On Monday Seattle's City Council passed a resolution urging the residents to vote to Approve Referendum 71, which would keep the new expanded domestic partnership law which extends all of Washington state's rights and benefits of marriage to same-sex couples except the title.
The resolution states:
RESOLUTION 31154
A RESOLUTION urging Seattle voters to vote "approved" on Washington State Referendum 71 thereby retaining Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5688 which would expand the rights and responsibilities of state registered domestic partners to equal those of married spouses.
WHEREAS, on May 18th Governor Christine Gregoire signed Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5688 into law providing that, for all purposes under state law, state registered domestic partners shall be treated the same as spouses; and
WHEREAS, opponents of Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5688 filed Referendum 71 to send Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5688 to a vote of the citizens of Washington; and
WHEREAS, enough signatures have been gathered and the citizens of Washington will vote on Referendum 71 in Washington State's November 2009 general election; and
WHEREAS, a vote of "approved" on Referendum 71 will allow Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5688 to become law and provide that state registered domestic partners be treated the same as spouses under state law; and
WHEREAS, a vote of "rejected" on Referendum 71 would repeal Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5688 and allow state registered domestic partners to be treated differently than spouses under state law; and
WHEREAS, the City of Seattle embraces legal equality and fair treatment for all residents, and values the contributions and personal dignity of all; and
WHEREAS, the City of Seattle has legally protected its citizens from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation since 1973, and on the basis of gender identity since 1999; and
WHEREAS, since 1993, the City of Seattle has provided its employees with health benefit coverage for city registered domestic partners; and
WHEREAS, since 1999, unmarried members of the City of Seattle Retirement City Employees' Retirement System can designate a domestic partner as his or her beneficiary; and
WHEREAS, since 2000, the City of Seattle has required contractors on City contracts to provide employee benefits to their employees with domestic partners equivalent to those provided to their employees with spouses;
NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE, THE MAYOR CONCURRING, THAT:
Section 1. The City of Seattle urges Seattle voters to vote "approved" on Referendum 71 on the November, 2009 ballot, thereby retaining Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5688 and expanding the rights and responsibilities of state registered domestic partners as equal to those of spouses.
A new Maine poll to be distributed tomorrow by Democracy Corps shows that pro-marriage equality campaign NO on 1 ahead by 9 points at 50 to 41. (Poll embedded at bottom of post, Question 6)
However, before you get too excited by these numbers, it's important to note that No on Prop 8 was ahead by 10+ points at this same time in September last year. Yes on Prop 8 responded by powerful attack messaging focusing on marriage equality's "detrimental effects" on children, and the same people responsible for Yes on Prop 8 are running Yes on 1 in Maine.
It appears Yes on 1 will follow the same road map. It's being reported they just purchased another large media buy and will most likely pound out fear mongering ads focused on kids. 9% in the poll are undecided and it's this group that's usually susceptible to attack ad messaging.
In others words, like in California this time last year, the worst is yet to come.
It's all about funds at this point - who can get their message out and keep it out the longest and the loudest.
Right now, the NO on 1 campaign is facing their third quarter financial report deadline which will go public. If it indicates it's low on funds, both the opposition and the media will declare that the NO on 1 campaign is not in position to sustain their momentum and will lose. It indicates a lack of support.
Even worse, NO on 1 will not be able to keep ads on the air or shoot new ones to counter what will most likely by an onslaught of nasty, hateful attack ads.
ACTION: This Wednesday at midnight is the deadline for every cent to count for the third quarter report. To contribute, go to the NO on 1/Protect Maine Equality's ACT BLUE donation page and give what you can!
Maine's Catholic Church Pours More Money Into Question 1
In Catholic parishes across the state Sunday, a recorded message from Bishop Malone played in which he asked four things from church members, reports the Bangor Daily News: pray that “marriage as we know it” prevails, financially support the Yes on 1 campaign, volunteer in support of the campaign and vote yes on Question 1.
“Marriage matters,” the bishop stated. “This above all things is the driving force behind Question 1.” Despite research claiming otherwise, Malone claimed that history shows that a family with one man and one woman provides the best upbringing for children.
“Same-sex marriage is a dangerous sociological experiment that many of us believe will have negative consequences for society as a whole,” he said. “Children need the love of a mother and a father.”
Following the message, another special collection was held for the Yes on 1 campaign.
In a statement released Sunday, Catholics for Marriage Equality (C4ME) want the public to know that the bishop does not speak for all church members.
“The informed consciences of many Catholics compel them to reject the bishop's political opinion about same-sex marriage,” said Anne Underwood, a founding member of C4ME. “Marriage in the Catholic Church is a sacrament reserved to the Church to define and administer. Civil marriage is a right of the state to define and with it comes over 300 state benefits to better the lives of our families and children. No church can morally deprive families and children of state recognition.”
Yes on 1 Campaign to Deride Diverse Families
The Yes on 1 campaign is gearing up to attack a 35-minute educational film currently being shown to Maine 5th graders titled That's a Family! Here's the trailer:
Made in 2000 and screened at the White House during Clinton's administration, the film educates students on family diversity. Profiling single-parent families, adopted children, bi-racial families, children of divorced parents and of gay and lesbian couples, the focus of the documentary is that all families are different but equal.
Yet the Yes on 1 campaign doesn't believe so.
Frank Schubert, main consultant for the Yes on Prop 8 campaign and who successfully scared parents in California to vote against marriage equality because he told them "homosexual marriage" would be taught in schools, is hoping to do the same in Maine. However, it may not work this time.
Maine's NO on 1 campaign has already claimed that Maine schools should be a haven for children who come from all families. Potentially, if Schubert goes after this film, the public can see him as attacking all other families who don't fit the heterosexual mold.
On top of this, since the film is already being shown in Maine's public schools, doesn't this show that voting against marriage equality will have no effect on school curriculum? It is a separate issue that should be taken up with the local school boards, a process that Schubert, who is not from Maine, has criticized.
The Yes on Prop 8 campaign also used President Obama's statement that he believes marriage is between one man and one woman, despite the fact that he also said that discrimination should not be in legislation. The his helped convince many in the African American community to vote in favor of banning marriage equality. But just this past Monday, in his Family Day Proclamation, Obama included families of gays and lesbians: "Whether children are raised by two parents, a single parent, grandparents, a same-sex couple, or a guardian, families encourage us to do our best and enable us to accomplish great things."
(On a related note, David Mixner states that Obama needs to speak up now against Question 1, lest his words be twisted again in favor of discriminatory legislation.)
If the Yes on 1 campaign goes down this road, they could be sending the message that if children don't belong to a nuclear, heterosexual family, then kids should keep the fact hidden in fear of being bullied.
Boston College Professor Sparks Outrage By Appearing in Yes on 1 Ad
The appearance of Scott Fitzgibbons, a professor in the Boston College Law School, in an ad campaign in support of the Maine Marriage Initiative, which seeks to overturn Governor John Baldacci's signature of the same-sex marriage bill, has sparked controversy in the BC Law School.
Fitzgibbons did not obtain clearance from the BC Law School before appearing in the advertisement, in which he stated his opposition to gay marriage and identified himself as a BC professor.
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In the wake of the advertisement's release, it became apparent that Fitzgibbon's public stance on gay marriage was a sensitive reality for many members of the Law School community.
In a letter released last week, Law School Dean John Garvey spoke to the emotions expressed by several members of this community.
"Professor Fitzgibbon, as a member of our faculty, is free to express his views … we also have faculty members who hold a contrary view, which they too are free to express publicly," Garvey said. "As I think any of our faculty might have done, he stated his views without prior notice to or clearance from the Law School."
Garvey's letter also details what was outlined in a memorandum recently released by the university, clarifying their stance on what behavior it deems acceptable in the context of professors publicly expressing their political opinions.
Among the list of prohibited political actions faced by faculty and staff are the usage university letterhead to distribute printed materials supporting a candidate, the endorsement of a political candidate at university events and holding political rallies or fund-raisers in university facilities.
I find it rather ironic that Fitzgibbon would use hypothetical consequences of law while living in a state that has had marriage equality for five years and seems to be functioning just swell and boasts the lowest divorce rate in the country.
Yet he doesn't see it that way.
"Legal consequences of the legal recognition of same-sex marriage are detailed in a letter to the governor of Maine from four law professors," he said to Fox. "These legal concerns underlie, in part, my opposition to that legalization." Get involved with the NO on 1 campaign! There's only five weeks left before election!
ACTION: The campaign must turn in a third quarter report on finances that will be made public. The media will scrutinize it to determine if the NO on 1 campaign is strong enough to win.
Help reach their goal of raising $28,000 by Wednesday midnight.DONATE HERE!
Federal U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker, presiding over the case against Proposition 8 brought by the plaintiffs represented by the Olson/Boies team, is considering whether to order the sponsors of the Yes on 8 campaign to produce internal campaign communications and records over to the the plaintiffs.
Attorney Charles Cooper, representing the Yes on 8 campaign, claimed the documents and internal discussions were private and cited First Amendment protections on political speech and free association. Communications made to the public at large are subject to discovery, Cooper conceded, but internal discussions should remain private.
Law.com reports, "The material sought by gay marriage supporters could make for good impeachment evidence, argued their attorney, Christopher Dusseault of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. For instance, if the Yes campaign had commissioned a study that wound up showing that homosexuality is immutable -- and then the campaign withheld it from the public -- that would directly contradict arguments now being made in court, Dusseault said."
"That's a little speculative, Mr. Dusseault. Why not try a little closer to home," Walker said.
If the plaintiffs can show more publicly available contradictions to the defendants' court argument of state interest, then Walker indicated he would be more open to obtaining private documents.
"However, Walker appeared to be angling for some sort of compromise, asking Cooper why some sort of protective order couldn't be fashioned to avoid the pitfalls his side had elucidated," Law.com reports.
In what has been descriptive behavior of the case so far, Cooper stated in papers that if the plaintiffs get access to private documents of the Yes on 8 campaign, then he will request the same from the No on 8 campaign.
Small though the mention may be, President Obama's inclusion of LGBT families in his Family Day Proclamation is sure to put the proverbial bee in the bonnet of "protect the children from gay indoctrination" conservatives.
"Our family provides one of the strongest influences on our lives. American families from every walk of life have taught us time and again that children raised in loving, caring homes have the ability to reject negative behaviors and reach their highest potential. Whether children are raised by two parents, a single parent, grandparents, a same-sex couple, or a guardian, families encourage us to do our best and enable us to accomplish great things. Today, our children are confronting issues of drug and alcohol use with astonishing regularity. On Family Day, we honor the dedication of parents, commend the achievements of their children, and celebrate the contributions our Nation's families have made to combat substance abuse among young people."
California gubernatorial Republican candidate Meg Whitman, former CEO for eBay, doesn't believe her stance against marriage equality is a slap in the face to millions of gays and lesbians. She claims her pro-civil union platform should be enough.
In an interview with CBS 5, she states:
"So as you know I am pro-civil union and not for gay marriage. And just for me, that term marriage, for me needs to be between a man and a woman...I do not feel it is a slap in the face. I had a terrific record at eBay, an excellent work environment for people of all different backgrounds and all walks of life. And as I said I am pro-civil union."
So my fellow Californians, you may not know who Meg Whitman is, since CBS5 reports that nearly 60% of Californians either had no opinion of her or were neutral.
But get to know her.
Being Republican may be enough for her NOT to get your vote, but be advised, like many other candidates in her party, she's also against marriage equality.
Thank you for honoring Harvey Milk with the Medal of Freedom Award. Harvey was my friend and teacher. In the 30 years since he was assassinated lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people have attained a handful of rights in a handful of states, but we are still second-class citizens.
Your historic election gave us hope that change can happen, and now tens of thousands of LGBT people, along with our straight allies, are taking action to demand it. On October 11 we will march on Washington in support of a single goal: full and equal protection for LGBT people in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states.
Equal rights are not a "gay" issue. They are about our shared human rights: safety in our schools and jobs, equitable healthcare and housing, and protection for our families, to name a few.
I compare our National Equality March with the Civil Rights March of 1963. Martin Luther King had a dream; we have a dream too. We share Dr. King’s belief in the dignity and equality of all peoples, and his commitment to non-violence. And we share his faith that justice will prevail.
We do not expect to achieve our goal overnight. Our struggle for equality has taken many years, and much hard work remains ahead. The nation is preoccupied with economic hardship and war. But you have given us hope that civil rights remain on this nation’s agenda. The time is right for us to call on our fellow Americans, our elected leaders, and you to reaffirm our shared commitment to civil rights.
With hope in our hearts, we invite you to join us on the west lawn of the Capitol on October 11th. We ask you to take the microphone and renew our faith that Washington will work with us, and not against us. We urge you to remind the world that we are welcome members of this nation. We invite you to stand with us in pride.
Sincerely, Cleve Jones Co-Chair, National Equality March
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On Monday Seattle's City Council passed a resolution urging the residents to vote to Approve Referendum 71, which would keep the new expanded domestic partnership law which extends all of Washington state's rights and benefits of marriage to same-sex couples except the title.
