GLAAD and Equality Matters call on the media in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Washington and around the country to bring attention to the falsehoods present in anti-LGBT "scare" ads running in the four states with marriage on the ballot on Tuesday
Several journalists have already done this, like Bill Nemitz of the Kennebeck Journal in Maine, who wrote that the anti-LGBT ads airing in his state are "so short on facts it's scary." And the Seattle Times' "Truth Needle" column found similar ads running in Washington State to be "half true."
But many in the media have been content to leave the fact-checking to LGBT advocates, merely reporting what both sides of the debate are saying, as though both are equally rooted in the truth. The fact of the matter is that these anti-equality ads are misleading voters and spreading misinformation.
Here are the facts: Marriage equality won't affect school curricula, despite what the ads repeatedly claim. The Catholic adoption agencies named in the ads voluntarily ended their services, they were "not forced" to shut down. The lawsuits the ads talk about were filed over violations of non-discrimination laws and had nothing to do with marriage equality. The New Jersey church cited in those ads was able to keep its tax exemption, even though it denied services to same-sex couples.
Details for all of these facts are available on Equality Matters' website at www.equalitymatters.org/factcheck/201210100001
Letting one side of a debate get away with misleading voters is irresponsible journalism. We call on media around the country to take the next few days and inform voters about the truth behind these misleading anti-equality ads.
Do your part to help ensure marriage equality by visiting www.glaad.org/vote and learning how you can help voters in Minnesota, Maryland, Maine, and Washington ensure marriage equality, as well as how to ensure that thousands of transgender Americans can protect their vote.
