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Media Coverage of NOM's "You're Next!" Billboard Campaign

October 3, 2011 at 9:00 am

Our new campaign (part of the Let The People Vote movement) is already making waves across New York:

The Associated Press: "The National Organization for Marriage is using billboards to take a whack at the key state lawmakers who voted to legalize gay marriage in New York last summer. [...] They are legislators in partly conservative districts who the organization thinks can be defeated over their June vote. The National Organization for Marriage is taking credit for the defeat of David Weprin in his run for Congress from Queens after supporting gay marriage."

Wall Street Journal New York Politics blog: "An anti-gay-marriage group that takes credit for an upset victory over a Democratic congressional candidate in Queens last month is setting its sights on a handful of state legislators. The National Organization for Marriage, which spent about $50,000 on mailings and calls against David Weprin's bid for Congress, said Friday it's spending $40,000 on billboards taunting four state senators with the words "You're Next.'' As a state assemblyman, Mr. Weprin voted for New York's landmark gay-marriage bill, as did the four state senators, earlier this year."

NYDailyNews Daily Politics blog: "NOM (which is currently featuring a celebratory image of newly minted GOP Rep. Bob Turner on their website) is dumping $40,000 into another cycle of billboards targeting the quartet of Republicans who bucked the party line on the marriage issue: State Sens. James Alesi, Mark Grisanti, Roy McDonald and Steve Saland."

Politics on the Hudson: "A national group that vehemently opposes same-sex marriage has launched a new billboard campaign against a group of senators who voted for the measure this year, part of a promise to spend $2 million to oust them from office."

Times-Union Capital Confidential: "They started a few weeks ago with a billboard blasting GOP Sen. Roy McDonald of Saratoga and now the National Organization for Marriage is launching their campaign against the other Republican senators who voted for gay marriage last June as well as Democrat Shirley Huntley, who flipped her vote late in the game."

Local WKBW 7 Eyewitness News: "The huge sign singles out republican senator Mark Grisanti and there are more just like it targeting other republican senators, who along with Grisanti, helped pass the same-sex marriage act."

Local WGRZ NBC 2: "The National Organization for Marriage (NOM),which strongly opposed New York legalizing same-sex marriage, paid for the billboard, part of its $2 million effort to defeat Senator Grisanti (R-60th) and other Republican lawmakers who broke with their ranks to help pass the bill. The billboard also references a special Web site created by NOM."

CBS New York: "The National Organization for Marriage has spent $40,000 on billboards, including for the one that will be by the Jamaica train station, with the words “You’re Next” to try to unseat four state senators who voted yes for the gay marriage bill. The billboard in Jamaica targets Sen. Shirley Huntley who represents that district.

WNYC The Empire: "Republican State Senator Jim Alesi is being targeted by billboards commissioned by an anti-gay marriage group in revenge for his vote last June, Rochester’s YNN is reporting. The group, the National Organization for Marriage, is targeting Alesi with billboards that mention his name and then warn, ominously, 'you’re next.'"

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in New York, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (1)

Summary: John Eastman Named New Chairman of NOM

October 3, 2011 at 8:30 am

An overview of the media coverage:

The Associated Press: "A law school professor from Southern California was named Thursday as the new chairman of the National Organization for Marriage, one of the most active groups opposed to the legalization of same-sex marriage."

National Catholic Register: "Constitutional scholar John Eastman was just named chairman of the board for the National Organization for Marriage. A former dean of Chapman University Law School and the founding director of the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, Eastman spoke with Register senior writer Tim Drake about the new appointment."

National Public Radio's coverage can be heard here.

OneNewsNow: "A California law professor says he's delighted to join the nation's leading pro-family organization to defend marriage and religious liberties...The former candidate for state attorney general and former Chapman University Law School dean will replace the group's co-founder, Maggie Gallagher, who is finishing her book Debating Same-Sex Marriage."

The AP coverage was picked up by the Washington Post, Huffington Post, CBS News, The San Fransisco Chronicle, the Miami Herald, and many other news outlets.

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in News | Comments Off on Summary: John Eastman Named New Chairman of NOM

NCRegister Interviews NOM's New Chairman John Eastman

October 3, 2011 at 8:00 am

National Catholic Register:

Constitutional scholar John Eastman was just named chairman of the board for the National Organization for Marriage. A former dean of Chapman University Law School and the founding director of the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, Eastman spoke with Register senior writer Tim Drake about the new appointment.

NCR: What expertise will you bring to the position?

Eastman: I’m a constitutional scholar and a former Supreme Court law clerk. I’ve been involved in some 60 cases before the high court, a number of which have focused on religious freedom, the 14th Amendment and equal protection. I have also been heavily involved in the structure of the Constitution regarding federal law vs. the states, and I’ve handled litigation on free speech and religious-liberties issues on behalf of clients. As the conflict between the homosexual agenda and freedom of conscience becomes more pronounced, that expertise is going to be very important.

NCR: Those fighting for traditional marriage can feel beaten down by the culture at large. Do you feel that victory for traditional marriage is possible?

Eastman: Evil will be with us always, and it requires constant vigilance to defeat. I look at it as a litigator and an educator. There will always be threats to institutions grounded in human nature by those who think human nature doesn’t define limits. We need to be involved in the immediate defense of threats against marriage, but also take a long-range view by educating the next generation about the importance of the issues we’re confronting.

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, News | Comments (10)

Lawyer: "Marriage is Not an Injustice"

October 1, 2011 at 11:00 am

Scott Lloyd writes at HLI America:

Governor Martin O’Malley of Maryland, a Catholic, wrote the following in response to his Bishop’s criticism of his announcement over the summer that he would actively work to redefine marriage in Maryland:

"I have concluded that discriminating against individuals based on their sexual orientation in the context of civil marital rights is unjust."

The governor’s statement is helpful in that it contains two errors that are common to the advocacy for the redefinition of marriage; those who seek to defend marriage need to be prepared to identify and correct them.

The first error is the assertion that traditional marriage and efforts to defend it discriminate “against individuals.” This is in many cases an intentional falsehood, I believe: a distinction drawn between two types of relationships is not an instance of unjust discrimination against individuals. In the first place, the law distinguishes among relationships frequently. It treats husband and wife differently than it does uncle and niece, or teacher and student, and it does so with good reason. Second, one who is attracted to a person of the same sex remains free to marry in the same way everyone else can marry—to a person of the opposite sex. A person attracted to the Catholic priesthood or religious life also has the right to marriage—a marriage to a person of the opposite sex. The problem in both cases, if one could call it a problem, is not that the law bars anyone from the relationship, but rather that the individuals aren’t attracted to participate in the institution. The distinction in the law is a legitimate distinction between two types of relationships, not between two classes of individuals.

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Maryland, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (34)

Study: Marriage Increases Self-Control, May Reduce Crime

October 1, 2011 at 10:00 am

LifeSiteNews:

A new study has found that marriage can potentially help reduce crime because married people tend to develop significantly greater self-control.

“Self-control is one of the strongest predictors of differences between people in terms of their involvement in crime,” said Dr. Walter Forrest, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Australia’s Monash University, in a press release from Monash University.

“Our study shows that improvements in a person’s level of self-control are related to changes in their involvement in crime over time. It also shows that marriage is a significant source of those improvements,” said Dr. Forrest.

The researchers used data from the US National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) in order to test “empirical associations between the occurrence of key life events such as marriage, employment, and military service, and desistance from crime.”

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Australia, Marriage, Research/Study | Comments (30)

Canada's Next Chapter: Abolishing "Heterosexism" in Schools

October 1, 2011 at 9:00 am

LifeSiteNews:

As the homosexual agenda continues to infiltrate the Catholic educational system in Ontario under the guise of anti-bullying programs, a newer and potentially more sinister homosexual program has already come knocking at the schools’ doors this fall.

LifeSiteNews.com has obtained a copy of a letter signed by Chris D’Souza, director of Harmony Movement, which was apparently sent to all of Ontario’s Catholic school trustees at the beginning of September. The letter promotes Harmony Movement’s brand of “diversity education” that aims to equip students and teachers in the “fight” against “heterosexism.”

Harmony Movement’s program for schools, under the direction of D’Souza, will train participants to “abolish” and “eradicate” the “mentality of heterosexism” within “youth culture” and “within the school and community.”

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Canada, Catholic Church, Children, Education | Comments (40)

URGENT: Last Chance to Stop SB48 -- Sign the Petition Today!

September 30, 2011 at 5:41 pm

http://www.nomblog.com/14253/

Dear Marriage Supporter,

I need your help. Almost four years ago, many of you helped the National Organization for Marriage collect signatures to give the people of California the right to vote on marriage. Today, the volunteers at Stop SB 48 have given Californians another critically important opportunity to decide what is taught to your school-age children.

There are just a few days left to stop SB48 -- the bill signed into law by Governor Brown earlier this year that would force schools to teach students (even kindergartners!) about homosexuality, bisexuality and transgenderism as part of a social science curriculum.

Please click on the button below and follow the instructions to print and sign the petition right away, and then return it to StopSB48 campaign offices within the next 7 days.

The StopSB48.com coalition has done a great job gathering the needed signatures and are almost there! Still, they need our help, and we’re asking you to make this a priority. It takes a little over 500,000 valid signatures to put SB48 on the ballot, and StopSB48.com reports they are getting closer every day as bags of signed petitions are pouring in to the Stop SB 48 offices. But elections officials will be going through these petitions with a fine tooth comb, and it’s important that there be need plenty of extra signatures to make sure we don’t come up just short.

Please visit StopSB48.com right now to get started:

  1. Click here to download the petition (make sure Page Scaling is set to "none" when you print the petition)

  2. Click here to download instructions

  3. Sign the petition

  4. Ask 5 friends to sign the petition

  5. Return the signed petitions to Stop SB 48, 660 J Street, Suite 250, Sacramento, CA 95814 within the next 7 days.

Please do whatever you can today to help spread the word. Take petitions with you to church on Sunday. Forward this email to family and friends. We’re on the verge of success, but can’t do it without your help.

Thank you for your support of this historic effort.

Faithfully,

Brian Brown

Brian Brown

Brian S. Brown
President
NOM California PAC

Brian Brown
By Brian Brown | Posted in California, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (30)

NOM Launches Billboards Holding Senators Accountable For Their Vote To Redefine Marriage

September 30, 2011 at 4:34 pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 30, 2011
Contact: Mary Beth Hutchins (703-683-5004) x. 105

"You're Next" Campaign Serves Notice That Senators Will Follow Weprin To Defeat

New York, NY—The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today announced that it has launched a billboard campaign in the districts of state Senators Mark Grisanti, Stephen Saland, James Alesi and Shirley Huntley to hold them accountable for their vote last June to redefine marriage in New York. NOM previously ran billboards in the district of Roy McDonald.

The new billboards say of the individual state Senator, "You're Next" in reference to the defeat of David Weprin in the 9th Congressional District. NOM funded a major independent expenditure campaign in the Weprin race, making his vote to redefine marriage a decisive issue in his defeat in a district Democrats have held since the early 1920s.

"Just like David Weprin discovered earlier this month when he faced voters after redefining marriage, Mark Grisanti, Stephen Saland, James Alesi, Roy McDonald and Shirley Huntley will soon discover that the people of New York will not sit idly by while the institution of marriage is redefined without voters having any say in the matter," said Brian Brown, president of NOM. "NOM and our Let The People Vote" coalition will not rest until these legislators are turned out of office and the people of New York are allowed to vote on the definition of marriage."

NOM has committed $2 million to the "Let the People Vote" effort, including $40,000 on the billboard campaign. Previously NOM funded mailers into the districts of the state Senators, organized rallies in four cities that drew over 15,000 demonstrators and helped defeat David Weprin in the recent 9th Congressional District special election.

The billboards urge people to visit the www.LetThePeopleVote.com website. The "Let The People Vote" coalition was formed to bring together many diverse religious and ethnic communities around the central issue of traditional marriage to demand that New York voters, just like voters in 31 other states, be given the right to decide the definition of marriage.

For more information visit www.LetThePeopleVote.com

###

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Press Releases, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (26)

Maggie's Column: The Curious Moral Authority of Gay Men

September 30, 2011 at 4:27 pm

NOM boardmember Maggie Gallagher's latest column:

In North Carolina, a group called Faith in America is starting a billboard and newspaper ad campaign against "religion-based bigotry," aka Christian sexual ethics.

Of all the things I have observed from my perch on the front lines of America's culture wars, the most curious is the phenomenon of the crucial moral authority of the gay man in our newly unfolding society.

Many Americans, especially conservatives, feel the need to find some gay person to defend, who will in turn defend them, reassure them that they are good persons, not intrinsically "anti-gay." Where did gay men get this moral authority?

Continue reading at RealClearPolitics.

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture | Comments (24)

Officials Admit U.S. Census Inflated Figures for Same-Sex Households by Over 160%

September 30, 2011 at 4:18 pm

The Los Angeles Times reports that the U.S. Census Bureau, in their initial reports, vastly overestimated the number of same-sex households in the United States:

The 2010 census overestimated the number of households with same-sex married couples by more than 160%, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Tuesday.

The 2010 census first reported that there were 349,377 same-sex married-couple households and 552,620 same-sex unmarried-partner households across the country.

On Tuesday officials said they had revised the count to 131,729 same-sex married-couple[s] and 514,735 same-sex unmarried-partner households.

In other words, the actual number of same-sex households in America is tiny - only 0.773%.

Of course, these revised national numbers also change the landscape on the state level.

In Minnesota for instance, the StarTribune reports:

The original census data counted 4,325 same-sex couples who identified themselves as married and living together in Minnesota -- three times higher than the revised figure [~1,300]. The original census data also counted 13,718 same-sex couples living together in Minnesota, regardless of marital status, while the revised estimate is now only 10,207.

And in New Jersey, the Star-Ledger reports:

"...the U.S. Census Bureau said a statistical snafu inflated earlier totals, and there are actually fewer gay and lesbian couples living together in the Garden State than previously estimated.

The Census now says there were 16,875 same-sex couples living together in 2010, down from original estimate of 24,112 released two months ago. Notably, the new figures drop the number of married same-sex couples living together in New Jersey to 4,447 down from nearly 11,000."

Or, take a look at California, via the Sacramento Bee:

In California, the Census Bureau said, 0.726 percent of households are same-sex couples, markedly lower than the 2000 census figure for the state.

Again, less than one percent.

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in California, Culture, Minnesota, New Jersey, Research/Study, Statistics | Comments (23)

School Disciplines Teacher Who Suspended Student Over Views on Homosexuality

September 30, 2011 at 12:22 pm

CitizenLink with an update on the story of a Texan student disciplined for expressing his views about homosexuality in the classroom:

A teacher at a Fort Worth, Texas, high school has been placed on paid administrative leave after suspending a Christian student who said in class homosexuality is wrong.

On Sept. 20, Kristopher Franks’ German class at Western Hills High School was discussing the German view of homosexuality and religion. One student asked what the German word is for “lesbian”; another, 14-year-old freshman Dakota Ary, told a friend he’s a Christian who believes homosexuality is wrong. For that, Franks sent him to the principal’s office with an in-school suspension for “possible bullying.”

When Ary’s parents heard about it, they contacted Liberty Counsel, a Christian law firm. Their lawyers spoke with the school, which then reversed Ary’s suspension and disciplined Franks.

...The incident wasn’t the first for Franks, who lawyers said earlier this month displayed a photo of two men kissing and told his class that since homosexuality is becoming more prevalent, they should just accept it.

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Education, Free Speech | Comments (24)

Illinois Bishops Create New Defense of Marriage Department

September 30, 2011 at 11:00 am

From the press release:

Passage and enactment of the state’s new civil unions law has prompted Illinois’ bishops to create a Defense of Marriage department within the Catholic Conference of Illinois.

CCI’s Director of Government Relations Zach Wichmann heads the new department, with each diocese appointing advocates who seek to promote the Church’s love and solicitude toward marriage, families and children, and defend against public policy encroachments.

... [Wichmann] warned that initiatives to redefine marriage in Illinois civil law are likely on the horizon. Lawmakers in New York state this summer passed and the governor signed into law a measure legalizing same-sex marriage. The governor of Maryland is expected to push a same-sex marriage proposal next year. Illinois may not be far behind, Wichmann noted.

“The outcomes of these proposals will have implications in many areas of civil and religious life,” Wichmann said. “The Catholic Church will strive to prevent negative consequences to society, public ministry and children.”

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Catholic Church, Illinois, Religious Liberty, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (2)

Major British Survey: Only 1.5% of Brits Are Gay

September 30, 2011 at 10:00 am

The UK Daily Mail:

The Office for National Statistics’ new Integrated Household Survey [collected] the views of 420,000 people.

Homosexuals make up only 1.5 per cent of the population, the survey found. One per cent said they were gay or lesbian, while 0.5 per cent said they were bisexual.

...Gay lobbyists and politicians have long claimed that 10 per cent of the population is homosexual. But the figures from the Office for National Statistics’ Integrated Household Survey show this is a wild exaggeration

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Poll, United Kingdom | Comments (13)

Mayor Bloomberg's Money May Fund Sen. Grisanti to Flip Sides, Run as Democrat in '12

September 30, 2011 at 9:30 am

When a politicians betrays his voters, whom else won't he betray?

Geoff Kelly reports:

In the buildup to New York State’s legalization of same-sex marriage, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged his help—that is to say, his money—to any Republican state senators who would cross their leadership and vote yes.

... In [Sen. Mark] Grisanti’s case, the timing of [Mayor Bloomberg's] fundraiser adds an intriguing wrinkle: By the next day, October 14, Grisanti must decide if he’s sticking with the Republican Party or returning to the Democrats, from whence he came. There has been much speculation that he might do so in order to retain his seat: The 60th District is heavily Democratic and likely to remain so even after redistricting; Grisanti’s vote on same-sex marriage caused much consternation among conservatives...

If Grisanti makes the switch, control of the Senate would be split, 31 senators on each side of the aisle, with four independent Democrats caucusing separately—a breakoff faction that Grisanti could join.

...In the meantime, imagine how it will frustrate some Republicans around here if Grisanti rakes in a couple hundred thousand dollars at one fundraiser, then defects to the Democrats the next day—taking with him all that campaign money, some of which might have filtered to other local GOP candidates and their operatives.

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in New York, Same Sex Marriage | Comments Off on Mayor Bloomberg's Money May Fund Sen. Grisanti to Flip Sides, Run as Democrat in '12

Special Election Democrat Candidate Says She Won't Let Iowans Vote on Marriage

September 30, 2011 at 9:00 am

Iowa Politics tried to elide the difference but ... only Cindy Golding says she will support a marriage amendment that allows the people of Iowa to decide. Liz Mathis, the Democrat, says no way she'll trust the voters on this:

Both candidates in the high-profile Iowa Senate District 18 race were reluctant Wednesday to answer questions about same-sex marriage, a hot topic likely to be on the minds of voters in the special election that will determine control of the Iowa Senate.

Liz Mathis, a former television news anchor from Robins [...] officially became the Democratic candidate in the race Wednesday night.

Cindy Golding, a businesswoman from rural Cedar Rapids who’s the Republican candidate in Iowa Senate District 18, told IowaPolitics.com that Iowans deserve to have a vote on the issue, but declined to shed light on her personal beliefs about same-sex marriage.

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