Gay Rights Under Attack in Maine

This spring, Maine's legislature passed a law barring discrimination against gays in housing or employment. Gov. Baldacci signed the bill into law. Now anti-gay forces in the state are working fast to repeal the law - but you can help stop them. I know that there is a lot going on in the blogosphere and the world. Everyone is excited about political campaigns or activist movements, and how they may affect the future. But this is a one-time chance to defend basic rights that are already in law, and are in great danger of being destroyed. Please give to Maine Won't Discriminate.

Maine is not a conservative state, but the "RINO" senators and the Presidential totals tend to mislead people into how unpredictable the state may be. Maine voters repealed a gay rights law in 1997 and again in 2000. Maine's legislature is more and more narrowly controlled by Democrats with each election cycle. Last year, an anti-gay crusader tried to out any pro-gay legislators or officials, and a year later he is heading the statewide repeal effort against this simple support for gay and lesbian citizens.

I haven't heard a lot of talk about this ballot fight, and I think one reason may be wariness from some quarters since this is a "gay" issue. A lot of people seem to think if Democrats ignore gay rights issues, they will go away. But this affects far more than gay rights.

If this legislation is repealed, Republican candidates in Maine are even more likely to run anti-gay campaigns against incumbents, including Governor Baldacci. Extremist elements will be more emboldened to repeal the domestic partnership passed last year and to push for an amendment that will ban any legal contracts between unmarried couples. Democrats will - as they so frequently are - will be put on the defensive and flustered about how to respond, as the media spouts off about "pro-family" and "everyday" citizens combatting the "gay agenda". The line of attack used in this fight is that civil rights laws lead to gay marriage, because bigots know that a majority of Americans no longer buy into the "special rights" canard.  The media, desperate to avoid any important matters, will use this story as yet another salvo against not only gay Americans, but any progressive, moderate, sensible people who want to ask questions and get answers instead of falling for the wedge issue of the week.

Anti-gay Republican candidates are likely to fight against environmental laws, teaching of evolution in schools, sex education, stem cell research, abortion - you name it, they'll hate it. Gays are scapegoated because social conservatives know the mere mention of the word will make supposedly tolerant politicians quiver in anxiety. Gays are a Trojan horse. And this won't stop in Maine. Gays and lesbians in California are already under attack through the domestic partnership plan. How easy it would be for bigots to get a 2008 ballot measure repealing the state's anti-discrimination laws. How easy it would be to crucify any candidate of any political party who even dares to support simple decency towards gay and lesbian Americans. How easy it would be to find yet another wedge issue to demoralize and defeat sensible politicians, particularly Democrats, in the 2006 election cycle.

This is your chance to fight back. Your only chance. I know that money is short and causes are varied. But even a few dollars could make a difference here. We always talk about the elections we almost win. Wouldn't it feel good to finally prevail? To defeat not just one wingnut or one hysteric, but an entire movement of intolerance and hate? Imagine the press this would get for progressive people. We always talk about what can do two or four or six years down the line. If this or that go our way. This is something you can do RIGHT NOW to help make America a better place.

Maine Won't Discriminate needs your help. Please give as much or as little as you can. Thank you.

Comments

[BoulderDuck]

Thanks for the heads-up James, you shook 42.03 out of me. God I'd love to see another victory in NE. Makes me think of maps of human rights slowly spreading out from the beachhead in Mass. (and sort of Calif.).

Thanks again James. The .03 is a tip of the hat to you, btw.

[Sandy Bobo]

I would like to ask some thing, if I may.

I have been literally driven out of my homes for 3 1/2 years now. I have moved 3 times on count of neighbors/landlords/tenants/police departments all harassing me.

I lived in Augusta where it started. I went through terrorism, harassment and gender discrimination. Not really understanding why and how these people got away with what they did.

I then move to Monmouth, again, for 1 full year, I was harassed by neighbors and the landlord until I left.

Now in Winthrop, here we go again. Same methods are being used all over again. Landlord and tenants are harassing me.

I confronted this landlord a few days ago and he is denying every thing that I said to him.

It's all the same, I move in, I'm constantly being watched, questioned and harassed. Laterally driven or forced out of my homes.

I even get the feeling that these all of these people think I'm gay. Which really isn't anyone's business if I am or not.

The Augusta cops always took their side. I was never right in any situation that arised.

I had a Monmouth cop literally get in my face one day. Yelling and accusing me of a crime I didn't even commit.

He backed down when I went right back at him and told him I don't know how many times I have had several FBI back ground checks and passed them all.

Here in Winthrop, one of the cops came bye one day last week and stopped right at the front of my car and spun his wheels. Making sand and rocks hit my car. The landlord here has done this, so hasn't the neighbors.

This is such a long involved story that I am not writing every thing down now.

I feel it's because I am a single female, that's why this is happening.

What can I do about it? Is there any one at all that I can talk to about these issues?

Thank you for reading this, I really do appreciate it very much.

Sandy

[danny]

All the comments here are personal anecdotes...I have one as well. I was recently doing construction for a good friend of mine so that his son and daughter in law could live in the upstairs of his house. While I was there I was amazed at the screaming and cursing and pounding I heard in the other apartment in his duplex. I asked him about it and he said it was his two tenants David and Jeffrey. He complained that they were always drunk and screaming at each other. They never paid their rent on time. And were always being violent with one another. Finally one day he had to ask them to leave because they had not paid their rent and were THREE WEEKS over due. He asked them to leave and when they left the still had not paid the months rent. Additionally when the landlord went into clean the place there were holes punched in the wall, beer stains and vomit stains in the carpet and the place was generally trashed. Now, these two guys were a "same sex" couple. Did this landlord kick ask them to leave because they were gay? SInce this is one extreme example should I assume that all same sex couples will behave this way? Why does the gay community accuse the rest of society that does not support homosexuality...as being bigoted, close minded, or discriminating? You say that the so called right to marriage is a civil right extended to gays....where is that explicitly stated in any one of the Constitutional Rights or Amendements? It's not...it's implied based on something that a subculture of people desire...The gay community wants something and it seems to me that anyone that does not support them is labeled "close minded" a bigot, discriminator...etc. It is a screaming double standard that I don't know why more people don't point out....let me put the question to you all like this.....Can you call for the end of discrimination yet discriminate yourselves against people who descriminate? Whether they are right or wrong in your eyes you are hypocrites to descriminate against people that descriminate. You do the same thing that you are complaining about!

[bimjenqa]

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