What happens in the event of a centre-right election victory on Saturday? I decided to trawl through American Christian Right propaganda against same-sex marriage at a local fundamentalist bookshop. At present, there are about five books on the subject available within New Zealand. When I checked that godsend to journalists and researchers, the New Zealand Bibliographic Database, I discovered that there weren't all that many New Zealand holdings. Massey University held Maier and Stanton's effort, but the Bible College of New Zealand held four of the others. Granted, enrolled fundamentalist students can take the books out, but James Dobson's diatribe against same-sex marriage was held at only one New Zealand public library, in New Plymouth. This means that if a town is lucky enough not to have a fundamentalist bookshop, then they won't be able to avail themselves of the seriously flawed junk science in most of the efforts in question. As matters stand though, Maier and Stanton are the only ones to have avoided that particular trap of US Christian Right propaganda-mongering, unlike the other little tomes in question. However, they may not be available in libraries, but they're slender and cheap, available for mass distribution should the others decide, apart from Maier and Stanton. Of course, that may not be a problem. I've already reviewed Maier and Stanton's work, and as for the others, there's a forthcoming commentary about two of the remaining books forthcoming in a future piece. Suffice to say that it is absurdly easy to demonstrate that Judith Reisman and Paul Cameron fester at their core, and can be easily demonstrated to have a poor grasp of social scientific and medical research methods. The New Zealand Christian Right thinks that they can use these volumes against same-sex marriage, so we'll have to fend off the Christian Right's efforts to pre-empt the issue. Fortunately, though, we can demonstrate that their 'case' is built on shaky foundations before proceding to its demolition. As Labour's Russell Fairbrother commented, here we might go again. Does the Christian Right never tire of importation and dissemination of its insidious propaganda, junk science and guidebooks on organising antigay media and political responses to our human rights? Apparently not. Recommended Reading: James Dobson: Marriage Under Fire: Sisters: Multnomah Books: 2004. D.James Kennedy and Ken Newcombe: What's Wrong With Same-Sex Marriage: Wheaton Grove: Crossway Books: 2004. Bruce Logan: Same Sex Marriage? Tauranga: Affirm Publications: 2000. Edwin Lutzer: The Truth About Same-Sex Marriage: Moody Press: Chicago: 2004. Bill Maier and Glen Stanton: Marriage On Trial: The Case Against Same-Sex Marriage and Same-Sex Parenting: Wheaton Grove: Intervarsity Press: 2004. Mathew Staver: Same-Sex Marriage: A Threat to Every Household: Nashville: Broadman and Holdfield: 2004. Craig Young - 14th September 2005