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{{Unbalanced|date=September 2009}}
{{Infobox Organization
|name = National Organization for Marriage
|image = National Organization for Marriage.gif
|size = 120px
|motto = Protecting Marriage and the Faith Communities that Sustain It
|formation = 2007
|type = 501(c)(4) nonprofit
|headquarters = ]
|leader_title = President
|leader_name = Brian S. Brown
|website =
}}

The '''National Organization for Marriage''' ('''NOM''') is a group that seeks to prevent the ] and acceptance of ].<ref>{{cite news | http://www.edgesanfrancisco.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=news&sc3=&id=95604 | title= Group that opposes gay marriage now targeting Iowa | last=Crumb | first=Michael J. | date=August 27, 2009 | agency=Associated Press | accessdate=December 7, 2009 }}</ref><ref>NOM advertised against marriage equality in New Jersey claiming "The rights of people who think marriage means a man and a woman will no longer matter: We'll all have to accept same-sex marriage whether we like it or not."</ref> NOM's stated mission is "to protect marriage and the faith communities that sustain it."<ref name="nationformarriage.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.nationformarriage.org/site/c.omL2KeN0LzH/b.3479573/k.E2D0/About_NOM.htm |title=About NOM - National Organization for Marriage |publisher=Nationformarriage.org |date= |accessdate=2010-03-08}}</ref> The '''National Organization for Marriage''' ('''NOM''') is a group that seeks to prevent the ] and acceptance of ].<ref>{{cite news | http://www.edgesanfrancisco.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=news&sc3=&id=95604 | title= Group that opposes gay marriage now targeting Iowa | last=Crumb | first=Michael J. | date=August 27, 2009 | agency=Associated Press | accessdate=December 7, 2009 }}</ref><ref>NOM advertised against marriage equality in New Jersey claiming "The rights of people who think marriage means a man and a woman will no longer matter: We'll all have to accept same-sex marriage whether we like it or not."</ref> NOM's stated mission is "to protect marriage and the faith communities that sustain it."<ref name="nationformarriage.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.nationformarriage.org/site/c.omL2KeN0LzH/b.3479573/k.E2D0/About_NOM.htm |title=About NOM - National Organization for Marriage |publisher=Nationformarriage.org |date= |accessdate=2010-03-08}}</ref>


Revision as of 08:18, 1 September 2010

The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is a group that seeks to prevent the legal recognition and acceptance of same-sex marriage. NOM's stated mission is "to protect marriage and the faith communities that sustain it."

The organization was founded in 2007 by the group's original president Maggie Gallagher, along with Robert P. George, a professor at Princeton University, who serves as chairman of the board. Brian S. Brown currently serves as NOM's president.

Board of Directors

NOM's original president Maggie Gallagher speaking at the Cato Institute, February 17th 2010

NOM's founding board of directors consisted of:

  • Neil Corkery, Treasurer
  • Chuck Stetson (Chairman of the Board, Bible Literacy Project)
  • Ken Von Kohorn (Chairman of the Board, Family Institute of Connecticut)
  • Luis Tellez (President, Witherspoon Institute)
  • Matthew S. Holland (faculty member, Brigham Young University),
  • Brian S. Brown, Executive Director (former Executive Director of Family Institute of Connecticut)

In April 2009, Holland was replaced on the board by Orson Scott Card (science fiction novelist and faculty member, Southern Virginia University.)

Activity

2007 Massachusetts constitutional amendment

One of the group's first public acts was to campaign in support of a 2007 Massachusetts constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, which failed to pass. The campaign included a billboard comparing representative Angelo Puppolo to Judas Iscariot and Benedict Arnold after he changed his position to oppose the amendment.

California Proposition 8

The group actively supported California Proposition 8 in 2008, which amended the state Constitution to define marriage as the union between one man and one woman.

On March 19, 2009, Fred Karger of Californians Against Hate filed a complaint with the California Fair Political Practices Commission alleging that the National Organization for Marriage was established by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served as a "pass-through committee" to direct two million dollars in church funds toward the passage of proposition 8. A church spokesman and NOM's then-president Maggie Gallagher both denied the allegations.

Stand for Marriage Maine

In 2009, NOM was the majority contributor to Stand For Marriage Maine, the organization that successfully spearheaded the campaign for Proposition 1, a voter referendum which repealed the law passed by the legislature to allow same-sex marriages in the state. Voters passed the referendum 53%-47% out of 567,057 votes cast. Out of the initial $343,000 in contributions, only $400 was attributed to any source besides NOM, an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church, or Maine's chapter of Focus on the Family, with NOM providing some $160,000.

In subsequent fundraising for Stand For Marriage Maine, NOM continued to be the largest contributor. In the quarter ended September 30, 2009, NOM provided $340,000 of the $794,180.62 raised by Stand For Marriage Maine in that quarter. In the next 11 days, NOM provided $1,100,000 of the $1,409,990.28 raised by Stand for Marriage Maine. Overall, as of the reports published as of October 23, 2009, NOM has provided 63% of the total raised by Stand For Marriage Maine ($1,600,000 out of total cash contributions of $2,547,860.40). An additional $512,820.26, or 20% of the total cash contributed to Stand For Marriage Maine, has been provided by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, though roughly 55% of that has come from out-of-state dioceses.

NOM has not released the names of its donors funding Stand For Marriage Maine (see below at Alleged Disclosure Violations).

Advertising campaigns

On April 8, 2009, NOM began a "2 Million for Marriage" (2M4M) initiative with the intention of organizing two million activists nationwide. The campaign used an advertisement, "Gathering Storm", in which actors posed against a dramatic storm-cloud background voiced opposition to same-sex marriage.

On April 30, 2009, NOM and Carrie Prejean launched another ad campaign against gay marriage, called "No Offense". In the ad, they object to being characterized as "outright bigots" because of their stance. After semi-nude photos of Prejean were posted on the Internet, causing some to accuse NOM of hypocrisy, NOM issued a press release stating that Prejean had appeared with NOM as a private citizen and not as a spokesperson. In the wake of the revelation that Prejean had made masturbation videos, NOM removed reference to the video from the front page of their website.

On May 28, 2009, NOM rolled out an anti-same-sex marriage advertising campaign in New York, stating that "Massachusetts schools teach second graders that boys can marry other boys" as an "ominous score" plays. As the Christian Science Monitor pointed out, the ad contained errors that were potentially embarrassing for a campaign based on education, closing with an on-screen admonition to "SAY NO TO SAME SAME [sic] SEX MARRAIGE [sic]". A second version, correcting the misspelling of "marriage" has been released, but it failed to correct the repetition of "same same".

On June 16, 2009, NOM issued a press release stating that they have formed a political action committee in New York named NOM PAC New York. They announced that the PAC had a target goal of providing $500,000 to fund primary challenges against any Republican state senator who votes for gay marriage. NOM also stated that they "are also looking to aid Democratic candidates who want to buck the establishment on the marriage issue, and to help in general election contests."

"Gathering Storm" advertisement

According to the Human Rights Campaign, a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) lobbying group and political action committee, "actors make disproven claims about marriage for lesbian and gay couples" in the "Gathering Storm" advertisement.

The actors in the video mention the following cases:

  1. A California doctor who is forced to choose between her religious faith and her work
  2. A member of a New Jersey church group which is punished by the state for opposing same-sex marriage
  3. A Massachusetts parent who is unable to prevent the state from teaching her children that same-sex marriage is appropriate

The first actor refers to the Benitez case in California. In this decision, the California Supreme Court found that a doctor at a fertility clinic could not violate California anti-discrimination law by refusing to treat a lesbian based on religious belief.

The second actor refers to the Ocean Grove, NJ civil union controversy, in which the Methodist Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association refused to allow a lesbian couple to use its oceanside pavilion for a civil union ceremony. The state ruled that the group could not receive a tax exemption for the pavilion under the state's Green Acres Program, which is intended to encourage availability of property for public use. The group's beachfront property other than the pavilion itself retained the tax exemption.

The third actor refers to the Lexington, MA Parker case, in which parents sued because their children were provided classroom materials that depicted same-sex marriages, including King and King, a picture book about a prince who marries another prince. Judge Mark L. Wolf of Federal District Court found against them, stating in his decision that schools are "entitled to teach anything that is reasonably related to the goals of preparing students to become engaged and productive citizens", and federal courts did not overturn the decision on appeal.

New York Times columnist Frank Rich described the "Gathering Storm" advertisement as "an Internet camp classic", and it was parodied by Stephen Colbert and the website Funny or Die.

2M4M controversy

The NOM staff did not realize that in gay parlance "2M4M" is used as personal ad code for two men seeking a third male sexual partner, creating an unintentional gaffe that was mentioned in the media. They also failed to secure the domain name and other net resources that matched their campaign. Christopher Ambler, a consultant in rapid web development who characterizes himself as a "happily married straight guy", purchased the domain "2M4M.org" and branded it as "Two Men For Marriage," running material counter to NOM's 2M4M aims. This has since spread to other internet networking sites such as Twitter and LiveJournal with various users co-opting the name.

District 23 phone campaign

NOM spent $112,736.75 on a get-out-the-vote phone campaign for Conservative Party of New York candidate Douglas Hoffman in the contentious 2009 House of Representatives campaign for New York's 23rd District. After pro-same-sex-marriage Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava withdrew from the race, Hoffman lost to Democrat Bill Owens, who also opposed gay marriage, by a 2.3% margin. State senators said that this congressional race had an impact on the New York State Senate's December 2, 2009 vote against same-sex marriage legislation.

Summer for Marriage Tour

In 2010 they staged a 23-city tour holding rallies for their marriage cause. The rallies attracted supporters and pro-gay marriage protesters. At many stops along the tour, NOM supporters were outnumbered by counter-protesters supporting same-sex marriage; in Atlanta, LGBT rights supporters outnumbered opponents of same-sex marriage by a ratio of ten to one. A few protesters in New York and Rhode Island approached the podium and attempted to shout down the speakers. The tour ended with a rally at the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., while pro-gay marriage activists held a simultaneous event at the Freedom Plaza.

After Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey, the surviving members of Peter, Paul and Mary, discovered that NOM had been using their recording of "This Land is Your Land" rallies in this tour, they sent a letter to Brian Brown requesting that NOM cease using their recording, stating that NOM's philosophy was "directly contrary to the advocacy position" held by the group.

Education fund

The NOM Education Fund is a separate, 501(c)(3) organization which NOM describes as "engaged solely in pro-marriage education and research, making information resources available to clergy, scholars, political leaders, and activists across the country." The Firefighters' Defense Fund, which existed to fund a successful sexual harassment lawsuit by firemen who claim they were forced to participate in a gay pride parade, was a NOM Education Fund project.

Alleged disclosure violations

In 2009, Californians Against Hate (CAH) filed a formal complaint with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) against NOM, saying that NOM had refused to make its IRS 990 forms public, as required by law. CAH representatives went to "the Princeton, New Jersey, offices of the National Organization for Marriage twice to get copies of their IRS 990 reports, to no avail," said CAH's president, Fred Karger. "Then our representative, Ben Katzenberg, sent two certified letters to the NOM office on March 18, 2009, requesting its two 990 forms. Federal law requires NOM to furnish copies of these IRS filings within 30 days after the request has been received. And 40 days later, still no 990s." NOM's 990 forms for 2007 and 2008 are now available on its website.

Accusations by Fred Karger also lead the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices to schedule consideration of an investigation. Maine laws require that organizations which solicit more than $5000 for a ballot question campaign file disclosure reports. NOM has contributed $1.6 million to Stand For Marriage Maine, as of October 23, 2009, without filing any disclosure reports. The commission approved an investigation on a 3-2 vote, overriding the recommendation of their staff. NOM responded by filing suit, claiming that the state's election laws violate the Constitution. NOM used the likelihood of their suit's success as an argument to obtain a federal restraining order which would keep them from having to provide donor names before the date of the election; the request was turned down by federal Judge David Brock Hornby. In January 2010, representatives of the group were subpoenaed to appear before the commission. In February, the group requested that those subpoenas be dropped, but the commission voted unanimously to deny that request. On May 23, 2010, Judge John H. Rich III of the U.S. District Court of Maine ordered NOM to submit bank statements and similar documentation, covering the dates from January 1, 2009 forward. The documents were to be submitted to Maine's Commission on Government Ethics and Election Practices within seven days of his ruling. On June 24, 2010, the commission rejected NOM's claim that the commission lacked appropriate authority and should thus cease the investigation.

In Iowa, the organization faces accusations from the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa Action Fund and One Iowa that it has failed to properly disclose its contributors. NOM's efforts in that state included spending $86,060 on the failed state House of Representatives campaign of Stephen Burgmeier.

NOM executive director Brian Brown has stated that the group does not release donor names to prevent donor intimidation by proponents of same-sex marriage.

References

This article uses bare URLs, which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot. Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style. Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting, such as reFill (documentation) and Citation bot (documentation). (March 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
  1. Crumb, Michael J. (August 27, 2009). "Group that opposes gay marriage now targeting Iowa". Associated Press. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |http://www.edgesanfrancisco.com/index.php?ch= ignored (help)
  2. NOM advertised against marriage equality in New Jersey claiming "The rights of people who think marriage means a man and a woman will no longer matter: We'll all have to accept same-sex marriage whether we like it or not."
  3. ^ "About NOM - National Organization for Marriage". Nationformarriage.org. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  4. "CitizenLink: Friday Five: Maggie Gallagher". www.citizenlink.org. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
  5. ^ "About NOM - National Organization for Marriage". www.nationformarriage.org. Retrieved 2009-04-13. (archived copy (2007-12-17) via the Internet Archive )
  6. http://www.ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=5618&MediaType=1&Category=26
  7. "BibleLiteracy.org: Board of Advisors". www.bibleliteracy.org. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  8. "Family Institute of Connecticut". www.ctfamily.org. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  9. "The Witherspoon Institute". www.winst.org. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  10. "Faculty - Family, Home & Social Sciences". fhssfaculty.byu.edu. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  11. "NOM Latest News". National Organization for Marriage. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
  12. "Billboard attacks gay marriage vote - MassLive.com". www.masslive.com. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
  13. "Campaign Finance: NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MARRIAGE CALIFORNIA - YES ON 8, SPONSORED BY NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MARRIAGE". Secretary of State Debra Bowen. Retrieved 2009-03-21.
  14. "GayLinkNews.com - Fair Political Practices Commission Complaint -". www.gaylinknews.com. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  15. "Leaked memos: Gay rights group make new charges over LDS Prop 8 role". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  16. Loss in Maine Sets Back Gay-Marriage Drive
  17. NY Times Election 2009 Results
  18. ^ "New England's largest GLBT newspaper". Bay Windows. 2009-09-04. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  19. "Welcome to the Public Campaign Finance Page for the State of Maine". Mainecampaignfinance.com. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  20. ^ "Money fueling battle over gay marriage". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2010-03-08. Cite error: The named reference "Bangor Daily News" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  21. "55% of Donations to Maine Archdiocese PAC from Out of State". Tips-Q. 2009-10-22. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  22. NOM Launches Nationwide "Two Million for Marriage" Initiative!
  23. ^ Rich, Frank (April 19, 2009). "The Bigots' Last Hurrah". The New York Times. pp. WK10.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  24. "National Organization for Marriage and Carrie Prejean Launch New Ad Showing Intolerance of Gay Marriage Activists, Illustrating Threats to Religious Liberty". National Organization for Marriage. 2009-04-30. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  25. "Miss California Carrie Prejean in semi-nude photo controversy". Vancouversun.com. 2009-05-05. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  26. "STATEMENT ON CARRIE PREJEAN". National Organization for Marriage. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  27. "Anti-Gay Marriage Group Distances Itself From Prejean". On Top Magazine. 2009-11-16. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  28. "Conservative activists turn to web for traction; denounce gay 'marraige' / The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com". Features.csmonitor.com. 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  29. "Marriage Victory in New York!". National Organization for Marriage. 2009-12-02. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  30. ^ Human Rights Campaign Exposes National Organization for Marriage’s Fake Ad for Fake Problems
  31. "North Coast Women's Care Medical Group v. Superior Court" (PDF). California State Supreme Court. 2008-08-18. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
  32. Capuzzo, Jill P. (9/18). "Group Loses Tax Break Over Gay Union Issue": B2. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  33. ^ Ian B. Murphy (2008-10-07). "Public school lawsuit runs out of federal appeals". The MetroWest Daily News. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
  34. "National Briefing New England: Massachusetts : Gay Topics And Schools". New York Times. 2/24. pp. A13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  35. Young, John (April 21, 2009). "'Gathering Storm' spoofs: Which celebrity gay-marriage parody rains more laughs?". Entertainment Weekly. PopWatch blog.
  36. http://www.2M4M.org
  37. "Anti-Gay Rights Group Calls its Marriage Campaign '2M4M'".
  38. "National Organization For Marriage Or Two Men For Marriage?".
  39. "About 2M4M.org". 2009-04-09. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
  40. 2m4m. "2M4M Dot Org (2m4m) on Twitter". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2010-03-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  41. "Two Men For Marriage". LiveJournal. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  42. NOM's expenditure report
  43. Provided photo. "GOP picks candidate for congressional seat, attacks likely Democratic hopeful". The Post-Standard. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  44. "Scozzafava Suspends Campaign". Watertown Daily Times. 2009-10-31. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  45. Hoffman concedes 23rd Congressional race to Owens, Associated Press, November 4, 2009
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  47. "Special election results certified". Watertown Daily Times. 2009-12-16. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  48. Precious, Tom. "Gay marriage not likely to come to Senate again soon : Albany". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  49. Hakim, Danny (2009-11-06). "Marriage for Gays on Agenda in New York". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
  50. Same-Sex-Marriage Fight Hits The Road
  51. NOM's Anti-Gay Marriage Tour Ending As Prop 8 Struck Down
  52. "Opposing Groups Hold Rallies On Marriage Views". WISC-TV. Madison, Wisconsin. 27 July, 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
    "Hundreds march to protest National Organization for Marriage rally". WisPolitics.com. 28 July 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
    Hancock, Jason (28 July 2010). "National Organization for Marriage trying to raise money in Iowa". The Iowa Independent. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
    Chapman, Steve (29 July 2010). "Entangling marriage into a political jujitsu". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
    Burress, Jim; Aleck Ragsdale (8 August 2010). "National Organization for Marriage, NOM, Rallies Under Gold Dome". WABE. Atlanta, Georgia. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
    Ehlers, Matt (11 August 2010). "Gay marriage critics roll in". The News & Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  53. Marriage Supporters Bullied and Intimidated by Gay-Marriage Protesters
  54. D.C. sees National Organization for Marriage rally, counter protest
  55. Perrin, Kathleen (27 August 2010). "Peter, Paul & Mary's cease-and-desist to NOM: Stop playing "This Land Is Your Land"". Prop 8 Trial Tracker. Courage Campaign. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
  56. http://www.nationformarriage.org/site/c.omL2KeN0LzH/b.3479573/k.E2D0/About_NOM.htm
  57. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,495185,00.html
  58. The Advocate magazine: Antigay Group Hiding Mormon Cash?
  59. Queerty.com: Why Won't NOM Release Its Financials?
  60. "Financial Reports". National Organization for Marriage. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
  61. "Iowa and Maine question National Organization for Marriage's funding sources". EDGE Boston. 2009-08-31. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  63. "Anti-gay marriage group sues state". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  64. Setback for Group Fighting Gay Marriage in Maine The New York Times, October 29, 2009
  65. "Yes on 1 funder loses bid", Kennebec Journal, February 27, 2010
  66. "Judge: Gay Marriage Repeal Funders Should Turn over Donor Information", Maine Public Broadcasting Network, May 25, 2010]
  67. "Memorandum Decision in NOM vs. McKee
  68. http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/146890.html
  69. Bolcer, Julie. "NOM-Backed Candidate Loses in Iowa". Advocate.com. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  70. Chibbaro Jr., Lou (August 21, 2009). "Anti-gay group to fight marriage efforts in D.C.: National Organization for Marriage relocates to city, seeks to block DOMA repeal". Washington Blade. washblade.com. Retrieved August 22, 2009.

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