Gay Marriage Opponents Act Like an Oppressed Minority in Catholic Group's Ad

About halfway through this two-and-a-half-minute film from conservative nonprofit the Catholic Vote, its treacly, overly stylized message becomes clear. These Catholics are nervous about revealing their stance on same-sex marriage because they're (spoiler alert!) against it.

That stance is nothing new. And everyone is entitled to their opinion, as long as it doesn't lead to legislation that discriminates. No, what's galling about the ad is its appropriation of LGBTQ themes to marginalize LGBTQ people.

The ad, with a straight face, position Catholics as a persecuted group for not having their message of intolerance (here blatantly recast as its opposite) widely accepted these days. It even plays like a coming-out video for Catholics who are afraid to take the "brave" step of voicing their objection to equality. That's a pretty audacious tactic—disingenuous and disrespectful, to say the least.



Beyond that, it is rather illogical. You can't reposition a group as oppressed when there is no movement to oppress them. And you certainly can't equate being called a bigot for spouting intolerance with anything near what members of the LGBTQ community have experienced for decades. 

The empowering music is on point, though. 

Oh, and thankfully there's already a parody...