Thursday, February 10, 2011

A turning point for NOM?

So, the Maryland Senate is discussing a bill for marriage equality. Apparently, the strident opposition of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) and its high priestess Maggie Gallagher may have backfired:
The Senate Judicial Proceedings committee heard 7 hours of testimony last night on whether or not to legalize gay marriage, including from NOM’s Maggie Gallagher. Now one Senator, who was previously a foe, has said her testimony convinced him to support marriage equality.

Senator James Brochin (D) was one of the few Democrat Senators who was opposed to gay marriage. But after listening to testimony from Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization For Marriage (NOM), he’s said that her “demonization” of gay families has convinced him that he should side with marriage equality.
If you look at the polls, nationally, support for marriage equality is about 50-50. And of those who don't support marriage, a substantial fraction support some sort of civil unions. The hard-core demonization of LGBT people by Maggie and her friends turns off those in the reachable middle. THey may not be fully comfortable with marriage per se, but they don't see themselves as bigoted. And the more hysterical Maggie becomes, the more those people will recoil with revulsion from being grouped with her.

Update Here is Senator Brochin's statement:

“What I witnessed from the opponents of the bill was appalling.” Brochin said. “Witness after witness demonized homosexuals, vilified the gay community, and described gays and lesbians as pedophiles. I believe that sexual orientation is not a choice, but rather people are born one way or another The proponents of the bill were straightforward in wanting to be simply treated as everyone else, and wanted to stop being treated as second-class citizens.

Brochin added, “For me, the transition to supporting marriage has not been an easy one, but the uncertainty, fear, and second-class status that gays and lesbians have to put up with is far worse and clearly must come to an end.”

2 comments:

Counterlight said...

Our enemies are the best. They alienate everyone around them including their own supporters.

I once wrote a letter to Fred Phelps many years ago thanking him for his work on behalf of gay rights. He makes the straight people stand up for their gay friends and family. He makes the closet comrades mad enough to come out. And, he embarrasses the hell out of our other enemies.
I never heard back from him.

Göran Koch-Swahne said...

So true...