Comments on: National Organiztion for Marriage Warns of a “Gathering Storm” of Gay Rights

By: Some Facts/What This Means for You

Some Facts/What This Means for You — Fri, 22 May 2009 02:31:58 +0000

The Choice of a New Generation…

Harness the horses! Gather the forces! We’re going to culture war!
The culture war is a construct used to obscure the fact that there are actual people affected by these supposedly abstract debates over rights and government action. That tho…

By: Angela

Angela — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:06:58 +0000

The moment the governor of RI (Don Carcieri) decided to uphold the values of NOM and stand against gay marriage for RI, I started to see these commercials on my TV. I’m sorry, but this poor vulnerable victimized MA mom doesn’t want her children to be taught that gay marriage is OK? Well, I don’t want to be enjoying my favorite television show only to have your hate mongering brain vomit thrown down my throat. Considering I stand for equal rights, who seems to be the victim now?

Honestly, and most unfortunately, there is really NO reasoning with people who are this lost. My own father, who is honestly a very reasonable and normally decent man, is against gay marriage. And when I tried to understand why, his reasoning was this: “Why should some guy I work with who is married to a man be able to share his pension and health insurance with that guy?” And I said (biting my tongue): “Because Dad…..you are able to share those very things with mom, it’s absolutely NO different – other than genitals. The love is there, the commitment is there, and they deserve all the same rights that you and mom are able to have.” And his response? “I just don’t agree with it.”

I don’t doubt that any of these right wing assholes HAVE NO IDEA WHY they are so opposed to this. I’ll tell you why, BECAUSE IT’S DIFFERENT. This lack of reasoning pisses me off to no end.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:56:45 +0000

Here’s how this would’ve read in 1860:

“There’s a storm gathering. The clouds are dark and the winds are strong and I am afraid. Some who advocate for anti-slavery have taken the issue far beyond African couples. They want to bring the issue into my life. My freedom will be taken away. I’m a California doctor who must choose between my faith and my job. I’m part of a New Jersey church group punished by the government because we can’t support anti-slavery. I’m a Massachusetts parent helplessly watching public schools teach my son that slaves have rights too. But some who advocate anti-slavery have not been content with freed slaves living as they wish. Those advocates want to change the way I live. I will have no choice. The storm is coming. But we have hope, a rainbow coalition of people of every creed and color are coming together in love to protect slavery.”

By: someone

someone — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 23:13:26 +0000

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

Then they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
I did not speak out;
I was not a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out for me.

By: Alyssa

Alyssa — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:21:46 +0000

The anti-gay marriage campaigns use the tactic of fear to convince people to be against gay marriage and it works (read: Prop 8 in CA). People really do think that allowing gay marriage will somehow affect their lives. We need to clear the air and let people see for themselves that this isn’t true, and these accusations are just using scare tactics.
Their common arguments are:
1. “Allowing gay marriage will destroy marriage”
How? Please give me one example of how someone else’s marriage affects your own?
2. “My church shouldn’t have to marry gay couples.”
We need to make it clear that no one is asking this. Just as churches can refuse to marry people outside of their faith (or members of the church), people who are not baptized, people who have been divorced, etc., churches can still refuse to marry gay couples if the state legalizes gay marriage.
3. “I believe that homosexuality is wrong, and I don’t want my child’s school teaching my child it is okay.”
Schools are not required to teach that gay marriage is okay. Every state has a set of standards (usually based off of national standards), and I have not yet seen a standard that mentions gay (or even straight marriage). This means that schools do not teach kids about gay marriage. Say it with me now: schools do NOT teach anything about gay marriage. If your kid’s teacher says starts teaching your kids about gay marriage, you have the right to complain to the principal and the right to have your child placed in a different class.
The idea that schools are teaching kids about homosexuality is a myth. Next time anyone tells you they don’t want schools teaching their kids about gay marriage politely ask them to show you the standard that would require that. You may not win over the person that you are talking to, but you might just get the point across to anyone else listening.
4. “Homosexuality is a sin”
You have every right to think this. However, you do NOT have the right to take away other people’s right based on your sense of morality. Voting for gay marriage is not an endorsement for homosexuality. It is just a statement that you shouldn’t be telling others how to live their lives.

By: cathy

cathy — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 04:11:59 +0000

I wonder if they realized that their name NOM sounds like NAM (at least with some accents). Everytime I hear it I think NAM? I thought that ended decades ago….

By: Bakka

Bakka — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:26:44 +0000

Here is an interesting video that asks Canadians how legalizing same-sex marriage (about 4 years ago) has changed their lives http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z08DWTOW8s the answer from most, “not at all.” Why would things be different in the USA?

By: hermes

hermes — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:27:33 +0000

co-opt THEIR language right back at them! someone should start a pro-gay-marriage group with a very similar name, such as the National Marriage Organization or the American Organization for Marriage. more at http://hermesjourneys.blogspot.com/2009/04/redefining-marriage.html

By: evil_fizz

evil_fizz — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:00:17 +0000

These actors look like they REALLY don’t want to be there. Like they’re totally ashamed to have to show up and say these words and are wincing in anticipation of this being on TV for the entire country to see. But they need the money, sooooo… Have you not seen the footage from the audition tapes, which were apparently leaked. They're very funny. Plus, it's Rachel Maddow showing them.

By: Bushfire

Bushfire — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:37:36 +0000

That Onion article had me howling with laughter. Thanks for posting it.