Maine voters reject anti-gay ballot initiative

Maine voters reject anti-gay ballot initiative
Task Force Media
From: Task Force Media media@thetaskforce.org

Subject: Maine voters reject anti-gay ballot initiative

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Press Release

For Immediate Release

MEDIA CONTACT:
Roberta Sklar
917.704.6358 (cell)
rsklar@theTaskForce.org
**************************************************************

Maine voters reject anti-gay ballot initiative

'Much-needed victory for the national movement'

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force praises stellar grassroots
organizing campaign; contributed more than $170,000 to fuel the
fight

PORTLAND, Maine, Nov. 8 -- Voters in Maine today defeated a
ballot initiative seeking to repeal the state's new law
protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people
from discrimination. With 35 percent of the precincts reporting,
57 percent had voted against the measure, with 43 percent in
favor of it. Twice before, in 1998 and in 2000, voters rejected
similar nondiscrimination laws by narrow margins. Maine is the
17th state to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation and the 7th to protect transgender people from
discrimination.

"Today's win proves that dogged, grassroots organizing can
overcome the lies and smears of anti-gay zealots and the
profound unfairness of having minority rights put up for a
popular vote," said Matt Foreman, executive director of the
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "After the marriage
amendment losses we've experienced over the last 12 months, this
is a much-needed victory for our national movement -- it proves
we can win statewide contests. Every lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender American is deeply indebted to the staff and
volunteers of Maine Won't Discriminate, and to the people of
Maine for embracing fairness and rejecting bigotry."

The Task Force made significant investments to identify pro-LGBT
voters and defend the anti-discrimination law, including cash
grants of $169,500 over the last two years (including $94,500
to Maine Won't Discriminate), sending seasoned staff who took
key roles in the campaign, and operating phone banks in New York
and Washington D.C. (This work is detailed below.)

"The Task Force has been an integral part of our efforts to keep
this law on the books from the beginning. They provided critical
organizing expertise and generous financial support," said Jesse
Connolly, campaign manager for Maine Won't Discriminate. "With
their help, we grew the campaign's volunteer capacity, which was
the fuel that brought us to victory on Election Day."

Margin Proves the Value of Voter Identification &
Get-Out-The-Vote Work

Because the last two contests in Maine were so close (the
measure in 2000 lost by less than 5,000 votes), voter
identification and get-out-the-vote work was considered crucial.
Starting in 2003, Equality Maine began an ambitious program to
identify pro-LGBT voters through door-to-door canvassing in
Portland. This work has been funded by three successive $25,000
Community Impact Fund grants from the Task Force. That effort
resulted in more than 8,000 new pro-LGBT identifications, which
were made available to the Maine Won't Discriminate campaign. In
turn, the campaign focused on these voters and others identified
from previous campaigns and identification work, encouraging
them to vote early. This clearly paid off: more people voted
early than in any prior off-year election in the state's
history, and appears to have provided the margin of victory.

Campaign by Repeal Proponents Called "Reprehensible"

The Task Force called the tactics of the proponents of the
repeal effort, including the Christian Civic League of Maine and
the Coalition for Marriage, "reprehensible." Written materials
claimed the nondiscrimination law meant that "a pedophile cannot
be barred from a job as a public school teacher." Television and
radio ads asked voters to repeal the law to keep it from "from
forever changing the innocence of our children" and to "protect
your right to protect your children."

"These overt attempts to link gay people with child abuse are
disgusting, reprehensible and immoral," Foreman said. "While we
are gratified the people of Maine rejected them, these kinds of
smears cause long-lasting damage. If Michael Heath or Paul
Madore had one shred of decency, they would beg for forgiveness,
but they do not." (Heath and Madore were leaders of the campaign
to repeal the law and longtime Maine anti-LGBT activists.)

By the Numbers

The Task Force's investments in Maine included:

* $75,000 in grants to Equality Maine to identify pro-LGBT
voters.
* $94,500 in cash contributions to Maine Won't Discriminate
to fight the repeal effort.
* Sending seasoned staff to work on the campaign, some of
whom took key roles in volunteer recruitment and the GOTV
campaign.
* Intensive training of more than two dozen Maine activists.
* Operating 19 phone-bank sessions from New York and
Washington, D.C., involving 198 volunteers and live contacts
with 3,656 pro-LGBT voters in Maine.

-30-

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Founded in 1973, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Foundation (the Task Force) was the first national lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights and advocacy
organization and remains the movement's leading voice for
freedom, justice and equality. We work to build the grassroots
political strength of our community by training state and local
activists and leaders, working to strengthen the infrastructure
of state and local allies, and organizing broad-based campaigns
to build public support for complete equality for LGBT people.
Our Policy Institute, the community's premier think tank,
provides research and policy analysis to support the struggle
for complete equality. As part of a broader social justice
movement, we work to create a world that respects and makes
visible the diversity of human expression and identity where all
people may fully participate in society. Headquartered in
Washington, D.C., we also have offices in New York City, Los
Angeles, Cambridge, Mass., and Miami. The Task Force is a
501(c)(3) corporation incorporated in Washington, D.C.
Contributions to the Task Force are tax deductible to the full
extent allowed by law.

Copyright(c) 2005 National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Creating Change(TM) is a trademark of the National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force.
All other trademarks mentioned herein belong to their respective
owners.
The Task Force Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3)
organization. Tax ID #52-1624852.
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:applause:

I didn't spend 24 years in the U. S. Military so fascist motherfuckers could pick and choose who gets constitutional liberties in our country. Conservatives are the number one domestic enemy of the Constitution in America today.

I was given the impression that TG people got stabbed in the back, once again, by the GLB community on this bill in Maine.

Intelligent

Plenty of intelligent Texans out there.
I know, I used to be one.

The problem is...in The bible Belt...there is a distinct lack of compassion for our fellow human beings, particularly those who are viewed, in some way, as "inferior" or "sinful."

Amazingly, The Bible Belt, as it is called, seems to be furthest from actual practice of The Bible in their daily lives. They fail to show compassion for the least among us, they constantly point fingers and worry about the speck in their brother's eye, whilst ignoring the plank in their own eye.

In the Red States, hypocrisy seems to be more commonplace.