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Monthly Archives: March 2013

LSN: March for Marriage Planned in D.C. as Supreme Court Hears SSM Case

March 5, 2013 – 12:00 pm

On March 26, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Hollingsworth v. Perry case, which will determine if Proposition 8 – the 2008 ballot initiative protecting traditional marriage in California – is constitutional or not.

Their decision will have grave implications for the entire nation. A decision against Prop 8 would set a precedent for overturning the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and any other state restrictions on same-sex ‘marriage.’ A separate case concerning DOMA is set to be heard the following day.

As the justices begin their deliberations on what has become a defining issue of our time, supporters of traditional marriage are planning to march on the Court. The “March for Marriage,” which will take place on Tuesday March 26, is being organized by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM).

Thomas Peters, spokesman for NOM, says the March will start at the National Mall, then proceed to the Supreme Court building and back.

“The purpose [of the march] is to show that the American people are strongly supportive of the only institution that ties mothers and fathers to their children and vice versa,” said Peters. “[W]e've got a large coalition of African-American pastors, of pro-family organizations [and] various other church groups.”

One of those organizations is Human Life International (HLI), a Catholic group that fights for traditional marriage and pro-life, pro-family causes worldwide.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Events, March for Marriage, Marriage, Same Sex Marriage, Supreme Court | Comments Off

Brian Brown: Laura Bush and The Lie of Inevitability

March 5, 2013 – 11:00 am

Our President, Brian Brown, has an op-ed in the Christian Post explaining what is really behind the new effort to confuse Americans into thinking the GOP has given up the fight to protect marriage:

"...the hotshot legal team of Ted Olson and David Boies (who just inked a contract for an exclusive book deal for an undisclosed sum of money) have brought the issue of gay marriage to the Supreme Court against the counsel and consensus of other gay marriage advocates who (rightfully) believe the Supreme Court will not go along with their absurd claim that there is a constitutional right to redefine marriage.

The truth is marriage is a winning issue for Republicans, so long as they ignore the lie of inevitability shouted by gay marriage advocates and echoed by the media. Republicans must fight for the goodness of marriage and the decency of Americans who have voted (and will yet vote) to protect it.

There are new things afoot in the movement to protect marriage. On March 26, the day the Supreme Court hears arguments in the Proposition 8 case, the National Organization for Marriage is organizing a March for Marriage in Washington D.C., alongside a coalition of over twenty pro-family, African-American, Latino and other groups.
Across the country, new coalitions and new friendships are being formed among those who are more determined than ever to protect the greatest gift we can give society and the next generation: the loving marriage of one man and one woman."

By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Politics, Same Sex Marriage, Supreme Court | Comments (2)

NOM Chairman Eastman: "The Constitution Does Not Make Traditional Marriage Unconstitutional"

March 5, 2013 – 10:00 am

NOM Chairman John Eastman takes part in a Debate Club on Proposition 8, hosted by U.S. News & World Report:

"...the Supreme Court's recognition of marriage as a fundamental right has always been grounded on what makes marriage a unique relationship. In Loving v. Virginia (1967), the Court defined marriage as a "fundamental" right because it is one of the "'basic civil rights of man,' fundamental to our very existence and survival," a point which is only true because the institution is rooted in the biological complementarity of the sexes, the formal recognition of the unique union through which children are produced. Societies across the globe and throughout history have recognized that marriage is our best way to promote the ideal of children being raised by the two people responsible for creating them—their mother and father. The ban on interracial marriage that was at issue in that case was struck down because race had nothing to do with that fundamental purpose. The same cannot be said for gender.

That basic biological point should also defeat the Equal Protection challenge. Equal Protection requires that individuals who are similarly situated must be treated similarly. It should be obvious, but as long as procreation is an important part of why society lends its weight to the institution of marriage, same sex and opposite sex relationships are simply not similarly situated with respect to that important aspect of marriage. Laws that foster the one relationship because of its unique ability to further the public good serve legitimate, even compelling governmental interests, and should be upheld."

Please click over to the article and VOTE UP Prof. Eastman's constitutional defense of laws protecting marrigae!

By NOM Staff | Posted in Law, Marriage, Prop 8, Same Sex Marriage, Supreme Court | Comments (15)

RI Power Player: NOM's Christopher Plante

March 5, 2013 – 9:00 am

GoLocalProv interviewed NOM regional director Chris Plante as part of their "power player" series -- read it for yourself!

Take us through a day in your life.

Usually breakfast with my wife and kids; In the office by 8:00 a.m.; Review and Respond to overnight emails; Review GoLocalProv, the Providence Journal , and Local Blogs -- of course!; Review and update social media platforms; Usually a national level conference call to discuss the status of marriage in other states -- our efforts are part of the national coalition effort to protect marriage; Meetings with various grassroots leaders; Depending on the day, media communications; Preparing for a variety of public speaking events; home hopefully in time for dinner with my family!

Tell us something nobody knows about you.

I am a Jane Austen Fan and my favorite film is Pride and Prejudice, the BBC production from 1996 (the long 6 hour version!)

More tidbits (and substantial items) here.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Rhode Island, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (1)

Get Ready for the Marriage March: Here's How!

March 5, 2013 – 8:45 am

National Organization for Marriage

Dear Marriage Supporter,

With the month of March now upon us, preparations for the historic March for Marriage are kicking into high gear. [If you haven't signed up for updates about the March, be sure to do so today!]

This is an opportunity we simply can't miss, a chance to show like never before that the American people stand for marriage — stand for the rights of children to experience the love of both a mother and a father — stand for the rights of voters not to have marriage redefined against their will by out of control legislatures and activist judges.

But to make the most of this unique and critical moment in the history of marriage, we need your help right away!

Here's what you can do today to help make the March a historic success:

Organize a group to the March by planning a bus to Washington, D.C....
- Create a Facebook "event" page that you and your local friends can share and invite people to join — this is a great way to begin getting people committed to joining a bus!
- See if a local church or pro-family organization can help defray the cost of the trip, and contact the March for Marriage bus coordination team for help planning by sending an email to [email protected].
Mobilize and engage your local community in support of the Marriage March...
- Post the Marriage March flier — available in English and Spanish — on a local community bulletin board and pass it out to your family and friends or at your place of worship.
- Download more great resources from www.MarriageMarch.org and send your friends to the page to find out more about the March and how they can participate.
Socialize our positive pro-family message by spreading this exciting news...
- Post this message to Facebook, share it on Twitter, or forward it via email to your contacts.
- Read the March for Marriage talking points so you know how to share this message in a positive and upbeat way in conversation with friends and co-workers.

The march is only a few short weeks away. Stay tuned for continuing updates at www.MarriageMarch.org. Together, we can make March 26 a historic day for marriage, showing the world — and our government leaders nationwide —that the American people believe children deserve both a mom and a dad.

Your help is crucial to the success of this important endeavor. This is our time to March for Marriage, to stand up for the rights of future generations to share in this beautiful and time-honored institution and not to have foisted on them a radically reshaped version of it. We need to stand up now — the stakes are just too high to sit on the sidelines.

With all of us doing our part, we will prevail — for marriage, for family, for God and country. Thank you for your faithful support!

By Brian Brown | Posted in Alerts, March for Marriage | Comments Off

We Need To Keep It Up And Level The Playing Field!

March 4, 2013 – 3:30 pm

Dear Marriage Supporter,

We're off to an incredible start, raising almost $100,000 online so far!

But we've got a long way to go before we reach our $500,000 goal.

Click here right now to financially invest in the future by making a donation of $35, $50, $100 or even $500 to help us reach our goal of raising $500,000 to defend marriage wherever it is threatened.

If you haven't ever made a donation to NOM, please consider giving today... the impact of your donation will be DOUBLED by our generous matching donor, who will match your gift dollar-for-dollar!

This is a critical time for marriage as the Supreme Court will be considering two historic cases in just a few weeks.

I don't know if you heard, but the pro-gay marriage group "Freedom To Marry" recently pledged $2 million toward state efforts to impose gay marriage.

They are beginning with an initial investment of $800,000 toward states that have current efforts pushing same-sex marriage, including Delaware, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey and Rhode Island trying to perpetuate the false sense of "inevitability" they have pushed so hard to create right before the Supreme Court hears the Prop 8 and DOMA cases.

It would be disastrous if a well-funded push by the same-sex marriage activists got bills passed at exactly the time the most important legal case of our generation was under consideration by the Supreme Court!

You and I can stop them! We have before... and we can again!

So please make an immediate donation to support NOM's work to defend marriage wherever it is threatened all across the country.

Our upcoming March for Marriage in our nation's capitol on March 26th is just part of our larger efforts to ensure gay marriage advocates can no longer ignore the central, core issue: What Is Marriage?

We need to reframe the issue — for far too long we've been letting our opponents get away with shallow rhetoric reducing marriage to nothing more than issues of "equality" and "civil rights." Marriage is so much more than that! It is, for starters, the only institution we have that ties children to their biological mother and father!

We need to educate the public on the consequences of redefining marriage — same-sex marriage would disrupt virtually every sphere of American life, from business to religion to education and so much more.

We need to hold our elected officials accountable — even the AP was recently forced to admit that "GOP lawmakers who backed [same-sex marriage] faced consequences, including loss of their seats." The opportunities are there to broaden the base of public officials' support for marriage... and with your help, we can capitalize on them!

And we need to level the playing field in terms of funding — in last November's elections, we were outspent in four state ballot initiatives by over $20 million. We just can't spot the same-sex marriage lobby that kind of advantage and still expect to win, especially in deep blue states.

So will you step up right now and make an immediate donation of $35, $50, $100, or even $500 or more to save marriage and prevent a second Roe v. Wade moment for our great nation?

Remember, your contribution to defend marriage will be instantly matched, dollar-for-dollar, up to $500,000! NOM will receive an additional dollar for every dollar you contribute... and this goes for every donation made before March 26th!

Thank you so much for being such a stalwart defender of marriage and for standing with NOM as it gives voice to the millions of Americans just like you and me who believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman!

By Brian Brown | Posted in Same Sex Marriage | Comments (13)

Video: NOM's Peters on CNN: Supreme Court Must Respect Votes of 7 Million Californians to Protect Marriage

March 4, 2013 – 3:00 pm

NOM's Communications Director Thomas Peters engaged in a spirited debate on a wide range of issues surrounding marriage, corporate fairness, and the Supreme Court on CNN this weekend:

CNN has posted a transcript -- including this part about the so-called economic argument for redefining marriage:

[CNN HOST] KEILAR: But the point that I'm getting at is that when we talk about this as a business imperative, let's take a look at what this filing says. It says, recognizing the rights of same-sex couples to marry is more than a constitutional issue. It is a business imperative. So what do you think about that? Do you agree with that? Do you disagree with that? Is it about more than that? Is that not enough?

PETERS: I strongly disagree with it, because, first of all, the top 10 states for growth right now in this country, nine of them have marriage protection amendments. And so, you know, where this argument comes from is the left wing, UCLA Williams Institute, which has been peddling this argument for years, that gay marriage is an economic stimulus. The very states that are currently trying to [...] legalize gay marriage, like New York and California, are not exactly in an economic picture of well-being. So, look, strong states like Indiana are moving towards marriage protection amendments. North Carolina recently passed its marriage protection amendment by 61 percent. The fact of the matter is that protecting marriage protects children and it helps businesses.

KEILAR: But, Thomas, let me ask you this. Because you have businesses now that are saying, it's costing us money. They say and this obviously gets a little complicated, but they say, same-sex couples are required to pay a Federal income tax on health benefits provided to a spouse through an employer-sponsored health insurance plan. Some employers reimburse employees for the extra tax paid. That requires extra time and money. They say it's costing them money. Do you disagree with that?

PETERS: Well, let's look at -- you used the adjective complicated and you're right, it is complicated. But here's one complicating factor that I think is being ignored in this broader debate. You know, the president is arguing in the Supreme Court that gays and lesbians are politically powerless class. And now you've been telling me time and time again that all these corporations support redefining marriage.

So I would actually ask Brian [of the Human Rights Campaign], which is it? Are gays and lesbians actually a politically powerless class or do all these corporations, the vast majority of people support redefining marriage because you can't have it both ways -- I believe the majority of Americans believe in protecting marriage and I believe that gays and lesbians are an incredibly powerful political class that are trying to redefine marriage for all of us.

By NOM Staff | Posted in California, Culture, Economics, Law, Marriage, Prop 8, Same Sex Marriage, Supreme Court | Comments (12)

OneNewsNow: Supporters to March for Marriage

March 4, 2013 – 11:30 am

Charlie Butts of American Family News:

Supporters of traditional marriage will march in Washington, DC, on March 26 -- the same day the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in two major marriage cases: DOMA and Proposition 8.

Thomas Peters of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) reports that the Marriage March will go from the National Mall to the Supreme Court building and back, as justices hear arguments in California's Proposition 8 case on defining traditional marriage as the law of the state and a constitutional challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

"The purpose [of the march] is to show that the American people are strongly supportive of the only institution that ties mothers and fathers to their children and vice versa," Peters shares. "So, we've got a large coalition of African-American pastors, of pro-family organizations [and] various other church groups."

He says it is crucial that supporters of traditional marriage show up.

"We see a lot of efforts by the other side to make up this notion that the debate over marriage is over, that gay marriage is the future," the NOM spokesman observes. "Well, to show them that that's not the case, that marriage is always as it's always been understood is worth protecting -- showing up for the march is the perfect way to do that."

Learn more at our newly-released full website: www.MarriageMarch.org.

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

Finland Rejects Bill to Make Marriage Gender-Neutral

March 4, 2013 – 10:30 am

Even in some northern Europe countries, efforts to redefine marriage can't get out of committee:

The Finnish parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee on Wednesday voted narrowly to reject a bill to legalise equal marriage.

The bill, proposed by the National Coalition Party (NCP) minister Alexander Stubb proposed the bill, which would have made marriage gender-neutral, therefore allowing same-sex couples to marry.

It was rejected 9 votes to 8, and so it will not go before the full legislature for consideration.

The bill would have made regulations relating to marriage equal for all, irrespective of the gender of the partners. In Finland, gay and lesbian couples can currently register their partnerships, but do not automatically take each others’ surnames, or adopt children, reports YLE. (PinkNews)

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

Victory: GOP Move to Oust Pro-Gay Marriage Pat Brady!

March 2, 2013 – 9:42 am

Dear Marriage Supporter,

You spoke and the Republican party listened.

When Illinois GOP Chairman Pat Brady announced that he was abandoning the GOP platform and endorsing same-sex marriage, NOM and others immediately called for his resignation.

This week the news broke that seven Illinois GOP committee members have successfully called a special meeting on March 7 to oust Chairman Brady.

Please thank these seven men and women who have taken a stand for principle and values and encourage the remaining committee members to do the same!

Brady is already feeling the heat. Just a couple days ago he was forced to cancel a major fundraiser that was expected to bring in $250,000 and he has admitted that the controversy over his betrayal has hurt Illinois GOP operations.

Across the country, gay marriage advocates are falsely claiming that the Republican party supports gay marriage. Why are they doing so? Because they've learned they can only score victories when they divide us. They know that if they don't crack the GOP's united defense of marriage, gay marriage will never make it out of the deep blue states where it currently has a tenuous foothold.

Even in Illinois, a Democrat-run state, gay marriage only makes progress when Republicans abandon principle and go along with far-left policy.

That's why it's so important we send a message by ousting Chairman Pat Brady, because it will teach a lesson to every Republican who flirts with abandoning marriage: we, your voting constituents, will not stand for abandoning principle!

Pat Brady claimed that he chose to come out in support of gay marriage to attract young voters. But the latest polling shows only 37% of young Republicans say they support gay marriage, and how many more young conservatives probably support true marriage but are intimidated by their liberal college environment and peer pressure into hiding their pro-marriage views?

That's why we need politicians who will courageously stand for principle and stand up for what is right — not abandon principle at the first sign of trouble or confusion!

That's why I'm asking you to take this action today by supporting those calling for Brady's removal. We need to send a message to politicians and the next generation: we will remain vigilant in the fight to protect marriage!

By Brian Brown | Posted in Alerts, Illinois | Comments (11)

Check Out the New March For Marriage Website! NOM Marriage News

March 1, 2013 – 6:30 pm

NOM National Newsletter

Dear Marriage Supporter,

Before I get into this week's news, I want to share with your our brand new website for the upcoming March for Marriage, scheduled for March 26 in Washington, DC. Please check out the new site today, and share this link with your pro-marriage friends and families. On the site, you'll find information about how the attend the March, and also get to see some of the great speakers we've already got lined up for the rally!

Money Sometimes Doesn't Just Talk — It Lies

With the cash of GOP mega-millionaires like Ken Mehlman and Paul Singer, a carefully crafted campaign to get Republicans to abandon marriage has been nurtured and launched.

Last week HRC tried to enlist Laura Bush in its campaign to prove Republicans support for overturning the views and the votes of millions of California voters.

This week the New York Times is singing about a small group of "prominent" Republicans like Jon Huntsman who signed a brief asking the Supreme Court to override the voters of California and impose gay marriage on all 50 states.

These pro-gay marriage Republicans mostly share one important characteristic: they are no longer in office, nor seeking office. (All of former Gov. Jon Huntsman's millions could not get him better than a third place finish in New Hampshire, remember.)

After helping to falsely manufacture Laura Bush's support for court-ordered gay marriage, the New York Times has now had to apologize for an even more embarrassing blooper: falsely reporting that Federal Marriage Amendment sponsor Marilyn Musgrave, the former Colorado Congresswoman, signed the brief urging the Court to overturn Prop 8. FOX31 in Denver reported the error:

[New York Times reporter] Stolberg told FOX31 that Musgrave's name was actually on the brief she was shown for the story.

"I got my information from those collecting the signatures," she told FOX31 Denver.

Stolberg told FOX31 that she called Musgrave to personally apologize for the error.

Well, we're calling out HRC and the New York Times and others for trying to push this figment of a groundswell of GOP support for gay marriage. As I pointed out in a NOM press release earlier this week, "If Republicans actually supported gay marriage — an absurd claim — the Human Rights Campaign would not have to spend millions of dollars claiming they do and the New York Times would not have to falsely claim the support of stalwart pro-marriage Republican figures such as Marilyn Musgrave."

After conducting an independent analysis of gay marriage votes in 8 states, the Associated Press concluded the obvious: "Gay Marriage Support Has Risks for GOP Lawmakers."

The piece points out, "Of the 47 Republican legislators nationwide who voted yes starting in 2009, only 21 are in office today."

The story continues:

In New York, only one of four Republican senators who supported gay marriage is still in the Legislature. One lost a primary, one retired and one lost the general election after narrowly winning a bitter primary. A New Hampshire Republican representative lost a primary after her 2009 vote for gay marriage, and in Maryland the former Senate Republican leader relinquished his leadership post when he started working with Democrats on a gay marriage bill that passed last year.

We are facing tough, close votes in blue states across America. Republicans are being groomed and encouraged by the media to ignore the wishes of their own constituents; to join the crowd denouncing our traditional understanding of marriage as hatred, the moral equivalence of racism.

So, we have announced once again our intention to stand by those who stand by their own voters, and to hold to the fire the feet of those who run away from their own constituents' voices and values — regardless of party. As I said on Monday. "Marriage is not a partisan issue, and NOM does not hesitate to oppose weak Republicans and support strong Democrats."

Media of course is treating our pledge like a crime or a threat. It's not a threat: it's a promise.

We are telling elected officials: we will stand by your voters and our shared values for marriage — against the media, against Hollywood, against the mega-billionaires. If you didn't come out for gay marriage before the last election, you have no business betraying voters' trust now and expecting no-one to notice.

Dispelling the Myths of the Pundits

Still the GOP's recent electoral losses are being blamed on the lack of support for gay marriage.

Take for example the interview given to the Associated Press by Cheryl Pflug, a Washington state Republican who voted for gay marriage and is no longer in office:

Pflug argued that the party's rigid stance on the issue is costing it votes from young people, suburban women and other demographics.

"I think a lot of conservative elected Republicans are going to go down with the ship on this one," Pflug said. "I think the Republican Party is at a crossroads."

Well, I can't blame Ms. Pflug for parroting the punditry. Yet, consider how wrong that consultant's alleged wisdom is: It's pretty intellectually absurd, given that the most popular governor in America right now is New Jersey's Gov. Chris Christie, who actually vetoed a gay marriage bill. 74 percent of blue-state New Jerseyans approve of him!

Whatever explains the GOP's problems and its failure to connect with voters in the last election cycle, blaming their lack of support for gay marriage is not just wrong — it's stupid.

The conventional wisdom — "run away from all social issues" — lost badly in the last election cycle; but that doesn't seem to stop political elites from prescribing more of the same medicine that didn't work.

If you doubt me, just look across the pond: the Tories' embrace of gay marriage is earning the party no credit from liberal voters, but is tearing the base of the party apart. According to the Christian Institute's Mike Judge:

Party activists are leaving in their droves. Membership has plummeted by more than half since [Cameron] became leader, and over 70 percent of remaining members believe the issue of gay marriage is tearing the party apart…. Ultimately, [Tory PM David Cameron] is hoping that his disco-dad moves are a vote-winner. It's not working, according to polling which shows gay marriage could cost him 1.1 million votes and up to 30 parliamentary seats [emphases added].

Voters can respect political leaders who stand by their principles, even if they disagree. Chucking core principles for political expedience only persuades voters that you have no integrity.

Our Fight Continues

I promise you one thing: we at NOM will never stop fighting for your rights, to be the national voice for your values to the high and mighty — in the media and in the halls of power.

Decent, loving, law-abiding men and women of integrity are everywhere coming together to speak God's truth about marriage — even where it requires courage.

Let me leave with this feel-good story you might have missed. A young husband and wife team who run a bakery "Sweet Cakes" in Oregon:

Now notice: this young couple isn't refusing to serve gay customers. They aren't trying to deny delicious cupcakes to gay people. They simply cannot, in good conscience, facilitate a homosexual wedding, which they see as a wrong, a violation of God's will for marriage.

The lesbian couple has filed a discrimination complaint and gay rights groups are protesting on the sidewalk in front of "Sweet Cakes" in Gresham.

But a funny thing happened on the way to this mean-spirited attempt by gay rights activists to take away this young couple's entire livelihood, to damage the small business they built together: the community came together to buy cupcakes to support freedom of speech, and freedom of conscience! It's a Chick-fil-A moment all over again.

Amazing things can happen when we come together in love and trust to God's providence.

We've seen that again and again in this fight for marriage, haven't we?

Bless you for all your help — your prayer, your words of encouragement, your sacrifices of time and treasure.

We are not going to win every battle. But we are going to make it clear that we will not surrender and lay down God's own vision of marriage.

By Brian Brown | Posted in NOM Marriage News, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (11)

Rally For Marriage: Stop the DFL's Push To Redefine Marriage!

March 1, 2013 – 4:30 pm

Dear Marriage Supporter,

The marriage debate is heating up once again in Minnesota.

After months of posturing and behind-the-scenes lobbying, the latest battle for marriage in Minnesota began in earnest this week as same-sex marriage advocates formally launched legislation to redefine marriage in Minnesota. The proposed legislation sets the stage for a divisive debate that will challenge the loyalties of rural DFL members forced to choose between the pressure of party bosses and the beliefs of their constituents.

Take a Stand for Marriage!

Now is the moment to make sure our legislators get the message loud and clear: Marriage means a husband and a wife — giving children the love of the mother and father who made them. Several legislators are already — formally or informally — polling their constituents.

Here's what you can do:

Join me in St. Paul next Thursday, March 7th. Next Thursday, from 2-5pm, Minnesotans from across the state will be gathering at the State Capitol in St. Paul for a Marriage Lobby Day and Rally. Call ahead to set up an appointment with your state senator and representative, and then join us for the rally on the Capitol steps starting at 2:30pm.
Make sure your legislators hear from you today with a quick email, or to have even more impact, pick up the phone and give them a call.

Use this link to send your legislators an email. In 5 minutes or less, you can customize your message and send it to both your state senator and representative.
Click here to look up phone numbers for your senator and representative.

Share this email with at least 5 friends right now. We all know someone who believes in marriage but hasn't yet realized how easily they can get involved and make a difference. Forward this email or use the buttons below to share on Facebook or Twitter today!

The outcome is far from clear in Minnesota. At this point, our opponents do not have the votes to redefine marriage, but the outcome will come down to district by district — especially rural districts — throughout the state as you and your friends and neighbors make your voices heard.

Thank you for taking action today! I hope to see you in St. Paul next Thursday afternoon!

By Brian Brown | Posted in Alerts, Minnesota | Comments Off

NOM's Peters: "We Expect the Supreme Court to Exonerate the Votes of Over 7 million Californians to Protect Marriage."

March 1, 2013 – 1:30 pm

Our Communications Director Thomas Peters released a brief statement to the media as the news broke yesterday that President Obama has reversed himself once again on marriage by urging the Supreme Court to strike down Proposition 8:

"We expect the Supreme Court to exonerate the votes of over 7 million Californians to protect marriage. The President is clearly fulfilling a campaign promise to wealthy gay marriage donors. There is no right to redefine marriage in our Constitution.”

His statement was picked up by the Associated Press, the Drudge Report, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, ABC News, Foxnews.com, NPR, and dozens of other media outlets.

Peters will be on CNN tomorrow morning at 8:15AM to add more comments.

We continue to urge all supporters of marriage at this critical time to make plans now to come to Washington, D.C. for the March for Marriage on March 26, the day the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Proposition 8 case.

By NOM Staff | Posted in California, Marriage, Politics, President Obama, Prop 8, Same Sex Marriage, Supreme Court | Comments (36)

Democracy Now: Help Allow Iowans to Vote on Marriage!

March 1, 2013 – 1:10 pm

Dear Marriage Supporter,

I have exciting news — Eighteen Republicans in the Iowa Senate have introduced a measure to allow the people of Iowa to vote on Marriage!

Please send a quick email to Republicans thanking them for respecting the right of Iowans to have a say about the definition of marriage — an institution so fundamental to our society and which protects children by giving them the mother and father they deserve!

And please also email Democrats and ask them to stand with us for principle and values and NOT with the party bosses who have refused for years to allow this resolution to come to the floor for an up or down vote.

It's critical that your voice is heard in Des Moines. Gay marriage was imposed on Iowa in 2009 by judicial fiat by the Iowa Supreme Court. In 2010, Iowans won a historic victory when they unseated three of the responsible judges in a statewide retention vote.

But for the past four years Democrats have refused to even consider a measure allowing a free and fair vote of the people on marriage to reach the floor for an up-or-down vote!

That's why I'm so excited to see Republicans in Des Moines not giving up. Please honor their commitment to marriage by sending a positive message of support and encouragement to them — and encouraging more Republicans to support this resolution.

And don't forget — Democrats need to hear from you as well. The media is always trying to claim that Republicans are split on the issue of marriage (not true) but the media also hides the fact that many, many Democrats stand with us on the critical issue of marriage — these politicians need to hear from you today!

Thank you for taking time out of your day to do this important action.

By Brian Brown | Posted in Alerts, Iowa | Comments (21)

Illinois SSM: The Story The Media Didn't Tell

March 1, 2013 – 1:05 pm

Dear Marriage Supporter,

Big news from Springfield this week — but it's NOT the story you may have heard from the mainstream media...

Rahm Emanuel's Democratic Party machine, the machine that has ruled Illinois state politics for years, is fraying over the issue of gay marriage.

As of today, they don't have the votes to pass same-sex marriage, and even Democrats are starting to speak out against efforts to redefine marriage.

Senate Bill 10, the same-sex marriage bill that passed the Senate earlier this month, was heard in House Committee this week. After a lengthy hearing, State Rep. Eddie Lee Jackson, a Democrat from East St. Louis, broke with party bosses, joining the committee's 4 Republicans in voting against efforts to redefine marriage. Despite Democrats' 7-4 majority on the committee, only the vote of Chicago Democrat Rep. Luis Arroyo — who also opposes same-sex marriage but agreed to send the bill to the full House — assured the 6 votes need for passage out of committee.

This is the big news: Two of the seven Democrats on the House Executive Committee have publicly broken with the party machine over the issue of same-sex marriage. The courage of these two leaders — and especially Rep. Eddie Lee — will likely provide support for additional Democrats to stand up and do the right thing.

Let's remind every member of the Illinois House that their constituents support marriage. It only takes a couple of minutes — even if you've already sent a message, please send another today. Our opponents realize that the outcome is very much in doubt and they're ramping up the pressure, especially on Democratic legislators.

Your representatives need to hear from you today.

Click here to look up the phone number for your state representative.
Use this link to send a short email message to your state representative urging him or her to vote to defend religious liberty and defend marriage, our only civil institution that connects children with parents. Marriage and faith matter!
Finally, forward this email to friends and family throughout the state, or use the buttons below to share on Facebook and Twitter. It's going to take thousands of citizens from the Land of Lincoln just like you working together to preserve marriage in Illinois. Help spread the word today!

We have the chance to win an amazing victory for marriage this year — but only with your help. I hope I can count on you to take action today!

By Brian Brown | Posted in Alerts, Illinois | Comments (2)