Same hopes about relationships

Carlos Maza, gay activist, spent a long weekend undercover at a National Organization for Marriage conference, the goal of which was to train the next generation of anti-gay-marriage activists. While NOM proclaims to the public they focus on "marriage, not gayness" in amongst themselves they are very much anti-gay. It was a nasty experience because all their nasty claims suddenly became very personal.

After the last speaker on the last evening Maza had a very good talk with one of the other attendees. Leaving out "gay" and "straight" he found the other person had the same hopes and dreams about relationships -- the same views on dating, divorce, child-rearing, marriage based on love, commitment, mutual sacrifice, stability for children, and a supportive, protective, and nurturing home. That was quite the eye-opener.

But there was still the three days before that discussion. He concludes:

In the public eye, NOM depicts itself as fair-minded and moderate pro-marriage group. In reality, it's the kind of organization that seeks to train college students to justify anti-gay bigotry by relying on stereotypes, pseudoscience, and a sizable dose of right-wing religious extremism.