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Romney's New Stump Speech Touts Leadership Opposing SSM in Massachusetts

February 14, 2012 at 1:30 pm

Romney ran through a laundry list of accomplishments from his tenure as Massachusetts governor, including everything from balancing budgets and improving the school system -- to more controversial battles like those over illegal immigration and same-sex marriage, which Massachusetts' Supreme Court legalized during Romney's term.

"I led the fight to get an amendment to our constitution to reverse that ruling," Romney said of the court's decision to allow same sex marriage, echoing his CPAC speech. "We missed by one vote. Even in a legislature that's 85 percent Democrat. But we went to make sure that we didn't have our same sex marriage go throughout the country and we were able to enforce -- I think it was a 1913 law -- that kept Massachusetts from becoming the Las Vegas of same sex marriage."

By NOM Staff | Posted in Election Watch 2012, Marriage, Marriage Election Watch, Massachusetts, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (14)

Google's Idea of a Valentine to Gay Marriage

February 14, 2012 at 1:15 pm

From today's Google doodle to celebrate Valentine's Day:

Personally we'd hesitate to make some of these analogies!

Watch the full cartoon here.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture, Marriage, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (32)

Pro-SSM Prof. Harrison to Senate Pres. Sweeny: Let The People of New Jersey Have Their Say

February 14, 2012 at 1:00 pm

Prof. Brigid Callahan Harrison, professor of political science and law at Montclair State University, who supports same-sex marriage, argues against New Jersey Senate Pres. Stephen Sweeny claiming "you don't put people's rights on the ballot, period" by saying he should trust the people of New Jersey:

I'm sorry, Sen. Sweeney, but I don't share your mistrust of the will of the people of New Jersey. Yes, the time is right for marriage equality now.

But the time was right for marriage equality also in 2010. Remember? That year, New Jersey had a lame-duck Democratic governor (Corzine) who urged the Democratic-controlled Legislature to pass a gay-marriage bill for his signature.

Corzine recognized that his imminent successor, Chris Christie, would probably never sign a marriage-equality bill. But the state Senate failed to pass such a measure, with several key Democrats voting against it and Sweeney abstaining.

And so, Sen. Sweeney, your mistrust of the people of New Jersey and their "whims" seems particularly misplaced given your own pusillanimous vote then. You took the road of political cowardice, and now you want another chance.

Her concluding line:

Today in New Jersey, most voters favor a referendum; most voters support the right of gay couples to wed. So to hold the legislative process — the very same legislative process that denied marriage equality two years ago — as superior to the will of the people is a sham.

We disagree with Prof. Harrison about what New Jersey voters believe marriage to be, but praise her for calling out Sweeney and respecting the rights of voters!

By NOM Staff | Posted in Let The People Vote, Marriage, New Jersey, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (6)

False Arguments: SSM Advocate Threatens Minnesota with Absurd "Bad for Business" Claim

February 14, 2012 at 11:00 am

Chuck Darrell, director of communications for Minnesota for Marriage, responds in the Star Tribune to a recent argument used to oppose marriage amendments:

In "The marriage amendment, from all angles" (Jan. 14), Marilyn Carlson Nelson, chairman of Carlson, a travel and hospitality company, argues that if Minnesota voters pass the Marriage Protection Amendment, talented gay employees will no longer want to work and live in our state.

This is an absurd argument, undercut by the experience of her own company, the trends of gay population in our state and plain old logic.

Carlson's premiere brand is the Radisson Hotels. Of the 108 Radisson locations in the United States, 70 of them -- fully 65 percent -- are located in states with a marriage protection amendment similar to that proposed in Minnesota.

Another Carlson brand is Country Inn & Suites. Of the states it has chosen to operate in, 67 percent have a marriage amendment in their constitution.

Sixty-four percent of all their 40 Country Inn & Suites properties are in states with a marriage amendment. And 86 percent of their Park Inn by Radisson properties are located in states with a marriage amendment.

Obviously, Carlson is thriving in states with marriage amendments. There is no reason to conclude they would not continue to thrive in Minnesota.

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

Santorum in WA: Gay Marriage Signing "Not Last Word"

February 14, 2012 at 10:30 am

SeattlePI:

Rick Santorum said Monday that Washington state's approval of gay marriage is "not the final word," as the Republican presidential hopeful rallied opponents who are exploring a referendum to block the law.

Santorum's visit to the state capital came within an hour of Gov. Chris Gregoire signing the same-sex marriage bill into law. Before meeting with political leaders in the Legislative building, he held a private meeting with religious leaders at an Olympia church.

"I encouraged them to continue the fight," Santorum said. "There are ebbs and flows in every battle, and this is not the final word."

The former Pennsylvania senator said the law waters down marriage at a time when divorce rates are already up. He argued that there are societal consequences without strong traditional marriages, including more people going to prison, more dropouts from school, higher poverty rates and higher government spending.

... The former Pennsylvania senator is the first presidential candidate to hold a major public event in the state during the 2012 campaign. Arizona and Michigan are the next two states to hold nominating contests before Washington on March 3.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Election Watch 2012, Marriage, Marriage Election Watch, Same Sex Marriage, Washington | Comments (11)

"I'm Gay And I Oppose Legislation" to Redefine Marriage in Maryland

February 14, 2012 at 10:00 am

The Maryland Gazette on Maryland residents testifying at a Senate committee hearing last Tuesday:

"...a gay man from Potomac asked the committee to defeat the bill, saying the proposal by Gov. Martin O’Malley would undermine one of society’s most basic principles, that marriage is between a man and a woman.

“I’m gay and I’m opposed to this legislation,” said Doug Mainwaring, a divorced father of two who works for the National Capital Tea Party Patriots.

“I totally believe in civil unions, but I would like to see marriage preserved for one man and one woman. Marriage is the building block of our civilization,” he said.

In a hearing that lasted all afternoon, the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee heard from about 60 supporters of the bill, and a similar number of opponents.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Maryland, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (23)

French President Says No to Gay Marriage and Gay Adoption

February 14, 2012 at 9:00 am

Matthew Hoffman of LifeSiteNews on French President Nicolas Sarkozy taking a decidedly pro-child stance:

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has been under pressure from socialist opponents to weaken his stance on human life and family issues, says he is not budging.

In a recent interview with the conservative magazine Le Figaro, Sarkozy reaffirmed his conservative stances on a variety of social and economic issues.

In contrast to his principal opponent in the upcoming presidential elections, socialist François Hollande, Sarkozy told Le Figaro that he is “not favorable” to homosexual “marriage,” because it “opens the door to adoption.”

“In troubled times, when our society needs to keep its bearings, I don’t think that it is necessary to blur the image of this essential social institution that is marriage,” said Sarkozy.

Although Sarkozy said that he supports strengthening certain legal rights for homosexuals, including inheritance rights, he opposes the creation of “civil unions” because the would “tend to harm the institution of marriage.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Adoption, Children, Marriage, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (16)

URGENT ALERT: Help Save Marriage in Washington State!

February 13, 2012 at 10:21 pm

Promoted from Preserve Marriage Washington:

You may have heard that Governor Christine Gregoire has just signed legislation purporting to make Washington state the seventh state to redefine marriage to accommodate the demands of gay marriage activists.

What you may not have heard is that this is by no means a settled issue.

NOM is joining with the Family Policy Institute of Washington, Stand for Marriage Washington, Concerned Women for America and hundreds of other groups, pastors and individuals to take this issue directly to the people in November via a referendum.

We need your help!

The referendum was filed today in Olympia just hours after Governor Gregoire signed the legislation. This begins the legal process that will result in referendum petitions being circulated in a few weeks, once we complete the required preparatory steps. We need to collect 120,577 voter signatures by June 6th to prevent the law from taking effect and qualify the referendum to the ballot.

But we're not waiting for petitions to be available to start.

By the time we have received official approval to being circulating the petitions, we want to have 50,000 people identified and ready to circulate the petitions. Will you help us?

With our allies, we have launched a campaign coalition called Preserve Marriage Washington. We ask you to go to www.preservemarriagewashington.com to sign up as a supporter. You'll be part of our campaign and will learn what we are doing to preserve marriage as God intended it.

If you live in the state, please also check the box to request petitions once they are available.

And for those of you receiving this email all across the nation, please, if you know anyone who lives in Washington state, let them know about our efforts and ask them to sign up to request petitions as well.

Even if you can't circulate petitions, you can still do a lot to preserve marriage in Washington. You can join with thousands of others to pray for the success of the referendum effort. This is a spiritual battle as much as it is a political battle.

You can also make a contribution to the effort to help us get going. This will be an expensive undertaking that comes at a time when NOM is already stretched to the max. Please prayerfully consider a gift of funds to the campaign by clicking here.

It seems like marriage is under attack all over the country, and NOM is doing everything we can every day to preserve marriage. We must be successful in getting this referendum on the ballot in Washington state. Please help us.

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

National Organization for Marriage Joins Washington Referendum Fight

February 13, 2012 at 8:13 pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 13, 2012
Contact: Anath Hartmann or Elizabeth Ray (703-683-5004)

"We're committed to giving Washington voters the right to decide the definition of marriage in their state, just as 31 other states have been able to do."—Brian Brown, NOM President

National Organization for Marriage

Washington, DC—The National Organization for Marriage (NOM), the nation's largest and most influential group working to support traditional marriage, today announced it is joining with allies in Washington state to qualify a referendum blocking legislation that attempts to redefine marriage in the state.

"Preserving marriage as the union of one man and one woman is worth fighting for," said Brian Brown, NOM's president. "Marriage is a cornerstone of society that not only unites a couple to each other, but ensures that any children born of their union will have the best opportunity to be raised by their own mother and father. We're committed to giving Washington voters the right to decide the definition of marriage in their state, just as voters in 31 other states have been able to do."

Governor Christine Gregoire today signed Senate Bill 6239 into law. Shortly after, a coalition of groups under the umbrella Preserve Marriage Washington—which includes the Family Policy Institute of Washington, Stand for Marriage Washington, and NOM—filed the referendum. SB 6239 does not take effect until June 7th. If the coalition is successful in collecting 120,577 voter signatures by June 6th, the law will be stayed and will not take effect. Voters will then decide whether to approve or reject the law in November.

"Every state to vote on marriage has decided to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman," Brown said. "This includes deep blue states like California, Wisconsin and Maine. We are confident that Washington state voters will do likewise, and we look forward to working with our allies on this important referendum battle."

Marriage supporters can request petitions at www.PreserveMarriageWashington.com.

###

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

Paid for by The National Organization for Marriage, Brian Brown, president. 2029 K Street NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20006, not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. New § 68A.405(1)(f) & (h).

By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage Election Watch, Press Releases, Washington | Comments (25)

Victory! VA Senate Approves Bill To Protect Children; Governor Promises to Sign

February 13, 2012 at 3:00 pm

Good news from the Virginia Family Foundation:

In a monumental victory for religious liberty the state Senate [last] Thursday passed SB 349, a bill that protects private child placement agencies in Virginia from being forced to violate their faith principles when placing children. The Senate passed the legislation 22-18. The House passed an identical bill last week.

Patroned by Senator Jeff McWaters (R-8, Virginia Beach), the bill protects the organizations and agencies that facilitate the majority of child placements in Virginia, helping hundreds of children and families every year. The bill was necessitated after an effort by homosexual rights groups and former Governor Tim Kaine to coerce faith-based agencies into adopting children to homosexual individuals regardless of those agencies faith principles.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Adoption, Children, Parenting, Religious Liberty, Virginia | Comments (27)

Please...we cannot give up...together we can and WE WILL WIN!

February 13, 2012 at 1:58 pm

Email Header Image

Dear Marriage Supporter,

Will you make one URGENT, confidential and tax-deductible gift
to help protect marriage?

When the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued its ruling that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional, we were saddened, but not defeated.

After all, we fought long and hard to help the people of California vote on and pass Proposition 8, protecting marriage as a sacred union between one man and one woman in America's most populated state.

So when all that work—and the voices of seven million voters—was swept aside by two anti-marriage judges, we had every right to be outraged!

But we are not going to back down. At the end of the day, this setback will be simply a speed bump on our way to final victory at the U.S. Supreme Court...but only if we have the resources to see this case all the way through to the end.

That's why we launched our 7-day money bomb designed to raise $100,000 to immediately help appeal this ruling to the Supreme Court.

But we still have a ways to go to raise the funds we need to petition the Supreme Court to hear our case.

Thanks to faithful Americans all over the country, we've raised over $40,000 in just 5 days! And while this is a true blessing, we must reach $100,000 in order to have the funds needed to fight back against this ruling.

If we can raise the final $60,000, we will have the funds we need to continue this critical legal fight in defense of marriage.

Will you help us close this final gap, supporter of marriage?

Can you make a gift right now to NOM's Legal Defense Fund to ensure we present a powerful case to the Supreme Court?

Remember, the Proposition 8 case is about more than just California.

If we allow this ruling to stand, then every single legal protection for marriage in every single state is in danger...

...and the day will soon come when same-sex marriage is the law of the land all across America.

So please make one urgent gift to NOM's Legal Defense Fund.

Thank you.

By Brian Brown | Posted in Same Sex Marriage | Comments (29)

NJ Senate Votes to Approve SSM 24-16, Fails to Achieve Veto-Proof Majority

February 13, 2012 at 1:45 pm

The New Jersey Statehouse Bureau:

The state Senate passed a bill legalizing gay marriage this afternoon by a vote of 24-16.

Two republicans, Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth) and Sen. Diane Allen (R-Burlington) voted yes on the bill.

... Two Democrats, Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Essex) and Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-Cape May), voted no.

The 24 votes in favor of the bill leaves supporters three votes short of the 27 votes they would need to override Christie’s veto.

The debate lasted less than an hour, with only Sen. Gerry Cardinale (R-Bergen) speaking against the bill.

"The essential characteristic of a marriage, the very definition of the term, is it involves at least one male and one female,” Cardinale said. “Do not break with thousands of years of civilized tradition. This bill opens Pandora’s box.”

The Assembly will take up the bill on Thursday.

Christie, who opposes gay marriage, wants to put the issue on the ballot in November, but Democrats have rejected that option, saying civil rights should not be subject to popular vote.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, New Jersey, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (17)

Video: Maggie Gallagher Stands Up for Marriage on the Thom Hartmann Show

February 13, 2012 at 1:30 pm

Thom Hartmann begins an interview with our co-founder Maggie Gallagher by going on the attack. But after Maggie answers all of his questions with conviction and compassion, Hartmann gives up his gotcha line of questioning and concludes by saying he "very much appreciates [her] coming by and having a rational conversation" and they end with shaking hands.

A possible turning point in the interview:

Hartmann: "The work that you [Gallagher] are doing is causing for many of those [gay] people considerable pain and misery in their lives. How do you reconcile that with your notion of yourself? You've talked about your experiences as a single mother. You seem like a compassionate person. It seems to me like a disconnect."

Gallagher: "I guess when people fundamentally disagree about what's good for the country -- I certainly have always tried to make my arguments in ways that are respectful of people who disagree, but if you come to me and say 'the fact that you think marriage matters because children need a mom and a dad is deeply painful to me' -- all I can say is I'm sorry..."

Hartman: "...Not about what you're thinking, about your activism."

Gallagher: "...I'm acting on that [belief that marriage is good]. Because I think it's really important. When people say that's causing me a lot of pain all I can say is I'm really sorry, that's not my intention, but I think America is a country where we have to go out and fight for what we think is right and good, and we have to do so in a way that demonstrates respect to others and that's certainly what I've tried to do during my eight years in the gay marriage fight."

Watch the whole interview:

By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Media, NOM on Facebook, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (12)

New PPP Poll: Santorum Leads Romney in Michigan 39%-24%

February 13, 2012 at 1:00 pm

Michigan and Arizona are the next states to hold Republican primaries. PPP conducted polling in Michigan today (full results here):

Rick Santorum's taken a large lead in Michigan's upcoming Republican primary. He's at 39% to 24% for Mitt Romney, 12% for Ron Paul, and 11% for Newt Gingrich.

Santorum's rise is attributable to two major factors: his own personal popularity (a stellar 67/23 favorability) and GOP voters increasingly souring on Gingrich. Santorum's becoming something closer and closer to a consensus conservative candidate as Gingrich bleeds support.

An interesting data point -- Democrats and Independents are supporting Santorum as well:

Santorum's benefiting from the open nature of Michigan's primary as well. He's only up by 12 points with actual Republican voters, but he has a 40-21 advantage with the Democrats and independents planning to vote that pushes his overall lead up to 15 points.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Election Watch 2012, Marriage Election Watch, Michigan | Comments (5)

PPP National Poll: Santorum 38%, Romney 23%, Gingrich 17%

February 13, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Democrat-leaning Public Policy Polling on Santorum surging into the lead nationally (full results here):

Riding a wave of momentum from his trio of victories on Tuesday Rick Santorum has opened up a wide lead in PPP's newest national poll. He's at 38% to 23% for Mitt Romney, 17% for Newt Gingrich, and 13% for Ron Paul.

Part of the reason for Santorum's surge is his own high level of popularity. 64% of voters see him favorably to only 22% with a negative one. But the other, and maybe more important, reason is that Republicans are significantly souring on both Romney and Gingrich.

...The best thing Romney might have going for him right now is Gingrich's continued presence in the race. If Gingrich dropped out 58% of his supporters say they would move to Santorum, while 22% would go to Romney and 17% to Paul. Santorum gets to 50% in the Newt free field to 28% for Romney and 15% for Paul.