The documents the National Organization for Marriage fought long and hard to keep sealed in Maine were unsealed yesterday as part of investigations into the group's finances, and published late yesterday by HRC's 'NOM Exposed' campaign.
Read the full documents, AFTER THE JUMP…
The documents reveal that what pro-equality activists suspected about NOM's state-by-state and national strategies were correct all along – that the group works to sow racial division, paint liberals (and the President) as radicals, and collect evidence for memes that can construct a storyline that anti-gay activists and Christians are victims.
Said HRC President Joe Solmonese: “Nothing beats hearing from the horse's mouth exactly how callous and extremist this group really is. Such brutal honesty is a game changer, and this time NOM can't spin and twist its way out of creating an imagined rift between LGBT people and African-Americans or Hispanics.”
In their own words:
A few key passages – on dividing gays and Blacks (Exhibit 28, p. 12):
The strategic goal of this project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks — two key Democratic constituencies. We aim to find, equip, energize and connect African-American spokespeople for marriage; to develop a media campaign around their objections to gay marriage as a civil right; and to provoke the gay marriage base into responding by denouncing these spokesmen and women as bigots.
The Latino strategy (12/15/09 p. 20):
The Latino vote in America is a key swing vote, and will be even more so in the future because of demographic growth. Will the process of assimilation to the dominant Anglo culture lead Hispanics to abandon traditional family values? We must interrupt this process of assimilation by making support for marriage a key badge of Latino identity.
We aim to identify young Latino and Latina leaders, especially artists, actors, musicians, athletes, writers and other celebrities willing to stand for marriage, regardless of national boundaries. …Here's our insight: The number of “glamorous” people willing to buck the powerful forces to speak for marriage may be small in any one country. But by searching for these leaders across national boundaries we will assemble a community of next generation Latino leaders that Hispanics and other next generation elites in this country can aspire to be like. (As “ethnic rebels” such spokespeople will also have an appeal across racial lines, especially to young urbans in America.)
With the help of Schubert Flint Public Affairs, we will develop Spanish language radio and TV ads, as well as pamphlets, YouTube videos, and church handouts and popular songs. Our ultimate goal is the make opposition to gay marriage an identity marker, a badge of youth rebellion to conforming assimilation to the bad side of “Anglo” culture.
NOM also pushed its victim meme (Behind Enemy Lines p. 24):
Document the consequences of gay marriage and develop an effective culture of resistance. … Fund a low-cost media campaign (primarily billboards) to support the idea the children need mothers and fathers and to highlight threats and promise support to any citizens attacked for their pro-marriage views; commission polling and other studies to document consequences of gay marriage; and gather a rapid-response team of videographers and reporters to collect and record stories of those who have been harassed, threatened, or intimidated as a result of their support for traditional views on marriage and sexuality across the country and also in Europe and abroad.
Also another passage (8.11.09) discusses a $1 million plan run through the conservative American Principles Project:
Expose Obama as a social radical. Develop side issues to weaken pro-gay marriage political leaders and parties and develop an activist hase of socially conservative voters. Raise such issues as pornography, protection of children, and the need to oppose all efforts to weaken religious liberty at the federal level.
Read the full documents, AFTER THE JUMP…
20100716 Doc 128b NOM Depo – Exhibit 2 – NOM Depo Exhibit 12 Nat'l Strategy for Winning 12-15-09
20100716 Doc 128a NOM Depo – Exhibit 1 – NOM Depo Exhibit 3 Nat'l Strategy for Winning 08-11-09
20100716 Doc 128c NOM Depo – Exhibit 3 – NOM Depo Exhibit 25 NOM Board Update 2008-2009
20100716 Doc 128d NOM Depo – Exhibit 4 – NOM Depo Exhibit 28 Marriage $20 Million Strategy
