The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) has so far not been classified as a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center, because for the most part, the organization’s spokespeople focus their rhetoric on “traditional marriage” instead of demonizing homosexuality. (This has become less so, particularly given Jennifer Roback Morse’s repeated endorsements of ex-gay therapy.)

In a recent Tea Party Unity conference call, Brian Camenker of the anti-gay hate group MassResistance challenged NOM President Brian Brown about this selective language use, asking why NOM doesn’t just admit that homosexuality is a “perversion.” Brown admitted that he didn’t think harsher language could sway Supreme Court Justice Kennedy, but he encouraged group’s like Camenker to keep doing their own thing:

CAMENKER: It’s concerning to a lot of people that the arguments being used in the various court cases concede that homosexual relationships are legitimate and not a perversion or what have you, we just don’t like them, and we wonder if there was more of a hard stance that they are not legitimate, that it is perverse, unnatural and what have you, that we might have some better success in some of the cases. [...]

BROWN: Whenever I’m asked about what I think about homosexuality, I’m very clear, I believe and as a Catholic I believe in the traditional teaching of our church. I think that sex is reserved for marriage, period. As far as the legal arguments go we may differ. I think a lot of the legal arguments have been made in the Prop 8 case especially have been made to speak to [Justice] Kennedy and Kennedy has already found in the Lawrence case, for example, that states can’t ban sodomy. So it’s not likely that a stronger argument about homosexuality is really going to shift Kennedy.

I know some people think we need to focus more on homosexuality. All I’ll say is that when asked I state what I believe and many of the religious supporters that we’ll have at the march clearly will stand up and proclaim biblical truth on marriage, but I’m not sure whether legally that is the best strategy. Also, different groups need to do different things, not all groups have to do the same thing. So folks that are taking a harder line in focusing more on homosexuality, there need to be different groups doing different things.

Listen to it (via RightWingWatch):

Brown’s subtle confession here is incredibly telling. NOM know there are a lot of negative things it’s not saying about gay people and homosexuality, even though its members seemingly believe all of the same things. Certainly it has no problem taking umbrage on behalf of these hate groups or featuring their rhetoric at their rallies.

If NOM is encouraging other groups to be harsher opponents of homosexuality just so it can save face, it’s no less responsible for it in the end. Indeed, by strategizing in this way, Brown has proven that even the most polished rhetoric “defending traditional marriage” is just as anti-gay, and they understand it has the very same consequences. If NOM’s motives and beliefs are part of the public rhetoric, then attempting to hide under polite talking points simply adds dishonesty to their already offensive intentions.

Screenshot of the deleted post.

The National Organization for Marriage has always attempted to maintain distance between its efforts and the more candid anti-gay rhetoric of groups more publicly identified by their Christianity. Plenty of exceptions have always been found, but NOM no longer seems to be trying to uphold such distinctions. In its efforts to fight marriage equality in Rhode Island, NOM has allied with MassResistance, an extremist group designated a “hate group” for its anti-gay rhetoric.

On its Rhode Island for Marriage page, NOM published two videos as a “preview” of what the “radical homosexualist movement” is all about, each full of hate groups’ rhetoric condemning homosexuality as a disorder and sin worthy of death and calling the LGBT movement a push toward the “collapsing morality” of “atheistic Communism.” That was until Jeremy Hooper called them out today, and without explanation, NOM removed the post from its page. Screenshots preserve the record, and more importantly, the videos can still be viewed on YouTube:

Perhaps NOM did not watch the videos before posting them, or perhaps the organization didn’t count on being associated with the offensive content they contain. Either way, NOM’s new alliances are troubling, and it will be interesting to see how they maintain their new relationships while trying to hide from the resulting bad PR.

Two weeks ago, a the Family Research Council, along with MassResistance (both hate groups), released a video attacking the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) for distributing to minors the “Little Black Book,” a safe sex guide geared toward adults that GLSEN had nothing to do with. GLSEN responded with a cease-and-desist letter for the false and defamatory statements. Well, FRC has arguably complied, but not with any apology. The group dubbed the old video with a music soundtrack and instructed viewers to click through to an “updated video.” The new video still pairs GLSEN with the pamphlet, but clarifies that GLSEN did not approve of its distribution. To compensate, FRC head Tony Perkins rehashes several other long-since-debunked attacks against GLSEN, such as “Fistgate.” Watch:

GLSEN advocates for young LGBT people to find affirmation and understanding in their identities in resistance to a violent bullying culture in our schools. These groups’ attacks against GLSEN, combined with their smears of the “It Gets Better” project, are nothing short of a pro-bullying campaign. (HT: Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters.)

MassResistance's Brian Camenker

Perhaps desperate that societal support for marriage equality and other LGBT issues continues to grow, anti-gay hate groups seem to be showing their true colors more and more, abandoning tame “protect our family values” talking points for flagrantly pro-bullying rants. MassResistance, in particular, is increasing its visibility, attacking Mitt Romney by painting him as pro-gay, partnering with the Family Research Council to smear GLSEN, and today inspiring fear in the American Family Association’s “news” outlet that the anti-bullying “It Gets Better” project might soon be used in schools. Oh dear!

The OneNewsNow “article” is merely a pedestal for MassResistance’s Brian Camenker to remind people of the group’s campaign against the “It Gets Better” project:

CAMENKER: The homosexual movement discovered in the early 1990s that they could use this tactic of claiming safety or anti-bullying or anti-suicide to do anything. They’ll scream and holler that if you don’t let them into the schools to give their program, then you favor kids killing themselves.

In addition to an archive of “Dan Savage’s sick and obscene attacks, writings, and statements,” MassResistance maintains a page designed to rebut the “It Gets Better” campaign as well as The Trevor Project, which provides suicide prevention resources for young people. Here are the four “big lies” MassResistance worries that these LGBT-affirming resources provide:

“LIE” #1: “You were born that way and can’t change.”
“LIE” #2: “It gets better.”
“LIE” #3: Suicide is caused by hate and intolerance.
“LIE” #4:  Promoting homosexuality as being normal and natural is good for troubled kids.

MassResistance would rather young people get the following messages:

1: Homosexuality is an “addiction,” and “the worldwide ex-gay movement has shown that people can heal and change if they desire.”

2: “It DOESN’T get better,” because “male homosexual behavior takes 20 years off one’s life” and “loneliness and depression are par for the course.”

3: The real reason gay (“gay”) teens contemplate suicide is “because they’re horrified at the disgusting things they’re doing to themselves.”

4: Promoting homosexuality is “psychological trauma” that harms kids “emotionally, psychologically, and certainly medically.”

In a way, it’s almost refreshing that MassResistance’s rebuke of the “It Gets Better” campaign is so candid and unvarnished. Here is a hate group being heralded by other hate groups for unabashedly trying to demonize LGBT youth, scare them into harmful ex-gay therapy, and condemn them to a life of self-hatred. Encouraging stigma is nothing short of a pro-bullying campaign. The media would portray MassResistance as a “fringe” group, but the organizations that command mainstream recognition like FRC and AFA stand hand-in-hand with Camenker and his vitriol. The fact that they seem to have no inhibitions about highlighting MassResistance speaks to how audacious their rhetoric is becoming.

Until the media stops treating hate groups as simply “the other side of the story” and repudiates their tactics, these dangerous messages will continue to permeate our culture. Fortunately, the “It Gets Better” campaign keeps growing, saving the lives of young people one video at a time, and there’s nothing Camenker can do to stop it.

Last week, SPLC-certified hate groups MassResistance and the Family Research Council attacked the Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) for distributing an adult-oriented same-sex pamphlet called the “Little Black Book,” which GLSEN had nothing to do with. Watch the smear video — still hosted on FRC’s YouTube channel:

The anti-bullying organization has responded today by sending a cease-and-desist letter to FRC demanding that any publication of false and defamatory statements come to an end:

This morning, GLSEN’s attorneys delivered a cease-and-desist letter to the Family Research Council (FRC) demanding that FRC cease distribution and publication of a video clip containing false and defamatory statements about GLSEN, as well as any other similar false and defamatory statements that may be contained in a longer video associated with that video clip.

The false statements in the FRC video can do real and lasting harm to our work. FRC has made those false and defamatory statements in an obvious effort to raise money, undermine GLSEN’s work and maintain the status quo: school systems where LGBT students face unacceptable levels of harassment and violence and where anti-LGBT bias is a weapon of choice for bullies. We must respond forcefully and aggressively to defend our ability to fulfill our mission, and to protect ourselves and our partners in this critical work – the countless people in school communities across the country who work with GLSEN and our chapters to ensure safe and affirming schools for all students, utilizing our resources, attending our trainings, advocating with us for urgently needed change to make a positive difference in schools.

An affront against GLSEN, such as the false and defamatory statements by FRC, is an affront against every educator who places a Safe Space Sticker outside their door to encourage a student who may face despair; every Gay-Straight Alliance member who takes part in the Day of Silence to raise awareness about anti-LGBT bullying; every person who intervenes when a student calls another an anti-LGBT name; and so many dedicated education professionals – teachers, administrators and other school staff – who do their best to bring positive change to our schools and our future every day.

Anti-gay groups target GLSEN because it is an organization that reaches out to LGBT youth. FRC regularly refers to anti-bullying efforts like GLSEN’s as “indoctrination programs” that attempt to “recruit children.” These scare tactics ride on the decades-old myths and stereotypes that homosexuality is evil and amoral, that children can be “recruited” into a homosexual “lifestyle,” and that homosexuals are pedophiles. It is exactly this kind of demonization that earned FRC its “hate group” label.

The Family Research Council and MassResistance — both anti-gay hate groups — target GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian Straight Education Network) in a new scare-video. GLSEN is an organization that advocates for LGBT youth in schools, defending the formation of gay-straight alliances (GSAs) and advocating for anti-bullying policies. But FRC and MR are attacking GLSEN for a publication called the “Little Black Book,” describing it as “the most vile assault on teenagers ever concocted by homosexual activists”:

There are a number of problems with this attack. First, GLSEN had nothing to do with the publication or distribution of the book. MassResistance makes the entire booklet available online and nowhere on it does “GLSEN” appear. Second, the book is geared toward men who are 18 or older. Third, this isn’t something new; blogger Alvin McEwen debunked this story nearly two years ago.

Beyond all that, the publication is designed to be a frank resource for how to be safe and healthy when engaging in same-sex behaviors. When MassResistance president Brian Camenker says it helps men find places to meet other men? He’s distorting the fact that it merely lists community resources, health clinics, and gay bars. (Surely a booklet listing bars is not designed for “5th through 9th graders.”) And when he says it tells “kids” how to safely perform sex acts, he’s misrepresenting that it actually tells its target audience how to be safe when performing various sex acts (as opposed to how to perform the acts).

This clip is part of a larger propaganda film FRC has produced called “The Problem with Same-sex Marriage” that also largely highlights the work of NARTH (National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality), a group which promotes and practices harmful ex-gay therapy in open opposition to recommended psychological research and consensus.

The “Little Black Book” is not a pamphlet for everyone, and it’s not a pamphlet for kids. It’s still a resource designed to improve health and teach safe sex to gay men. That these two hate groups would use this to attack an organization that had nothing to do with it shows how insidious their efforts are to demonize and disparage the LGBT community.