Via Courage Campaign Equality:

Dear Daniel --

A Courage Campaign staffer was just assaulted by a man associated with the National Organization for Marriage's bus tour across California -- a statewide tour launched in support of Carly Fiorina.

Anthony Ash, a Courage field staffer, was assaulted when he tried to film the latest stop on NOM's "Vota Tus Valores/Vote Your Values" tour across California. Anthony's arm was struck by a man attempting to obstruct the filming and Anthony's video camera was knocked to the ground. Anthony is OK, but the camera is now permanently damaged, as is the footage taken on it.

The Santa Ana police were quick to respond, stopping NOM's bus from making a quick getaway. Our lawyers have filed a complaint with the police for battery and are now considering what other action may be taken.

Last week, we sent Anthony, along with staffers Arisha Hatch and Phyllis Lozano, on the road to follow NOM so that we could track and expose the reality behind their poorly-attended tour as part of our "NOM Exposed" web site launched with the Human Rights Campaign. This coverage follows up on the comprehensive NOM Tour Tracker work we did over the summer in collaboration with Freedom to Marry.

On their summer tour, NOM demanded that the Maryland Capitol Police remove our videographer from an event -- and then threatened him with arrest. The police apologized to Courage for this incident, but NOM still has not sent an apology.

NOM's bullying has got to stop. And we need your help to stop them. Can you help us cover the legal fees resulting from this assault by making a contribution of $25 or more now? Just click here to help us hold NOM accountable for their bullying and expose their right-wing extremism over the final days of the tour:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/StopNOMbullying

Last week, the attention of our nation was captivated by the suicide of the fifth and sixth gay teens in the past month alone. The rationale that drove them to such a tragic end was bullying, plain and simple.

This is a different kind of bullying, but NOM's intent is the same: To make people feel like they are second-class human beings, inferior to those who bully.

Brian Brown and NOM don't like that LGBT and allied supporters of equality are standing up and exposing him and his organization. That's why NOM tried to have us evicted in Annapolis in July and why NOM's "Vote Your Values" tour leaders have tried to intimidate us from documenting their anti-equality tour now. It's all emblematic of the same problem: to make people feel like they are second-class citizens.

Will you help us stop NOM's bullying today? Please contribute $25 or more now to help us cover the legal fees resulting from this assault so we can hold NOM accountable and expose their right-wing extremism:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/StopNOMbullying

Thank you for your support for Anthony and for Courage.

Rick Jacobs
Chair, Courage Campaign   

Courage Campaign Equality is a part of the Courage Campaign's multi-issue online organizing network that empowers more than 700,000 grassroots and netroots supporters to push for progressive change and full equality in California and across the country. To get involved in Courage Campaign Equality, visit "Testimony: Equality on Trial" -- our year-long campaign to bring the Prop 8 trial into the lives of Americans.

To support our work to hold NOM accountable, please chip in what you can today: