NOM's Anti-Gay Strategy? Make Other Minorities Hate Them

[Alecto]

From [link=http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/03/27/452430/top-10-highlights-from-noms-race-wedging-obama-smearing-donor-hiding-victim-playing-confidential-strategies/?mobile=nc]Thinkprogress.org[/link]

The fallout has begun from the National Organization for Marriage’s failed attempt to circumvent Maine’s campaign finance disclosure laws. The Human Rights Campaign has published four of NOM’s confidential strategic memos from 2009, which explicitly confirm many of the insidious tactics LGBT bloggers have been documenting for years. Most alarming from the memos is NOM’s admission that it has tried “to drive a wedge between gays and blacks†and also specifically targeted Latino groups with its messaging.

Here are some of the highlights of NOM’s tactics the new documents:

1. “Drive a wedge between gays and blacks†by convincing them to fight over the language of “civil rights.â€

2. Bait Latino voters to oppose marriage equality as “a symbol of resistance to inappropriate assimilation.â€

3. Interrupt the “attempt to equate…sexual orientation with race†so that marriage inequality is not perceived as discrimination.

4. Draw attention to the “bigotry and intolerance†displayed by equality advocates and “document the victims†through a rapid response media team.

5. Emphasize the importance of “religious liberties†to limit the impact of marriage equality’s legislative advancements.

6. “Develop side issues to weaken pro-gay marriage political leaders†like pornography, “protection of children†and religious liberty at the federal level.

7. Expose Obama administration programs that “have the effect of sexualizing young children†or threatening “childhood innocence.â€

8. “Find, train, and equip young leaders†to become a “next generation of elites†capable of opposing marriage equality.

9. Foster closer relationships with Catholic bishops to “equip, energize, and moralize Catholic priests on the marriage issue.â€

10. Focus on “the consequences of gay marriage for parental rights.â€

In addition, one of the memos confides, “most of the world may never know the crucial role that NOM played in the Prop 8 campaign.†In fact, throughout the memos, NOM emphasizes its intent to infuse large sums of money into various state-level campaigns in ways that circumvent donor disclosure.

None of these revelations is particularly surprising, as they have all been quite evident, but to see them in writing is nevertheless distressing. That NOM explicitly thought about the way it could divide and conquer racial groups and scare conservatives into protecting their religious liberty demonstrates just how motivated the organization is by animus against the advancement of the LGBT community.

[JesusFightClub]

I realise this isn't the main issue, but who the fuck writes stuff like that down? You keep that for private discussions. Fucking tactical ineptitude AND bigotry and hatred, these guys sound like winners.

[Bookworm89]

Wow, and these idiots think this will really work.

Also as JesusFightClub said, they seriously wrote all that down on paper and didn't think it might become public information?

[Arete]

Driving a wedge between gays, African Americans and Latinos has been in play at least a decade. I've known African Americans who have been extremely angry that the civil rights umbrella is large enough to cover gays. Of course, they were raised in fundementalist churches where anti gay rhetoric is as common as it is in white fundamentalist churches. It's a mess.

[holierthanyou]

I never cease to be amazed at what people are willing to put in writing.

[Bloo]

Seriously. I wouldn't ever support their anti-gay stuff anyway, but even if I did, I think I'd turn away once I saw that on the basis of that being DUMB AS SHIT.

[lilwriter85]

Driving a wedge between gays, African Americans and Latinos has been in play at least a decade. I've known African Americans who have been extremely angry that the civil rights umbrella is large enough to cover gays. Of course, they were raised in fundementalist churches where anti gay rhetoric is as common as it is in white fundamentalist churches. It's a mess.

Yup this has been happening awhile. Didn't one of Martin Luther King's kids speak out against gay marriage? With Latinos, some Latino Catholics and Protestants support gay marriage. I have met several Protestant Latinos who are against gay marriage.

[YPestis]

Didn't this actually happen during the 2008 election when many AA voters who came out to support Obama also supported Prop 8? People complained that the rights of one group were affirmed but the rights of another was trampled.....

I can think why this strategy is adopted. People vote for the Democratic party for many reasons. Some for social reasons, others for economic reasons. Just like in the Republican party, people don't see eye to eye for every issue. The divide and conquer strategy is just politics at play. I don't ascribe anything nefarious to it because every political organization play dirty politics to get supporters. I think people should focus on supporting young gay blacks as they come out in an environment that is not always supportive of them.