FRC Exploits Matthew Shepard to Bash Marriage Equality

While organizations on the far right have often used specious logic around marriage equality, the latest from Family Research Council's Robert Morrison might upset just a few folks on both sides of the debate. According to Right Wing Watch, Morrison offers up a commentary on LifeSiteNews.com in which he exploits the murder of Matthew Shepard to argue that marriage equality somehow leads to absent fathers:

"When we see dozens of Democrats abandoning their previously held positions and a few Republicans also willing to betray the voters who put them in office," he writes, "it would be easy to become cynical about everyone in politics. But we have to stand firm and push back. Marriage is a blessing to families. Three-quarters of the teen rapists in our prisons are fatherless young men, so are two-thirds of the teen murderers. Even gay martyr Matthew Shepherd [sic] was killed by two fatherless young men. Marriage bashes no one. Marriage benefits everyone."

The rest of his column extolls the virtues of marriage — for everyone except same-sex couples, that is.

Some more tidbits from Morrison's commentary:

"I’ve been going to pro-life marches since 1981, so I’m getting used to the drill. Still, this week’s March for Marriage in Washington, D.C. promised to be different in many ways. It was slated to coincide with the U.S.Supreme Court’s oral arguments on the Defense of Marriage Act and on California’s Proposition 8. The media says Prop 8 was designed to 'ban' homosexuals from marrying. It was designed for no such thing. As was the federal Defense of Marriage Act, Prop 8 was designed to protect an institution that is under attack."

"State Sen. Ruben Diaz harangued the crowd estimated at 5-8,000. Sen. Diaz is from New York. He spoke in Spanish. He crowed: 'I’m black. I’m Hispanic. I’m against abortion. I’m against this homosexual stuff. And I’m a Democrat.' He added that he wins by 89 percent in his state senatorial district."

Read the rest here.