Tomorrow is Election Day! If Maine wins on gay marriage tomorrow, it would be the first time voters in the US approve same-sex marriage! So basically the world could change on Tuesday, just like that Tuesday in the 90s when Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill came out, that was the first time I ever pre-ordered a record OH RIGHT THIS IS POLITICS: I have been to Maine, it was so beautiful & Phillip lives there! Srsly life-changing shit could happen.
Maine: Question 1 Could Reverse May’s Marriage Statue Which Granted Marriage Equality
If Question 1 is rejected, it would be the first time voters in the US have approved Same-Sex Marriage!
Tomorrow a rally will be held in Monument Square to show support for gay marriage.
Maine to Vote on Same-Sex Marriage: Public opinion surveys in Maine show a dead heat on Question 1, which would cancel the marriage statute that passed the legislature in May and was signed by Gov. John E. Baldacci (D).
If Question 1 passes, Maine — like California — will have legislated inequality: “The National Organization for Marriage, or NOM, has contributed $1.6 million to Stand for Marriage Maine but has declined to reveal its own contributors, despite a federal district court decision last week that it must do so under Maine law.”
538: Marc Multy, the president of the anti-gay marriage group Stand for Marriage Maine, said his opponents “amassed a war chest from the homosexual political elite from nearly every corner of the country to impose their will on Mainers like us.” Erum but no. It’s true “No on 1 raised more than $2.30 million in itemized contributions from outside the state of Maine; this is more than the $1.82 million that Stand for Marriage Maine has raised from out-of-state” … However, all told, No on 1 has raised 43 percent of its funds from within Maine, as compared with 26 percent for the Yes on 1 campaign.
Also from Nate Silver, check out Arguments Against Gay Marriage Literally Stop Making Sense.
TABOR, Question 1 drop in polls – A poll released Monday showed a large drop in support for Questions 2, 3 and 4 on Maine’s Nov. 3 ballot. Opponents of Question 1 also showed small gains.
Catholic Church Goes After Straight Allies of Marriage Equality: “Though it’s no fun seeing same-sex marriage rights placed on a statewide ballot, one of the best things to come out of the Maine vote on marriage equality is the fact that progressive-minded Catholics are starting to speak out for the rights of gays and lesbians to marry.”
Washington Referendum 71, nicknamed “everything but marriage”:
Referendum 71 asks voters to approve or reject a bill passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor this spring that would extend to same-sex couples scores of rights currently reserved for married spouses, including ensuring extended work leave for people with critically ill partners and preserving pension benefits for the surviving partner in the event of the other’s death. (@ny times)
This week, the Washington Poll, released through the University of Washington, found even stronger support for the “everything but marriage” law, with a 56-39 lead, with 5 percent undecided. (@washington times)
RIP: Phoenix-based transgender rights activist Michele de Lafreniere died Saturday. Pam’s House Blend has a great tribute, which gives some history about her activism and why she was important to the LGBT community. Today, we lost a woman who started something huge… She never gave up. She was reduced to a point where she couldn’t speak, could barely move, and yet she cried in joy at the passage and signing of the Hate crimes bill.
NFL: Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson was suspended from the team last week after using a gay slur on Twitter and in the locker room. He also was fined by the NFL. His agent said Johnson didn’t realize the word was offensive. The controversy has shined a spotlight on the homophobia in locker rooms throughout professional sports. Former NFL player Esera Tualo, who came out after he left the league, says there are at least ten closeted football players in the NFL right now, probably more. While the league is trying to improve the situation, Tualo and other authorities said they have no idea when players will feel comfortable enough to come out to their teammates. In better sports news, the Cubs are now the first major league sports franchise to have a gay owner.
GAY ANIMALS: An Illinois teacher was suspended after he had his class read about homosexuality among animals.
HOUSTON MAYOR: The Houston mayoral race is coming up, and the city has the chance to elect Annise Parker, who would be the first openly gay mayor of a major city. The Houston Chronicle found a lot to like about Parker, but listed her sexual orientation as a con. Sad, but probably true.
… but pictures of lions eating internal organs are fine. Gay animals aren’t natural, they’ve been drugged on the rainbow colored essence of the alternative lifestyle. Obviously.
Science is obvs backing the gay agenda.
Apparently, the parent of one student complained to the school board. I can see how the article may not be something typically assigned to read in high school English and I can also see how some examples used by Roughgarden may offend some peoples’ sensibilities – there are some explicit examples but I mean seriously, this is from a science magazine, not Playboy. As a vocal supporter of the LGBT community (a straight, married one at that) though, I doubt that’s what the parent had issue with. He chose an article that’s meaningful to him and one parent didn’t like it – enough to directly complain to the school board. Usually if you take issue with a teacher, you go to him or her first and at worst, the principal may get involved. The teacher may then may apologize after some verbal reprimand and promise to pick something less “controversial” in the future, all in the name of appeasement. If anything, it seems like the parent has an agenda and I seriously think a suspension with the possibility of termination is rather harsh. In any event, a lot of students, parents, and teachers support him – check out the “Bring Back Mr. DeLong” page on Facebook.
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That’s my rant but do check out the article – it’s actually an interesting read: http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/the_gay_animal_kingdom/ (FYI: The author Joan Roughgarden is also transgender.)
Thanks for linking to the article! I’m glad more scientists are raising the issue and pointing out that homosexuality isn’t an abnormal phenomenon. I’ll pass along the Facebook page, too. I found out about this story from my roommate, who grew up about 20 miles from this school. She might know some people in the community.
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You make a good point about how the parent handled the problem. If the article was about something a bit less taboo than homosexuality, I doubt it would’ve made it to the school board. I can kind of understand when parents get upset about sexuality being taught to young children, but this was a high school. The stuff mentioned in the article shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone there. Plus, the magazine seems very reputable and mentions Stanford, for gods sake.
I agree: that association, “science” or what it’s called (it’s probably a conspiracy) should stop lobbying for gays.
I just put my WA ballot in the mail an hour ago!!! Fingers crossed!
if straight people get to vote on whether or not i have the right to get married, i think that gay people should get to vote on whether or not straight people have the right to divorce.
I just made up a politics rule myself this weekend. Any man who ever watched two girls go at it, whether it be in porn or in real life, and any man that ever bought girls drinks, etc, for making out in front of them, does not get to vote no on gay marriage. Neither does any girl who ever made out with another girl to get attention.
If you wanna play, you gotta pay. No hypocrites here.
“like”
You say “In five other states where gay men and lesbians are allowed to marry their partners, the decision was reversed by referendum in each case.” What do you mean by this? I can’t think of any way that this would be correct.
That’s a direct quote from an article, but I can see that it’s confusing. In 2004 it was introduced and voted down in four states, I believe? or that’s what i remember, and then CA last year.
I feel like having an “everything but marriage” marriage is like offering an ice cream sunday without the ice cream… or a nice juicy chargrilled chicken sandwich without those black lines.
well, it’s just a word, they’re saying. it’s not a bad deal really.
it’s quite a great deal actually and it’s sucks that it’s not fully understood by all individuals. No matter how much campaigning happens we just can’t get to everybody. Most people who have just read about it from ballot booklets don’t really get the full jist of it.
I actually know a few straight couples who are angered by the fact that in order to get domestic partnership benefits they have to get married (they are atheist and marriage comes from god and churches, etc. so they dislike it but, just as gay couples do, they want the benefits of being recognized by the government as being life partners)
Yea, I get that. I know it’s just semantics. It would be like getting to have sex after decades of being a virgin but having to call it JV sex. Sure, you’re still getting the goods, but secretly I would want to run around a large passenger steamship yelling I’m the captain of the varsity-ladyfucking world! It’s like the whole “gay marriage” argument. Why does it need to be qualified as something other than what it is? Why not just call it marriage? I realize it’s the best deal possible, but it’s just another attempt to keep us down by appeasing the homophobes out there. I’m sick of catering to them, but I get that we have to take one step at a time. But one of these days, I’m going to have my grilled chicken and eat it too dammit!
Hey, we will find out today what the verdict is, and I say I’ll take it and be elated. I will run around saying “I’m [not] married!” and people’s heads will tilt to the side like dogs.
PDX has a gay mayor! That’s Portland, Oregon yo. Stating for the record that we got there first. Mayor Sam Adams is openly gay, in fact even got it on with a hot intern guy. PDX still likes him. Or at least I do.