H/T to Jeremy Hooper for this "diary me" rogue's gallery (forgive me, rogues) of speakers for the March 26 March for Marriage. Pretty much a taxonomy of the enemies of marriage equality -- the really rabid ones. Let's see who they are.
First, about animus. In his decision voiding Amendment 2 in Colorado (Romer v. Evans), Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote
Its sheer breadth is so discontinuous with the reasons offered for it that the amendment seems inexplicable by anything but animus toward the class that it affects; it lacks a rational relationship to legitimate state interests.
Like that,I don't see much beside animus animating these people, although they'll all tell you it's to protect marriage.
We'll dispose of the ones you probably know first.
Brian Brown is still getting paid to be a professional homophobe, and here are the people he's rounded up to replace Maggie Gallagher, who is still in mourning over the events of the last election day. If you needed any confirmation that Maggie was the smart one of the two, here you have it.
Rev. Ruben Diaz. Well, the New Yorkers can tell us about him. I'll just link you to a Village Voice article from June 2011 (in preparation for the Christoper Street Parade) which explains how his views on marriage embarrass his children, one of whom is a lesbian.
Díaz has never seemed concerned with any apparent conflict in mashing up his interpretation of the Bible and his oath to the New York State Constitution. His official biography for the New York State Senate identifies him as "Reverend" nine times and as Senator only six times.
It goes on from there.
And then there's Robert George, Ph.D. who opposes everything liberal from the McCormick Professorship of Jurisprudence at Princeton University. He's the brains behind NOM, as it happens. Normally, he works in the background, but now that there's no Maggie to carry his water, he's stepping up to speak, as he does at special events like the ones Glenn Beck puts on. From Right Wing Watch, here's George on how marriage equality inevitably leads to big government:
Yes it’s an invitation to big government, it makes big government inevitable for the two reasons I articulated: one, the provision of social welfare services; and two, the provision of security, both of which expand with the breakup of the family. Of course, big government eventually means financial catastrophe and bankruptcy because as Mrs. Thatcher famously said, ‘sooner or later you run out of other people’s money to spend,’ and that’s the condition that we find ourselves in and I again would broaden the blame here.
No comment, although using Margaret Thatcher as an authority . . .
Five of the remaining six are ministers of one sort or another. Alphabetically, let's start with Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, the big slap in the face Pope Ratzinger gave the Archdiocese of San Francisco. You'll remember that he was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol last August. I don't usually link to HuffPo, but this is just too good to pass up. This is what he told the Catholic Herald of the United Kingdom recently:
Legislating for the right for people of the same sex to marry is like legalizing male breastfeeding.
You will also remember that as Bishop of Oakland, the bishopric with the highest percentage of lesbian couples in the United States, he
coordinated the campaign for Prop 8. I guess he's there to take the heat off Dolan.
Rev. Jim Garlow is the pastor of a megachurch near San Diego, and he was intimately involved with Prop 8 as well. Since this march is scheduled for the day before the Supreme Court hears the DOMA and Prop 8 cases, I guess he and the Archbishop are there to say "Judge Roberts, PLEASE don't embarrass us." We've already seen how well the Archbishop does that. Wikipedia tells us Garlow wants to be a test case for allowing religious people to talk politics from the pulpit during services. I think all you need to know about him is that he was Chairman of Newt Gingrich's Renewing American Leadership., but here's some remarkable hyperbole from Garlow courtesy of Right Wing Watch. From May 2012:
Garlow warned that advances in marriage equality will eventually force the Christian church underground because the gay agenda is all about "coercion, and crushing, and taking away our liberties and freedoms." But nonetheless, Garlow said, Christians must be willing to stand up and speak out in opposition even though "we are coming into an era where it could cost us everything, including our lives."
From another megachurch, this one in Beltsville, MD, we have
Bishop Harry Jackson, Jr., (the title is Pentecostal) who at least won't have to travel very far. Jackson, incidentally, also
writes for townhall.com. He thinks of himself based on the bio there as the protector of America's moral compass. From
RightWingWatch:
"Gay rights activists may be threatening to expose historic improprieties within the [Boy Scouts]. I also believe that behind the scenes, 'secret files' dug up in previous legal actions have created an urgency for these groups to attempt to affect the Supreme Court’s sense of 'societal swing'—just before the Supreme Court rules on the issue of gay marriage. You can bet the timing is connected."
Alice in Wonderland, anyone?
Next, Bishop George McKinney, founder of St. Stephen's Cathedral Church of God in Christ in Dallas. A great friend of NOM, who published McKinney's statement on Judge Vaughan Walker's decision on Prop 8 in August 2010:
Seven million Californians went to the polls on November 2008 to vote to protect marriage. This federal judge in San Francisco has taken away our right to vote for marriage as one man and one woman, using specious and outrageous comparisons between same-sex unions and interracial marriage. Support for marriage is not at all like support for racism. I pray that the higher courts and/or the Congress will overcome this unjust action on the part of Judge Walker, and that in the end truth and justice for marriage will prevail.
Specious and outrageous. Unjust. Hm. As Jackson writes for townhall.org, McKinney has a direct line to
the Daily Caller, which here lets him pitch a hissy-fit because Thomas Roberts asked Maggie Gallagher a difficult question
“Maggie,” anchor Tom Roberts asked NOM’s Maggie Gallagher, “Do you defend your own race-baiting to further bigotry and homophobia on a national level?”
in March 2012. Whats wrong with that? Seems us gay folk don't know what "equality" means. More Alice in Wonderland.
And then we have Rev. William Owens. I'l let RightWingWatch explain him:
Reverend William (Bill) Owens is the founder and president of a tiny outfit that goes by the name of the Coalition of African-American Pastors. The group’s sole reason for existing appears to be attacking African-American leaders and organizations from the right. Among other things, Owens thinks a man having sex with another man is like a man having sex with a dog. He also thinks that people become gay because they were molested as kids. But more on that later.
The "more" is an invitation to compare the Reverend with the NAACP and President Obama on these issues,
Finally, a woman (I"m tempted to say "token" here but given the attitudes of the people involved which I'm sure include a belief in patriarchy, I guess we should be thankful). Usually, this would be Jennifer Roback Morse, but,as Jeremy notes
Interestingly, NOM's own Jennifer Roback Morse, one of the first announced speakers, is no longer listed on any of the promotional materials. Wonder if her increasing penchant for going off message (read: pulling the curtain off the less convenient truths that sustain this movement) got her bumped.
So, pinch-hitting for Ms. Morse we have Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women of America, who recently said that the
confirmation of Chuck Hagel overlooks the actual needs of the country to maintain a large nuclear arsenal because North Korea. Here's her statement
on the announcement that the Court will hear DOMA and Prop 8. Her conclusion:
"CWA will continue to stand for God's model for marriage by submitting to the Supreme Court its marriage amicus brief, showing homosexuals are not a 'suspect class' as defined by law."
Sigh.
It's all very "My will be done," not "Thy will be done." Since we know what happens when they think their rights are being taken away, let's see how they react when we gain rights that should have been ours all along.