01/29/2013

Washington– The National Organization for Marriage (NOM), an organization that claims to be focused solely on marriage, is increasingly embracing dangerous and extremist anti-LGBT viewpoints following years of electoral and legislative losses. While NOM has long tried to portray itself as a mainstream organization – even at times supporting civil unions – its most recent activities are exposing the true anti-LGBT animus at the heart of its mission. In the past year, NOM has expanded its “work” to include mocking transgender Americans, attacking workplace protections for LGBT people, promoting anti-gay adoption policies abroad, and calling gay people sinners.

“The National Organization for Marriage should consider changing their name to the National Organization against LGBT People. That is a far more accurate representation of their work,” said Fred Sainz, Human Rights Campaign Vice President for Communications. “We’re beyond the tipping point on marriage, and NOM has lost – badly. As a result, they’ve resorted to attacking honest, hardworking LGBT Americans and spreading vicious lies that only reinforce dangerous and antiquated worldviews. It appears that NOM is intent on harming as many LGBT people as possible as it slides into total irrelevancy.”

After suffering loss after loss on the marriage front for years, NOM’s work in 2013 turned increasingly to mocking and attacking LGBT people even beyond marriage:

• The organization rushed to the defense of Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson following his anti-gay remarks, declaring that it was indeed a sin to be gay: “Well guess what — homosexuality IS a sin in the bible, and virtually every other sacred text out there. Engaging in homosexual sex IS considered by God to be sinful according to the teachings of most religions. And sin is NOT logical. Sin is deceitful, harmful and degrading to the human soul.”
• NOM blasted the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in the U.S. Senate last year, spreading blatant falsities about the legislation aimed at providing workplace protections: “[anyone] who says in passing at the water cooler at work that she’s a believer in traditional marriage could suddenly be accused of engaging in hate speech and even workplace harassment!”
• In the same e-mail attacking ENDA, NOM mocked transgender Americans:  “…if sexual orientation is a difficult concept to define, so much more so is the totally amorphous idea of ‘gender identity.’ Basically it means that if a man feels like being a woman, he is; but if he later decides he’s a man again, he’s that.”
• NOM President Brian Brown traveled to Russia twice last year to advocate for anti-LGBT policies, including to support a bill – now law – banning the adoption of Russian children by same-sex couples or parents living in countries where marriage equality is legal.
• NOM has relentlessly attacked a law in California that makes life easier for transgender youth. NOM offers a twisted interpretation of the law: “Our children face enough struggles at school without having to worry about being harassed and bullied by someone of the opposite sex forcing their way into the most vulnerable areas of public schools — showers, bathrooms, changing areas and locker rooms.”
• NOM derided President Obama’s selection of out former NBA player Jason Collins to sit in the First Lady’s box during the State of the Union. Collins’ made history last year when he came out as gay – a first for an active NBA player. But NOM disagreed – and instead noted that there was “nothing heroic” about Collins. In attacking Collins, NOM lamented“having his sexuality shoved at us by the man that Newsweek dubbed, “the first gay President."”

As NOM’s mission has drifted further away from marriage, its funding has nearly evaporated. In fact, publicly available tax documents obtained late last year by the Human Rights Campaign show NOM to be operating $2 million in the red. These documents showed that just three donors account for roughly two-thirds of the organization’s funding.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.