The anti-gay "National Organization for Marriage" (NOM) has clearly run out of arguments. Rather than discussing marriage, NOM's leaders are engaging in a familiar tactic in their anti-gay summer bus tour by drumming up a false narrative about the "discrimination" facing opponents of marriage equality.
Not only have their leaders tried to convince the public that they are the victims, but Brian Brown, the group's president, has gone so far as to assert that denying gay couples the rights and responsibilities of marriage is actually an outgrowth of the civil rights movement. At a recent rally in Trenton, New Jersey, Brown told followers, "You are a part of a new civil rights group."
Denying other people fundamental rights and freedoms is of course the opposite of supporting civil rights. Brown knows this, and he is purposefully distracting attention away from a discussion about marriage. NOM is doing this because they have no arguments left to can justify the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage. The truth - that is now visible in five states and D.C. - is that the freedom to marry will protect same-sex couples and their families, while hurting no one.
With their anti-gay summer tour, NOM is hoping to add to their false narrative of victimization. By holding events in communities across the country, NOM is hoping to evoke outrage and confrontation with supporters of the freedom to marry. Their latest propaganda video as a perfect example:
We can't let anger get the best of us and feed into NOM's false narrative that they will then use against us in court rooms and legislatures across the country. We must funnel our anger against anti-gay forces like NOM into constructive actions that will educate the public and move marriage forward.
With our Summer for Marriage tour, Freedom to Marry is doing just that. Local, state, and national equality groups across the country have joined with us to deliver the simple message that "Love + Commitment = Marriage."
We hope you will join us in our stand against NOM. We should not add fuel to their distractions and false narrative of "victimization." We must fight their hate with our love.