Tag: National Organization for Marriage

Hate Group Activist Recants Opposition to Gay Marriage

Jon Ponder

Louis Marinelli, a key activist with the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), an anti-gay group that the Southern Poverty Law Center includes on its official list of hate groups, has recanted his opposition to civil marriage rights for same-sex couples.

From Good As You:

While still not in full support of homosexuality on some levels (where he needs our help to correct misinformation), Louis is now a) repudiating virtually all of the vitriol that he put on the public record; b) is owning up to the major role that he’s played with NOM, including admitting that he was the impetus behind the whole summer tour; and c) is coming out in full support of the civil marriage rights that gay people are seeking.

And even more important that that: He, the man who gave NOM its official “protect marriage” Facebook page and who has been working as an independent contractor with the org. ever since (and still is, reporting directly to Brian Brown, at least up until the moment this post goes live), quite literally credits exposure to the NOM tour as the very thing that led to his change of heart!!!!!

NOM’S Tour mastermind, Facebook founder and online strategist, Louis Marinelli, now supports our civil marriage equality! The [driving force behind the] much-ballyhooed Summer Marriage tour 2010 opened his eyes!

If you’re interested in the gay marriage rights, Marinelli’s recantation is a fascinating read.

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Southern Poverty Law Center Adds Anti-Gay Organizations with GOP Ties to Hate Groups List

Jon Ponder
Leaders of newly named hate groups: 1. Tony Perkins, Family Research Council; 2. Beverly La Haye, center, with former Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle and Angle's husband; 3. Maggie Gallagher, NOM; 4. Tim Wildom, American Family Association; 5. Mathew Staver, Liberty Counsel
Leaders of newly named hate groups: 1. Tony Perkins, Family Research Council; 2. Beverly La Haye, center, founder of Concerned Women for America, with former Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle and Angle's husband; 3. Maggie Gallagher, National Organization for Marriage; 4. Tim Wildom, American Family Association; 5. Mathew Staver, Liberty Counsel

Apologists Demand Govt Stop Funding SPLC – But Quick Check Confirms SPLC Accepts No Govt Funding

You may have missed it in the pre-holiday buzz last week but the Southern Poverty Law Center has added some of the Republican Party’s most prominent interest groups — all of which promote anti-gay agendas — to its official list of hate groups operating in the United States:

Generally, the SPLC’s listings of these groups is based on their propagation of known falsehoods — claims about LGBT people that have been thoroughly discredited by scientific authorities — and repeated, groundless name-calling. Viewing homosexuality as unbiblical does not qualify organizations for listing as hate groups.

One thing that ties together the newly named hate groups is their connection to the evangelical base of the Republican Party. While it’s true that long-standing groups on the hate list — organizations that promote racial and ethnic hatred like the KKK and Aryan Nation, for example — are part and parcel of the conservative movement, the GOP has largely shunned interaction with these groups, at least publicly.

But many of the newly named hate groups are openly affiliated with the GOP. Unlike, say, the KKK, representatives of these hate groups openly lobby Republican members of Congress. They produce voter guides on which all the candidates listed are Republicans. Through their political action committees, some of them endorse and contribute to GOP candidates. One of them, the Family Research Council, even hosts a candidates forum that exclusively includes Republicans.

Five of the newly named hate groups that have particularly strong ties to the Republican Party include:

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