WILL MUSE CONDEMN THE HATER-ADE? - Maryland Juice readers are reporting that the anti-gay "National Organization for Marriage" (aka NOM) is robo-polling voters on behalf of U.S. Senate candidate Anthony Muse. They are calling Free State voters in an attempt to identify marriage equality opponents who they can push to support Mr. Muse in the Democratic Primary. A reader alerts us to the news:
NOM CAUGHT STOKING RACIAL DIVISIONS: Notably, NOM has recently come under fire after leaked documents reveal a shocking and vile strategy of overtly trying to pit racial groups against each other. A Maryland NAACP leader recently condemned their actions (see press release below). Notably, NOM is seeking to stoke divisions among African Americans and Latinos with marriage equality supporter and Democrats. They also see obstructing the "assimilation" of Latino residents as a part of their strategy. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) posted the documents online (read here) and highlighted a few key sections:
BALTIMORE - Earlier this week a federal court ordered that internal documents written by the National Organization for Marriage, one of the nation's leading anti-gay groups that funds the Maryland Marriage Alliance, be publicly disclosed. The memos reveal a racially-charged approach to stopping marriage equality. One of NOM's key goals, according to the memo, is to “drive a wedge between gays and blacks” and to manipulate Hispanic communities. Elbridge James, Chair of the Maryland State NAACP Political Action Committee and longtime civil rights advocate, issued this statement through Marylanders for Marriage Equality.
“It’s deplorable that the National Organization for Marriage is using race to pit Marylanders against each other. This is wrong. People can and will debate the merits of marriage equality, which I think is all about fairness and stronger families, but trying to divide Marylanders based on race is a tactic that only hurts all Marylanders. Regardless of where you are on this issue, there is no room for racial exploitation. The people of Maryland should not be used.”
Marylanders for Marriage Equality has launched a Facebook and Twitter campaign urging supporters to “Share this graphic to tell the National Organization for Marriage that racial division won't work in Maryland. Marylanders know when they're being used.”
Marylanders for Marriage Equality is the coalition—including 1199 SEIU, Equality Maryland, Progressive Maryland, Human Rights Campaign, ACLU of Maryland, and others—working to bring civil marriage equality to Maryland. http://marylandersformarriageequality.org/
NOM is doing robocalling for Muse today. They ask you two questions after announcing the call is from NOM: (1) are you a registered voter in MD, (2) do you believe marriage should be believe a man and a woman. If you answer yes to both, you get anti-marriage equality appeal to vote for Muse.
NOM CAUGHT STOKING RACIAL DIVISIONS: Notably, NOM has recently come under fire after leaked documents reveal a shocking and vile strategy of overtly trying to pit racial groups against each other. A Maryland NAACP leader recently condemned their actions (see press release below). Notably, NOM is seeking to stoke divisions among African Americans and Latinos with marriage equality supporter and Democrats. They also see obstructing the "assimilation" of Latino residents as a part of their strategy. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) posted the documents online (read here) and highlighted a few key sections:
Today HRC got a hold of internal NOM documents that shed light on the anti-LGBT movement’s overall strategy. These documents were just unsealed in Maine mid-afternoon. The docs are part of the ongoing investigation by the State of Maine into the campaign finance activities of NOM in that state. Much more to come but some high (low) lights from PDF page 13 of the “confidential” 2008-09 report to the NOM Board of Directors:
“The strategic goal of this project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks—two key Democratic constituencies. 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…”
Another passage:
"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? 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."
On PDF page 12, it talks about “sideswiping Obama,” painting him as a “social radical” and talking about “side issues” like pornography.
PRESS RELEASE
Maryland NAACP Official Condemns
Anti-Gay Group’s Racial Tactics
Campaign Launches Social Media Effort
BALTIMORE - Earlier this week a federal court ordered that internal documents written by the National Organization for Marriage, one of the nation's leading anti-gay groups that funds the Maryland Marriage Alliance, be publicly disclosed. The memos reveal a racially-charged approach to stopping marriage equality. One of NOM's key goals, according to the memo, is to “drive a wedge between gays and blacks” and to manipulate Hispanic communities. Elbridge James, Chair of the Maryland State NAACP Political Action Committee and longtime civil rights advocate, issued this statement through Marylanders for Marriage Equality.
“It’s deplorable that the National Organization for Marriage is using race to pit Marylanders against each other. This is wrong. People can and will debate the merits of marriage equality, which I think is all about fairness and stronger families, but trying to divide Marylanders based on race is a tactic that only hurts all Marylanders. Regardless of where you are on this issue, there is no room for racial exploitation. The people of Maryland should not be used.”
Marylanders for Marriage Equality has launched a Facebook and Twitter campaign urging supporters to “Share this graphic to tell the National Organization for Marriage that racial division won't work in Maryland. Marylanders know when they're being used.”
Marylanders for Marriage Equality is the coalition—including 1199 SEIU, Equality Maryland, Progressive Maryland, Human Rights Campaign, ACLU of Maryland, and others—working to bring civil marriage equality to Maryland. http://marylandersformarriageequality.org/
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