine marriage being used as an excuse to curtail religious rights in the UK:

Supposed financial benefits of the Equality Act will be far outweighed by costs, a report published by a think-tank has said.

Statistician Nigel Williams asserts that instead of bringing in savings of £65 million a year, the Equality Act will actually cost £10m a year.

Mr Williams analysed the previous Government’s impact assessment of the Equality Act for his report, which was published by think-tank Civitas.

He commented that with “a little scrutiny”, the “balance of benefits over costs vanishes very rapidly”.

Mr Williams’ report cautioned that the benefits assumed by the impact assessment “requires that no employers be put off recruiting by the weight of regulations”.

And he warned that even the ideological benefits were “debatable at best”.

He said the costs of the Equality Act “far outweigh the benefits, which are largely imaginary” and remarked: “The financial benefits simply do not exist.”

By NOM Staff | Posted in Economics, Law, United Kingdom | Comments (9)
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