Gay rights activists protested the defeat of bill S. 743 Monday, saying that the proposed legislation giving homosexuals the right to marry was derailed by the National Association of Semi-personalized Linens Manufacturers (NASLM), a powerful lobby representing the nation's gender-specific bath-towel makers. 'The special interests of those producing matching knickknacks for traditional heterosexual couples have been over-represented in this debate for far too long,' said GLAAD president Neil Giuliano, citing the influential lobby's contribution of more than $95 million in campaign funds during the last election cycle. 'We cannot allow the outdated values of a profiteering minority of towel makers stand in the way of social change.' NASLM released a statement in response to Giuliano's criticism that expressed the organization's belief that 'marriage is a sacred bond between a his and a hers.' 