NOM president Brian Brown admits to using race as a "wedge" against marriage equality

 

Responding to the growing controversy about the National Organization for Marriage's plans to pit African Americans against gays to create tensions in order to achieve their goal of denying equal rights to gays, NOM president Brian Brown today acknowledged and admitted to using marriage equality as a "wedge" between the two communities:

Gay marriage advocates have attempted to portray same-sex marriage as a civil right, but 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.

Everything in this statement confirms the strategy of using people of color as spokespeople and using the language of “civil rights” as a catalyst for division.

Brown's statement was issued in response to the revelation that NOM has based stategies against the LGBT community for years by attempting to "drive a wedge" between gays and the black community. From their own documents recently made available:

“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…”

The freedom to marry is a civil right, crucial to same-sex families’ ability to pursue life, liberty, and happiness just as all families do.

Read more on the growing controversy at the New York Times.

Military academies begin holding first gay pride events

 

More than six months after official repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” gay pride events at military academies are cropping up, the Associated Press reports:

Cadets in uniform at Norwich University, the nation's oldest private military academy, participated Monday in sessions about handling bullying and harassment as part of the school's first gay pride week. The events are believed to be the first of their kind on a military campus.

Until last year, only a select few at Norwich knew of the sexual orientation of Joshua Fontanez, 22, of Browns Mills, N.J., a past president of the student government who quietly laid the groundwork for the school's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Allies Club, which held its first meeting the day the law ended.

"The aspects of my sexual orientation, how that played in the military, that was something I was willing to sacrifice, being open versus serving my nation," Fontanez said. "It's something I feel I was truly called toward and truly loved, so it's great that I don't have necessarily to make that sacrifice."

Similar groups have formed at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

For many of the newly open student leaders, the changes brought by the end of "don't ask, don't tell" haven't overwhelmed, despite the years-long political wrangling that culminated in the policy change.

"It was definitely a big change, but it happened over such a long period of time for me that it didn't seem like that big of a deal," said Coast Guard Academy Senior Chip Hall, 21, of Monterrey, Calif.

The West Point Spectrum, modeled after the Coast Guard organization, is being formed with little fanfare.

"Everyone has been very professional here at the academy," said West Point Cadet Andrew Fitzsimmons, 19, a sophomore from Algonac, Mich. "It's been a very positive environment."

William Levy from Dancing With The Stars

"Does anyone still wear a hat?"

More on William Levy here.

First look at Hugh Jackman as "Valjean" in Les Miserables movie

Tweeted last night by Hugh Jackman, here's a first look at Hugh as "Jean Valjean" in the upcoming film adaptation of "Les Miserables."

NOM documents show effort to drive wedge between gay and black communities

Wow. This is pretty amazing that this has come to light. Finally.

Today HRC's "NOM Exposed" website 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. Just a couple of telling items 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…”

On PDF page 12, it talks about “sideswiping Obama,” painting him as a “social radical” and talking about “side issues” like pornography.

We've all thought it, but to see suspicions confirmed in print about driving "a wedge between gays and blacks" - wow.

More to come.

America's Best Christian Betty Bowers on the GOP

Fabulous! Thanks Betty!

Check out Betty Bowers on Facebook.

Movie "Bully" will be released without film rating

Via press release: After a recent plea to the MPAA by BULLY teen Alex Libby and The Weinstein Company (TWC) Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein failed – by one vote – to get the film its deserved PG-13 rating, TWC is choosing to move forward with releasing the film unrated by the MPAA on March 30.

Furthering proof that the R rating for some language is inappropriate for a film that’s meant to educate and help parents, teachers, school officials and children with what’s become an epidemic in schools around the country, the fight against the rating continues on. The outpour of support by politicians, schools, parents, celebrities and activists for the film’s mission to be seen by those it was made for – children – has been overwhelming. Nearly half a million people have signed Michigan high school student and former bullying victim Katy Butler’s petition on Change.org to urge the MPAA to lower the rating.

Said BULLY Director Lee Hirsch, “The small amount of language in the film that’s responsible for the R rating is there because it’s real. It’s what the children who are victims of bullying face on most days. All of our supporters see that, and we’re grateful for the support we’ve received across the board. I know the kids will come, so it’s up to the theaters to let them in.”

I think this looks like a very important film for kids - especially - to see. I'm hoping the theater owners will watch the film themselves and realize the message and power a movie like this can have.

I was bullied like the kids in this film were when I was in school. Big ways, small ways. It made going to school an experienced I dreaded some days.

The idea that adults and kids would work together to change the toxic atmosphere in some schools is fantastic. And kids today need to see that.

Go see the movie on March 30. And take some kids with you.