“A broad ruling in favor of redefining marriage would be represent the most urgent threat to the religious freedom of pro-marriage Catholics and other Christians we have ever witnessed in this country. Countries that have redefined marriage (think Canada) are actively and aggressively fining and imprisoning Christian pastors and Catholic priests and bishops who continue to speak the truth about marriage and human sexuality from the pulpit.” – NOM communications director Thomas Peters, writing for Catholic Vote.
FACT CHECK: Jeremy Hooper calls this Peters’ “most outrageous” lie so far. The only Canadian pastor ever fined for anti-gay hate speech was Stephen Boissoin, whose 2002 penalty was overturned was in 2009. So not only has no Canadian religious figure ever been “imprisoned” for opposing gay marriage, not one has ever so much as paid a fine. Once again we see that there is no lie, no matter how petty (or in this case major), that NOM will not make in their hateful crusade against LGBT Americans.