'NationalOrganizationForMarriage.com" into an Internet browser is an easy way to buy ceramic Ku Klux Klan figurines online.
The National Organization for Marriage's actual website acts as an online fund-raising force and information center for opponents of marriage equality. But those looking to learn more without learning the real address first will be rerouted to KKK.com, where visitors are greeted by Pastor Thomas Robb's warning of an alleged race war against Caucasians.
Theodore Trentman, the domain's owner and a self-described Web advocate, said it's no accident. Trentman bought the domain name on April 8, 2009, because he said the routing brought viewers to a closer representation of the certified 501(c)(4) nonprofit.
He said NOM's $1.5 million "Religious Liberty" ad campaign was misleading but personally inspiring. Persons featured in it warned of a "gathering storm" of gay advocates who, according to the commercial, will negatively affect the lives of heterosexuals.
Trentman said his decision to associate the KKK with the NOM came down to a personal feeling that the organization was representing a philosophy similar to the Knights Party -- something he felt obligated to call out.
"I think the National Organization for Marriage hosts a different message than they think they do," Trentman said. "The true message is one of hate, division, and discrimination."
Trentman owns around 16 other domain names for similar purposes. Trentman, whose domain was discovered Tuesday morning by blogger Jeremy Hooper, said he buys names that he feels members of the gay community should own. With his activism, the fight for equal marriage is not only for a consensus of public opinion but also for the most logical online hosting of one’s own.
A spokesperson from the Ku Klux Klan had no comment, and phone calls to the National Organization for Marriage were not returned.
