Courage Campaign Issues Committee Releases New Hard-Hitting Proposition 8 Ad
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 3, 2008
Courage Campaign Issues Committee Releases New Hard-Hitting Proposition 8 Ad
“Home Invasion” Ad Generated from Netroots, First to Take on Mormon Church Directly
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Courage Campaign Issues Committee, the ballot measure committee that is part of the Courage Campaign family’s online organizing network of over 100,000 members in California, today launched a new, hard-hitting 60-second TV ad that directly challenges the role of the Mormon Chruch on Proposition 8. The ad will air on cable TV stations on Tuesday as a final Get-Out-The-Vote message.
“This hard-hitting satire was created and produced by volunteers in two days last week to highlight and hold the Mormon Church accountable for attempting to dictate public policy to California and invading the lives of Californians,” said Rick Jacobs, Chair of the Courage Campaign Issues Committee.
The ad, entitled “Home Invasion,” features two men dressed as Mormon missionaries ransacking the home of a same-sex couple, confiscating their wedding rings and destroying their wedding license as they are helpless to stop them. The ad was created and produced by Dante and David Atkins, both of whom are California activists and bloggers. The ad been seen widely on several prominent weblogs including Daily Kos, Calitics, AmericaBlog and Wonkette and has already garnered tens of thousands of views on YouTube.
The ad can be seen here:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/NoOn8Videos
or here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q28UwAyzUkE
“We created this ad because Proposition 8 will have devastating consequences for tens of thousands of Californians, and we should reject attempts by religious groups to use their wealth to write their religious views into our State Constitution,” said Dante Atkins, who, with his brother David, wrote, directed and produced the ad.
“The creation and airing of the ad is a strong example of the power of online organizing,” added Jacobs. “The Atkins brothers executed on an idea. Thousands of Courage Campaign donors made airing of the ad possible.”
Courage Campaign staff have been actively organizing bloggers and online activists in the fight against Proposition 8.
“The Courage Campaign is a people-powered organization that mobilizes over 100,000 netroots and grassroots members in California,” said Jacobs. “We are empowering our members to speak out about their outrage over the Mormon Church’s singular focus on taking fundamental rights away from millions of Californians. This ad is the culmination of that frustration.”
The Courage Campaign Issues Committee has taken a lead role in the fight against Proposition 8. Last week, the group delivered a petition signed by more than 17,000 Californians urging Church of Latter-day Saints President Thomas Monson to cease funding the campaign for Proposition 8. The first petition was rejected by the Los Angeles Mormon Temple. The Courage Campaign Issues Committee then delivered the signatures to the Mormon Church headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Web videos of both petition deliveries can be viewed at the following pages:
LOS ANGELES: http://www.couragecampaign.org/MormonVideo
SALT LAKE CITY: http://www.couragecampaign.org/NoOn8videos
Earlier this month, the Courage Campaign Issues Committee also launched a web ad that uses humor to educate voters about the consequences of Proposition 8. The ad “Gender Auditors” can be viewed at the Courage Campaign’s “Pledge to Vote No on Prop 8” page at:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/NoOnProp8
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