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 for Triumph Over Anti-Gay Zealots Victory Foreshadows Season of Battles for Equality in USA State & Local Activists Mobilize for Struggles on Many Fronts |
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Compiled by GayToday Human Rights Campaign
"This victory is a preview of what is to come, as activists in several states prepare to work for equality and battle the efforts of anti-gay political extremists. HRC will be assisting campaigns in each state and working in various ways to defeat anti-gay measures and promote equal rights." Earlier today the Maine Secretary of State Dan Gwadosky announced that anti-gay groups failed to collect the 42,101 signatures needed to place a question on the ballot. The ballot measure would have repealed a recently enacted law that requires all health insurers in Maine to sell policies with domestic partner benefits to any business that asks for them. The measure also contained a very dangerous provision aimed at prohibiting the state from ever legally recognizing gay marriages or civil unions. "We at MLGPA firmly believe that this is a direct result of Maine voters seeing this issue for what it truly is. It is not about 'gay rights', but about every person's ability to have access to health insurance, regardless of their marital status or sexual orientation," said Rick Galena, Executive Director, Maine Lesbian Gay Political Alliance. In the past year, HRC has given the Maine Lesbian and Gay Political Alliance $9,000 in Equality Fund grants to aid in the development of a voter file to mobilize LGBT voters. In addition to Maine, there are currently ballot measures pending in five other states: Florida, Oregon, Massachusetts, Nevada and Michigan. The most closely watched ballot battle may take place in Miami-Dade County, Florida in September 2002. The anti-gay group Take Back Miami-Dade teamed up with the Christian Coalition to gather enough signatures to place an amendment on the ballot that aims to repeal an anti-discrimination ordinance passed in 1998 by the county. In December 2001 it was determined by a random sample of 1,500 of the 51,000 signatures that the petition had enough legitimate signatures to trigger a countywide vote on the amendment. However, the outcome is still pending after SAVE Dade, a local human rights organization, filed a lawsuit challenging the ruling. The result is particularly significant because Miami-Dade is the county where former orange juice queen Anita Bryant repealed a similar ordinance in 1977 under the slogan "Save the Children." Bryant's mean-spirited campaign is widely credited for giving birth to the modern anti-gay movement. The anti-gay group, the Oregon Citizens Alliance, is sponsoring a 2002 ballot measure to stifle free speech at state funded schools by not allowing teachers to discuss gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender issues. In 2000 they pushed a similar proposal, Measure 9, but the OCA was defeated with 53 percent of people voting against it and 47 percent voting for it. Opponents of the anti-gay measure successfully argued that it would keep students from learning critical information regarding the prevention of HIV/AIDS. Basic Rights Oregon, along with other groups including the Oregon PTA, were instrumental in the defeat of the initiative. The new measure, called the "Student Protection Act II," is similar to the first one, but this time it specifically states that HIV/AIDS education can remain. It has been filed for 2002 so the opposition is in the signature-gathering phase. The hateful measure refers to GLBT behavior as a serious health risk. While there are numerous caveats that allow certain discussions of homosexuality and bisexuality, there are many restrictions on what teachers can and cannot talk about. The HRC has given Basic Rights Oregon a $5,000 Equality Fund grant that will help them continue working against the Student Protection Act II in the 2002 campaign. In May 1998, Ypsilanti, Michigan., voters turned down a request to change the nondiscrimination ordinance to exclude sexual orientation by a majority of 56 percent. The American Family Association is now trying to amend the city charter to delete the portion pertaining to gays and lesbians. This initiative will appear on the ballot in 2002, pending the outcome of a lawsuit that is currently underway. "This proposal, if passed, would make it permanently legal to discriminate against someone simply because he/she is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender," explained Liz Seaton, Deputy Field Director of HRC.
"This constitutional amendment, if adopted, could take away already existing domestic partnership benefits, both public and private, which include inheritance rights and bereavement leave," said Seaton. "Additionally it will directly affect the children of lesbians and gays by threatening adoption and health benefits." The law says that 51,700 signatures are needed to put the question on the ballot. In addition, since the measure is a constitutional amendment, it requires passage by 25 percent of two separate sessions of the Legislature before it could go on the ballot, in 2004 at the earliest. HRC's Boston Steering Committee worked on the Decline to Sign Campaign. Additionally, HRC has sent out Action Alerts to all of its Massachusetts members encouraging them to join in the decline to sign efforts Campaign. Lastly, HRC raised money to help out in Massachusetts at its recent New England Dinner. In the 2000 elections sixty-six percent of Nevada voters voted to pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriages. But because the state's constitutional amendment process must span two election cycles, this question must appear on the ballot. If again approved by voters, this amendment could be placed in the constitution, meaning it could only be removed using the same arduous process that put it in place. HRC gave $6,000 to Equal Rights Nevada for message polling and hired consultants to work with the campaign plan to fight the anti-gay ballot initiative. |
