Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Maryland online store exploits African-Americans, babies, and slavery to promote homophobia

Remember the tactics of those who defeated the marriage equality bill in Maine in 2009? In case you forget, remember this snippet of the documentary Question 1. It features Marc Mutty, the head of the campaign to stop marriage equality in Maine talking about how the dishonest fear tactics regarding children that his side used:

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 I bring up this point because there is now a fight regarding a law allowing marriage equality in Maryland. It's up for referendum in November and the folks fighting it are using the same tactics, but with a twist with attention to the Maryland's African-American population:


 According to Jeremy Hooper, this lovely snippet comes from an online store, Jump the Broom for Marriage, which sells all of the anti-marriage equality in Maryland apparel one would need.

Jeremy posted two examples on his blog but I refused to post them on mine. Ugly mess.

One could easily guess that the postcard above is a combination of the National Organization for Marriage's two plans of driving a wedge between the gay and African-American community on the subject of marriage equality and exploiting fear about children and gays espoused by the organization's strategist Frank Schubert (spoiler alert - who has a sister raising a child in a same-sex household).

And it gets worse. In using the name "Jump the Broom," this site also exploits African-American tradition. In the days of slavery, African-Americans could not legally marry so they would have a ceremony in which the couple would signify their commitment to each other.

How much do you want to bet that NOM is behind this online store?



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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pagans jump a broom during a ceremony called Handfasting.
That's been around for centuries!
Honestly, these hate mongers can't even get their traditions right!!
Jesus would be turning in his grave LOL

Scot Colford said...

I really can't imagine that NOM is behind it, other than an inspirational source for the hatred expressed. I say that because JtBfM comes right out and says "vote against marriage equality." NOM is careful to rephrase the issue as "same-sex 'marriage'", scare quotes and all.

It actually floors me that this site says one should vote against equality of any kind. And that it can't see that civil rights are (and were) about more than water fountains.