The National Organization for Marriage arrives in Minnesota this morning on their cross-country tour to promote “traditional marriage.” The group will be making three stops in the state – St Paul, St Cloud (at the Granite City Baptist Church), and Rochester (at the New Life Worship Center) – with each rally beginning at noon. This is the first time NOM will be stopping at churches. Past rallies have mostly stopped at state capitol buildings and city halls, helping them generate a new media circus with each stop without having to spend a great deal on advertising campaigns.

In the last few days, the tour has deviated from its marriage message. Instead of making its planned stop in Madison, Wisconsin, the tour bus made a detour to South Bend, Indiana city hall, where the city council was voting on an employment non-discrimination ordinance that would have protected people on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. The ordinance was tabled indefinitely after a two-hour debate before a standing room-only crowd. Also in Indiana, one pro-NOM rally attendee was photographed by the Bilerico Project with a sign calling for same-gender couples to be lynched (pictured). Given the small size of NOM’s rally – Bilerico reports 40 NOM supporters versus 250 LGBT counter-protesters were at the rally – it would have been hard to miss the sign.

OutFront Minnesota is planning a rally at the Capitol Building, beginning at noon today, to coincide with the NOM rally, and other rallies in Rochester and St Cloud.