On Monday, Protect Maine Equality released their newest ad.



The Yes on 1 ad it references, which was released last week by Stand for Marriage Maine, has been pulled from YouTube due to a copyright claim by NPR. The ad included a quote from a 2004 story called “Massachsuetts Schools Grapple with Including Gay & Lesbian Relationships in Sex Education.”

 From the Portland Press Herald: 

National Public Radio is demanding that the Stand for Marriage Maine group stop  using its content in television ads supporting a people’s veto of a new same-sex  marriage law.

 “NPR did not license use of this story or its content, and would certainly not have  licensed or permitted it if we had been asked,” Rehm said in a statement. “NPR is  a highly respected news organization and does not allow its content to be used by  political or advocacy groups. Such use is harmful to the integrity and  independence of NPR. NPR does allow – even encourage -- personal, non- commercial use of our content, so long as it is not modified, and not used in a  manner that suggests NPR promotes or endorses a cause, idea, Web site, product  or service. The use made by Stand for Marriage Maine violated all of these
 terms.”

Stand for Marriage Maine is spinning this by claiming that people who are for marriage equality are “scared” of the Yes on 1 ad, and therefore took action to get the ad off the air.
Yet, it was not Protect Maine Equality or the citizens of Maine at large who caused the ad to not be shown- it was NPR. And  it wasn’t because they were “scared.”

Another bogus claim coming from SFMM’s Mark Mutty was featured on a Maine Pubic Broadcasting Network story covering the controversy over possible (although already disproved) curriculum impact.

 "We've never said that schools will be mandated- or, actually, perhaps we did in  one ad, or certainly led people to believe that, inadvertently."

It’s no surprise that they’re willing to lie through their teeth, but when they say, “homosexual marriage [will be] taught in public schools whether parents like it or not,” and then claim that that doesn’t mean that the teaching of “homosexual marriage” will be “mandated,” they’re hoping, as always, that no one gives too much thought to what they say.

They say that it’s our side who’s arguments fall apart. They say that if same-sex couples can legally marry, then when the subject of marriage happens to come up during the school day, students and teachers would be discouraged from saying that such a thing was “wrong.” This is what they mean when they talk about the impact on schools. The fact is that the marriage equality law will not change school curriculum. Marriage between straight couples aren’t even part of current curriculums. As I’ve said before, it all comes down to homophobia.

They say that legalizing marriage equality would change school curriculum. We, and Maine’s Attorney General, say that it won’t. They say that even if it isn’t part of the curriculum, the issue will come up and that is a bad, scary thing for our kids to hear. We say that kids of gay or lesbian parents shouldn’t be made to feel that their families are bad or scary.

But really, this isn’t about schools. This is about loving couples and families who deserve the rights and protections that come with marriage equality. This is about recognizing that gay and lesbian couples deserve to be treated with respect by their government. This is about the children of gay and lesbian parents who deserve the same legal protections as their friends with straight parents. And, this is about the young LGBT people who hope to one day be able to marry the person they love when they grow up.

And all SFMM has to say is that gays are scary.

To donate to Protect Maine Equality and/or to participate in a virtual phone bank, please visit ProtectMaineEquality.org

~ Samantha