In a fundraising email, Brian Brown,
the president of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM),
suggested that LGBT civil rights would be used to punish Americans
opposed to LGBT rights.
Brown, whose organization works to
undermine marriage equality in the United States, pointed to the case
of out actor Jussie Smollett to make his case.
Police in Chicago have charged
Smollett, who is black and gay, with staging his own hate crime in an
effort to increase his salary on the Fox drama Empire.
(Related: Jussie
Smollett dropped from remainder of Empire season.)
“The situation with Jussie Smollett
is very unfortunate,” Brown wrote. “It’s deplorable whenever
someone makes false charges of discrimination or violence against
LGBT individuals. But what’s worse is that the culture, fueled by
the media and LGBT advocacy groups, gives massive exposure to these
claims.”
“And even worse than that is when
elected officials seek to codify special legal status and rights for
gays and lesbians, which can easily be used as a weapon against other
Americans, particularly those who hold to traditional biblical views
of human sexuality and gender.”
“NOM will always stand for the truth
and fight to protect your rights,” he added, along with a plea for
a donation to the group.