2009 Election
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A Potential Lesbian Mayor in Houston has the Right-Wing Up in Arms
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A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Bigotry in Maine
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Five Races to Watch This Election Day Regarding LGBT Rights
Maine Newspapers Agree: Let Gays Marry
Published October 18, 2009 @ 05:58AM PT
In just over two weeks, voters will head to the polls in Maine and decide whether or not same-sex marriage will be allowed to stay legal in the state, or whether right-wing pundits and religious leaders will succeed in scaling back civil rights for gay and lesbian couples. The question voters will decide -- Question 1, officially -- asks Maine voters this:
Do you want to reject the new law that lets same-sex couples marry and allows individuals and religious groups to refuse to perform these marriages?
The No on 1 campaign, which is leading the fight in the state to protect marriage equality, is doing a bang up job. Through this week they were on television more than opponents, and have responded with amazing fundraising prowess (thanks to the netroots!). That's all the more important because in Maine, the official Roman Catholic Church has decided to make fighting gays and lesbians the bread and butter of their faith this year, donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to help pass the discriminatory ballot measure known as Question 1.
Poll numbers show a tight race, and that marriage equality advocates cannot let up (all the more so now that early voting has started).
One set of good news? Two major Maine newspapers have come out on behalf of equality. The first is the Bangor Daily News, one of the larger papers in the state. They have an absolute kick ass editorial this weekend on why Mainers should preserve the rights of gays and lesbians to marry. And the editorial delivers a sucker punch right into the mid-section of the Maine Catholic Church, which has tried to paint gays and lesbians as destabilizing threats to the common good. Check out the money line:
"The repeal effort has been led by the Roman Catholic Diocese. Bishop Richard Malone called same-sex marriage 'a dangerous sociological experiment.' The fact that gay couples have existed for generations — many of them raising children — counters this argument," the paper said. "Worse, however, is the church’s attempt to force its views on all Maine’s residents, whether they are Catholic or not."
The paper goes on to point out that Maine's governor who signed marriage equality into law, Gov. John Baldacci, is a Catholic. How's that for some equal rights irony?
The second paper this weekend to come out strongly on behalf of marriage equality in Maine is the Maine Sunday Telegram, Maine's statewide Sunday newspaper. And like raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, here are a few of our favorite things from this editorial:
- "Limiting marriage to a man and a woman would not make families led by same-sex couples go away. It would just keep them in a legally inferior position that is inconsistent with Maine's tradition of equal protection under the law."
- "[Marriage equality opponents] argue that extending the rights and responsibilities of civil marriage to families headed by same-sex couples would have broad effects throughout society. We have listened to their arguments, but we just don't buy them."
- "Families led by same-sex partners are here now. They are part of our communities and they need and deserve the legal protections – as well as the dignity – that comes with civil marriage status. Maine voters should recognize that even if their personal beliefs about marriage haven't changed, reality has. They should accept reality and vote "no" on Question 1."
Aren't those lines amazing? It's almost as if marriage equality advocates couldn't ask for better editorials. But then again, the editorials just reflect reality. And that reality is that opponents of marriage equality will go to any length and pursue any bogus argument to try and discriminate against gays and lesbians.
Maine's newspapers are starting to get that opponents of marriage equality don't have much to argue with other than hate. Here's hoping Maine voters think the same thing when they cast their ballots.
Getting Obama to Say Yes to Marriage Equality in Maine
Published October 06, 2009 @ 04:33AM PT
There was an explosion of news coverage yesterday with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) announcing that President Barack Obama will speak before the group this Saturday night, October 10, during the weekend of the National Equality March. Obama, the first President to speak before an LGBT rights organization since Bill Clinton did so in 1997, is I imagine both a catch and a concern for HRC. If Obama goes out and gives a speech that simply rehashes his June 2009 Stonewall anniversary rhetoric, most will likely see the comments as "more of the same." But if Obama gets up on stage and delivers a knockout speech, it could stand to improve the President's image in an LGBT population that has seen him as a little too patient on all of our issues.
So what will make a knockout speech? It could be promising a specific timeline for repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," or promising to fight homophobia around the globe, or even saying that the White House will extend full political capital to make sure hate crimes laws and an employment non-discrimination act are passed this session of Congress. But I'm just not sure that rhetoric like that is going to fly...especially when tens of thousands of people are in Washington, D.C. this weekend to protest inaction by the federal government on behalf of equal rights.
Instead, what would really be a knockout blow would be for Obama to say six simple words: "I support marriage equality in Maine."
Maine is facing a ballot initiative that if passed, will repeal the civil rights of gays and lesbians to get married in the state. The opposition is made up of the same cast of characters that brought us Prop 8 last year, and is well funded. Not to mention that anti-gay forces also have the Catholic Bishop of Maine, Richard Malone, arguing that all Catholics should discriminate against gays and lesbians.
The marriage equality side in Maine is well-organized and well-messaged. It needs more money. It also could use a surrogate like President Barack Obama who can deliver a line before a national audience that says, "Maine's legislature voted to enact marriage equality for gays and lesbians, arguing that if equal protection means anything in the state, it means that gays and lesbians ought to be entitled to the full benefits of marriage. I agree with that."
That would be a knockout speech. That would create the type of momentum that will spill over to the tens of thousands of activists who will march the streets of Washington on Sunday for equal rights. And that will be a sign of bold leadership from a President who has been criticized for moving at the pace of Cream of Wheat when it comes to LGBT rights.
Gay Marriage Poll Numbers in Iowa and Maine
Published September 21, 2009 @ 03:02AM PT
There are new poll numbers out in Iowa and Maine gauging support for same-sex marriage. Both states have legalized marriage equality, and both states are seeing a flurry of activity by opponents of LGBT rights to repeal marriage.
Let's look at Maine first, since anti-LGBT forces (led by Maine's Roman Catholic Church and outside groups like the National Organization for Marriage and Focus on the Family) have organized to place a measure on the November ballot that could repeal same-sex marriage if approved. As Kos reported last week, it's a pretty darn tight race, and if you take into account the margin of error, it's essentially a tie score in Maine. About 49 percent of folks would vote today to repeal marriage rights, while 47 percent would vote to keep marriage rights for same-sex couples. Those numbers show that we've got our work cut out for us in Maine -- which is why it's ever-so-crucial to support the efforts of the No on 1 campaign up there, which is fighting hard to preserve marriage equality.
Iowa has no ballot measure, but in the wake of the state's Supreme Court decision earlier this year recognizing marriage equality, nearly every anti-LGBT politician in the state has come out like gangbusters to bash LGBT folks. Given the number of Republican candidates running for governor who continue to blast gay marriage, as well as the National Organization for Marriage's money dump into the state to support a (losing) right-wing politician, one might assume that there's a populist rebellion on the horizon leading scores of Iowans pissed off that their state Supreme Court recognized some rights for LGBT people. Far from it.
The Des Moines Register released a new poll that shows 41 percent of folks oppose same-sex marriage, while 40 percent favor it. Call me an optimist, but given that there's no ballot campaign in the works, and a torrent of hateful rhetoric from the anti-gay right, those poll numbers are pretty damn good.
Even more heartening is the fact that 92 percent of Iowans say that legalizing gay marriage has had no direct impact on their lives. That certainly deflates a talking point of the anti-LGBT crowd that says same-sex marriage would threaten families or kids.
Of course, it would be great to see these numbers reversed. Better yet, it would be great to see marriage equality winning in these polls by a landslide. For Maine, the poll is a wake-up call that while the campaign to preserve marriage equality is close, there's much work to be done to take this from a "tie" to an outright win for equality.
In Iowa, these polls reaffirm that while the state is split, it's not a state that's becoming readily accessible to anti-gay, fringe messaging.
These are good numbers. But there's still much work to be done.
Catholics for Marriage Equality
Published September 17, 2009 @ 08:53AM PT
Much has been said about just how heavily involved the Roman Catholic Church in Maine is with trying to take away marriage rights for gays and lesbians in the state. The Maine Church has lent their public relations guru, Marc Mutty, to help direct efforts to repeal rights from gays and lesbians, and has helped fundraise for discrimination by hosting special collections in churches up and down the coast. Thankfully, not all Catholics are siding with the official church line.
A smaller but outspoken group of Catholics are starting to organize in Maine to push back against the discriminatory rhetoric coming out of the official church in Maine. As SeacoastOnline points out, these Catholics are trying to reclaim a bit of their Church identity, by pointing out that "God is love," not "God is discriminatory."
The group has started to circulate a petition to organize Catholics around the issue of marriage equality and equal rights. Part of the petition reads: "As faithful Roman Catholics and citizens of the state of Maine, we believe that the right of every citizen to practice freedom of religion is based on the principle of respect for the dignity of each individual."
Better yet, the petition points out that Catholics were once denied certain civil rights because of their identity. For the Catholic Church to now push discrimination instead of acceptance is an ugly ironic twist.
Finally there's an alternative storyline coming out of Maine that says, a) not all Catholics are bigots, and b) while the official Church might like to muddy the waters between church and state, not all Catholics are on board.
Meanwhile, the No on 1 campaign continues to run a wonderful campaign to try and preserve rights for gays and lesbians in Maine. Their commercial this week hitting back at lies and smears coming from anti-gay organizers is fantastic. Together, folks from across all religious stripes are supporting the No on 1 campaign. You can, too.
Taking the Catholic Church to Task in Maine for Anti-LGBT Fundraising
Published September 06, 2009 @ 08:27AM PT
Maine's Catholic Church is spiritually bankrupt. That seems to be the only conclusion reachable after the Diocese of Maine announced that next week, they will take up another "special collection" to help pass a ballot measure that will discriminate against gays and lesbians in Maine. Yup, more money coming from the Catholic Church to bash gays. And yet, the Catholic Church in Maine continues to shut down churches -- five of them, most recently -- because they can't financially support them.
The Bishop of Portland, Maine announced this week that he's encouraging all Catholic churches in Maine to hold a special collection for "Stand for Marriage Maine," the anti-LGBT organization seeking to pass a law this November that will openly discriminate against gay and lesbian Mainers and take away marriage equality rights. This collection should be illegal. There's no way the Catholic Church should be able to hold this kind of political collection, be able to give thousands upon thousands of dollars for an anti-LGBT organization, and not have to report who the donors are. It's an anonymous collection meant to shield the identity of haters, and it's bogus.
The Catholic Church in Maine is a tax-exempt institution. If it's going to take up special collections for ballot measures that discriminate and then not report who the donors are, the Church should, plain and simple, be stripped of its tax-exempt status. Because as Louise at Pam's House Blend notes, there's no way that the Catholic Church should be able to give non-traceable money to a political cause and NOT have it be called money laundering. It should be illegal.
This Church needs to get a clue. Isn't there that line from the Bible, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Sounds like the Maine Catholic Church is doing a lot of persecuting lately of, fundraising to discriminate against gays and lesbians. Perhaps they ought to go back and read that book that supposedly forms the foundation of their faith.
Because right now, all I see when I look at the Maine Catholic Church is spiritual bankruptcy and hypocrisy. Closing churches because of a lack of money, while fundraising to steal rights away from gays and lesbians; looking to shield the identity of bigots; and calling gays and lesbians a threat to the public good. Talk about an unhealthy organization.
Martha Coakley - The Next Sen. Kennedy?
Published September 01, 2009 @ 12:30PM PT
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley picked up nomination papers to run for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy. While surprisingly quick, the move places one of the state's biggest advocates for LGBT rights - and herself somewhat of a national LGBT hero for filing a federal lawsuit challenging DOMA - in the spotlight to become the 100th member of the Senate.
Coakley is the first nominee to jump into what could be a crowded field. Already, Massachusetts Reps. Edward Markey, Stephen Lynch and Michael Capuano have expressed an interest in the seat. The primary election for Kennedy's U.S. Senate seat will be held on December 8, with a general election scheduled for January 19, 2010.
In July 2009, Coakley filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). In the lawsuit, Coakley said that DOMA undermined states' efforts to recognize marriages between same-sex couples, and "codified an animus towards gay and lesbian people."
"Our familes, our communities, and even our economy have seen the many important benefits that have come from recognizing equal marriage rights and, frankly, no downside," Coakley said when filing the lawsuit. "However, we have also seen how many of our married residents and their families are being hurt by a discriminatory, unprecedented, and, we believe, unconstitutional law."
Coakley now has to gather 10,000 signatures in the next five weeks to qualify for the ballot. Her timing is definitely soon, given that Sen. Kennedy's funeral was only four days ago. But when it comes to LGBT rights and working on behalf of LGBT constituents, she's certainly on par with the legacy of Sen. Kennedy.
Bob McDonnell Used to Think that Feminists and Homosexuals Were Scary
Published August 31, 2009 @ 08:04AM PT
Bob McDonnell is currently running as the GOP candidate for Governor in Virginia. His current campaign literature talks about how he's worked hard to lower taxes and enact "tough on crime" policies. What they don't tell you is that before he became a politician, he was a student at Regent University (founded by Pat Robertson), and that he wrote a thesis arguing that feminists were "real enemies of the traditional family" and that government should favor married heterosexuals over "cohabitators, homosexuals or fornicators."
It's been nearly 20 years since McDonnell wrote the thesis, but one certainly has to wonder: Does he still believe in these radical right-wing policies?
Among the other issues championed by McDonnell in his thesis is covenent marriage (which makes it harder to all couples to obtain divorces), and bans on contraception for unmarried people (McDonnell himself referred to a Supreme Court decision in the 1970s legalizing contraception as "illogical").
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McDonnell also argued that public schools should teach Judeo-Christian values, and that religion should influence more avenues of government. "Leaders must correct the conventional folklore about the separation of church and state," McDonnell wrote. "Historically, the religious liberty guarantees of the First Amendment were intended to prevent government encroachment upon the free church, not eliminate the impact of religion on society."
Interestingly enough, in his current campaign for Governor, McDonnell is trying to water down some of his rather conservative positions - whether they were questioning if LGBT people could serve as public officials, or saying that working women harmed their families. Why the cover up? Because it's a whole lot easier to get elected if people don't think you're anti-woman, anti-gay, and a proponent of the type of policies that Pat "The U.S. deserved 9/11 because of tolerance of homosexuality" Robertson supports.
As one Democrat in Virginia put it, according to The News Leader, "There is a just a massive effort under way to rebrand Bob McDonnell, and his whole legislative career speaks otherwise. The voters have a right to know who these candidates really are."
It may have been 20 years since Bob McDonnell first penned these ideas down on paper. But if he plans to legislate any of these, he might as well have written them yesterday. Virginians deserve to know whether they've got someone who is anti-LGBT and anti-women's rights on their ballot this fall.
