Outside Religious Right Groups Targeting Marriage Equality in Maine With a Prop 8-Style Campaign Based on Lies and Big Money

People For the American Way issued a report today that documents how the Religious
Right is targeting marriage equality in Maine with big money and false attacks,
virtually identical to the fearmongering strategies in 2008's Proposition
8 campaign in California.

"The fight to protect marriage equality in Maine hasn't gotten the
same national attention that Prop 8 did in California, but national Religious
Right organizations are pouring resources into their anti-equality
effort," said Peter Montgomery, Senior Fellow at People For the American
Way. "The far right is determined to deny equality to same-sex
couples in Maine, no matter what it takes. Fortunately, a smart
Mainer-led campaign is mobilizing support for the state's marriage equality law
and the families it will protect."

The report, titled "Religious
Right Targets Maine & Marriage Equality With Money, Anti-Gay Swat Teams and
Reprise of Prop. 8's False Fearmongering Strategies,"
details national Religious Right organizations' campaign to reverse gains
by marriage equality advocates in the northeast:

• This
  past weekend, national anti-gay leaders and veterans of last year's
  Prop 8 battle in California descended on Maine. The
  National Organization for Marriage, Family Research Council and Focus on
  the Family brought a national A-list of anti-gay activists to town for a no-press-allowed
  rally on Sunday and a closed-door "pastors briefing" on
  Monday. Among the Religious Right celebrities were
  Harry Jackson and Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, as well as San Diego preacher
  Chris Clark. San Diego was the center
  of church-based anti-gay organizing in California.

• The
  right-wing is not interested in running a "fact-filled"
  and "honest, civil and respectful campaign," and are instead
  choosing the low road of fearmongering and false attacks - much like
  we saw in California.
  Frank Schubert, the California-based political
  consultant who ran the Prop 8 campaign and was brought to Maine by
  Religious Right groups to try to replicate his success, concocted a
  campaign strategy based on scaring enough people into believing that
  marriage equality would somehow turn public schools into gay
  indoctrination centers. Schubert has done plenty
  of bragging
  about how his firm shifted gears and won the campaign by creating fear and
  uncertainty about the effects of marriage equality on children.

• The
  money has poured into the campaign against marriage equality in Maine, with more than 99 percent of the early money
  coming from four organizations, and less than 1 percent coming from Maine voters. 
  Four groups account for $341,000 of the $343,000 anti-gay marriage
  funds reported on July disclosure forms: the New Jersey-based
  National Organization for Marriage contributed $160,000; the Catholic
  diocese of Portland
  anted up $100,000; the Knights of Columbus chipped in $50,000, and Focus
  on the Family Maine added $31,000.
  Contributions from Maine
  individuals amounted to $400, less than one percent of the amount
  raised. Some donations from Maine
  were likely funneled through the National Organization for Marriage, which
  has this year been enthusiastically encouraging
  its supporters to launder their contributions to anti-gay initiatives through
  NOM in order to thwart state campaign finance laws designed to let the
  public know who is paying for campaigns.

"Anti-gay leaders have realized
that they cannot reverse progress toward equality with an honest debate,
so they've resorted to the politics of fear," said People For
the American Way President Michael B. Keegan.
"It's important that Mainers get the full story about who is
playing politics with their state."

The full report can be viewed here.
Interviews with PFAW public policy experts about these strategies can be
arranged via our Communications Department
at 202-467-4999.