Tomorrow, Anchorage votes on LGBT non-discrimination

Tomorrow, voters in Anchorage, Alaska will be voting on Proposition 5, which One Anchorage explains:

simply provides to gay and transgender Alaskans the same legal protections that we already provide to other persons in Anchorage in employment, financial practices, housing, and restaurants, department stores and other businesses.

John wrote about the importance of ballot measure last month:

They've got a nasty religious right up there that's been thwarting their efforts for 35 years. This is the year to stop the bigots.

As you can expect, the bigots on the other side have gotten really ugly.

Zack Ford at TP Equality had an update on the campaign last week, including the nasty ad run by the other side:

It cannot be overstated that if Anchorage’s proposed LGBT non-discrimination protections pass, it could have a huge impact on the future of LGBT rights in Alaska. Currently, polling shows the measure known as Proposition 5 winning with 50-41 support from voters. Nevertheless, the campaign is getting ugly and attracting national attention as a result.

The campaign against Prop 5 is being led by an Anchorage megachurch known as Anchorage Baptist Temple, which has donated 61 percent of the nearly $80,000 effort. Claiming that there’s no evidence of “widespread discrimination” and that “Anchorage is already a tolerant city,” these opponents are disproving their own point with a series of ads that portray transgender people in incredibly negative ways. One ad portrays trans people as “transvestites” who are somehow a threat to children while another shows a cross-dressing man using a women’s locker room to the detriment of a gym owner’s business.

I have to say, it was great to see this article from the Anchorage Daily News indicates that both sides have strong religious support:

As Tuesday's vote nears, campaigns for and against Proposition 5 are playing out in the pews and from the pulpits of Anchorage's churches.

Both sides of the proposed Anchorage Equal Rights Ordinance, which would add "sexual orientation or transgender identity" to the city's anti-discrimination code, have mobilized church leaders and their congregations.

Organizers hope the faithful will become motivated voters when the ordinance goes up for a vote Tuesday.

Both sides say pastors, who have signed public letters, organized and attended rallies, written op-ed articles, spurred donations and preached about the ballot measure, represent a pivotal part of their campaigns.

"They are an instrumental part of all that we're doing," said Jim Minnery, the head of Protect Your Rights -- Vote No on Prop. 5, the main opposition group.

Same goes for One Anchorage, the group leading the campaign in favor of Proposition 5, said spokesman Trevor Storrs.

A group calling itself Christians for Equality has garnered support from more than 45 leaders of liberal denominations, including Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopal and Quaker groups.

Great work by One Anchorage. So often, we've seen articles about the dominance of anti-gay religious types in these battles. Not now.

You can follow One Anchorage on twitter here. Read the rest of this post...

"You don't know me but..."

Fascinating idea:

When people who signed a petition against a gay-rights law had their names made public five months ago, sponsors predicted life was about to get tough for citizens who had only exercised their civic rights.

Death threats, vandalism and the loss of jobs all were forecast for supporters of traditional marriage, once their names and addresses were posted online....

So what ended up happening?

So far, just one thing: A "you don't know me" letter from a man named Paul Thomasson.

"You don't know me," it begins, "but you may soon be in a position to have an effect on my life."

Thomasson is a gay man in Seattle who is using the release of the names to write directly to people who backed that 2009 measure. His theory is they are the ones most likely to sign a new measure this spring that he strongly opposes: Referendum 74, to overturn gay marriage.

I love this idea. Not sure it's going to change anyone's minds. But it's interesting, and different, and personal enough that you never know. I like the guy's spirit too. He had an idea about how to change the world, and decided to do it. Read the rest of this post...

Indiana BMV setting itself up for one hell of a civil rights lawsuit

They capriciously revoked a speciality license plate for LGBT youth, finding a loophole about not being able to give plates in exchange for donations, but then refused to say whether they would not apply the same test to other groups who have gotten such plates in the past. From Bilerico:

After [Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles spokesman] Lubsen admitted to the press that this was a common practice overlooked by the BMV, the agency fired him the next day. The plate was suspended the week after Lubsen's statement. The Indiana 4-H clubs and an environmental group also lost their plates for the same reason. The BMV has not said whether they will look at other groups who've done the same thing in the past and decide whether or not they should keep their plates.

Here's the problem. Because of the BMV's admission, and because the BMV is now refusing to say whether it plans to apply the same rule to other non-gay plates that broke the rule in the past. You have a classic equal protection problem. Meaning, the state can't capriciously enforce state laws against some groups and not others. It's also not enough, I'd argue, that they revoked the plates of the 4H and enviro groups (which I'm sure they thought provided them cover for their anti-gay animus). Those groups also have a cause of action, since state law is being enforced against them while the state refuses to say whether it will enforce it against other groups that have violated the same law.

If the state of Indiana wants to tick off scores of organizations across the state in order to hide their anti-gay animus, I say we help them do it. Make sure every group loses its license. Then see how happy everyone is with the anti-gay state legislators. Read the rest of this post...

NJ Assembly passes gay marriage bill, GOP Gov. Christie says he’ll veto

And this is why even "good" Republicans are bad Republicans. There really are no good ones left. AP:

The New Jersey Assembly on Thursday passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriages, setting the stage for an expected veto by Gov. Chris Christie.

The 41-33 vote sends the bill to Christie's desk. The Republican governor who opposes gay marriage had promised "very swift action" if the bill passed both houses of the Legislature. The Senate approved the bill Monday.

Christie and most state Republican lawmakers want gay marriage put to a popular vote. Democrats say gay marriage is a civil right protected by the Constitution and not subject to referendum.

Governor Christie is the one who said a few weeks ago that black civil rights leaders would have welcome a vote on their civil rights, rather than have to go through all that trouble marching.

Considering that nearly half of Mississippi Republicans think inter-racial should be outlawed - the poll was taken less than a year ago - I'm pretty comfortable positing that civil rights leaders in the 50s and 60s would not have welcomed a popular vote on their civil rights. Read the rest of this post...

Gay marriage bills face key votes in NJ and MD

The big story is in Maryland.  Will Sam Arora save the day?

Reuters:

Bills to permit gay marriage in New Jersey and Maryland face key legislative debates and votes on Thursday, highlighting a hot-button issue that is one of several social matters gaining prominence in the election year debate.

Reuters details what's happening in each state - it's not a long article, so no point in quoting it, just go read it. Read the rest of this post...

If it’s Tuesday, Sam Arora must be for civil unions

More on Arora here, here and here.

It's far past time for Maryland Delegate Sam Arora to come out of the closet and admit why he suddenly had a 180 degree reversal on marriage (he was for marriage, then opposed to marriage, now he's for civil unions - so far).

If someone has something on him, which is one of the possibilities, then he ought to come clean, because his constituents deserve to know if their local representative has been compromised. And if he hasn't been compromised, then he still needs to come clean and admit what changed his mind? What made him change from an ardent and proud fierce advocate of marriage equality, a guy who openly bragged about his support for gay marriage, to the mealymouthed wimp he's now become?  There are a lot of rumors about what happened, and none of them are good.

It's always suspicious when politicians have death-bed conversions, and they're not even on their death bed.  It leaves far too many questions, none of which cast a good light on the politician in question.

Sam Arora is a homophobe.  But worse, he's a liar.  Democrats need to ensure that this far right Republican in Democratic clothing loses his re-election, and never steps foot in Democratic politics again.

Remember this face and name.  Because we surely will. Read the rest of this post...

Nancy Goldstein on why marriage equality is inevitable

Nancy Goldstein in the Guardian:

In Christie's defense, his calculations are no different from those of his non-Republican peers the next state over in New York – or anywhere. Cuomo also thirsts for the presidency. But he's betting that by the time his chance for a run comes, his national party will support same-sex marriage, making his earlier support seem prescient and progressive.

Ditto for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, another future presidential aspirant with his finger in the wind. He also tried to use the state's 2011 marriage equality struggle to recast himself as a strong supporter of LGBT rights, despite his dismal record. In 2004, he refused to follow Newsome's lead. In February 2005 (!), when a New York state supreme court justice actually ruled that same-sex marriages didn't violate the state constitution and gave the city 30 days to begin issuing licenses, Bloomberg appealed. What a difference seven years and the legalization of same-sex marriage in a half dozen states make!

Politicians won't stop playing political football with LGBT rights until all parties determine that it's to their advantage to kick us over the goal post. Mark my words: odds are, when that great day arrives, it will be Valentine's Day week.

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Washington state got marriage, while Anchorage has got pretty much nothin'

There's a major gay/trans rights battle brewing in Anchorage, Alaska, and they need our help. Dan Savage explains the details below. They're asking everyone to give simply $35. I'm going to give right now. If you can, please give too. They've got a nasty religious right up there that's been thwarting their efforts for 35 years. This is the year to stop the bigots.

I'm just going to quote Dan's post in its entirety. He asked us if we would help out, so let's help out.

Thirty-five years—that's how long they've been fighting for basic civil rights protections up here in Anchorage, Alaska.

The city and county governments of Anchorage combined into one body in 1976—the Municipality of Anchorage—and the new Assembly put together an equal rights ordinance that covered race, sex, religion, marital status, and "sexual preference." Anchorage's 11-member Assembly approved the new Equal Rights Ordinance unanimously. Then Dr. Jerry Prevo, pastor of the Anchorage Baptist Temple, organized a campaign to pressured the mayor into deleting the protections for sexual preference from the ordinance. Prevo then went after the assemblymembers and managed to scare enough off that there weren't enough votes to override the mayor and restore "sexual preference" to Anchorage's Equal Rights Ordinance.

In 1992/1993 the city tried again—but this time the Equal Rights Ordinance only covered municipal employees. It was approved by the Assembly and signed into law by the mayor. But Jerry Prevo organized the opposition, ran haters against the assemblymembers who had approved the law, and Prevo's new Assembly repealed the Equal Rights Ordinance.

In 2009 the city tried again: Ordinance 64—an equal rights bill that covered "sexual orientation" and "gender identity and expression"—was taken up by the Anchorage Assembly. Dr. Jerry Prevo once again lead the opposition, this time with a reach-around from Jim Minnery of the Alaska Family Council. Anchorage's acting mayor had pledged to sign the bill into law so the Prevo and Minnery did all they could to delay passage. They bused people to Anchorage from Wasilla—remember Wasilla?—and from bible camps outside of Anchorage to testify against the bill, drawing testimony out for weeks. The anti folks testified that they would never hire or rent to gays or lesbians and then turned around and argued that there was no need for the law because gays and lesbians aren't discriminated against.

The Assembly approved Ordinance 64 by a 7-4 vote. But Prevo and Minnery had successfully run out the clock: Anchorage had a new mayor—Dan Sullivan—and he vetoed the Ordinance 64. The Assembly didn't have the eight votes needed to override the mayor's veto.

The LGBT community in Anchorage—sick of waiting for basic civil rights protections—decided to put an equal rights initiative on the ballot. One Anchorage needed to gather 5,871 signatures to qualify; they quickly gathered 13,600 signatures. Voters in Anchorage will say "yes" or "no" to Proposition 5 on April 3. The mayor and city council don't have the power to veto or rescind a voter-approved initiative. So voters here approve Prop 5, Anchorage will finally—after 35 years—have an equal rights law that protects LGBT citizens.

One Anchorage reps say that the polling numbers look good and that this has a real chance of passage. The language of the initiative includes a massive carveout for religious organizations and churches. If a church wanted to fire a janitor who was gay, the law wouldn't prevent that church from firing their cocksucking janitor. But the religious bigots—Prevo and Minnery—are arguing that this special right to discriminate against LGBT people doesn't go far enough. (And it is a special right: religious groups and individuals in Anchorage are not allowed to discriminate against women, racial minorities, Jewish people, the disabled, the elderly, etc., etc., even if they believe—sincerely! religiously!—that women shouldn't work outside the home, people be allowed to marry outside their race, the Jews are going to hell, etc., etc.)

One Anchorage reps are bracing themselves for the inevitable fear-mongering that will target trans people and the trans-inclusive language in their initiative. When similar initiatives were on the ballot in in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Gainesville, Florida, the haters ran television ads at the last minute that showed men following little girls into public restrooms and distributed flyers with pictures of men in dresses that said the law would "require" schools to hire these men to teach your children. Those ads are coming to Anchorage.

Voters in Kalamazoo and Gainesville extended civil rights protections to their LGBT citizens because the pro-gay campaigns in those cities were able to get on TV with ads calling bullshit on the haters and refuting their lies.

To combat the inevitable, last-minute anti-gay/anti-trans hate campaign, One Anchorage is raising money to get television ads on the air up here in the last weeks of the campaign. They're asking people to consider donating $35—one dollar for each year that Anchorage has been fighting for equality and basic civil rights protections. (There are no limits on campaign donations for initiatives up here, so if you're moved to donate $350 or $3500 or $3,500,000, please don't hesitate.) There's also the 35/35/35 Club: Ask 35 friends to donate $35 each. You can set up your own page at One Anchorage and you'll get a fundraising thermometer of your very own!

We scored major victories in California and Washington state this week. But the LGBT community in Anchorage is still struggling to achieve the most basic civil rights protections. The LGBT community in Alaska needs this victory—Alaska is the only state on the nation that has never had an openly gay elected official, there are no state-wide laws that protect LGBT people, there is no anti-LGBT hate-crimes legislation up here, there are no domestic-partnership registries of any kind anywhere in the state. The LGBT community up here needs this victory and they need our support.

Help out if you can.

Read the rest of this post...

Washington House approves marriage equality, goes to governor who will sign

Hooray!

And now the biggest want a referendum to do what they always do - use fear to get the masses to oppress minorities.

Apparently one of the Republican House members was very upset about all the, oh, I'll let you read how the Stranger described the debate:

We begin with attempts—once again—to add another amendment that would protect people whose "conscience" prohibits them from supporting gay marriages. Rep. Roger Goodman (D-45) notes that the bill already includes such protections, and that this new proposed amendment would sneakily blow a hole in Washington's equal protection laws. The proposed amendment is voted down.

More talk about all the florists and cake-bakers and tuxedo renters and wedding planners whose consciences are about to be crushed by this... "And they were florists," Rep. Matt Shea (R-4) says of his forebearers. "They raised tulips!"

Yes, all those florists who now will have to sell flowers to gay people. What ever will they do? Oh God, there's video - watch starting at 2:14:15 The florist, the florist, what about the florists! The guy looks like, and sounds like, someone who time traveled from 1950s Alabama. He thinks America has a history of permitting "conscientious objectors" to opt out of civil rights laws. Uh, no we don't. And they're not called conscientious objectors, they're called bigots. Read the rest of this post...

New Hampshire puts off plans to change state motto to simply: Die

The Democratic governor says he'll veto any Republican attempt to repeal marriage equality for gays in that state. Of bigger concern is whether the Republicans win the governor's race this coming November since the incumbent Democrat isn't running for re-election. Read the rest of this post...

NJ GOP Gov. Christie vows to veto marriage equality

And the other shoe drops.  This is why he appointed the gay judge the other day.  Because he planned to screw us on marriage.  This way he can tell the religious right that on the big stuff he was with them, while at the same time telling the gays, "look at the pretty judge I gave you."  It's politically smart, but perhaps too smarty by half.  If Christie vetoes gay marriage he's going to be public enemy number one in the community, regardless of how many nice judges he appoints.  Marriage has became that kind of an issue.  It used to be something we forgave you for overlooking (because it wasn't going anywhere anyway), and now we won't forgive you if you don't support it. Read the rest of this post...

Washington state on verge of passing gay marriage

There are nearly enough votes in the state senate, and we're expected to have enough votes in the state house, and the governor will sign it. That would make Washington state the seventh state to legalize same-sex marriage. Read the rest of this post...

Great speech on gay marriage by Washington state governor

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Cincinnati, once hotbed of anti-gays, now has an openly gay city councilman

Cincinnati.com:

They remember 1993, when voters passed Article 12, an anti-gay charter amendment that banned any local ordinances based on sexual orientation. Citizens for Community Values had promoted it as "Equal rights, not special rights." It stayed on the books for 11 years until Seelbach helped repeal it in 2004.

"I can't really describe what I was feeling," he says now of facing the huge crowd early Wednesday morning and thanking them for their support. "It was just unbelievably amazing."

Electing the first openly gay council member, others say, means more than the fact that Cincinnati's long-held conservative reputation apparently is evolving.

Read the rest of this post...

Adam Ebbin elected first openly gay state Senator in Virginia

I've known Adam for years, this is great news. Read the rest of this post...

Signorile interviews NC GOP state Sen. James Forrester, author of state marriage ban

UPDATE: Apparently the good senator was just caught lying about his credential.

It's increasingly difficult not to think of the south as an incredibly backwards place.  I realize some of you are from there, but far too many of the political leaders in these states are still just as bigoted now as they were when they were oppressing blacks.  Case in point, North Carolina GOP state Sen. James Forrester, the sponsor of North Carolina's marriage ban that's going to be voted on next year. Watch a snippet of Mike's interview with the man, below. Completely ignorant of the facts. He's simply a bigot who parrots religious right talking points.

This exchange, at 9:15 in the video, shows what a complete fraud this GOP state senator really is.  He can't answer the simple question of how gay marriage harms straight marriage.  It's the central question in the debate, he's "protecting" marriage, but from what?  He doesn't know.

SIGNORILE: I'm asking you some simple questions you should be able to answer, right?  How does marriage, how is it harmed by gay people wanting to marry?  It's a simple question.

SENATOR FORRESTER: I don't have the answer to that question. 

Read the rest of this post...

NC Republican legislators work aggressively to pass "super DOMA"

North Carolina Republicans are trying to pass a state version of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that has been referred to as an "anti-gay SUPER DOMA." Gay rights activists have argued it will not allow corporations in North Carolina to offer health, life insurance and other benefits to employees in domestic partnerships.

Republicans are adamant that the legislation will not prevent businesses from treating same sex couples equally, while others in North Carolina lament the negative message sent to the gay community, and its negative impact on North Carolina's attempts to attract and retain talent in creative fields of employment.

Judiciary committee chairman Sen. Pete Brunstetter, R-Forsyth, said in an interview the new language is intended to show "what this amendment is about is same-sex marriage ... the specific things that have motivated the sponsors. It's not about private contractual relationships from private companies to private individuals."

Holning Lau, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law in Chapel Hill, said the language would preserve the ability of private companies to offer same-sex benefits. But Lau, who co-authored a paper examining legal ramifications of a marriage amendment, said the revised amendment would still hamper the ability of private employers in North Carolina to attract and retain workers in creative fields who "prefer to work and live in places that embrace diversity and are inclusive of gays and lesbians."

Also, Lau wrote in an email, the "new language still threatens local governments' domestic partner benefits and registries, statewide domestic violence protections and possibly child custody and visitation laws."

North Carolina legislators are going to make a decision whether they value freedom and diversity or want a reputation as a narrow, bigoted state where the LGBT community is not welcome Read the rest of this post...

UPDATED: Hateful Indiana coroner refuses to release body of deceased lesbian to her partner

UPDATE: See the post above. Bilerico's post was updated twice. It appears the coroner in Indiana is preparing to release Ms. Santiago's body to her family. And:

The organization Santiago was a board member of, Amigas Latinas, has put out this statement:

Amig@s. We've seen a few posts asking folks to call the media because of a claim that Alisha's wishes aren't being respected because the tragedy took place in Indiana. This is NOT TRUE! We appreciate the passion for equality and justice on behalf of these mujeres, but everyone has been working together to honor Christina Santiago. Please intervene if you see this news...

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18 states refusing to take sodomy laws off the books

Even though they were struck down by the Supreme Court several years ago. From Media Matters:

In Lawrence v. Texas (2003), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Texas’ sodomy statute was unconstitutional, marking a major legal victory on the path towards LGBT equality.

Eight years later, however, eighteen states still refuse to rewrite their laws and take these anti-gay relics off their books, with countless LGBT Americans continuing to feel their devastating effects as a result. Several state legislatures and courts have exploited loopholes in the Lawrence decision, while others have simply refused to acknowledge the decision altogether.

In some states, keeping sodomy laws on the books can result in abuse even in cases where sexual intercourse hasn’t occurred. In 2009, two gay men were kicked out of an El Paso restaurant for kissing in public. When the men called the police, officers informed them that "it was illegal for two men to kiss in public and said they could be cited for ‘homosexual conduct,’” even though the state statute only prohibits “deviate sexual intercourse with another individual of the same sex.” The local police department eventually claimed that the officers involved were “relatively inexperienced,” but the incident demonstrates the ease with which seemingly dormant anti-sodomy laws can quickly turn into weapons to be used against LGBT citizens.

Read the rest of this post...

CA Gov. Brown signs SB 48

From the governor's office. And congrats to Rex Wockner, who was whipping this bill big time the past day or so.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Governor's Press Office
Thursday, July 14, 2011 (916) 445-4571
Governor Brown Signs Legislation

SACRAMENTO -- Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. announced today that he has signed the following bill:

SB 48 by Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) - Pupil instruction: prohibition of discriminatory content.

For full text of the bill, visit: http://leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html.

###

Governor Jerry Brown
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

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