MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts interviewed the president of NOM, the National Organization For Marriage, Brian Brown, about today’s vote attempting to repeal same-sex marriage equality in New Hampshire, where it has been legal since 2009. Brown appeared excessively confident in his claim that bigotry and anti-gay hate will prevail. At the end, Roberts, who is openly-gay, asks Brown if it is “exhausting to stand against the tide of marriage equality,” tells him “marriage is already protected,” and adds, “Brian I saw the movie ‘Bully’ last night. I recommend you look at it.”
Brown — whose hypocrisy throughout was appalling — claims “the people of New Hampshire did not want same-sex marriage.” And he is lying.
Via Wikipedia:
The University of New Hampshire Survey Center released a statewide poll taken from April 13–22, 2009 which concluded that 55% of New Hampshire residents supported same-sex marriage, while 39% percent opposed it. The Center also released a poll taken January 27-February 6, 2011 which found that 62% of New Hampshire residents opposed the new Republican-dominated legislature’s efforts to repeal the 2009 law legalizing same-sex marriage, with only 29% in favor of repeal. In addition, 51% voiced strong opposition to repeal. Another poll conducted between January 30 and February 3, 2011 by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research shows that 59% of New Hampshire residents support allowing same-sex couples to marry and 34% are against. The poll also found that 63% of residents oppose the bill repealing same-sex marriage, while 29% support it.
A July 2011 Public Policy Polling survey found that 51% of New Hampshire voters thought that same-sex marriage should be legal, while 38% thought it should be illegal and 11% were not sure. A separate question on the same survey found that 80% of respondents supported legal recognition of same-sex couples, with 45% supporting same-sex marriage and 35% supporting civil unions, while only 19% thought that there should be no legal recognition and 1% were not sure.
A University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll, conducted between January 25 and February 2, 2012, poll found that 59% of New Hampshire voters were against repealing gay marriage, 32% were for.
Igor Volsky at Think Progress notes:
Brian Brown appeared on MSNBC with Thomas Roberts this morning to condemn “outside groups†for lobbying on behalf of marriage equality. Brown — who himself is the head of DC-based organization that has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into anti-marriage efforts in New York, Maryland and yes New Hampshire — complained that the 2009 same-sex marriage law was “put on New Hampshire (not coming from the people), but coming from out of state interest groups who again tried to buy and pay for same-sex-marriage in New Hampshire.†Craig Stowell — co-chair of of Stand Up For New Hampshire Families and Roberts’ other guest — quickly pointed out the irony in Brown’s complaint. “I think it’s kind of funny when somebody out-of-state sits here and tells me how I should live my life in New Hampshire. It really is an interesting thing,†he said.