Scroll To Top
Marriage Equality

WATCH: Dissecting NOM's Absurd Marriage Pledge for GOP Candidates

WATCH: Dissecting NOM's Absurd Marriage Pledge for GOP Candidates

Nom-brian-brown-x400_3

The antigay organization wants presidential candidates to make promises they can't possibly keep.

Support The Advocate
LGBTQ+ stories are more important than ever. Join us in fighting for our future. Support our journalism.

The National Organization for Marriage has once again unveiled plans to ask all the GOP presidential candidates to sign an anti-equality pledge. But the specifics of the pledge are so outlandish that there's no way any serious candidate could possibly follow through on them.

The first item on NOM's list: support a constitutional amendment to ban marriage nationwide. That idea has been floating around for more than a decade, but it's never picked up much support. After President Bush endorsed the idea -- and failed to advance it -- it was clear that there was no political will to pass such an amendment. While it's almost certain that a sitting president would never spend their political capital on such a divisive (not to mention unpopular) effort, that hasn't stopped presidential hopeful and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and yet-to-declare candidate, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, from advocating for an antigay amendment to the Constitution.

NOM also wants candidates to pledge to nominate anti-equality judges; to reverse the Obama administration's policies recognizing LGBT spouses; to weaken civil rights laws; and to waste time investigating claims of harassment by antigay groups. Some of those requests could actually come to pass -- several states have created new, "religious freedom"-shaped loopholes in civil rights laws in the last few years -- but other demands, like resuming the practice of deporting binational couples, are a tall order.

Stonewall Brick AwardsOut / Advocate Magazine - Jonathan Groff & Wayne Brady

From our Sponsors

Most Popular

Latest Stories

Matt Baume