Secret strategy memos from the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) reveal that they are actively seeking to “drive a wedge” between the African-American and LGBT communities in order to advance their agenda. A judge ordered that the memos be released as part of a court case in Maine, exposing highly detailed plans for using African-Americans as pawns in NOM’s state-level campaigns to fight marriage equality.
From the memos:
“The strategic goal of the project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks — two key Democratic constituencies. Find, equip, energize and connect African American spokespeople for marriage; develop a media campaign around their objections to gay marriage as a civil right; provoke the gay marriage base into responding by denouncing these spokesmen and women as bigots.”
NOM was a crucial funder of the Prop 8 campaign to deny Californians equal marriage rights, and the organization continues to use their hateful, divisive tactics to fight equality across the country.
In response to yesterday’s news, equality advocates across the country immediately spoke out and condemned the group’s race-baiting, divide-and-conquer strategy.
NAACP’s Julian Bond, a civil rights icon, said:
“NOM’s underhanded attempts to divide will not succeed if Black Americans remember their own history of discrimination. Pitting bigotry’s victims against other victims is reprehensible; the defenders of justice must stand together.”
Why This is Important
Mitt Romney has made a lot of backroom deals with the extreme right wing in order to win the Republican nomination. We need to hold him accountable as a candidate for president of the United States for backing hateful and bigoted organizations like NOM.
Does he support NOM’s race-baiting, divisive tactics? We deserve to know.
Mitt Romney bet $10,000 on NOM and a cynical strategy to divide Americans, and we need your help getting the word out. Sign our petition now — demand that Mitt Romney disavow NOM’s hateful strategy and instead bet on equal rights for all Americans.
American Bridge’s Research Bullets:
- Released Documents: NOM Goal Was To “Drive A Wedge Between Gays And Blacks.” According to the New York Times, “An internal memo from one of the country’s leading anti-gay marriage organizations outlines a plan to defeat same-sex marriage and create division among Democrats by creating tension between gays and blacks over the issue… ‘The strategic goal of the project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks — two key Democratic constituencies,’ reads a portion of the memo, describing an initiative called the ‘Not a Civil Right Project.’” [NYT, 3/27/12]
- Romney Donated $10,000 To National Organization For Marriage. According to Deseret Morning News, “Those causes include California’s Proposition 8, which would reverse that state’s Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage there earlier this year. Romney donated $10,000 to the National Organization for Marriage, Fehrnstrom said.” [Deseret Morning News, 10/28/08]
- 2011: Mitt Romney Signed A National Organization For Marriage Pledge Opposing Same Sex Marriage. Politico reported that “Former Gov. Mitt Romney has joined Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Sen. Rick Santorum in signing a pledge to oppose same-sex marriage on a number of specific fronts. The three candidates signed the pledge advanced by the National Organization for Marriage, which has led national and state campaigns to limit marriage to a man and a woman. The signature of the frontrunner, Romney, is a bit of a coup for the group, as he’s been careful about committing to other pledges, including a broad promise to a socially conservative Iowa group that caused trouble for other candidates. Romney, Bachmann, and Santorum signed on to supporting a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage, to appoint federal judges who don’t see a Constitutional right to same-sex marriage, and to back the Defense of Marriage Act. They’ve also pledged to support offering a referendum on marriage in the District of Columbia, and to establish a ‘presidential commission on religious liberty’ aimed at protecting the rights of marriage foes to speak out.” [Politico, 8/4/11]
Published: Mar 28, 2012