Alvin McEwen thinks this is HUGE. And, he’s right. NOM is fighting the marriage bill in Rhode Island this year with its usual lies and hate. But, this time, the group has been busted.
PolitiFact Rhode Island has examined the NOM claim, now being spread via direct mail in Rhode Island:
We chose to examine one of the claims: “Massachusetts’ public schools teach kids as young as kindergartners about gay marriage. Parents have no legal right to object!”
Alvin takes us through Politifact’s analysis:
PolitiFact then spoke with Jonathan Considine of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Massachusetts Comprehensive Health Curriculum, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, and Thomas Gosnell, president of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts.
All of these groups and individuals said that they were not aware of any school, classroom, or situation in which gay marriage is being taught to kindergartners.
Politifact concluded thusly:
Bottom line: The National Organization for Marriage mailing says that Massachusetts public schools teach kindergartners about gay marriage. The wording, including the present tense verb, gives the impression this is happening now, in many schools.
But the group’s only evidence is two incidents five years ago. It’s possible that somewhere, in one of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, other kindergartners have been taught about same-sex marriage. But NOM couldn’t cite any other examples. We find its statement False.
False indeed.
There’s a reason why Maggie Gallagher and Brian Brown, the self-appointed leaders of the anti-gay, anti-marriage industry, didn’t testify in the Prop. 8 trial last summer. If they could stand by what they spew, they should have taken the stand in what was the most important case to date on marriage. But, they didn’t. That’s because, as David Boies said so eloquently last August, “a witness place is a lonely place to lie. And when you come into court you can’t do that.” It’s a crime.
So, people of Rhode Island, be advised: NOM is lying to you.
