FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Elizabeth Ray, x130 or Mary Beth Hutchins, x105 at 703-683-5004
MAY 1, 2009
NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MARRIAGE TO ‘PEREZ HILTON’:
“NICE TRY, MARIO, BUT YOU SAID IT”
(Princeton, NJ) – Yesterday the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) began a $1.5 million advertising campaign showing gay celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton attacking Miss USA runner-up Carrie Prejean for saying that she believes marriage is between a man and a woman. Hilton, whose real name is Mario Lavanderia, issued a profane personal attack (“she’s a dumb b***h, okay”) which is featured in the ad.
Hilton, who plainly said what he is shown saying and posted it on the Internet for the world to see, today has asserted through an attorney that NOM must “cease and desist” airing the ad claiming that his comment is protected by copyright laws. NOM’s attorney immediately responded that use of the material is allowed under long established “fair use” rules for political and social commentary and the ad will not be changed. [NOM's formal response to Perez Hilton's attorney is available here.]
“Mario, aka Perez, not only wants to redefine marriage, he is giving new meaning to the word ‘chutzpah,’” said NOM Executive Director Brian Brown. “Here is a guy whose very public persona is an infringement on a celebrity and whose own website, a commercial enterprise, contains hundreds of images of celebrities now claims that his profane attack on a young contestant - which he himself posted on the Internet - is somehow protected under the law. Nice try, Mario, but you said it and we intend to keep it in our ad.”
NOM’s ad, “No Offense,” began airing yesterday in Washington, D.C. and states across the country. It can be viewed at www.nationformarriage.org.
To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, Executive Director of the National Organization for Marriage, please contact Elizabeth Ray, eray@crcpublicrelations.com, (x130) or Mary Beth Hutchins, mhutchins@crcpublicrelations.com, (x105) at 703-683-5004.
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