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Maggie Gallagher on "The Growing Science of Sex Difference"

January 23, 2012 at 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.

NOM
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 at 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.

Thomas Peters
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 at 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.

NOM
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 at 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.

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

Press Release: NOM Congratulates Newt Gingrich on South Carolina Win

January 21, 2012 at 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.

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

Annoyance as Gay Marriage Activists Attempt to Hijack Australian Open

January 21, 2012 at 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.

NOM
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 at 12:26 pm

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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.

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

EMERGENCY ALERT! Marriage Hearing in Trenton on Tuesday!

January 21, 2012 at 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.

Brian Brown
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 at 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??)

NOM
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 at 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.”

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

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

January 20, 2012 at 7:06 pm

Email Header Image

Dear Marriage Supporter,

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:

Take Action Now

Use this link to take action now!

Washington State already has domestic partnerships that give same-sex partners all the legal benefits of marriage. This new legislation isn't about rights or benefits; this is about redefining and destroying marriage for everyone. And it's about attacking good people like you who believe in our marriage tradition.

Please use the links in this message to take action, then forward this message to five friends and family today, and come to the hearings at the Capitol in Olympia next Monday (details below).

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 Washington 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:

Take Action Now

Use this link to take action now!

After you've contacted your legislators, please make a special effort to attend the public hearing this Monday. If you've read this far I'm confident you care enough about marriage to stand up for it when it is currently under attack.

Bring your family and members of your Church with you to the hearing. It is always easier to stand together than to stand alone, after all. But the most important thing is to stand!

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

  1. Click here to look up phone numbers for your state senator and representative.
  2. Click here to send your legislators an email today.
  3. Then come to Olympia on Monday to attend the hearing.
  4. Consider other creative ways to support marriage, including writing to your local paper.

HERE ARE THE DETAILS ABOUT MONDAY'S HEARING—PLEASE SHARE THIS FAR AND WIDE:

The hearing begins at 10am, and while the hearing room is small, and only a few of you will be able to get in, your presence will send a loud and clear message to our elected officials about how the people who voted them into office in the first place feel about marriage. Please show up no later than 9am as the hearing will be heavily attended.

Senate Government Operations Committee
Monday, January 23rd at 10:00 am (come early!)
John A Cherberg Building
Senate Hearing Room 2
Click here for directions and parking information (PDF)

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 if 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.

In the time you've read this email you could have already contacted your legislator. Please go that crucial extra mile and do so right now!

Take Action 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.

Until then, faithfully,

Brian Brown
By Brian Brown | Posted in Marriage Election Watch, Politics, Same Sex Marriage, Washington | Comments (12)

NOM Pledges $250K to Support New Hampshire Legislators Who Stand Up For Restoring Traditional Marriage; Will Challenge Those Who Vote Against the Same-Sex Marriage Repeal Bill

January 20, 2012 at 3:30 pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 20, 2012

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

"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.”
—Brian Brown, NOM's President—

Concord, NH — The National Organization for Marriage (NOM), the nation's leading pro-marriage organization, today announced that it will spend $250,000 in legislative races to help legislators who support HB 437 restoring traditional marriage and hold accountable anyone who opposes the Same-Sex Marriage Repeal Bill. The Bill, HB 437, will be up for a vote in the next few weeks.

“Sixty-one 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,” stated Brian Brown, NOM's president. "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.”

HB 437 is compromise legislation that restores the traditional definition of marriage which predates the New Hampshire Constitution, while allowing existing same-sex marriages to remain intact, and grants rights and benefits through civil unions. HB 437 is a balanced bill and is the most common sense approach in New Hampshire.

NOM has helped mount successful legislative election efforts on the same-sex marriage issue in places like Minnesota, Maine, California, New York and New Hampshire. The group 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.

"In 2010 NOM was a significant player in New Hampshire and spent over $1 million in the last election. It’s humorous that our opponents loudly proclaim they will raise $100,000 to help legislators on their side when we have already invested over ten times that amount,” said Brown. “Aside from helping defeat Bill Binnie, we worked with grassroots organizations to help flip the state legislature after liberal democrats legalized same-sex marriage in 2009. NOM sent mailers and launched phone calls in 119 house races, and our endorsed candidates won all of them. A vote for HB 437 is a vote for traditional marriage. We will consider a vote against the legislation a vote for same-sex marriage, and we will hold legislators accountable. NOM will support those who support marriage and will work with local New Hampshire organizations to recruit pro-traditional marriage candidates to run against those who vote against HB 437 and fund them.”

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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NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, New Hampshire, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (6)

Gov. Christie: My Opposition to SSM "Very Well Publicized"

January 20, 2012 at 2:30 pm

Governor Chris Christie begins to break his silence on the attempt by New Jersey Democrats to pass a same-sex marriage bill:

Christie noted in a interview with WNYC on Wednesday that the Legislature hasn’t been succeeded so far in passing a same-sex marriage bill, and emphasized that his opposition has been “very well publicized.”

“I think this type of societal change is something we need to do very deliberately and have as much public input as we possibly can,” the Republican governor said. -- Wall Street Journal's Metropolis Blog

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, New Jersey, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (13)

Psychology Prof: The Social Sciences Cannot Settle the Moral Status of Homosexuality

January 20, 2012 at 2:00 pm

Stanton L. Jones is provost and professor of psychology at Wheaton College. He writes in First Things:

Many religious and social conservatives believe that homosexuality is a mental illness caused exclusively by psychological or spiritual factors and that all homosexual persons could change their orientation if they simply tried hard enough. This view is widely pilloried (and rightly so) as both wrong on the facts and harmful in effect. But few who attack it are willing to acknowledge that today a wholly different, far more influential, and no less harmful set of falsehoods—each attributed to the findings of “science”—dominates the research literature and political discourse.

We are told that homosexual persons are just as psychologically healthy as heterosexuals, that sexual orientation is biologically determined at birth, that sexual orientation cannot be changed and that the attempt to change it is necessarily harmful, that homosexual relationships are equivalent to heterosexual ones in all important characteristics, and that personal identity is properly and legitimately constituted around sexual orientation. These claims are as misguided as the ridiculed beliefs of some social conservatives, as they spring from distorted or incomplete representations of the best findings from the science of same-sex attraction.

Today we approach same-sex attraction with views grounded in social and biological scientific perspectives that are only partially supported by empirical findings. Until the early decades of the twentieth century, moral disapproval of “sodomy” guided public policy, but that grounding was displaced by a psychiatric model that viewed homosexuality as a mental illness. Once homosexuality came to be seen not as a sin but as a sickness, it became a simple matter for social science to overturn the opposition to homosexual acts. Alfred Kinsey’s studies of male and female sexuality, published in 1948 and 1953, portrayed homosexual behavior of various kinds as a normal and surprisingly common variant of human sexuality. In 1951, Clellan Ford and Frank Beach published Patterns of Sexual Behavior, their famous study of diverse forms of sexual behavior, including same-sex behavior, across human cultures and many animal species; they suggested a widely shared “basic capacity” for same-sex behavior.

But the decisive blow to the mental-illness construal of homosexuality came from a single study in 1957. Psychologist Evelyn Hooker published findings that convincingly demonstrated that homosexual persons do not necessarily manifest psychological maladjustment. On the basis of Hooker’s work, and the findings of similar studies, in 1973 the American Psychiatric Association amended its designation of homosexual orientation as a mental illness.

To avoid misunderstanding the phenomenon of homosexuality, we must grapple with the Achilles heel of research into the homosexual condition: the issue of sample representativeness. To make general characterizations such as “homosexuals are as emotionally healthy as heterosexuals,” scientists must have sampled representative members of the broader group. But representative samples of homosexual persons are difficult to gather, first, because homosexuality is a statistically uncommon phenomenon.

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture, Research/Study | Comments (22)

Matthew Schmitz on The "Heroes" of Same-Sex Marriage

January 20, 2012 at 1:00 pm

Matthew Schmitz at the First Things blog:

I do not doubt that the four Republican New York state senators who voted for same-sex marriage are convinced of the rightness of their votes. I would, however, look askance at any suggestion that they are the courageous new heroes of our time, with motives wholly principled and pure. As the New York Times reports, they have a big payday coming...

The same-sex marriage lobby seems to operate by flat-footed progressive bullying (“get on the right side of history”) followed by gigantic payouts to those who fall in line. It’s a fine way to win a political fight, there’s no gainsaying that, but it has hardly created a hall of heroes.

Whether or not they actually come out ahead remains to be seen: the National Organization for Marriage has launched its own formidable effort to raise the price of voting against marriage.

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in New York, Same Sex Marriage | Comments Off on Matthew Schmitz on The "Heroes" of Same-Sex Marriage
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