Equality Matters Picks Of The Week, April 4 - 8, 2011

Equality Matters staff offers our picks for the most interesting, outrageous, or thought provoking stories of the week:

• Major Turnaround: NOM's Social Media Guru Now Supports Civil Unions. The driving force behind the National Organization for Marriage's social media campaigns on Twitter and FaceBook came out in support of civil marriage equality in an exclusive interview with Good As You founder Jeremy Hooper. What thawed the chill in Louis Marinelli's heart? The last stop of the anti-LGBT "Summer for Marriage" tour in Atlanta: "The NOM showing in the heart of the Bible-belt was dismal and the hundreds of counter-protesters who showed up were nothing short of inspiring," he said.
• A Williams Institute study concluded that there are about nine million LGBT Americans nationwide. However, some activists rejected the finding as too low. The report also found that "an estimated 19 million Americans (8.2%) report that they have engaged in same-sex sexual behavior and nearly 25.6 million Americans (11%) acknowledge at least some same-sex sexual attraction."
• The Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) was introduced with 92 fewer co-sponsors than in last Congress.
• GOP Kicks Off 2012 Campaign By Going Anti-LGBT. If you thought the Republican Party was focused solely on economic issues following the fiscal wave that swept them into office last fall, think again. The RNC's "Hope Isn't Hiring" micro-site features a "Social Issues" tab lamenting President Obama's steps toward LGBT equality.
• Doing The Right Thing For 2012. Equality Matters' Kerry Eleveld questions whether it's time for LGBT advocates to quit fighting for equality and fall in line behind President Obama's reelection campaign. Not so fast, she says.
• "What Will Happen If Gay Marriage Is Legalized?" Andrew Sullivan took a look at what would happen if same-sex marriages were legalized. Turns out gays would get married.
• MT Rep. Fears Gay Recruitment. Arguing that Montana's sodomy law should be applied in cases where gays try to recruit heterosexuals, Republican Representative Ken Peterson imagined what that recruitment might look like: "'Here, young man, your hormones are raging. Let's go in this bedroom, and we'll engage in some homosexual acts. You'll find you like it.'"