Anatomy of an anti-gay campaign

Joe Fox, who produced the documentary Question One, about the marriage battle in Maine a few years back, pens a piece for the Advocate about the larger lessons learned in these marriage battles.  This anecdote from the Maine battle is telling, and depressing:

But it was actually the telephone calls that told me we were doomed. As the “Yes” folk made their phone calls during the final days, they would allow me to listen in by putting the calls on speaker. One call after another, the person on the other end started off leaning toward voting “no.”

“I just want to do the right thing,” said one woman. “I just believe in giving my gay and lesbian neighbors equal rights.”

“Of course you do,” responded the Yes phone banker. “We all do. But you know they have their civil rights. They have all their rights.”

And wouldn’t you know it, seven minutes later, the woman hung up pledging to vote “yes.”

This was an argument that seemed to work. When presented with the “facts” as to how many protections gays and lesbians had and that we really didn’t need marriage to be treated fairly and equally, they were stumped. And in my gut there was a sickening feeling that this could be their silver bullet.

I remember several years ago talking to an acquaintance at the Family Research Council about ENDA and having them tell me that job "discrimination" was already illegal - it must already be illegal to fire someone for being gay - so that gays must be asking for something "more" with ENDA (perhaps affirmative action?). They simply didn't get, or believe, that it's legal to fire someone for being gay, so they just assumed that it must be a trick, we must be seeking some kind of "special" rights.