Anti-gay marriage ad creates internet storm

WASHINGTON DC, USA – When Iowa recently legalised gay marriage it took a lot of people in the US by surprise. No one was shocked when California legalised same-sex unions (the surprise was when it was voted out again in November).

For New York’s governor to recently announce he’s considering allowing men to marry men and women to marry women isn’t considered very unusual. But Iowa? The heart of the heartland? That’s clearly freaked out a few of the staunchest opponents of gay marriage.

The National Organisation for Marriage (for straight marriage, that is) produced this ad warning of the dangers – although they don’t explain why gay marriage threatens their lifestyles, jobs, churches or schools. Or which of their “freedoms” will be taken away:

It’s become an instant YouTube hit. And it’s been much parodied by many homemade rip offs.

Some quite serious:

And some funnier:

TV professionals have also been poking fun. Comedian Stephen Colbert made his own version to run on Daily Show spin-off The Colbert Show (not available to view in the UK).

The NOM doesn’t seem to quite get the irony. They have written to Colbert thanking him for showing their ad on TV. Obviously believing that all publicity is good publicity, even if you are being totally ridiculed.

But many of the advocates against same-sex marriage seem confused. Just look at Miss California lose the Miss USA pageant by giving a rather back to front answer to a simple question:

The judge who asked the question, the celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, was not impressed.