04/25/2013

Washington– The so-called National Organization for Marriage president, Brian Brown, hit a new low yesterday, responding to the passage of a marriage equality bill in the Rhode Island state Senate by proclaiming: "It's bad enough when families break down through divorce or death, but it's unconscionable when a state encourages this through policies that deprive children of the love of both a mother and a father. This is a very sad day for Rhode Island."

Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, called on Brown to issue an immediate apology for ridiculing no less than two million parents.

“Brian Brown should apologize immediately– this represents a new low even for someone who has made a career out of demeaning LGBT people and their families,” said Griffin. “Same-sex parents are raising two million kids across this country. Brian Brown owes an explanation to those families as to why, in his eyes, they are not worthy of the same dignity, rights, and protections as other families.”

No credible scientific research has given any credence to arguments that children of same-sex parents are at any sort of disadvantage. Just last month, the independent and non-partisan American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) endorsed marriage equality precisely because it’s good for kids. The well-respected group said that marriage, as well as adoption, helps protect children’s right to maintain relationships with both parents, eligibility for health benefits, and financial security. Other prominent groups supporting same-sex adoption include the Child Welfare League of America, the National Adoption Center, and the National Association of Social Workers.

"A rapidly growing majority of Americans now support equal treatment for all our citizens and I hope that very soon Brian Brown will realize he is on the wrong side of history,” added Griffin. “At a minimum I hope he will agree to stop smearing hard-working parents who simply want their families to enjoy the same rights and protections granted to other families."

Brown’s remarks also stand in direct contradiction to statements made by David Blankenhorn – an expert witness for proponents of Prop 8 who has since evolved on the issue of marriage equality – during that trial. Blankenhorn testified that children raised by gay or lesbian adoptive parents did just as well, if not better, than those raised by their biological parents.

“I’ve seen a lot of inflammatory rhetoric come from Brown and NOM’s other leaders over the years, but equating loving, same-sex parents to families hit by tragedies like death or divorce is something new – it’s a shocking and, frankly, despicable change of tone,” said Jeremy Hooper, founder and publisher of Good As You, a prominent advocacy blog that calls out discrimination against LGBT people, and NOM Exposed partner.

More information on Brian Brown and the National Organization for Marriage is available at www.hrc.org/nomexposed.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.