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09/11/2009

And now in 'talking about us behind our backs is just easier' news: Stand For Marriage Maine limits rally to own choir

by Jeremy Hooper

Stand For Marriage Maine absolutely wants you to come to their big anti-equality rally this Sunday. But first they must verify that you are willing to stand lock-step with their agenda, or else your request to this "private event" will be denied.

What follows is an exchange that this writer shared with the Stand For Marriage Maine's co-chair, Bob Emrich. Enjoy:

JEREMY:



BOB:



JEREMY:



BOB:





JEREMY:



BOB:



JEREMY:



BOB:



JEREMY:



BOB:



JEREMY:



JEREMY AGAIN:



(**This is Bob's YouTube page, which features "gays can change" testimony from Alan Chambers, Yvette Cantu Schneider, and Melissa Fryrear -- all of whom collect a paycheck by supporting "ex-gay"ness)



BOB:



JEREMY:



JEREMY AGAIN:



(**Link in email: We won't take this 'Stand' lying down!)



BOB:



JEREMY:



JEREMY ONE LAST TIME:



Your thoughts

"I will give you a DVD of the event afterwards." That comment reconfirms my sense that the template for this event is "Liberty Sunday" ... No media access and all the speechifying intended not so much for the audience in attendance but for the potential buyers of the DVD. It's why Mitt Romney repeated the exact same speech twice to the exact same crowd during Liberty Sunday. There was a technical glitch and the folks charged with recording it for the DVD had to ask him for a do-over. To no great surprise, the "Liberty Sunday" live audience clapped and otherwise responded with equal enthusiasm the second time around. They know it's spectacle, and they're willing participants. Gah.

Posted by: LdChino | Sep 11, 2009 9:25:11 AM

Well LdChino, I've lined up several people who've managed to obtain tickets. Hopefully we will still get plenty of opposition researchers in the door.

Posted by: G-A-Y | Sep 11, 2009 9:34:33 AM

BRAVO!

I love a paper trail, even if it is electronic paper.

Posted by: Bob Miller | Sep 11, 2009 9:35:42 AM

Way to pwn Bob Emrich! Did anyone else get an animal-trapped-in-a-corner vibe from him? From the very beginning, he had no argument and you absolutely destroyed him with respect, civility, and honest questions. Good for you.

Posted by: DN | Sep 11, 2009 10:28:38 AM

Ooh, you have an iphone! Nice exchange. I have to ask (rhetorically), haven't they been "recruiting people from other states"? Didn't they just say this week that this is a national issue?

Posted by: Matt Algren | Sep 11, 2009 10:56:30 AM

Interestingly I just watched the movie "One Nation Under God". In it the founders of Exodus International had come out as gay. Michael Bussee and Gary Cooper turned their back on conversion therapy in 1979. My suspicion is that most ex-gays are simply delusional. There really isn't any other excuse.

Posted by: Tony P | Sep 11, 2009 11:00:46 AM

See, this is the problem with the other side. When push comes to shove, they are unable--or more likely, unwilling--to answer the question, "What would the world look like if you got everything you wanted politically regarding gays?" Based on statements across the anti-gay spectrum, it is clear they want to eliminate the GLBT community from the public square, force all of us back into the closet, and turn the clock back 50 years on our hard-won equality (which they term "special rights"). You and I know this fight isn't just about marriage. Every time they claim they only want to define marriage, they lie and pursue even more draconian measures against us, such as their attempts to take away our adoption rights, employment equality and domestic partner benefits. They also know that if the public at large really understood this, their movement is over. Even the average American who may be uncomfortable with homosexuality can see the malice in this. That's why they refuse to answer simple, direct questions.

That's why they attempt to redefine basic terminology like "change" and "equal."

That's why they refuse to provide honest, objective evidence for their positions.

That's why they prefer to work within an echo chamber of lockstep agreement. It's all a house of cards, and they know it. The irony here is that he is accusing our side of "recruiting people from other states" when that is EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE DOING by recruiting actors to play "real" people in their commercials and by using an out-of-state production company to do so. The Yes on 1 ads at least feature ACTUAL PEOPLE FROM MAINE. Our side wants equality for all people. We're not trying to take anything away from anyone. Therefore, we don't have to go to such ridiculous lengths to hide our "agenda." It's right out there for everyone to see.

Posted by: Christopher™ | Sep 11, 2009 11:04:15 AM

1. You should take him up on the offer for a DVD. That is a decent gesture on his part, and we should test the sincerity of the gesture. It also would be interesting to compare what is on the official DVD with what others report and/or record. 2. Check out Emrich in this piece in the Portland Herald. Best part is when he is asked for the basis of his allegation that marriage equality would require schools to "teach gay marriage" or worse, teach explicitly about gay sex. He says "I would think it would come under the comprehensive family life curriculum that the state of Maine mandates," He would think? They base their whole campaign on the public schools allegation and he doesn't know for sure that it is true. As the piece goes on to explain, it is not true; there is no "comprehensive family life curriculum" in Maine. They have been at this for 5 months and no one on their side even bothered to look at the public education law. http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story_pf.php?id=282441&ac=

Posted by: Steven | Sep 11, 2009 2:52:21 PM

I meant to say "No on 1." Sorry. See... the language *is* confusing. Again, sorry.

Posted by: Christopher™ | Sep 11, 2009 5:34:13 PM

Someone should send this into emailsfromcrazypeople.com.

Posted by: Tony | Sep 11, 2009 9:41:17 PM

They are just trying to profit from hate, that is the whole purpose of the Anti-Gay organizations, profit. They don't care about "Traditional Values" they just care about sticking to the status quo with their one minded ideals while at the same time lining their pockets with cash completely unchecked.

Posted by: Mewi | Sep 12, 2009 7:22:15 PM

My suggestion: all pro-equality people RSVP as 'not attending' to this event, similarly to the way they did for the Value Voters summit crap. Send a message loud and clear.

Posted by: Isobel Connell | Sep 13, 2009 6:59:06 AM

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