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Monthly Archives: February 2012

ALL HANDS ON DECK!! Time to Stop Gay Marriage in Washington!

February 2, 2012 – 1:32 pm

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Dear Marriage Supporter,

Last night, the Washington Senate voted 28-21 to pass the same-sex marriage bill, with 4 Republicans voting for the bill and 3 Democrats voting against. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives, where a vote is expected as soon as next week.

The media is reporting that the bill will pass easily in the House—but we've heard that line before.

We've seen it happen time and time again: gay marriage activists believe that victory is in their grasp, and then a last minute surge of you and our pro-marriage heroes pull off a last-minute victory to protect marriage.

We need you to be part of that surge today.

Please, stop what you are doing and immediately contact your representatives in Olympia and tell them to vote NO on same-sex marriage:

Use this link to take action now!

Please use the links in this message to take action, then forward this message to five friends and family today.

The Editors of the Washington Olympian recently made an excellent point:

"Our fear at this point is that the contentious marriage debate will distract lawmakers who have only 60-days to balance a state operating budget that's $1.5 billion out of alignment. That must be the top priority."

We couldn't agree more that legislators in Olympia have their priorities backward. We need you to help us demand they stop attacking marriage and focus on getting their fiscal house in order instead:

Use this link to take action now!

Whatever you can do, please do it and ask others to join you.

Click here to look up phone numbers for your state representatives.
Click here to send your representatives an email today.
Forward this email to as many friends as you can—we must create a grassroots groundswell to stop this from happening.
Consider other creative ways to support marriage, including writing to your local paper.

Please know that you are not alone. There is a huge amount of activity happening across various grassroots organizations to ensure that marriage is protected in Washington no matter what.

And we know these efforts have the absolute best chance of succeeding when all of us step up and tell politicians in Olympia: "Don't Mess with Marriage!" and let them know we're not going anywhere. We will always fight to protect marriage.

And if the politicians won't listen, NOM will work side-by-side with a coalition of state pro-family organizations in Washington to collect the roughly 120,000 signatures needed to put the bill up for statewide referendum, ensuring that every Washingtonian gets to vote on marriage this November.

This time, the politicians won't have the final say—if they don't listen to the people now, they'll have to listen in November.

In the time you've read this email you could have already contacted your legislator. Please do it right now!

Use this link to take action now!

Thank you so very much! We will continue to keep you up to date on the latest news and developments.

SPLCenter Comes Out for Gay Marriage, Asks Courts to Overturn DOMA

February 2, 2012 – 1:00 pm

From their website:

The Southern Poverty Law Center filed a lawsuit on behalf of Cooper-Harris and her partner, charging that the Department of Veterans Affairs discriminated against them by denying these benefits but granting them to spouses in heterosexual marriages. It also charges the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional because it bans federal agencies from recognizing such same-sex marriages, denying these couples benefits available to couples in heterosexual marriages.

By NOM Staff | Posted in DOMA, Marriage, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (20)

Video: Maryland Rallies for Marriage At the Statehouse!

February 2, 2012 – 12:00 pm

TFP filmed this video of a massive gathering of pro-marriage supporters in Annapolis earlier this week.

One pastor says: "Never in human history has marriage been defined as two men. Never in human history has marriage been defined as two women. Who has the right to redefine it? [Crowd shouts: "No One!"] This is reckless social experimentation. Marriage is the fundamental cell of society. If you mess with marriage, you threaten the very future of humanity. We ask our government to do their job. Fix the problems we already have. Don't make new ones! Do your job!"

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

Washington Senate Approves SSM Bill 28-21

February 2, 2012 – 11:30 am

The Associated Press:

The Washington state Senate passed a bill Wednesday night that would legalize same-sex marriage, setting the stage for the state to become the seventh to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed.

The measure now heads to the House, which is expected to approve it and could take action on it as early as next week. Gov. Chris Gregoire supports the measure and has said she will sign it into law, though opponents have promised to challenge it at the ballot with a referendum.

The packed public galleries burst into applause as the Senate passed the measure on a 28-21 vote after nearly an hour and a half of debate. Four Republicans crossed party lines and voted with majority Democrats for the measure. Three Democrats voted against it.

... Nearly a dozen amendments were introduced, including several that passed that strengthen legal protections for religious groups and organizations. A handful were rejected, including one that would exempt photographers, cake decorators and other business owners who object to gay marriage from the law, and another that called for a referendum clause to be added to the bill.

Sen. Dan Swecker, R-Rochester, argued that the proposed law alters the definition of marriage and "will lead to the silencing of those who believe in traditional marriage."

"It's ironic how a bill which purports to be about ending discrimination leaves the door open so far for discrimination going in the other direction," he said. "I'm extremely concerned that without additional protections, this legislation will create a hostile environment for those of us who believe in traditional marriage."

Even though the referendum clause amendment was rejected, opponents have already promised to file a challenge to the legislation. But that can't be done until after it is passed by the full Legislature and signed into law by Gregoire. Opponents then must turn in 120,577 signatures by June 6.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Same Sex Marriage, Washington | Comments (18)

Chaplains on Trial? Tell Congress to Protect the Liberty of our Servicemen and Women!

February 1, 2012 – 4:54 pm

Tell Congress to Protect the Liberty of our Servicemen and Women!

Dear Marriage Supporter,

Did you see this day coming?

Who would have thought we needed a federal statute to protect military chaplains—and other servicemen and women—who believe that marriage is between one man and one woman?

But just months after the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, there is a full-on battle for marriage raging within our nation's armed forces.

Urge your congressman to co-sponsor the Military Religious Freedom Protection Act today!

Last April, the Navy issued new "sensitivity training" guidelines that required Navy chaplains to perform same-sex marriages. Thanks to leadership from Congressmen Tim Huelskamp and Todd Akin, the Navy backed down and rescinded the guidelines.

In September, the Department of Defense issued two more memos, requiring all military facilities to be available for same-sex weddings and allowing chaplains to participate in same-sex ceremonies.

Recognizing this growing threat to the religious liberty of our armed forces, Rep. Tim Huelskamp of Kansas last week introduced the Military Religious Freedom Protection Act (H.R. 3828). The bill does three things:

Protects military chaplains from being forced to participate in any ceremony or function that is against their conscience or religious beliefs.
Protects our men and women in uniform from being discriminated against because of religious beliefs opposed to same-sex marriage or homosexuality.
Prohibits the use of military facilities for same-sex marriage ceremonies.

But President Obama is refusing to do his job as President—picking and choosing which laws are worth enforcing. He refuses to defend DOMA in court and is actively undermining it at every turn. And same-sex marriage activists have been working to leverage the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell to harass and intimidate chaplains and other service members who are standing up for marriage.

Tell your Congressman we need to protect the religious liberty of our armed forces—just like they put their lives on the line to protect ours. Tell your Congressman to co-sponsor the Military Religious Freedom Protection Act (H.R.3828) today.

Click here to send your message now!

Thank you.

By Brian Brown | Posted in Same Sex Marriage | Comments (55)

Maggie's Latest Column: The High Cost of Being a Tiger Mom

February 1, 2012 – 4:30 pm

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

American women are both incredibly dogmatic and anxious about our mothering.

When Amy Chua described her intense efforts to push her two daughters into high achievement in school, in music and, hence, in life, she caused an uproar among many Americans who consider her methods bordering on child abuse. (What? No playdates!?)

Two new studies do point out that there are costs to tiger mothering.

A study by professor Desiree Qin and colleagues was published this month in the Journal of Adolescence and is titled, "Parent-Child Relations and Psychological Adjustment Among High-Achieving Chinese- and European-American Adolescents."

Qin looked at survey data on 295 Chinese-American and 192 European-American ninth-graders at Stuyvesant High School, a well-regarded public magnet school in Manhattan.

Chinese-American teens reported lower levels of psychological well-being, less family cohesion and more conflict with their parents, on average.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Children, Education, Marriage, Parenting | Comments (7)

NY Conservative Party: No Support for Senators Who Flipped on Marriage

February 1, 2012 – 4:00 pm

In an interview with Capital Tonight NY:

Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long says denying legislative candidates endorsements because of their vote for same-sex marriage hasn’t changed.

“Anybody who votes to destroy traditional marriage would not receive our endorsement. That is in cement and there is no change,” he said.

... “My hope there is that the Erie County executive committee does what is correct in dealing with [Sen. Mark] Grisanti and that’s denying him the endorsement,” he said.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, New York, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (22)

Ken Mehlman's Libertarian Case for Gay Marriage

February 1, 2012 – 10:00 am

Ken Mehlman, former chairman of the GOP, is trying to sway independent-minded Republicans in New Hampshire to support gay marriage:

I will be in New Hampshire this week — to urge legislative members of my party to reject House Bill 437. It’s time to stand up for individual freedom and liberty, to live by the Golden Rule and to oppose any effort to diminish or strip away individual rights, and to return to the real business of building business, keeping taxes down and growing our economy. “Live Free or Die” should be more than just a slogan. -- The Union-Leader

NOM co-founder Maggie Gallagher has just published a research brief on this very topic: "Why Libertarians Should Oppose Same-Sex Marriage".

Ruth Institute President Jennifer Roback Morse has also published on the subject: "The Libertarian Case for Man Woman Marriage".

By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, New Hampshire, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (40)