Same-Sex Marriage Opponents in Maine have to Pay People to Be on Their Side

by Michael Jones · 2009-08-28 10:39:00 UTC
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How does the right wing spell authenticity?  Apparently P-A-Y-C-H-E-C-K.

Opponents of marriage equality in Maine, led by the group Stand for Marriage, are looking to put some television commercials together to talk about how horrible the idea of equal rights is for gays and lesbians.  But instead of casting actual Mainers, or grassroots activists, they're shilling their message to paid actors who have no ties to the cause, for a $500 paycheck.  The evidence?  Brought to you by AmericaBlog:

Casting Director James Stiles is putting out the word that he’s looking for two “real Maine” women to appear in a television ad produced by supporters of traditional marriage.

Stiles is looking for a “teacher type” and a “working waitress type,” both in the 35-45 age range. If you want to try out, he’s holding auditions from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 2) at the Howard Johnson in South Portland.

If you’re hired, it’s a three day gig that pays $500 a day.

So wow, let's not only hear it for homophobia, let's also hear it for gender stereotypes!  I guess women who are attorneys, farmers, construction workers, accountants, doctors, nurses, or veterinarians need not apply.  Just waitresses and teachers, please.

Contrast this effort with the folks running the No on 1 campaign, who are working day and night to fight for marriage equality.  Their recent ad?  It featured authentic voices from Maine. It featured straight couples and gay couples.  Women and men.

Of course, one reason for that could be that champions of marriage equality don't have to pay "real" fake people to stand up for basic human dignity.  While the other side?  It costs them $500 an actor to find someone willing to preach discrimination.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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