The Family Research Council, currently playing host to Paul Ryan and other Republican members of Congress at the Values Voters Summit, has sent out a new prayer target that includes gays and lesbians. FRC has been trying to push back on its designation of a hate group, but this particular call to prayer disproves its own point by describing homosexuality as a “destructive lifestyle,” further demonizing a group that is already a vulnerable target for hate-motivated violence:

In mid-August, following a shooting assault on FRC’s D.C. headquarters, FRC President Tony Perkins made a public appeal to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) to end its ceaseless campaign falsely characterizing FRC as a “hate group.” Leo Johnson, FRC’s courageous building manager, took a bullet yet managed to prevent what would almost certainly have otherwise been a mass shooting.

The gunman’s actions came after a two year effort by the SPLC, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), and a network of homosexual advocacy groups to marginalize FRC and some of our pro-family allies as “hate groups.” Sadly, because they cannot prevail in civil debate, these groups have resorted to name-calling.

But the dedicated Christian staff at FRC does not hate homosexuals. Indeed, by publishing Biblical and scientific truth, our aim is redemptive. We pray for those caught in this destructive lifestyle for their liberty. We labor to advance public policy that strengthens faith, family and freedom, and physical, moral and spiritual safety for our children (Accusation, Liberal Defense,Speaker’s Answer, FRC Response).

• Please pray that God will give FRC and our friends courage ceaselessly to proclaim truth as it pertains to marriage and human sexuality. May God grant us favor in fashioning public policy that fosters marriage and human sexuality that reflects God’s wisdom and righteousness! (Dt 17:18; Ps 5:11; Is 10:1; Mt 19:3 ff; Eph 5:22-33; Titus 1:8 ff; Heb 13:4; Jude 7)

(HT: Good As You.)

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) speaking out for equality, flanked by John Waters.

Maryland Gov. Marin O’Malley (D), his wife Katie, and a score of celebrities joined forces Thursday evening in New York City to raise money and support for marriage equality. On hand were Susan Sarandon, John Waters, Josh Charles, Ed Norton, Barbara Bush (daughter of President George W. Bush), and Russell Simmons, among others. The Maryland Marriage Alliance’s Derek McCoy accused the campaign of “trying to celebritize the issue” and attacked them in a fundraising email this week:

Backed by Hollywood donors, homosexual activists are already proclaiming victory in their efforts to redefine marriage in Maryland. They are taking their fundraising out of state where they can attract major donors. We know that in spite of the millions that they will receive from movie stars, Marylanders WILL NOT allow marriage to be redefined.

But McCoy’s campaign is just as guilty of “trying to celebritize the issue”; it’s just that Kirk Cameron and Brad Pitt’s mom don’t accomplish the goal in the same way. In fact, since Maryland for Marriage can’t find its own celebrity endorsements, it co-opts random statements from the likes of Bill Cosby and J.R.R. Tolkien instead. It’s also worth noting that the anti-equality effort has its own fair share of out-of-state funding, but it all comes directly from the National Organization for Marriage, which is managing their campaign.

Watch videos of John Waters and Susan Sarandon speaking out for equality, courtesy of The Baltimore Sun:

The National Organization for Marriage invested large sums of money — it pledged millions, but how much it spent remains unclear — into fighting the Republican state senators in New York who voted for marriage equality last year and are seeking reelection. To that end, NOM seems to have had mixed results at best in yesterday’s low-turnout primary, including a notable failure.

One of NOM’s prime targets was Sen. Mark Grisanti (R), who represents the Buffalo area of New York. A year ago, NOM was running billboards in his district that simply said, “Mark Grisanti, You’re Next.” Grisanti was unfazed by the threats, and with good reason: yesterday he easily won his primary with 60 percent of the vote. NOM’s Brian Brown tweeted today that his group would pledge to beat Grisanti in the general election, but the Democrat NOM endorsed, Charles Swanick, also lost his primary to Mike Amodeo, garnering only 26.3 percent of the vote. Amodeo, like Grisanti, supports marriage equality.

State Sen. Steven Saland (R) helped craft the religious protections that ultimately helped New York’s marriage equality bill pass. He described the vote as “the most difficult decision” he ever had to made, but it was informed by the support of his family. Saland’s opponent, Neil Di Carlo (R), sent thousands of voters anti-Semitic mailers describing him as a “puppet” of the “liberal gay mafia.” The race is too close to call at this point, but Saland is currently winning with 50.2 percent . Absentee votes may shift that, but either way, the result hardly measures up to NOM’s bold claim that “a vote for gay marriage is a career ender.”

Sen. Roy McDonald (R) might not fare as well, but his race against NOM-endorsed Kathleen Marchione is also too close to call. Marchione leads with 50.5 percent of the vote, but as in Saland’s race, absentee votes could shift the balance.

Even if both Saland and McDonald lose their primaries, there’s no guarantee NOM will convince voters to support their more conservative candidates. As Jeremy Hooper points out, “NOM was not been able to hyper-motivate any sort of extra enthusiasm on their side.” And even if this vindictive politicking works, the anti-gay group’s hope of someday overturning marriage equality in New York by flipping seats in both the Senate and Assembly remains completely unrealistic.