LGBT POV

Dear Karen,

I don’t often do this. But let me brag about Maggie. No–let me quote Austin Ruse bragging about Maggie.

Some of you may know Austin Ruse, who is himself a great Christian hero, a tireless and effective defender of the culture of life at the United Nations (talk about a flinty soil!) and other international organizations. Austin heads up the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM), a research institute focusing exclusively on international social policy.

This week on The Catholic Thing, Austin devoted his whole column to our own Maggie Gallagher, president of NOM. As I’m reading this tribute my first thought is, “Whoa”–this is really extravagant.

Austin writes, “Maggie Gallagher has almost single handedly changed the pro-marriage movement and in the process has given it perhaps its best and only chance of saving marriage from being permanently remade in America–and therefore the world.”

He gives Maggie a great deal of credit for pointing out what the benign-sounding phrase “marriage equality” really means: It means you and I are just like racists and should be treated as such. “What happens to people who still hold racist views? They are shunned, driven from the public square. They lose licenses to work. In short, they are pariahs not welcome in polite society,” Austin continues.

“Maggie points out that those who oppose homosexuality will come to appear no better than racists. They will be discriminated against. They will lose jobs and in some cases be hounded in public. This is happening already. Look at the treatment of those who were publicly exposed as financial supporters of California’s Proposition 8. This will happen to you, your mother, your grandmother,” Austin says.

He goes on to say, “Maggie herself is constantly vilified on homosexual websites. …They hate her profoundly because she has at least slowed the juggernaut that is the homosexual movement, one that has billions of dollars behind it along with the power centers of our culture.”

Some of that hate is spilling over to NOM for our crucial role in fighting for marriage in Maine, California, and elsewhere.

You will see headlines about the Maine Ethics Commission’s decision to permit an investigation of NOM. We are saddened at this transparently politicized attempt to distract attention from the real issue in Maine: Do voters want the consequences of gay marriage for themselves and their children?

Or I should say, Maggie is saddened. Me, I’m fighting mad!

Here’s what I told the press yesterday in response to a closely-divided Maine Ethics Commission decision to reject their own staff’s recommendation of “no investigation” and instead voted to open an investigation of the National Organization for Marriage:

NOM is in full compliance with Maine law. The complaint is frivolous; it was filed for political reasons by a group whose sole purpose is to harass decent Americans who exercise their civil rights to peacefully and democratically act to protect marriage as the union of husband and wife.

The independent professional staff of the Commission examined the facts and concluded that an investigation was not warranted.

This is a side issue in the campaign; the future of marriage is what is important. …Gay marriage advocates have not been able to persuade the people of Maine that gay marriage is either true or good; they cannot rebut the truth that gay marriage will profoundly change the culture of marriage for everyone in Maine, including parents in public schools. This is why they want to change the subject by filing frivolous election complaints.

NOM will vigorously pursue all our legal rights and the legal rights of the more than 100,000 people who’ve come together with NOM to protect marriage. We will not be intimidated or deterred from peacefully and democratically organizing within the law to protect marriage as one man and one woman. Not only have we fully complied with Maine law, we believe the underlying statute in Maine is unconstitutionally vague, and the vagueness is what allowed a politically motivated anti-marriage hate group to misuse the law to attempt to divert a campaign from the important moral issues at stake.

Fred Karger should understand: The politically motivated misuse of election laws will backfire and only help us grow more rapidly. The people of Maine and the American people will recognize a cheap shot when they see one. They understand that anyone who stands for marriage will now be ruthlessly attacked. And frankly, the American people don’t like this kind of hate directed at supporters of marriage.

Let me emphasize one other thing Austin says that is crucially important: “Maggie is not the only one toiling in this unforgiving vineyard. There are many others and they should all get credit for telling the truth in a hostile environment that sometimes even includes death threats.”

I am so grateful for each and every one of you that has taken a stand for marriage. Thank you. And I am profoundly grateful for the many sister organizations fighting to protect God’s truth about this most sacred union around this country. As believers we know in a deep and profound way: We are never alone. But it is only by coming together in truth and love that we will prevail over lies and hate.

A final thought, though: Austin, I am also totally on board with your last thought: “Should we finally win, much of the praise should go to Maggie Gallagher and she should win all the awards, starting now.”

If you would like to honor Maggie, and fight back against the Fred Kargers of the world–do not today give money to me and Maggie or NOM. Give it to StandforMarriageMaine.com. Maine is the frontline of the battle for marriage and we all need to come together to win. Can you give $10 today for StandforMarriageMaine.com?

Together we will fight.  Together we will win.

May God’s graces be upon you and your family for your courage and your decency.

Until next week,