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Jan 18, 2010

LGBT Advocates Decry Efforts of Anti-Gay Marriage Group to Swing Senate Race to Brown

MassEquality Staff

Boston, MA – Leaders in the LGBT community today responded sharply to reports that the National Organization of Marriage (NOM) placed thousands of robo-calls to Massachusetts voters on Saturday, urging them to defeat “radical” Martha Coakley because of her support of same-sex marriage. MassEquality and the Human Rights campaign were joined by Congressman Barney Frank and State Representative Carl Sciortino in decrying the use of this divisive strategy to attempt to elect Brown.

“Voters deserve to know that this out-of-state extremist group is using anti-gay rhetoric to try to influence the election by attacking the thousands of gay families who live and work in our state,” said Scott Gortikov, Executive Director of MassEquality.

“Make no mistake -- Scott Brown is an anti-equality candidate showing his true colors by aligning his election prospects with the National Organization for Marriage. NOM wouldn't be calling into Massachusetts if it weren't convinced that Brown will continue to be his anti-equality record in the Senate," said Joe Solmonese, President of the Human Rights Campaign.

"It’s important for people to know about the underground right-wing campaign Scott Brown is running,” said Congressman Barney Frank. “His plan is to benefit from the support of the most active, extreme conservatives while he falsely portrays himself as a moderate.”

“Scott Brown needs to come clean on his relationship with these far right extremists like the National Organization for Marriage,” said State Representative Carl Sciortino (D-Somerville).

According to reports, the robocalls asked voters if they support same-sex marriage. Only those who oppose same-sex marriage heard the second part of the call, strongly urging a vote for Brown.

The National Organization for Marriage is a controversial organization which was formed in 2007 to promote Proposition 8, the anti-gay marriage amendment passed in California in 2008. Since its formation, NOM has run anti-gay ads nationwide and, most recently, it was the largest single contributor to the recent successful effort in Maine to invalidate the state’s same-sex marriage law.