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News & ArtsTuesday, March 24, 2009
Homo Some Good News
Posted by Dan Savage on Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 8:26 PM
An attempt to repeal all gay rights laws in Gainesville, Florida, was soundly rejected by voters today.
Gainesville, Fla.’s Amendment 1—which, if passed, would have repealed a number of antidiscrimination protections for LGBT residents in the college town—failed at the polls Tuesday. With the majority of precincts reporting, results have the amendment failing with 61% voting no and 39% voting yes.
Suck it, haters.
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Just a few years ago a law like this would have passed by that margin. That's how we know we're winning.
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Oh Dan! Ohhhhhh Dan! I am so geared up for your mayoral campaign. I've been combing the Slog archives for your best writings. I want the citizens of Seattle to know the real Dan Savage. Compassionate, thoughtful, empathetic, generous, OH Dan!!! I can hardly wait for the campaign to begin. I'll be there for you Dan. I'll be there for you every day promoting your past musings on matters large and small to the citizens of Seattle.
Must I report my expenditures to your campaign if we don't collude on the message?
Must I report my expenditures to your campaign if we don't collude on the message?
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This is great and all but I'm still concerned about the 39% that wanted to take away all the rights. You can't convince everyone but they still worry me
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The final count was 58% no, 42% yes. Which really isn't bad, considering that the opposition was led by the Thomas Moore foundation from Michigan and that they bussed in Focus on the Family fundies when they realized they were losing. We knew this race was going to be close, and we're just ecstatic that it went the right way. Actually, we're really happy about a 16-point spread. We got the students out - down to the last few minutes of polling we were pushing them to the polls - and that made all the difference.
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Don't worry, Florida will pass their own Prop 8 soon enough. The rejection of an amendment doesn't create any rights for you under the law. Your stupidity knows no bounds, Savage. Except in your previous post when you somehow thought that '20 percent support' was a majority.
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@8 - Gainesville currently has protections for its gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered citizens. We've had some of these protections for over ten years. Defeating Amendment 1 means that we get to keep these protections.
So, technically, rejecting the amendment didn't create any rights... it just prevented them from being taken away. Still pretty important.
And if we're going to go larger, why stop at the state? Let's go for national protections.
So, technically, rejecting the amendment didn't create any rights... it just prevented them from being taken away. Still pretty important.
And if we're going to go larger, why stop at the state? Let's go for national protections.
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@9
First of all, that's great that there are anti-discrimination laws already on the books in your state, but my point was that Dan assumes, without providing explanation, that a rejection of a law somehow creates a right. It shows progress, but doesn't fulfill the ultimate goal, so let's not kid ourselves.
Secondly, while Federal Acts against discrimination surely have made progress (Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in particular), marriage will always be a state's rights issue. A constitutional amendment defining marriage will not pass simply because the intricacies involving the legal/political realities will compel any senator/rep to vote a resounding NO. The fact is that gay marriage is going to be a state by state snowball effect that will eventually create legal marriage rights for ALL Americans.
Again, this is just all my opinion.
First of all, that's great that there are anti-discrimination laws already on the books in your state, but my point was that Dan assumes, without providing explanation, that a rejection of a law somehow creates a right. It shows progress, but doesn't fulfill the ultimate goal, so let's not kid ourselves.
Secondly, while Federal Acts against discrimination surely have made progress (Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in particular), marriage will always be a state's rights issue. A constitutional amendment defining marriage will not pass simply because the intricacies involving the legal/political realities will compel any senator/rep to vote a resounding NO. The fact is that gay marriage is going to be a state by state snowball effect that will eventually create legal marriage rights for ALL Americans.
Again, this is just all my opinion.
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@10 - Um, read Dan's post again, very very carefully - nowhere does he characterize this vote as "creating a right", or as any kind of "progress".
But a vote not to strip existing rights is a victory too, albeit not the best kind.
But a vote not to strip existing rights is a victory too, albeit not the best kind.
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6, Expect Loveschild's response to go something like, "An anti-gay group's website says that gays may have called Christians (who won't come forward because the police are so pro-gay.) names during pro-prop 8 protests, so gay people deserve to be attacked, beaten, (They aren't being beaten because they are gay. It's probably a just gang of drug dealers just walking around beating people and yelling "fag!".) and stripped of all their rights."
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so, the chicken shit coward censors have been up early this morning quietly deleting posts leaving nary a trace. And just for criticizing the level of 'journalism' practiced on slog.
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The religious extremists will eventually lose every issue they take a stand on. Why? Because religion is the enemy of freedom!
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16, yes my stalker, gay people shouting at a protest justifies the physical beating to unconsciousness two gay men. You got me.
I was afraid you were over your obsession with me, but I should have known you couldn't stay away. I love that I so upset you, (You'll just have to face that I'm better at debating than you, and that Sam Adams is still mayor of Portland.) that you are now my sock puppet stalker.
I was afraid you were over your obsession with me, but I should have known you couldn't stay away. I love that I so upset you, (You'll just have to face that I'm better at debating than you, and that Sam Adams is still mayor of Portland.) that you are now my sock puppet stalker.
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@ 13, when you spam up every thread started by Dan Savage with your stupid little "joke," I for one support its deletion (which ain't censorship, you moron).
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I hope Dan has taken out a policy on Loveschild because if something happens to her slog will go down the tubes, seeing as slogs dullest and most obsessive pinheads have devoted their pathetic miserable little lives to stalking her everywhere she goes (and even everywhere she doesn't even show up)
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I hope Dan has taken out a policy on Loveschild because if something happens to her slog will go down the tubes, seeing as slogs dullest and most obsessive pinheads have devoted their pathetic miserable little lives to stalking her everywhere she goes (and even everywhere she doesn't even show up)
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21, The way you devoted so much of your time worrying about me? Have you heard of the saying about the pot and the kettle?
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@ 10 - read again - the state of Florida has no civil rights protections for LGBT people. Just the city of Gainesville. We're like a fragile little blue flower of equality in a sea of rednecks.
And no, it isn't the ultimate goal. No one here is claiming that. That's why I brought up advocating for civil rights protections (not marriage-you brought that up) at the federal level.
Anyway, the point is that it's still an awesome victory. So stop killing my buzz.
And no, it isn't the ultimate goal. No one here is claiming that. That's why I brought up advocating for civil rights protections (not marriage-you brought that up) at the federal level.
Anyway, the point is that it's still an awesome victory. So stop killing my buzz.
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Well, I'm proud to have helped vote it down.
The pro- campaign was a big ball of slime all the way around: the entire argument was: "If you don't discriminate against transsexuals, they'll follow your daughters into the bathroom and do unspeakable things and nobody will be able to stop it!"
I wasn't aware that the Thomas Moore Foundation was involved, but I guess that goes to underline the point that the whole point of this amendment was a semi-covert attack on gay rights by the usual bigoted suspects.
I also had no idea it had made national news. Good job, Gainesville!
The pro- campaign was a big ball of slime all the way around: the entire argument was: "If you don't discriminate against transsexuals, they'll follow your daughters into the bathroom and do unspeakable things and nobody will be able to stop it!"
I wasn't aware that the Thomas Moore Foundation was involved, but I guess that goes to underline the point that the whole point of this amendment was a semi-covert attack on gay rights by the usual bigoted suspects.
I also had no idea it had made national news. Good job, Gainesville!
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