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08/17/2012
Ruth Institute blogger: My instinct was tolerance until far-right talking points duped me
This is truly sad to read. Blogger Jennifer Thieme, who has become one of the most prolific voices speaking for the National Organization for Marriage's Ruth Institute, has a new post where she admits that she did not personally vote for Proposition 8 back in '08 because she saw marriage for same-sex couples as mostly benign and lacking impact on her own life. But then she started listening to (and now reciting) the same flawed talking points about reproduction that we gay people have been hearing for decades now, and now she is not only in support of Prop 8 but is actually an advocate for persuading others to support this form of discrimination as well.
Snip and full piece:
On the surface I will be the first to admit that it does seem rather benign. Who cares what goes on in the privacy of others’ bedrooms? I don’t. But when we dig a little deeper, we find something quite harmful and offensive. If you’re a libertarian at heart and a biological parent you will completely understand what I am about to say.
The thing I now find so highly offensive about granting gays the marital status is that it requires the replacement of a natural, pre-political institution for a legal one. This institution is called parenthood.
FULL: My Little Prop 8 Secret – and Why I Would Vote Yes On It Today [Ruth Institute]
It's of course rare that we see the trend lines pointed in this direction. Typically, we hear of folks who has been misled by "values" advocacy and hackneyed non sequiturs before having a lightbulb moment that brought them over to the fair-minded side of history. Thankfully, Ms. Thieme's story of becoming someone who sees gays as capable of destroying parenthood is a rare one.
But it's a story nonetheless. If anything, Ms. Thieme's story shows us that there is a definite, deliberate playbook on the other side—and it highlights our need to dismantle it!
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