Last year, Louis J. Marinelli came out for marriage equality after being exposed to hundreds who protested the National Organization for Marriage, for which he worked. Since then, he has revealed many of the anti-gay group’s internal documents, and today he added some fuel to the fire created by the confidential memos released earlier this week.
Marinelli has posted various internal emails that prove NOM has placed an emphasis on race, seeking to elevate the voices of anti-equality blacks to create barriers from the white-dominated gay community. Throughout the messages, Maggie Gallagher repeatedly requests pictures of black religious leaders participating in protests (typos are her own):
GALLAGHER: I believe these are COGIC bishops, black bishops. That’s why I’m saying make sure we feature and focus on thejm.
GALLAGHER: He’s black, he’s on our side, he’s COGIC, I need a closeup please advice.
GALLAGHER: I’m told the rally was two-third blacks. All the photos we have up are taken behind white people. Any phot that shows the crowd as it was? Please send it to me and Eve tushnet for use in this week’s newsletter.
GALLAGHER: Eve, take a look at these and see if any of them reflect a. large crowd 2–1 black and/or b. Fauteroy.
In two other emails, project leader Joe Giganti confirms that he has collected photos that portray a group of black NOM protesters clashing with white LGBT counter-protesters:
GIGANTI: I’ve been reviewing these shots this morning. From this first email, there are several good shots that demonstrate a majority Black American crowd.
GIGANTI: This is a great contrast shot of our people all happy and smiling (majority black, only one non-black in picture) versus the angry counter-protesters… Keep this one close for future use — maybe a dynamic picture point that rotates between positive, happy shots of our people versus our angry foes?
Like the Southern Poverty Law Center has pointed out, NOM is blatantly using the African-American community to further its opposition to the freedom to marry. This is unfiltered animus in action.