I personally hope and pray that African-Americans would sit up and be pro active for equal right for everybody. They should now what it is like to be denied, equal rights, marriage rights, voting rights, we still are fighting to keep it all together. The Republicans are trying to take it all away, And we can ill afford for them to take away the United States of America
If We the People sit back and do nothing, they will win.
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
9:05 p.m. | Updated An
internal memorandum from one of the country’s leading organizations
against same-sex marriage outlined a plan to help its cause by
exploiting unease among blacks over the issue.
The undated memo was one of several documents unsealed by a federal judge on Monday in a case in Maine, where the group, the National Organization for Marriage, helped finance a successful ballot initiative in 2009 overturning the state’s legalization of same-sex marriage.
“The strategic goal of the project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks — two key Democratic constituencies,” the memo says, describing an initiative called the “Not a Civil Right Project.”
The project’s goal, according to the memo, was to recruit blacks who opposed same-sex marriage to represent the group, and then “provoke the gay marriage base into responding by denouncing these spokesmen and women as bigots.”
The group is battling in court to overturn Maine ethics laws that could require it to reveal some donors. The documents, which also discussed the group’s finances, were obtained and circulated by the Human Rights Campaign. The news Web site BuzzFeed reported on the memos on Monday night.
The memos — providing an unusual inside glimpse of the strategic thinking of the country’s most prominent group opposing same-sex marriage — quickly drew attacks from gay rights and civil rights organizations.
“Nothing beats hearing from the horse’s mouth exactly how callous and extremist this group really is,” Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement.
The group’s strategy, the memo suggested, was inspired by Proposition 8, the successful effort in 2008 to outlaw same-sex marriage in California. The referendum passed with strong support from black voters, who had turned out heavily to vote for Barack Obama for president.123
Legislation to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland failed in 2011, in part because of opposition from some black religious leaders, who objected to advocates’ labeling of same-sex marriage as a civil rights issue and persuaded some Democratic lawmakers to withhold support. But a few months later, in New York, same-sex marriage passed with strong support from black lawmakers, and the Maryland legislature narrowly approved the measure there last month.
In a New York Times/CBS News Poll in February, 29 percent of black respondents said gay couples should be allowed to legally marry, while 23 percent said they should be allowed to form civil unions. But 35 percent said there should be no legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship, and 12 percent had no opipondents, 40 percent said they should be allowed to legally marry, while just 5 percent had no opinion.
Gay rights groups have recruited black leaders to advocate on behalf of same-sex marriage. The Human Rights Campaign created a series of videos last year including prominent African-Americans, like Julian Bond, the former N.A.A.C.P. chairman.
Brian S. Brown, executive director of the National Organization for Marriage, defended the group’s approach, saying, “African-Americans overwhelmingly oppose same-sex marriage.”
Though the group had fought in court to keep the documents sealed, Mr. Brown said on Tuesday that he was “actually thankful that they gave us a platform to let us make clear that it is the Democratic Party that is creating the division.”
He added that President Obama has not added same-sex marriage to the Democratic platform.
The memo also discussed other groups’ efforts to organize boycotts of businesses that opposed same-sex marriage in California and elsewhere. “One key advantage we now have is the capacity to protect the identity of our donors,” the memo reads.
The National Organization for Marriage is organized as a nonprofit social welfare organization, so unlike purely political groups, it is not required to disclose its donors’ identities. But Maine law requires any individual or group that raises or spends more than $5,000 to influence a ballot question to disclose the names of donors who gave more than $100 for that purpose.
During the 2009 ballot fight, the state’s ethics commission began an investigation into the group for failing to make those disclosures. In response, the group sued, arguing that the state’s law is unconstitutional.
The undated memo was one of several documents unsealed by a federal judge on Monday in a case in Maine, where the group, the National Organization for Marriage, helped finance a successful ballot initiative in 2009 overturning the state’s legalization of same-sex marriage.
“The strategic goal of the project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks — two key Democratic constituencies,” the memo says, describing an initiative called the “Not a Civil Right Project.”
The project’s goal, according to the memo, was to recruit blacks who opposed same-sex marriage to represent the group, and then “provoke the gay marriage base into responding by denouncing these spokesmen and women as bigots.”
The group is battling in court to overturn Maine ethics laws that could require it to reveal some donors. The documents, which also discussed the group’s finances, were obtained and circulated by the Human Rights Campaign. The news Web site BuzzFeed reported on the memos on Monday night.
The memos — providing an unusual inside glimpse of the strategic thinking of the country’s most prominent group opposing same-sex marriage — quickly drew attacks from gay rights and civil rights organizations.
“Nothing beats hearing from the horse’s mouth exactly how callous and extremist this group really is,” Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement.
The group’s strategy, the memo suggested, was inspired by Proposition 8, the successful effort in 2008 to outlaw same-sex marriage in California. The referendum passed with strong support from black voters, who had turned out heavily to vote for Barack Obama for president.123
Legislation to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland failed in 2011, in part because of opposition from some black religious leaders, who objected to advocates’ labeling of same-sex marriage as a civil rights issue and persuaded some Democratic lawmakers to withhold support. But a few months later, in New York, same-sex marriage passed with strong support from black lawmakers, and the Maryland legislature narrowly approved the measure there last month.
In a New York Times/CBS News Poll in February, 29 percent of black respondents said gay couples should be allowed to legally marry, while 23 percent said they should be allowed to form civil unions. But 35 percent said there should be no legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship, and 12 percent had no opipondents, 40 percent said they should be allowed to legally marry, while just 5 percent had no opinion.
Gay rights groups have recruited black leaders to advocate on behalf of same-sex marriage. The Human Rights Campaign created a series of videos last year including prominent African-Americans, like Julian Bond, the former N.A.A.C.P. chairman.
Brian S. Brown, executive director of the National Organization for Marriage, defended the group’s approach, saying, “African-Americans overwhelmingly oppose same-sex marriage.”
Though the group had fought in court to keep the documents sealed, Mr. Brown said on Tuesday that he was “actually thankful that they gave us a platform to let us make clear that it is the Democratic Party that is creating the division.”
He added that President Obama has not added same-sex marriage to the Democratic platform.
The memo also discussed other groups’ efforts to organize boycotts of businesses that opposed same-sex marriage in California and elsewhere. “One key advantage we now have is the capacity to protect the identity of our donors,” the memo reads.
The National Organization for Marriage is organized as a nonprofit social welfare organization, so unlike purely political groups, it is not required to disclose its donors’ identities. But Maine law requires any individual or group that raises or spends more than $5,000 to influence a ballot question to disclose the names of donors who gave more than $100 for that purpose.
During the 2009 ballot fight, the state’s ethics commission began an investigation into the group for failing to make those disclosures. In response, the group sued, arguing that the state’s law is unconstitutional.
In Secret Documents, Anti-Gay Marriage Group Looked To Divide Gays, Blacks
Blunt language and broad plans from the National Organization for Marriage. A goal: “Fanning the hostility.” Another project: “Sideswiping Obama.”
posted
The leading opponents of same-sex marriage planned to defeat
campaigns for gay marriage by "fanning the hostility" between black
voters from gay voters and by casting President Obama as a radical foe
of marriage, according to confidential documents made public in a Maine
court today.
The documents, circulated by the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign, are marked "confidential" and detail the internal strategy of the National Organization for Marriage.
“The strategic goal of this project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks—two key Democratic constituencies," says an internal report on 2008 and 2009 campaigns, in a section titled the "Not A Civil Right Project."
"Find, equip, energize and connect African American spokespeople for marriage, develop a media campaign around their objections to gay marriage as a civil right; provoke the gay marriage base into responding by denouncing these spokesmen and women as bigots," advises the document, which is a road map to the successful campaign against same-sex marriage in California.
The document also targets Hispanic voters, whom conservatives have long hoped would join the backlash against gay rights.
"The Latino vote in America is a key swing vote, and will be so even more so in the future, both because of demographic growth and inherent uncertainty: Will the process of assimilation to the dominant Anglo culture lead Hispanics to abandon traditional family values?" the document asks. "We must interrupt this process of assimilation by making support for marriage a key badge of Latino identity - a symbol of resistance to inappropriate assimilation."
A spokesman for Human Rights Campaign, which has battled NOM tooth and nail for several years, said the documents showed a darker side of the conservative organization.
"Nothing beats hearing from the horse’s mouth exactly how callous and extremist this group really is," said HRC's Campaign Media Director, Kevin Nix.
The documents also makes clear that NOM's plans include the 2012 election.
In a "$20 million strategy for victory" keyed to the 2010 midterm elections, the group says its agenda "requires defeating the pro-gay Obama agenda."
"A pro-marriage president must be elected in 2012," the document says, although Obama has offered tepid opposition to same-sex marriage.
The same document, an update to the group's board, described a $1 million plan through the conservative American Principles Project to "expose Obama as a social radical."
The section, headed "Sideswiping Obama," suggests raising "side issues" including pornography to attack Democrats' flanks.
The group also sought to identify "victims" of same-sex marriage — children raised in gay households — and in another document budgeted $120,000 to locate "children of gay parents willing to speak on camera."
The documents emerged in a dispute over campaign financing under Maine law, and also include detailed 2009 budget plans for the group, whose spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comments on the document.
The documents, circulated by the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign, are marked "confidential" and detail the internal strategy of the National Organization for Marriage.
“The strategic goal of this project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks—two key Democratic constituencies," says an internal report on 2008 and 2009 campaigns, in a section titled the "Not A Civil Right Project."
"Find, equip, energize and connect African American spokespeople for marriage, develop a media campaign around their objections to gay marriage as a civil right; provoke the gay marriage base into responding by denouncing these spokesmen and women as bigots," advises the document, which is a road map to the successful campaign against same-sex marriage in California.
The document also targets Hispanic voters, whom conservatives have long hoped would join the backlash against gay rights.
"The Latino vote in America is a key swing vote, and will be so even more so in the future, both because of demographic growth and inherent uncertainty: Will the process of assimilation to the dominant Anglo culture lead Hispanics to abandon traditional family values?" the document asks. "We must interrupt this process of assimilation by making support for marriage a key badge of Latino identity - a symbol of resistance to inappropriate assimilation."
A spokesman for Human Rights Campaign, which has battled NOM tooth and nail for several years, said the documents showed a darker side of the conservative organization.
"Nothing beats hearing from the horse’s mouth exactly how callous and extremist this group really is," said HRC's Campaign Media Director, Kevin Nix.
The documents also makes clear that NOM's plans include the 2012 election.
In a "$20 million strategy for victory" keyed to the 2010 midterm elections, the group says its agenda "requires defeating the pro-gay Obama agenda."
"A pro-marriage president must be elected in 2012," the document says, although Obama has offered tepid opposition to same-sex marriage.
The same document, an update to the group's board, described a $1 million plan through the conservative American Principles Project to "expose Obama as a social radical."
The section, headed "Sideswiping Obama," suggests raising "side issues" including pornography to attack Democrats' flanks.
The group also sought to identify "victims" of same-sex marriage — children raised in gay households — and in another document budgeted $120,000 to locate "children of gay parents willing to speak on camera."
The documents emerged in a dispute over campaign financing under Maine law, and also include detailed 2009 budget plans for the group, whose spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comments on the document.
UPDATE: National Organization for Marriage President Brian Brown
released a statement Tuesday morning on the documents, which does not
refer to the documents but touts the organizations credentials with
African-Americans and Hispanics:
The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) was formed in 2007 and has worked extensively with supporters of traditional marriage from every color, creed and background. We have worked with prominent African-American and Hispanic leaders, including Dr. Aveeda King, Bishop George McKinney of the COGIC Church, Bishop Harry Jackson and the New York State Sen. Reverend Rubén Díaz Sr., all of whom share our concern about protecting marriage as the union of one man and one woman.Gay marriage advocates have attempted to portray same-sex marriage as a civil right, and the voices of these and many other leaders have provided powerful witness that this claim is patently false. Gay marriage is not a civil right, and we will continue to point this out in written materials such as those released in Maine. We proudly bring together people of different races, creeds and colors to fight for our most fundamental institution: marriage.
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