Anti-gay group compares its rally to Martin Luther King

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a pink background.

An anti-gay group its latest rally to the March on Washington where Martin Luther King delivered his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.

The National Organisation for Marriage, which purports to just oppose same-sex marriage but has ties with extreme anti-gay groups, is currently planning its latest ‘March for Marriage’ rally, as the Supreme Court prepares to take up an equal marriage case.

In an email begging supporters for funding, NOM President Brian Brown directly equated NOM to the civil rights struggle.

He said: “In 1963, something happened that changed the civil rights movement.

“For the first time, six major organizations working on civil rights issues came together to support what they called the “March on Washington” to demand the passage of pivotal civil rights legislation.

“‘I have a dream’, Martin Luther King, Jr. said, ‘that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but the content of their character.’

“My friends, it’s 1963 in the fight for marriage. And it is time we march.

“I can’t promise you that we will have a historic speech like Dr. King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech, nor can I promise you 250,000 people will come to Washington, but I can promise you this: we will march for a true and just cause, for the civil right of Americans to enjoy the benefits of natural marriage, the union of one man and one woman, the foundation of society and the cradle of civilization.

“And I can also promise that this year’s march could be as important to the cause of marriage as the 1963 March on Washington was to the cause of civil rights.”

The group claimed that 10,000 people attended the March for Marriage last year – but independent estimates put the number at just 2000.

Before the event, Brian Brown had sent an email “begging” members to show up to the rally on the day, to avoid embarrassing him in front of the media.