In the last weeks we've seen many prominent New Yorkers tape messages that are eloquent and heartfelt appeals to New Yorkers' better nature to support the basic respect for family and friends, support for the progress of civil rights and equality under the law. National Organization for Marriage has posted a video response.
And it's a collection of hatred and nonsense.
Equality Platform rightly assesses:
It’s the type of video I would expect a pro-LGBT watchdog group to post. In general, NOM attempts to portray itself as representing mainstream values. The above video either represents a dramatic shift in strategy or a dramatic misstep.
The video is clips from the May 15th National Organization for Marriage-sponsored hate rally where preachers implored from the podium that gay people were "worthy of death," among the many hateful, Bible-based denunciations of gay people heard that day.
Pseudo-science is a theme in the NOM video, like this man's nonsensical rant:
"We can't teach the children to study math and science and when we do something here that doesn't make any kind of sense at all. It's algebraically incorrect. A man plus a woman doesn't equal a man plus a man. A man plus a woman doesn't equal a woman plus a woman. So it doesn't work. It's illogical, so we shouldn't go that way."
Well, something's definitely illogical here. "Hey, you got science in my superstition, you got superstition in my science!" "Tastes like crap!"
“There is no way that you can make an equality between the same sex. Scientifically they have tried and it has failed and the reason why is because it is against the nature.”
Scientists have tried? I'd be very interested to see the research on that.
Of course, lots of theocracy:
"Our founding Fathers brought Christianity into this Government, we must go back to our roots of our beliefs."
“I believe that this is an injustice against the American family. I believe this is an injustice against religion. I think that it’s a way of sweeping emotional health under the rug.”
Ah, the contagious nature of teh gay.
“I want to send a message that, think about it, think about the message that you’re giving to our children, to our nephews, to all our families.”
It's amazing they selected this man at the 1:05 mark as a spokesperson. The anger and and anti-gay animus is all over his face. It's really frightening.
“If you legalize marriage, they will use that legal leverage to teach the kids in the school something I don’t want my kids to be taught.”
The "they'll have to teach your kids how to be gay in the schools" talking point has been
thoroughly debunked by PolitiFact as a flat-out lie. But still, they bang that drum over and over.
The only thing sadder than these people is the fact that they are, thus far, expressing the winning arguments.
But, no one from National Organization for Marriage stepped up to testify in the Proposition 8 Federal court challenge in favor of its Constitutionality. Why did they take a pass?
As Proposition 8 plaintiff attorney David Bois said on Face the Nation:
"In a court of law you've got to come in and you've got to support those opinions, you've got to stand up under oath and cross-examination," Boies said. "And what we saw at trial is that it's very easy for the people who want to deprive gay and lesbian citizens of the right to vote [sic] to make all sorts of statements and campaign literature, or in debates where they can't be cross-examined.
"But when they come into court and they have to support those opinions and they have to defend those opinions under oath and cross-examination, those opinions just melt away. And that's what happened here. There simply wasn't any evidence, there weren't any of those studies. There weren't any empirical studies. That's just made up. That's junk science. It's easy to say that on television. But a witness stand is a lonely place to lie. And when you come into court you can't do that.
"That's what we proved: We put fear and prejudice on trial, and fear and prejudice lost," Boies said.
In a court of law, you can't argue the Founding Fathers wanted everyone to have a Biblically-compliant marriage and "algebraically incorrect" makes no sense and is insupportable. So, Maggie Gallagher and Brian Brown watched from the sidelines while their silly arguments were torn to shreds and
Justice prevailed.
If you're in New York, please call your Senator and tell them "Do not let these hateful people win this time." Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's Friendfactor page makes it super-easy to find your Senator and place the call.