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Have you come home to find one of these on your front door? In an effort to urge Washington voters to reject the state’s freedom to marry law by rejecting Referendum 74, opponents have loaded these door hangers with the same discredited claims and distortions found in their TV ads, videos and statements.
Washington United for Marriage, the bipartisan coalition working to defend the state’s marriage law and approve Referendum 74, today debunked this flyer at MarriageFactCheck.com:
Assertion: Referendum 74 will grant same-sex couples NO new rights whatsoever, but will instead redefine marriage for everyone.
Fact: While domestic partnerships are legal in Washington, states that have passed such laws have found them to be fundamentally unequal and harmful. [See here, here, and here.] As the Supreme Court of Connecticut wrote in 2008 when it struck down a statute that prohibited same-sex marriage, civil unions and marriage “are by no means ‘equal’.”
The court explained in its opinion: “Despite the truly laudable effort of the legislature in equalizing the legal rights afforded same sex and opposite sex couples, there is no doubt that civil unions enjoy a lesser status in our society than marriage.”
Assertion: We cannot stand by as activists conduct a social experiment that will be harmful to our children and grandchildren.
Fact: In 2010, sociologists Judith Stacey (New York University) and Tim Biblarz (University of Southern California) conducted a review of nearly every study on gay parenting. They found that “Current claims that children need both a mother and father are spurious… At this point no research supports the widely held conviction that the gender of parents matters for child well-being.”
Studies contending that children of same-sex parents fare worse than children of heterosexual couples have been widely criticized for employing faulty methodology.
The American Academy of Pediatrics “recognizes that a considerable body of professional literature provides evidence that children with parents who are homosexual can have the same advantages and the same expectations for health, adjustment, and development as can children whose parents are heterosexual.”
The National Association of Social Workers said, “Legislation legitimizing second-parent adoptions in same-sex households should be supported. Legislation seeking to restrict foster care and adoption by gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people should be vigorously opposed.”
Assertion: Marriage exists for the benefit of children.
Social science research and thousands of years of history show that children do best when raised by their married mom and dad.
Fact: In 2010, sociologists Judith Stacey (New York University) and Tim Biblarz (University of Southern California) conducted a review of nearly every study on gay parenting. They found that “Current claims that children need both a mother and father are spurious… At this point no research supports the widely held conviction that the gender of parents matters for child well-being.”
Studies contending children of same-sex parents fare worse than children of heterosexual couples have been widely criticized for employing faulty methodology.
The American Academy of Pediatrics “recognizes that a considerable body of professional literature provides evidence that children with parents who are homosexual can have the same advantages and the same expectations for health, adjustment, and development as can children whose parents are heterosexual.”
The National Association of Social Workers said, “Legislation legitimizing second-parent adoptions in same-sex households should be supported. Legislation seeking to restrict foster care and adoption by gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people should be vigorously opposed.”
Assertion: Same-sex couples ALREADY enjoy all the same rights and benefits as married couples in Washington under the domestic partnerships, “Everything But Marriage,” law from 2009.
Fact: States that have passed civil unions have found that they’re fundamentally unequal and harmful. [See here, here, and here.] As the Supreme Court of Connecticut wrote in 2008 when it struck down a statute that prohibited same-sex marriage, civil unions and marriage “are by no means ‘equal.’”
Assertion: Same-sex couples are entitled to respect and to live as they choose, but they do not have the right to redefine marriage for all society.
Fact: R74 does not redefine marriage. It simply asks voters to affirm the bipartisan state law by approving the question, which would allow all loving couples to marry.
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“None of this is surprising, but it’s still disappointing,” said WUM campaign manager Zach Silk in a press release. “Our opponents will obviously use every last dime to try to scare and intimidate voters by these over-the-top claims. Once again, we’ll put our trust in Washington voters who understand that allowing same-sex marriage changes nothing, yet strengthens and supports all families.”
3 Comments
Marriage is NOT for the benefit of children. It simply isn’t and never was. People have to stop buying into that fallacy.
I doubt that any of us are surprised by this. Our opponents, guided by Frank Schubert and NOM, blanket the market with cries of “what about the children?” and “don’t let these activists redefine marriage for all of us” about two weeks before the election EVERY SINGLE TIME.
The problem is that unless Washington United for Marriage now puts door hangers on every door debunking these claims in language that is as clear and concise as that in this door hanger, the other side wins.
99.9% of the people who receive this door hanger are not going to go to MarriageFactCheck.com to find out whether or not this flyer is factual.
There is no penalty for lying and playing dirty. They do it because it works.
It’s not illegal to lie on door hangers, unfortunately. The good news is that Washington United for Marriage is canvassing, phone banking and advertising like mad, so our side’s message is getting out too. We just have to be persistent.