NOM bunkers down in a mostly-empty park in St. Louis

Timothy Kincaid

August 5th, 2010

Fresh off their bizarro rants over the overturn of Proposition 8 in California, the National Organization for Marriage rolled into St. Louis, Missouri. And irate marriage-protectors up in arms over the activist judge arrogantly thumbing his nose at the voters turned out in droves.

Not really. The Trial Tracker reports:

We count 35 NOM rally attendees from afar, and we’re now up to 214 equality supporters.

Now we can’t be certain that there were only 35 people there. No equality supporters were allowed anywhere near the park, even those who had pre-registered and brought their invite with them. So since the count was from a distance maybe there were 40 attendees,or even 50, once you count the staff. But it’s a sad sad day for NOM if the ruling couldn’t even draw a crowd.

As I mentioned, NOM took a new approach this time; they kept protesters – and even the gay press – at a distance. So the protesters were pretty much left with waving at the cars and cheering when supporters honked. And as NOM is not yet posting pictures or comments on the event, we’ll just have to imagine what was said at the rally:

Brian Brown, speaking for the entire anti-gay marriage movement officially gave up and decided to endorse equality and decency. He said that we must treat others the way we want to be treated and encouraged the listeners to call their legislators and ask them to support marriage equality.

Nah, that probably wasn’t it. I’m guessing it was more along the lines of “blah blah activist judge blah blah one man and one woman blah blah they’re picking on us.” In any case, I’m certain that the pro-equality side was having a much better night than NOM.

UPDATE:

Even NOM is getting bored with their rallies. While they posted two pictures of the St. Louis Arch, they decided that their abysmally dismal St. Louis rally was worthy of only one picture and a single sentence.

They like to talk about the people out there who are “following our rally online” but I suspect that those followers are mostly mythical.

They’ve breathlessly announced the following for Saturday’s rally:

I hope you’ve made plans to join us at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta tomorrow. We’ve just confirmed that Dr. Alveda King, Director of African American Outreach of Priests for Life, and the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will be able to attend and speak at the rally!

I wonder if their Atlanta rally will continue to be lilywhite inside the rally and racially diverse out where the protesters are?

occono

August 5th, 2010

Hmm, how would they feel if a Judge forced them to let counter-protestors in, like with that Twin Cities Pride event in a park?

tavdy79

August 6th, 2010

Who else thinks that NOM’s tour is probably getting more coverage in the gay press & blogosphere than in the right-wing press?

danc

August 6th, 2010

We should start bringing parabolic microphones to record the lunacy.

customartist

August 6th, 2010

I’m imagining following the group and playing the song:

“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot…..oooooh la-la-la-la”

TampaZeke

August 6th, 2010

Is “bunkers down” an intentional Palinism for comedic effect?

Lanham

August 6th, 2010

Coverage of the St. Louis event has understandably been overshadowed by follow-up stories on the Prop 8 decision, but it was — as predicted — a doozy.

NOM supporters were hardly “energized,” and were, as has not uncommonly happened, fantastically outnumbered.

NOM suddenly (relative to previous events) decided their rally was an event to which someone had to be “invited.”

And they turned away two men who were holding hands.

It would have been fascinating to have witnessed their impromptu literal discriminating of who could and couldn’t approach and entry their rally.

Tomorrow (Sat. 8/7) they are in Atlanta. Because of Bernice King, maybe they will get some AME wingnuts to attend. I hope the counter-protestors put quotes from Coretta Scott King on the very subject of marriage equality up on posters. And of course there are quotes from MLK Jr. himself, on the subject of prejudice and fairness, that should shame the hell out of them.

I love when they bring up “Martin Luther King Jr.” and/or “civil rights.” I mean, it is so damn stupid of them. Oh, you poor oppressed gay-hating martyrs! You are not being allowed to engage in your civil right to oppress!

Timothy Kincaid

August 6th, 2010

Lanham,

They have Alvida King, MLK’s niece, not Bernice, his daughter. Alveda is probably preferable to NOM because she works with a Catholic anti-abortion group.

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