They're counting signatures in Washington State for the anti-gay ballot measure

We know the anti-gay forces in Maine have placed a measure on the November ballot to repeal the state's new same-sex marriage law. Soon, we'll know if there will be an election in Washington, too. Referendum 71 would let voters decide whether to approve or reject the state's domestic partnership expansion law, which guaranteed all the rights of marriage to same-sex couples.

In Washington, the Secretary of State is in the process of validating signatures, which were submitted last week. From the Slog:

Election workers have recorded a lower percentage of valid signatures for anti-gay Referendum 71 today than two previous days of counting, says secretary of state’s office spokesman David Ammons. “Today’s batch had an error rate of 14.4 percent so that is the highest we’ve seen to date,” he says. Elections workers checked 5,815 signatures and found 4,980 were valid. Most of the invalid signatures were disqualified because the signer's name did not appear on state voter rolls.

Ammons says that, according to election workers, the petition needs an invalid rate of 14 percent or less to qualify. “I asked my people again, 'Are we doing the math right"' and they said they believe we are,” he says.

The anti-gay side submitted 137,689 signatures, of which 120,577 must be valid. The rejection rate matters.

Washington Families Standing Together is the campaign set up to get voters to approve the new domestic partnership law, if, and it's still an if, there are enough signatures. Read More...

On The Blue Dogs and LGBT equality

The Blue Dog Democrats have taken center stage in the health insurance reform debate. Kerry Eleveld took a look at the impact of that conservative bloc of Democrats on the LGBT agenda:

This month we have seen the muscle of the "Blue Dog" Democrats, who in my opinion all but rendered House Republicans irrelevant in the health care debate by performing what normally would have been the job of the GOP -- working to moderate the bill.

That got me thinking: If the Blue Dogs effectively bottled up the health reform bill in the House, what influence, if any, might they be having on LGBT rights? On the one hand, you have someone like Rep. Patrick Murphy from Pennsylvania, who has stepped up as the lead on repealing "don't ask, don't tell," but on the other hand there's Rep. Heath Shuler, a pro-gun, anti-abortion, anti-equality Democrat from North Carolina.

After the break, see how the Blue Dogs voted on the only LGBT vote to hit the floor this year: Hate Crimes.

Kerry matched up the Blue Dogs with the House vote on Hate Crimes:

As a point of inquiry, I decided to match up the Blue Dogs on the only LGBT vote taken this year in the House -- the hate-crimes expansion bill, which passed 249-175 and is considered one of the ripest pieces of pro-LGBT legislation (although even some pro-LGBT folks oppose it on philosophical grounds). Of the 52-person coalition, 35 Blue Dogs, or 67%, voted to pass the bill -- meaning that even if a few other Democrats were lost on the vote, the Blue Dogs would have provided more than enough padding to push the legislation through, even without the 18 Republicans who also voted for it.

Overall, 16 Blue Dogs voted against hate crimes with one abstention and, broken down by region, 12 of those congressional members were Southerners, three were Midwesterners, and one was from the Northeast (Christopher Carney, PA-10).


No real surprises. But, hate crimes was the "easy" vote. It had already passed. Where will the Blue Dogs be on the repeal of DADT and DOMA? Read More...

Anti-gay leader uses Tel Aviv shooting as fodder for her anti-gay message

Via Alvin McEwen, my source for all the nasty things the right wing is saying about gays, comes this attempt to capitalize on the murders in Tel Aviv:

Former ad executive and former lgbt expert Linda Harvey (head of Mission America) just released a statement about the attack in Tel Aviv:

"We are deeply saddened by this violent act and the deaths of these young people, and pray for the perpetrator to be found and brought to justice.

"At the same time, it is deplorable this incident is already being used by the homosexual community to blame this act on those holding a traditional moral viewpoint. Israelis, just as anyone else on earth, should still have the right to oppose homosexuality for religious or other reasons without being called accessories to murder. The motive is still unknown; why engage in slanderous speculation?

. . . "It's tragic that any teens go to these centers, and we remain unequivocally opposed to their purpose, which is to legitimize this behavior and draw young people into claiming a homosexual identity, often without parental involvement or knowledge. " Harvey said . . . "No one needs to be involved in homosexuality, but unfortunately, these two young people can no longer hear that message.

"

She's truly tragic.

Fortunately, Israeli leaders, including the conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have taken very strong, outspoken stands condemning this heinous hate crime. They're not making excuses. They're looking for the killer.

What's really deplorable is the way right wingers foment violence and hatred against the LGBT community. Then, they act shocked when violence actually happens. They're deplorable. Read More...

Kalamazoo to hold referendum on LGBT anti-discrimination policy

Another public vote on whether or not discrimination against LGBT people is acceptable is on the ballot. This one in Kalamazoo:

Kalamazoo voters will have the last word in November on a controversial, local, gay-rights ordinance that had banned gender identity or sexual-orientation discrimination in housing, employment and access to public accommodations.

The Kalamazoo City Commission voted unanimously Monday to reaffirm its support for the ordinance that was officially suspended Friday when challenge petitions were certified by City Clerk Scott Borling.

City Attorney Clyde Robinson now will draft ballot language that will be presented to the commission at its Aug. 17 meeting. Commissioners must approve the language for it to appear on the Nov. 3 ballot.

The anti-discrimination measure surfaced in late 2008 when the local gay-rights group Kalamazoo Alliance for Equality proposed ordinance language. A final version was crafted by Robinson, and the commission passed it unanimously in December.

It really sucks that people get to vote on whether or not LGBT people can have rights or can face discrimination. There's something very wrong with that concept. When I was in Maine over the 4th of July, it really hit me that my friends and family, along with every other voter in the state, got to vote on my rights.

Jon Hoadley, who has been the Executive Director of Stonewall Democrats, is leaving that post to run the campaign in Kalamazoo:

Today, National Stonewall Democrats announced that Executive Director Jon Hoadley has accepted a position leading One Kalamazoo, a new Kalamazoo, Michigan campaign formed to protect the city's nondiscrimination ordinance in an upcoming ballot fight.

Good luck, Jon. And keep us posted. Read More...