NOM Caught Lying (Again)

February 11, 2011

The Pulitzer Prize-winning website PolitiFact has graded as "false" a claim in the latest mailing from the so-called "National Organization for Marriage."

In Rhode Island, where the legislature is considering a marriage bill, NOM recently mailed out a flyer trying to convince voters that giving gay couples the freedom to marry would somehow hurt them. One of the claims was: "Massachusetts’ public schools teach kids as young as kindergartners about gay marriage. Parents have no legal right to object!"

NOM said it based its claim on a lawsuit brought in 2006 by a mother and father from Lexington. They filed a federal lawsuit saying that when their son was in kindergarten, he was given a book about different kinds of families, including ones with gay parents. The next year, they say he was read a book called "King & King," which is about a prince who marries another prince. The parents claimed that the school was trying to "indoctrinate" their son with the idea that same-sex marriages are normal, which goes against their religious beliefs.

The case was dismissed, with the court ruling that "The reading by a teacher of one book, or even three, and even if to a young and impressionable child, does not constitute 'indoctrination.'"?

PolitiFact says NOM couldn't come up with any other examples of marriage between gay couples being taught to kindergarteners. Neither could the Massachusetts Family Institute, the state education department, or teachers' organizations. PolitiFact writes:

"Bottom line: The National Organization for Marriage mailing says that Massachusetts public schools teach kindergartners about gay marriage. The wording, including the present tense verb, gives the impression this is happening now, in many schools.

"But the group’s only evidence is two incidents five years ago. It’s possible that somewhere, in one of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, other kindergartners have been taught about same-sex marriage. But NOM couldn’t cite any other examples. We find its statement False."

Here's a roundup of some previous lies put out by NOM.