Lead Sponsor of New York's Marriage Bill Sen. Duane: "I Am Enraged"; Protest Held in Times Square

Sen. Tom Duane, who has spent a majority of the year working behind the scenes to get New York's marriage bill to the floor to a vote, and who at point said he had all the votes needed to pass, officially responded in a statement to the bill failing.

Today’s vote against Marriage Equality makes me very angry. Promises made were not honored. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, and all fair-minded New Yorkers have been betrayed. I am enraged, deeply disappointed and profoundly saddened by the vote today.

In 2006, when the New York State Court of Appeals shamefully ruled that the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community did not have equal protection under the law in relation to Marriage Equality, I predicted that passing legislation to right this wrong in the State Senate would be a profound personal and sadly political battle.

I have been proven right.

Yet there is an irony in today’s vote. Five years ago no one would have predicted that a vote would even be possible in the Senate. Today, on the floor of the Senate, we had an open and honest debate about the indignity of denying Marriage Equality to thousands of New York’s LGBT citizens. We heard stories of family members and friends who have suffered merely because they are gay. Only one Senator, who opposed marriage, spoke on behalf of that position. Again, an honest debate of which only one side, sadly not the winning side, represented justice and equality.

Now that this discussion has started in the Senate, it cannot be stopped. We will see Marriage Equality pass in New York. Yes, not today, but in the near future -- openly and with bi-partisan support.

I want to applaud those friends and advocates in the LGBT community who insisted on a vote, regardless of the outcome. This was very brave and it was the right thing to do. I was honored to bring the bill to the floor of the Senate, for an up or down vote, with their support.

Today also brought home the fact that the State Senate must maintain a Democratic majority– and in even greater numbers. It was only under Democratic leadership that this vote was possible. We must also have a Governor willing to sign marriage equality into law.

Most importantly I am grateful to all my Democratic colleagues who spoke so eloquently in favor of marriage equality and all those who voted in the affirmative. I also believe in redemption, even for State Senators who need that chance.

I am confident that we will win the fight for marriage equality in New York State.

Within hours of yesterday's devastating vote, 200 to 300 protesters crowded into Times Square despite the cold rain to voice their disappointment with the Senate's failure to stand up for civil rights.



Blabbeando blogger Andres Duque has done a great post with amazing photos covering the protest, one of which I posted here. Blogger Joe.My.God was also there, voicing in particular his disdain for Democratic senators Hiram Monserrate, who at one point said he would vote for marriage equality, and Ruben Diaz, who has a long history of outright bigotry. Andrew Towle reports on the most "heinous defector."

Another rally is scheduled tonight in Union Square.

Reporter Rex Wockner has written a piece on yesterday's vote and the impact it has had.

Image by Andres Duque

Courage Campaign Not to Release Marriage Equality Research - Information Behind Project Could Help Mend Broken Trust

UPDATE: Courage Campaign founder Rick Jacobs responds to this post.

Thanks to reporter Rex Wockner, Steve Hildebrand, Obama's former Deputy Campaign Manager who worked with the Courage Campaign (CC) on their marriage equality research, has answered the question everyone's been asking - will the research that lead to the grassroots organization pulling out of the 2010 Prop 8 repeal effort be released?

Hildebrand answered in an email to Wockner:

Rightfully so, there is significant interest from reporters and bloggers about the research conducted for the Courage Campaign regarding same sex marriage and voter opinions in California. The high level of press interest should not dictate if this research is made public. What should dictate the public release of our research, is if it's in the best interest of winning same sex marriage rights. In my opinion -- and the opinion of the Courage Campaign -- we do not think it is in the best interest of the marriage equality movement to share strategic research with the media, as it would result in news stories that provide vital strategic information to our opponents.

Same sex marriage opponents have proven to do whatever it takes to prevent LGBT people from gaining equality. They have kept a tight lid on their strategy and tactics and it's proven successful. Our side needs to be just as smart and keep strategic data internal to our efforts.

From the time the California Courts ruled that same sex marriage should be allowed to the repeal put forth by the opposition, this has been a contentious battle. The Courage Campaign research is very instructive and will help lay a path to eventually gain marriage rights through a new vote of the people. We are preparing to share the research with LGBT groups in California and elsewhere.

Putting aside the drama surrounding CC's announcement (and seriously, were any of you that surprised? They have been hinting at it for some time), I have to agree that the core findings of this research should not be released to the public.

I mean, c'mon, many of us did pitch in on this research - do we want our dollars to go to waste by handing the information over to just anyone? I understand that many of you feel your trust has been betrayed because you believed CC was completely behind 2010, but that is a separate issue. The question at hand is what should be done with the research.

I've heard some say that no research was done at all, but I view that as simply a conspiracy theory cooked up in response to the confidentiality surrounding the research. Kind of like all the outlandish theories surrounding secret societies simply because they're secret.

I would ask of CC that they release some of the non-sensitive information, such as how much research was done? How extensive? Who did the analysis and how much of that was done? How much was spent and in what way? How much if any is left over? How big the sample base, what regions of California, etc?

However and whatever way you peel the onion, CC has lost some trust in the grassroots community, no matter whether you agree that trust should have been broken or not. Showing how much research was done and by whom, how much money was spent, how extensively and in what way, could be a first step in rebuilding that trust. (Another step could be to confidentially share their findings with other LGBT advocacy groups who may really need the information.) Otherwise, CC is well on its way to being ironically put in the same position as its old rival Equality California found themselves after Prop 8 - being angrily and distrustfully called to intense accountability with disbelief being the response to anything they say.

Calling our leaders into accountability should be standard practice anyway - but with trust and respect.

The California LGBT population is already suffering from a lack of trust in its leadership. Sure, progress has been made, but any more damage and our fight for equal rights in California may consume itself.

Image of Steve Hildebrand by Rex Wockner.

VIDEO: A New Yes on 1 Ad Called "It's Already Happening" Just in Time for a Halloween Scare!

At this point in the game, their misinformation and scare tactics sound like, "Blah blah blah blah blah blah BOO!" Fitting for Halloween.

The soundtrack for this ad should've been the creepy Halloween piano playing in the background. But stop. That would be another copyright infringement!

Maybe Marc Mutty, chair of Yes on 1, should dress up as a gay teacher (whatever that looks like - it could prove to be rather boring) and scare his volunteers into action for the holiday. Because from what I understand, their field effort is pretty shoddy.

Especially compared to NO on 1/Protect Maine Equality. (A new ad from them is coming soon!)

Rex Wockner reports, "There are 8,000 volunteers working on the campaign to stop the National Organization for Marriage from taking away gay and lesbian Mainers' right to marry. There are 5 days to go.

"More volunteers are still needed for two of NO on 1/Protect Maine Equality's projects: Drive for Equality, and Call for Equality."

You can read the rest of Rex's post for more information, or see below or click on the big 3-2-1 graphic at the top of this blog that gives you a ton more information.

ACTION: Help Maine become the first state to pass marriage equality at the ballot!

1. If you live far from Maine but are eager to make a difference, you can phone bank from home. Sign up at Call for Equality.
2. If you do live near Maine, go to Drive for Equality, where you can look for carpools in your area headed up to the Pine Tree State so you can volunteer and help Get Out the Vote!
3. If you actually live in Maine, VOTE EARLY! Not only will the NO on 1 campaign see a record of your vote, it will free you up on election day to help get supporters to the polls.
4. DONATE! You can do this no matter where you live.

How To Save Marriage In Your Pajamas

Reporter Rex Wockner is in Maine covering the Question 1 referendum. Upon visiting NO on 1/Protect Maine Equality headquarters, he was immediately made aware of the pressing need for people everywhere, no matter where they live, to volunteer. They can do it from home! Or as Rex put it, "How to save marriage in your pajamas."

Karin Roland of the NO on 1/Protect Maine Equality Online Communications Team. Karin needs you. Badly. Right now...

Here's what Karin needs. This. Basically, Karin needs you to get trained fast, then make lots of phone calls to Maine from wherever you are. It won't cost you anything. The software calls you. Your phone number won't be revealed. Caller ID will show the NO on 1 office number.

"Call for Equality is critical to our plan to reach all the voters in Maine we need to reach," Roland told me in an interview. "We literally need to make hundreds of thousands of dials through that program -- and in order to do that, we know we need several hundred more people to sign up. You can sign up and get trained now, and start calling now, and then you'll be all set to call on election day."

"We're calling people who we believe support marriage equality," Roland said. "That is a no vote on Question 1. We are confirming that they support marriage equality -- and the vast majority of them do -- and we are urging them to vote early if they support marriage equality -- to vote no on 1 early. Voting early is the best thing that our supporters in Maine can do to help us right now because it lets us take them off our list for election day. We have to literally make over half a million calls in the last week of this campaign, but if you vote today, you just take one of those calls off of our list."

I know I'm like a broken record when it comes to volunteering for Maine, but it's THAT important. Remember how frustrated you felt after the passage of Prop 8? Be a part of victory this time around. Believe me, you'll feel great.

GET INVOLVED AND BE A PART OF HISTORY.

Restore Equality 2010 Working Quickly to Prepare California State Activists for Marriage Equality Signature Gathering Campaign

From the Interim Administrative Group for the Restore Equality 2010 Campaign:

Greetings to all 2010 LGBT and Allied Activists,

First of all, we’d like to express how honored we are to be entrusted with organizing the grassroots structure to win the upcoming 2010 campaign. We on the Interim Administrative Group (IAG) of the Restore Equality 2010 campaign have been busy setting up the groundwork for the upcoming campaign to restore marriage equality in 2010. The first order of business was to set up the campaign committee, build and launch the official website, file legal documents including application to the Secretary of State for a recipient committee campaign identification number, a mailing address, treasurer, and bank account to facilitate fundraising. We are pleased to announce that these vital steps have been completed.

Among our many tasks has been to listen to the suggestions and concerns of our regional contacts to ensure that the Davis Plan (version 3.0 adapted), which was accepted as the basis for a statewide organizational structure, would provide the most democratic implementation possible. The IAG worked to clarify the language to prevent confusion and empower the regions to be able to implement the plan in a way that works for each region. We’d like to offer our many thanks to co-author John Patterson for his assistance and partnership with us in this process.

The IAG is working quickly to implement the Davis Plan and assist the regions as they set up the leadership and set up organizational hubs and continue to reach out to all LGBT and allied communities to prepare to mobilize and train signature gatherers for the effort. We look forward to being able to leave a strong, capable organization in the hands of the future Executive Council and Campaign Manager.

Five town hall meetings to elect their delegates occurred this weekend, and the other five regions are expected to hold their election in the next two weeks. We want to thank the authors of The Davis Plan for their huge contribution to the 2010 effort.

We have made great strides in these past month, and undoubtedly there will continue be challenges as we work to unite our communities in the statewide effort to restore marriage equality. It's important that we keep these lines of communication open and do our best to work together in ensuring our victory come next November. The IAG is absolutely committed to completing our mandate, aiding the establishment of the statewide council, and ushering in an executive committee that will guide this campaign to success.

If you have questions, you can address them to any of the IAG members you know, or even to the following e-mail address to reach all of us at once: iag@restoreequality2010.com. You can also find out more about each of us on the Restore Equality 2010 website.

Please don't forget to spread the word about upcoming town halls. Information available on our website, on this page and go to www.restoreequality2010.com for updates and news about the campaign.

In Solidarity,

The Interim Administrative Group
Restore Equality 2010

Read Rex Wockner's report on the San Diego town hall.

Unite the Fight will have an exclusive report from a member of the IAG on the Los Angeles town hall soon!

VIDEO: Do You Feel the No on 1 Ads in Maine Are Hitting Hard Enough? A Comparison to Prop 8 Ads.

To fully appreciate the point of this post, please watch the ads embedded below, even if you've seen them before. It's all about context.

Those of us who had to suffer through the Proposition 8 campaign season remember well the Yes on 8 ads that just wouldn't stop hounding us with misinformation, flat out lies and distortion of the truth. And unfortunately, the Yes on 8 side was brilliant with their messaging, ripping apart our message of equality with four simple words: "What about the children?!"

Who can forget this infamous ad, turning our joyful moment against us?



But even at this point in the campaign, many Californians still weren't sure how marriage equality would affect them adversely, so why not let gays and lesbians marry? Until the death knell rang with these two ads.





(Notice how they zoom in on that child at the end? Look at this one for even FURTHER blatant manipulation of children.)

Suddenly, parents were up in arms. People were scared for their children. They will be indoctrinated! All of a sudden, marriage equality adversely affected everyone and everything - schools, churches, businesses. It stirred up dormant homophobia.

The NO on 8 campaign, lacking funds to keep up until the last month, couldn't hit back. They did get one ad that worked well, according to researched responses (despite the controversy that no gays or lesbians were actually in the ads):



However, after that, it didn't go well. Here's an example at an attempt to respond to the onslaught of Yes on 8 ads, but it was playing defense:



I don't know about you, but I got a "not so fresh feeling" from this ad.

The following ad was done at the last minute in an attempt to frame the debate as a civil rights issue, which changed the messaging of the campaign from equality to civil rights (use of language is oh so important, as well as message discipline. To us, equality and civil rights are the same thing, but that's for us. Our target audience didn't see it that way.)

However, this had the opposite effect of its intent, offending many in the African American community and other people of color by comparing their civil rights struggle to the LGBT civil rights struggle.



Now, keeping our loss in California in mind, view again the official campaign Maine ads from both sides of the issue. Have we learned from our losses? Are we hitting back hard enough? We got the first ads on the air, allowing us to frame the debate how we want it. We can be on the offense. But are we?

First official campaign ad to hit the air was ours. Actually, the NO on 1 campaign kicked off two. (View the first unofficial marriage equality ad in Maine.)





These were on the air for a good week before the Yes on 1 side (aka the Yes on 8 people) began airing theirs yesterday. Who could've guessed that the ad used the same ol' argument that was used here in California? Broken record anybody? (Notice the use of a law professor, same as the Yes on 8 ad above - an authority figure of sorts.)



Today came an immediate response from the NO on 1 campaign. And they deserve a huge round of applause for learning from Prop 8 by responding immediately. However, do you feel it addresses Yes on 1? Does it hit back hard enough? I recall the Yes on Prop 8 campaign playing extremely dirty. Since Yes on 1 is ran by the same people, we can expect them to do it again. Does this response kill such tactics before they begin?



Reporter Rex Wockner, who was "forced to blog" on these ads (and with a domino effect, pushed me to blog), wrote, "They are not hard-hitting. They are high-minded concept ads. They are a repeat of No on 8's mistakes in California. The 1st ad above is decent, showing a real gay family and speaking some truth. But overall: Reboot now. 33% is a failing grade."

I feel I must agree. The first ad was good. It framed the debate by showing REAL Mainers (NOT actors), real gays and lesbians with their families, faces that will be harmed by vetoing the marriage equality law. It portrayed the cherished Maine mantra of "live and let live" and that Maine doesn't need outside influence telling what it should do. (Something Mainers hate!)

But we knew. We knew what the opposition was going to say. "They're going to force this on you whether you like it or not." "You're children will be taught homosexual marriage is ok in schools!" "Your churches, your businesses will be sued!" Basically saying we harm children and society in general.

Shouldn't we have had an ad on the air already addressing these specific concerns before the Yes on 1 opened their lying mouths? Shouldn't we have had an authority figure who demands respect, who is from Maine, discounting all the forthcoming arguments? (Gov. Baldacci comes to mind.)

Yet, in our rebuttal to the Yes on 1 side, we repeat ourselves. Sticking to "outsiders are going to ruin Maine" theme isn't going to work if Mainers agree with the outsiders.

And believe me, plenty do!

We need to kill their arguments before they even voice them. We need to tell Mainers, "You're going to hear that marriage is going to be taught in schools, but you have the power to decide that yourself in your districts. You're going to hear that your church is going to be sued, but you already have protections in place by law. The other side is going to try and confuse this issue, to state things that are not in the law. They want to mislead you. They will lie to you.

"This is not about curriculum, not about religion. What this is about is civil marriage for all. It's about protecting families. It's about being fair."

But that's just a start. It's got to hit harder. Expose the lies as lies. Like this one. And this one, and so many more.

No one likes being lied to. I have a feeling Mainers will be pissed. I think we should tell them. Don't you?

The NO on 1 campaign is doing amazing work. I support it wholeheartedly and am very happy with what I am seeing, especially compared to the No on 8 campaign. But I see room for improvement. I see that we can win. And we don't have much time. I'd rather speak up now than regret being silent later.

Keep up the great work Maine. Now go expose those lies!

Recommended Reading: Marrige Equality Ad Battles Begins in Maine.