NOM co-founder Maggie Gallagher: Duck Dynasty responsible for drop in equal marriage support
Maggie Gallagher, the co-founder of the National Organisation for Marriage, has claimed that reality show Duck Dynasty is responsible for a drop in support for marriage equality.
Phil Robertson was suspended from Duck Dynasty for less than two weeks last year, when he questioned in an interview to GQ why gay men would prefer “a man’s anus” over a vagina – and has since claimed STIs are God’s punishment for gays.
Gallagher, who was replaced as the anti-gay group’s president in 2010 but remains on its executive committee, made the claim in an article for the National Review.
She wrote: “Something happened over the last year to give traditional Christians second thoughts about what gay marriage would mean.
“The most likely candidate is A&E’s decision to suspend Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson, after he expressed, rather colorfully, rather standard orthodox Christian views on gay sex.”
She adds that “The Duck Dynasty incident was not, of course, alone” – also citing the case of Brendan Eich, who decided to step down as CEO of Mozilla after members of his board protested at donations to anti-gay marriage groups.
She continues: “Other cases have not received the same widespread attention as Duck Dynasty and Mozilla, but they are beginning to mount, raising fears that gay marriage means tolerance for thee and persecution for me.”
A Pew Research Center poll revealed last week that support for same-sex marriage had dropped by about 5% down to 49% – but the data is possibly an outlier.
