The National Organization for Marriage
(NOM) on Tuesday lost an appeal to keep its donor list secret, the AP
reported.
NOM poured nearly $2 million into the
2009 fight to repeal Maine's gay marriage law.
But the group has refused to abide by
the state's campaign reporting laws, which say groups that raise or
spend more than $5,000 must disclose donors who make contributions in
excess of $100.
NOM has previously argued that Maine's
laws are overly burdensome and unconstitutional.
“We already know that the homosexual
lobby has launched a national campaign of harassment and intimidation
against supporters of traditional marriage, so there's good reason to
keep these names confidential,” NOM lawyer James Bopp Jr. told the
AP.
Gay marriage activists have previously
alleged that NOM's financial support comes mostly from religious
groups.
“They [the Mormon Church] have
created front groups that can do their bidding in banning same-sex
marriage throughout the United States. The Mormon Church gave $1.2
million to ban gay marriage in Alaska and Hawaii, and got caught.
Ever since they work through front groups to try and hide their
direct involvement,” said Fred Karger, founder of Californians
Against Hate.
NOM said it would appeal the ruling by
the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston to the U.S. Supreme
Court.