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Anti-gay NOM steps up pressure on King & Spalding

The Georgia Voice Editors
Politics
0

National Organization for Marriage logoThe National Organization for Marriage announced today the creation of a new campaign targeted at the King & Spalding law firm over their decision to abandon representation for the U.S. House of Representatives in the ongoing legal battles surrounding the Defense of Marriage Act.

NOM has put together the “We're There Until You Need Us” campaign where supporters are invited to sign a petition telling the law firm the decision to back out of representation is a mistake.

Not that I'm an expert on branding campaigns, but the name of NOM's latest anti-gay effort doesn't make a lot of sense. Who is there until you need them, NOM? King & Spalding?

By the numbers: Your tax dollars at work

The Georgia Voice Editors
National
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$520

Hourly rate the U.S. House planned to pay law firm King & Spalding to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, the federal ban on gay marriage.

$500,000

The initial cap on congressional payments to King & Spalding, which could be negotiated higher.

$193.3 million

What the military spent from 2004 to 2009 to replace gay troops discharged under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ The policy is now being repealed.

$125,000

Estimated cost of one congressional hearing. Since resuming control of the U.S. House, Republicans have held three on gay issues: Two on repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and one on DOMA.

King & Spalding controversy shows danger of basing our movement on marketing

The Georgia Voice Editors
Outspoken
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Once upon a time, it was hard to get companies to support LGBT organizations. They worried they would lose their non-gay customers if they were open about wanting gay ones.

So we got smart: We showed how much discretionary income same-gender couples without kids had. Never mind that it was less than opposite-gender couple without kids, it was still a good argument.

Not only did it give the marketing teams cover, it had the added benefit of being true: We were a valuable target market. “The color of diversity,” we would say, “is green.”

As some of the big companies came out as supporters, their employees came out as LGBT. Then their friends and family members started coming out as LGBT-supportive. Visibility was shifting every landscape. Next thing you know, 20 years later, we not only have friends in high places, we have our own people there —running companies, winning election to Congress and hosting major TV news shows.

National Organization for Marriage launches King & Spalding ‘investigation’

The Georgia Voice Editors
Politics
0

National Organization for Marriage logoThe bad news keeps piling up for the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage.

Just last week, a new CNN/Opinion Research Poll found that a slim majority of Americans actually support marriage equality for same-sex couples. A similar poll conducted by CBS and the Washington Post also found more Americans than ever before support marriage equality.

And, of course, we can't forget the former NOM strategist, Louis Marinelli, who jumped ship in early April and now supports marriage equality. We have a great interview with Marinelli here, by the way.

On the heels of the news that Atlanta-based King & Spalding would not represent the U.S. House of Representatives in the on-going legal battles against the Defense of Marriage Act, NOM announced today that it was launching an investigation into whether the law firm broke any rules of professional conduct or if the firm “acted illegally” in deciding to withdraw from the case.