NOM BLOG

Prof. of Sociology on the "Unprecedented" Effort to Silence the Regnerus Study

Karla Dial of Citizen Link reports:

"...Several sociologists have come to Regnerus’s defense, saying it’s unprecedented for a highly respected, tenured professor to be investigated on such charges because a blogger didn’t like the study’s findings.

“For some of these journals, the acceptance rate is about 5 percent,” said Dr. Byron Johnson, a professor of sociology at Baylor University and co-director for the Institute for Studies of Religion — a fact which reflects the quality of the science involved. “It’s not like he gave a speech and made a slur. Typically, when (academics) disagree with research, we do our own. Let’s do this in an academic way, not a witch hunt — led by the blogosphere and people who have no credentials.”

[Previous S-S parenting] studies may have been accepted because “their findings are politically correct,” Johnson said. “And people say we’re supposed to throw out Regnerus’s study? You don’t throw everything out, but you do have to go back and look at everything. But to say the previous studies trump his, which is what they’re implying, is ridiculous.”

The political furor over Regnerus’s study, Johnson said, could have a chilling effect on further research.

Rhode Island Speaker Promises SSM Vote in 2013

Yet another reminder that this November's elections will matter!

House Speaker Gordon Fox says he will call a vote next year on legalizing same-sex marriage in Rhode Island.

"I'm calling the vote," Fox, D-Providence, said Friday morning during a taping of WPRI 12's Newsmakers. He added: "It's one of those issues that I need to come back, we need to address, and I intend if I'm elected speaker to address it early."

... Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed, D-Newport, opposes legalizing same-sex marriage, as do other Democrats in her leadership team. Gov. Lincoln Chafee, an independent who supports gay marriage, signed a law last year allowing gay couples to enter into civil unions, but few people have taken advantage of it. -- WPRI

CP: Kirk Cameron Named 'Champion of Marriage' in New Video

The Christian Post:

The National Organization for Marriage has named actor Kirk Cameron as "one of America's most important champions of marriage." NOM recently released a recent video in which Cameron speaks on the importance of preserving traditional marriage in the U.S.

"If we want a great future in this world, we have to take God at His Word," Cameron says in the video, titled "Champion of Marriage."

"God makes it really clear that society and civilization is really held together by the glue of families," he adds.

Cameron, who starred as the Mike Seaver in the 1980s sitcom "Growing Pains," converted to Christianity in his early 20s, and has since become an outspoken advocate for traditional marriage and evangelical Christianity in general.

Our most recent NOM Facebook post about Kirk Cameron has been Liked over 5,000 times and Shared over 300 -- check it out!

New York Times Notices the Economic Benefits of Marriage

Jason DeParle of the New York Times:

"...The economic storms of recent years have raised concerns about growing inequality and questions about a core national faith, that even Americans of humble backgrounds have a good chance of getting ahead. Most of the discussion has focused on labor market forces like falling blue-collar wages and lavish Wall Street pay. 

But striking changes in family structure have also broadened income gaps and posed new barriers to upward mobility. College-educated Americans like the Faulkners are increasingly likely to marry one another, compounding their growing advantages in pay. Less-educated women like Ms. Schairer, who left college without finishing her degree, are growing less likely to marry at all, raising children on pinched paychecks that come in ones, not twos.

Estimates vary widely, but scholars have said that changes in marriage patterns — as opposed to changes in individual earnings — may account for as much as 40 percent of the growth in certain measures of inequality. Long a nation of economic extremes, the United States is also becoming a society of family haves and family have-nots, with marriage and its rewards evermore confined to the fortunate classes."

Married Olympian Accuses Organizers of Discriminating Against Heterosexual Couples

CBS:

An Australian Olympic married couple claims they have been prohibited from sharing a room in the London Olympic Village, even though gay couples are reportedly allowed to do so.

Craig Borrow/Newspix

Olympic shooters Russell and Lauryn Mark toldnews.com.au that they are being discriminated against by officials.

“The stupid part of this, which I have argued to them, is that there are tons of gay couples on the Olympic team who will be rooming together, so we are being discriminated against because we are heterosexual,” Russell Mark told news.com.au.

Lauryn Mark additionally told the website that the Australian Olympic Committee has not helped them with their situation.

“Basically they said if we want to room together we need to check out of the village and go into a hotel at our own expense. It’s not feasible,” she told news.com.au. “I am very frustrated because in sport there are a lot of same-sex couples and it’s OK to be partners with someone of the same sex, but if you are heterosexual you are penalized.”

Reminder: The Minnesota Marriage Amendment Title Was Chosen by Bipartisan Vote!

(MPR Photo/Bill Alkofer)

Amidst the news that Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie has decided to unilaterally change the title language of the Minnesota Marriage Amendment, we should recall that the original title was proposed by DFL Scott Dibble (who himself opposed the amendment!) and was immediately approved with strong bipartisan support (49-16) by the Minnesota Senate.

Talk about an objective description -- one that needed no changing.

Watch the floor debate that led up to the vote:

Duluth Firefighter Explains Why She's Disagreeing With Her Union and Voting Yes for Marriage

Sara Rowe offers an inspiring testimony for why she's voting yes on the Minnesota Marriage Amendment:

I was among the “contention” at the Local 101 union vote on the marriage amendment that was mentioned in the June 11 story. I chose to vote my conscience, resulting in being made to feel uncomfortable and unaccepted....Wouldn’t it also be nice not to feel bullied at a union meeting? Wouldn’t it be nice to be assured by union leadership that workplace rights will be protected? I was among the “contention” at the Local 101 union vote on the marriage amendment that was mentioned in the June 11 story. I chose to vote my conscience, resulting in being made to feel uncomfortable and unaccepted. Words were said against deeply held beliefs and this nation’s history and law, all a part of who I am. A list was passed around with groups in support of redefining marriage, one of which was false witness of my faith.

I love my union brothers and sisters, but at times their tactics don’t seem right. I work for the citizens; it is a duty and honor to save lives, as mine once was saved by my hero, a Duluth firefighter. I cannot act against my conscience or freedom of speech. Some of my union brothers think my beliefs are harmful and shouldn’t be spoken in public. Love is truth.

...Love between a man and a woman compliments itself, forming posterity by nature and nature’s God. Mothers and fathers, by nature, love their children in differing yet complimentary ways. This foundation should be encouraged by society.

As a Local 101 member and Duluth firefighter, I’ll vote my conscience and vote “yes” on the marriage amendment. -- Duluth News Tribune

Local News Video: Battle Brewing Over Marriage Amendment Title

Kare 11 filed this report explaining what is happening in Minnesota:

To learn more about the lawsuit filed by Minnesota for Marriage, click here.

Reason.com Editor: Why SCOTUS Might Defer to Congress and Uphold DOMA

Damon Root of Reason sees a connection between the way the Supreme Court ruled on Obamacare and how it could rule on DOMA:

"...So let’s assume DOMA will be the first gay rights case to reach the Roberts Court. Is Socarides’ right that the chief justice will again show "a willingness to break with his more conservative colleagues"?

I wouldn’t bet on it—at least not if we take Roberts at his word. Remember that Roberts framed his vote upholding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as an exercise of judicial restraint, writing in his opinion, “It is not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices.” I don't see why Roberts wouldn't rely on that same principle and vote to uphold the Defense of Marriage Act. Both Obamacare and DOMA are duly-enacted federal laws, after all.

If you cheered the chief's ruling on health care, don't be shocked when he grants the same deferential treatment to a federal law you don't like."

Legal scholar Jonathan Adler over at the Volokh Conspiracy legal blog agrees.

Reuters Comes Out for Gay Marriage in Minnesota

Maggie Gallagher comments over at The Corner blog:

The news organization has officially come out opposing the Minnesota Marriage Amendment which simply defines marriage as one man and one woman. They pretend this is a business decision with no other implications.

“Thomson Reuters has 7,900 employees in Minnesota. In the e-mail, company officials also noted that the company’s position is a “business decision” and that “as a news organization, Thomson Reuters is dedicated to upholding our Trust Principles and does not advocate political or religious positions.”We believe the Minnesota Marriage Amendment, if passed, would limit our ability to recruit and retain top talent,” the e-mail said. “For this reason, we do not believe that the Amendment would be good for Thomson Reuters or the business community in the state.”

The marriage amendment does not change Minnesota’s current law, and nine out of ten of the top states for business (according to a new CNBC ranking) have marriage amendments.

NOM to GLAAD: Kirk Cameron Has a Right to Speak Up for Marriage

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 16, 2012
Contact: Elizabeth Ray or Jen Campbell (703-683-5004)

NOM's President Brian Brown Calls Out GLAAD For Hypocrisy


National Organization for Marriage

Washington, D.C.—In response to Kirk Cameron's pro-marriage video for the Marriage Anti-Defamation Alliance (which has been viewed over 40,000 times on YouTube), GLAAD President Herndon Graddick in a statement claimed Cameron's comments were "designed specifically to hurt [LGBT] families." GLAAD went on to label Cameron an "anti-gay extremist."

"Graddick and GLAAD clearly cannot appreciate the hypocrisy of attacking Kirk Cameron for his positive comments about marriage and family," Brian Brown, President of NOM, commented. "GLAAD is happy to recruit celebrities who favor redefining marriage as their spokespeople but is outraged when pro-marriage celebrities speak up for the sanctity of marriage."

Brown continued: "I encourage all fair-minded Americans to watch the Cameron video for themselves to see the real face of the pro-marriage movement. GLAAD has no right to bully good people who oppose redefining marriage by labeling them ‘extremists' and accusing them of seeking to harm others. If GLAAD truly cared about decency and respect they would let both sides of the marriage debate have their full say."

You can watch the Kirk Cameron interview at www.MarriageADA.org.

###

To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage, please contact Jen Campbell (x145), [email protected], or Elizabeth Ray (x130), [email protected], at 703-683-5004.

Video: Black Pastors Call on NAACP to Repudiate SSM

Check out this exclusive NOM video of Black Pastors calling on the NAACP to repudiate their stand in support of redefining marriage:

Pastors include:

Rev. William Owens, Founder and President, Coalition of African-American Pastors

Pastor Jerry G. Martin, Light of the World Christian Fellowship

John McCrutcheon, Pastor of Joint Heirs Fellowship Church

Bishop Harry Jackson, High Impact Leadership Coalition

Rev. Charles Johnson, Houston Ministers Against Crime

Pastor Ericka McCutcheon, Joint Heirs Fellowship Church

DumpStarbucks.com News: Conservatives Sour on Starbucks

Dump Starbucks

Welcome to the DumpStarbucks.com News!

In 32 states, voters have said—in no uncertain terms—that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. Not exactly news, but Starbucks is still catching up with this fact.

This past week Forbes Magazine picked up a survey done by BrandIndex on why conservatives have soured on Starbucks since the coffee giant announced its support for same-sex marriage this past January. The article specifically cites the DumpStarbucks.com campaign as a significant part of the equation: "The conservative group National Organization for Marriage launched a 'Dump Starbucks' campaign in response to the coffeehouse's decision. Perception after the statement consistently increased for Democrat consumers and decreased among Republicans."

BrandIndex issues a Buzzscore for each brand they measure. In January, Starbucks enjoyed a Buzzscore of 15.7 from liberals and 14.6 from conservatives. Since Starbucks' announcement of its corporate support for same-sex marriage, and the subsequent launch of our DumpStarbucks.com campaign, their support from liberals has increased to 19.3, while support from conservatives has dramatically decreased—to only 10.7, (and it appears to have dipped as low as about 7.5)!

Both of these figures are still positive: but take a look at the trend lines provided by BrandIndex;

The gap between liberals and conservatives on Starbucks has widened from 1.1 in January to 8.6 today, in large part due to the company's support for same-sex marriage. I don't know about you, but I would be pretty unhappy if this was how my "non-political" coffee company was being viewed by conservatives in the United States.

What you can do this week:

Forward this message to one friend via email or Facebook:

In January of 2012 Starbucks came out in support of same-sex marriage, saying that "[i]t is core to who we are and what we value as a company." I know that you share my belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman so I thought I'd send you the address of www.DumpStarbucks.com where you can join me—and 45,000 others—in letting Starbucks know we do not believe this is the correct position for their company.

Thank you for your continued support.

Video: What Kind of Issues Would Business Owners Face if Marriage is Redefined?

Kalley Yanta explains yet another consequence of redefining marriage:

"Doctors, psychologists, social workers, counselors and other professionals who conscientiously object to same-sex marriage could face a range of potential consequences including license revocation and lawsuits leading to the possible loss of their ability to make a living."


Reader Clarifies Not All Relationships Are Marriage

Elizabeth Schreiner of Lakeville, MN writes to the editor of the Sun This Week:

Your Sun This week of July 6 had some letters to the editor that spiked comment in me. The “other side of the coin” so to speak.

I don’t know how anyone can get so mixed up in their thinking over the proposed marriage amendment. I keep reading Veda Kanitz’s letter and think she should do more research on the real issue.

Her letter states that Sherry and Barb are two beautiful “children of the universe” in a beautifully committed relationship, but I say that is what it is. It’s a relationship, but not a marriage.

The proposed amendment doesn’t try to change their personal life or their personal choices or desires, so what’s the big fuss? The amendment shouldn’t and doesn’t bother their routine at all. They had and have the freedom to choose their way of life and good luck to them.