Anti-Gay Initiative Defeated by Topeka Voters

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NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN TASK FORCE
MEDIA RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT:
Roberta Sklar - Director of Communications
917-704-6358

media@TheTaskForce.org
http://ga4.org/ct/F11zvAF1SXza/

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Anti-Gay Initiative Defeated by Topeka Voters

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Hails Victory of "Decency
over Immorality, Truth over Despicable Lies"

"Rev." Fred Phelps Defeated in His Hometown

Task Force's Role Called "Indispensable" by Local Organizers

March 1, 2005 - Topeka, KS. Voters in Topeka today narrowly
defeated an ordinance that sought to prevent the City of Topeka
from taking any action to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual or
transgender people from discrimination for the next 10 years and
overturning existing ordinances banning employment
discrimination in city government on the basis of sexual
orientation and a 2002 hate crimes ordinance. (The text of the
ballot question appears at the end of this release.) The
campaign to pass the initiative was launched and funded by
supporters of Fred W. Phelps of Westboro Baptist Church, sponsor
of the "http://godhatesfags.com" web site and hundreds of ugly
pickets in Topeka and across the country, including ones at the
funerals of Matthew Shepard and President Clinton's mother,
Virginia Kelly.

The vote against the ordinance was 52% to 48% (with 95% of the
precincts reporting).

"Today, the people of Topeka not only rejected discrimination,
they chose decency over immorality, truth over despicable lies,
and they repudiated the hate-filled beliefs and practices of
Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka," said
Matt Foreman, Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force. "We are grateful to the people of good will and
faith - including The League of Women Voters - who came to our
community's assistance. On behalf of our national community, we
also express our thanks to the extraordinary work of the
campaign's leaders, Erin Norris, Cal Labbe, Allison Browne, and
Phoenix Lindsay-Hall and the dozens of volunteers who worked so
hard to make today possible."

The Task Force was a driving force behind the "Vote NO on March
1st" campaign to defeat the ordinance. The Task Force recruited
and paid for campaign staff, provided technical assistance,
contributed approximately $20,000 in cash, and organized
volunteer phone banks in New York, Kentucky, Washington (DC),
and Tacoma (WA) to call undecided voters.

"We would not have won without the Task Force," said Erin
Norris, the Vote NO on March 1st Campaign Chair. "The Task force
has been there for us 100%! They immediately answered our call
for help and have been supportive, day and night, minute by
minute, throughout the campaign."

If the ordinance had been approved, Topeka would have been the
only city in the United States with a law specifically denying
one group of people protections from discrimination. Cincinnati
had a similar law on the books from 1993 to 2004, but it was
repealed by voters on November 2, 2004 by a margin of 54% to
46%. While the law was in effect, Cincinnati lost at least $45
million in convention and tourism business, according to the
Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Task Force said the victory was particularly sweet because
proponents of the measure had engaged in a campaign of falsehood
and misinformation. The "Truth in Love Outreach" campaign, which
involved extensive television, radio, and direct mail, asserted,
for example, that a "yes" vote was necessary so that "Topeka
churches won't be forced to hire homosexual pastors" and so that
"Topeka Private and Public Schools won't be forced to hire
homosexual teachers (emphasis in original)." The central message
of the campaign was that the ordinance would "protect Topeka
families" and "put a stop to homosexuals being given special
rights."

"The proponents of this measure were despicable liars," Foreman
said. "They deliberately tried to mislead voters. We know from
calling hundreds of voters that there was enormous confusion
about what actually was on the ballot -- many thought a 'yes'
vote was a vote to protect gay people, while others truly
believed the only purpose of the ordinance was to protect Topeka
families."

The defeat of the proposed ordinance leaves intact a
recently-adopted law banning anti-gay discrimination in city
employment and leaves the door open for broader
nondiscrimination measures. The National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force said additional protections are needed because anti-gay
discrimination is a serious problem in Topeka. A 1993 report by
the (Topeka) Mayor's Task Force on Gay and Lesbian Concerns
found "pervasive harassment and discrimination in Topeka." A
November 2004 report by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Policy Institute found that 15% of gay, lesbian, bisexual or
transgender (LGBT) persons reported losing their jobs because of
their sexual orientation or gender identity; 47% concealed their
sexual orientation on the job to avoid harassment or
discrimination, and 41% said they had been the victim of verbal
or physical abuse in the workplace because of their sexual
orientation. (A report is available at
http://ga4.org/ct/Fp1zvAF1SXzL/.) When the City Council
debated legislation to outlaw anti-gay discrimination on
November 16, 2004, many Topekans testified about being the
victims of anti-LGBT discrimination.

Ordinance defeated March 1, 2005:

CITY OF TOPEKA QUESTION

SHALL THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED?

The City of Topeka and its various Boards and Commissions may
not enact, adopt, enforce or administer any ordinance,
regulation, rule or policy which provides that homosexual,
lesbian or bisexual orientation or gender identity or
expression; status, conduct or relationship; constitutes,
entitles, or otherwise provides a person with the basis to have
any claim of minority or protected status, quota preference, or
other preferential treatment.

This provision of the City Code shall in all respects be
self-executing. Any ordinance, regulation, rule or policy
enacted before this provision is adopted that violates the
foregoing prohibition shall be null and void and of no force or
effect.

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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 premiere 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, DC, we also have offices in New York City, Los
Angeles, and Cambridge. The Task Force is a 501(c)(3)
corporation incorporated in Washington, DC. Contributions to the
Task Force are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.


The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Inc. ("NGLTF, Inc."),
founded in 1974, works to build the grassroots political power
of the LGBT community to win complete equality. We do this
through direct and grassroots lobbying to defeat anti-LGBT
ballot initiatives and legislation and pass pro-LGBT legislation
and other measures. We also analyze and report on the positions
of candidates for public office on issues of importance to the
LGBT community. NGLTF, Inc. is a 501(c)(4) non-profit
corporation incorporated in New York. Contributions to NGLTF,
Inc. are not tax-deductible.

Copyright 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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volumes of the bigotry and ignorance that exists in places like that.

We're talking about people who have said things like, "If you pass a law against discrimination on the basis of orientation, you will have hiring quotas for the following orientations..."

And then they rattle off a list of graphically described fetishes and call them "orientations."

"If this law passes, you will have to hire a certain number of coporophages. who are people that ingest feces..."

in a debate with a friend of mine. The best line was when he replied, we are talking about orientation. We aren't talking about shoes here. It was pretty funny.

It is the lies. We were a small but mighty group who had only 3 weeks to reach the voters. We got no press until the 6:00 news yesterday evening. I was given 20 seconds to speak 40 minutes before the polls closed. For many people that was the first they heard of us. I probably spent 60 hours on the phone calling voters over the last 3 weeks and when they were told what this really meant they agreed with us. The others, well, some of them are just bigots but many of the others were confused. Yesterday a woman told me that her husband went out and told his entire club of old fellows, around 40 men, that they needed to vote yes to defeat Phelps. Too bad, we lost 40 there. It is that kind of thing that made this a close one.

I've been out there campaigning on this, too, and it gets confusing when you speak to people:

"So, if it is put on the ballot, you will vote no an amendment to ban same-sex marriage?"

"Oh, no! I'll vote yes! I think people should marry anyone they want!"

It's very easy for people to get confused. The NGLTF spent a lot of time fine-tuning their messages for clarity.

was an invaluable help to us. They sent 3 women to help us and they were just the best. Matt came the last day to provide support if we lost and celebrate with us if we won. When we needed to do interviews they called and offered support to those of us who were doing them, they asked us questions and helped us with our talking points. I can't say enough about the terrific support we had. They did much more, provide money and other things that I was not involved with.

It is all about education, ALL. Almost everyone I talked to was confused by the outright lies and the way the other side phrased things. Once they were told the truth of the matter they may not have been supportive of the lifestyle but they were totally against the hate and discrimination.

... the fact that it was a close-call should continue to serve as a warning that faith-based bigotry and hate is on the march in this country, and it has our government's seal of approval.

without them. They were there every step of the way. It felt like a wonderful warm blanket everytime I spoke to them. Cal, Allison and Phoenix were a perfect match for our small group and between all of us we managed to dispell the lies enough to win this one. I cannot tell you how wonderful this feels to have finally won one and having it be one against Fred.