Equality update
December 2009 - a periodic publication of MassEquality.org
and the MassEquality Education Fund
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the latest Equality Update, where we’ll recap MassEquality’s exciting, important efforts to achieve and preserve LGBT equality in New England and beyond.
Many of you contributed your time, money and passion to securing marriage equality in Maine this year. In part because of your efforts 250,000 Maine voters stood for equality on Election Day. Ultimately, however, they were outnumbered. Our hearts go out to all of Maine’s LGBT residents, who remain second-class citizens, their families without access to basic legal protections afforded to their straight neighbors.
This is unacceptable.
But we know that changing hearts and minds takes time, patience and persistence. MassEquality will continue working with LGBT advocates and pro-equality political leaders in Maine to expand the base of support for full equality and strategize the next steps for translating that support into law once again. I hope you will continue to support the work in Maine.
Of course, this year’s marriage equality victories in New Hampshire and Vermont give us reason to remain hopeful for eventual success in Maine, too. If you’ve forgotten about our collaboration with LGBT organizations in those states, please keep reading this newsletter. We are advancing equality state by state.
Massachusetts is often seen as a beacon of LGBT equality for the nation. But major initiatives must be enacted for the Bay State to continue to be that leading light. Transgender people in Massachusetts are still subject to discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations. They are victims of some of the most violent bias crimes. And despite the gains of the state’s Safe Schools Program, LGBT students —or those perceived to be LGBT — are still bullied and harassed. That’s why MassEquality is working closely with the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition to pass “An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes.” It’s why we’re one of the leading organizations in the coalition working to pass “An Act Relative to the Prevention of Bullying.” We need you to continue to press your lawmakers to support these bills and bring them to a vote when the legislature reconvenes next year.
The work of achieving complete equality for LGBT people continues.
If we are to be successful in that work, we need leaders dedicate to LGBT equality. It’s why we are proud to endorse Attorney General Martha Coakley in her special election bid for the U.S. Senate. Read more about our endorsement in this newsletter.
Above all, MassEquality owes its success to you, our dedicated members. I am amazed at all we have accomplished together in the few short years since our organization was founded, and profoundly grateful for all that you have contributed. It makes the victories we have left to achieve that much more attainable.
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Sincerely, Scott D. Gortikov Executive Director |
Winning the Right to Marry One State at a Time
New England’s marriage equality movement has been turbulent over the past few months. We’ve seen historic victories in Vermont and New Hampshire and the heartbreaking repeal of equal marriage in Maine. MassEquality was a constant on the front lines for each one of these battles, while also supporting marriage equality fights in New Jersey and Rhode Island.
In April, the Vermont legislature passed a marriage equality bill, which Governor Jim Douglas vetoed. In partnership with the Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force, MassEquality organized Southeastern Vermont to mobilize advocates and volunteers to persuade Vermont lawmakers to override the Governor’s veto. The override succeeded.
Our Victory here in Vermont this year was by no means inevitable -- as evidenced by the razor-thin override margin and up-to-the-finish-line drama. It was a monumental team effort that required the support of every person and organization that could muster the resources -- human, financial, and otherwise. MassEquality was a cirtical part of that team.
- Beth Robinson
Vermont Freedom to Marry, Chair
MassEquality then worked with New Hampshire Freedom to Marry on reaching out to thousands of New Hampshire voters and urging them to contact their legislators in support of a marriage equality bill. We sent field staffers to New Hampshire and even knocked on the door of the governor’s home. The legislature voted to pass the marriage equality bill and Governor John Lynch signed it into law on June 3. The law takes effect on January 1, 2010, making New Hampshire the fifth state to allow same-sex couples to wed.
In Maine, MassEquality supported the work of EqualityMaine and the “No On One” campaign by making nearly 45,000 phone calls to voters urging support for marriage equality and organizing weekend canvasses into targeted regions for the campaign, and knocked on over 7,000 doors. On Election Day, we bussed more than 100 volunteers to work on the ground and get out the vote. Though unsuccessful, our work ultimately changed the perception of the LGBT community in Maine.
In New Jersey, the legislature is currently debating a marriage equality bill and MassEquality Field Organizer Andi Wheeler is on the ground working with Garden State Equality to mobilize volunteers. If legalized, New Jersey would be the sixth state to recognize full marriage equality.
MassEquality is also working in partnership with Marriage Equality Rhode Island, to pass a marriage equality bill in the Ocean State by no later than 2011. MassEquality Field Coordinator Ryan Brown is on the ground in Rhode Island, helping build a field campaign to support this bill’s passage.
If there is one thing we’ve learned from each of the marriage equality fights on which we’ve worked, it’s that we can’t do this alone. We need the help of advocates and activists like you. To help us achieve marriage equality victories in New Jersey and Rhode Island, please visit www.MassEquality.org/Events for opportunities to get involved.
It can only be called progress: Reflections from the No on One campaign
Maine Canvass Coordinator
Ian Grady
To say we’re disappointed doesn’t do our feelings justice. It’s bigger than that, deeper, too. There’s an element of pain, of mourning, more like we lost a friend than an election. And yet, there’s a hope, too, and satisfaction. These positive thoughts stem from our sense of history, of justice, and from the pride we all rightfully take in the honorable and genuine campaign we waged.
We did so much. MassEquality, with your support, made enormous contributions to the fight in Maine. With your assistance, we coordinated more than $280,000 in direct contributions to the No On 1 campaign. We deployed hundreds of volunteers (that’s you folks) to go door-to-door, speaking with thousands of Mainers. We made tens of thousands of phone-calls from our office, and from around the country. We dedicated more than a thousand staff-hours to aid the excellent work of the No On 1 campaign. Although the outcome wasn’t what any of us wanted, we have so much to be proud of.
Throughout these efforts, I had the pleasure of serving as MassEquality’s Maine Canvass Coordinator. Leading weekend canvass trips of MassEquality volunteers to Southern Maine meant so much to me for so many reasons. It meant so much to me as a gay man who dreams of starting my family in Maine, so my kids can grow up there, just like I did. And, it meant so much to me as a participant in this movement, our movement, to see the brilliance, the energy and the will of all you folks. I was inspired every day by all of you, and I’m so grateful for that experience.
In the days and weeks since the election, I have been fortunate enough to see many of you again. We’ve hugged, and sometimes cried a little. Many of you apologized. “I’m so sorry, Ian. We failed this time,” one of you said. But we did not fail. On Election Day in 2008, Equality Maine — which morphed into the No On 1 campaign for this battle — stationed volunteers at tables in the busiest polling places across the state. “Do you support marriage for same-sex couples?” the volunteers asked every voter that passed. Just about 30,000 stopped to answer yes. But one year later, nearly 250,000 of those same Maine voters went to the polls and cast their ballots in favor of marriage equality. Going from 30,000 supporters to 250,000 in just one year can never be called failure; it can only be called progress.
The morning after the election, I was talking to my father, and he said something I’ll carry with me forever — at every door I canvass, as I sit at every phonebank. “This must be really hard for you, son. I can’t even imagine,” he said. He paused, and then continued, fighting back tears, “You must feel like the people of Maine just said they hated you. And, to be sure, some of them do, some of them are just prejudiced. But, not most of them, most of them don’t hate you. They just don’t know you yet.”
He was right. And, there are so many more campaigns, more states, more laws and more elections. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s go introduce ourselves.
Written by Ian Grady, MassEquality Maine Canvas Coordinator
On behalf of the entire "No on 1 Campaign," I want to express our deepest gratitude to MassEquality, its outstanding staff, and its generous members for making Maine a top priority. MassEquality's accomplishments on our behalf were enormous.
- Jesse Connolly
Campaign Manager, No on 1 / Protect Maine
Electoral Update
Mayor Menino celebrates the 5th anniversary of marriage equality
The November 2009 elections mark a poignant moment in our fight for LGBT equality. While pro-equality candidates fared well in Massachusetts, our loss in Maine reminds us that our work is far from done.
Mayor Tom Menino, endorsed by MassEquality, won an unprecedented fifth term as mayor of Boston. The long-time supporter of LGBT equality swept his race with 57 percent of the vote. We look forward to working with the Mayor over the next four years to make Boston the best city for the LGBT community.
In Maine, voters overturned the state's same-sex marriage law, delivering a blow to gay rights advocates after a year when our cause seemed to be gaining momentum with legislative and legal victories in four states – Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Iowa. Despite the tremendous effort of the “No on 1” campaign, voters approved the repeal with 52.7 percent of the vote.
On December 8th 2009, the primary for the special election to fill Ted Kennedy’s U.S. Senate seat will be held. MassEquality has endorsed Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley for the seat. Attorney General Coakley is a long time leader of LGBT equality and recently filed suit in federal court against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
If Maine and California have taught us anything it is that we must not stand idly by while the rights of our brothers and sisters in other states are taken away. We must activate and help fight for equality in every state so that others can enjoy the rights and freedoms that we do in Massachusetts.
MassEquality Examines How Marriage Equality Works
MassEquality marked the fifth year of marriage equality in Massachusetts by broadcasting the findings of a number of recent research studies about its impact on families, the economy and society.
The 5th Anniversary Voter Survey funded by the MassEquality Education Fund reveals that support for marriage equality has increased 10 percent in five years. Seventy-four percent of voters believe it’s better for society overall that more couples are taking responsibility and making long-term commitments to each other. Sixty-seven percent of voters believe marriage equality is beneficial for society, because it encourages more people to build families and raise children.
In The Effects of Marriage Equality in Massachusetts: A survey of the experiences and impact of marriage on same-sex couples, the Williams Institute at UCLA and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health report that 93 percent of Same-Sex Couples in Massachusetts married for love and commitment. Seventy-two percent of these couples felt more committed to each other as a result of their marriage.
Marriage Equality and the Creative Class by The Williams Institute reported that marriage equality in Massachusetts has also resulted in a surge of committed couples who populate the creative class – young, mobile and highly educated workers vital to the growth of the state’s innovation economy. The Williams Institute also found that creative economy workers were 2.5 times more likely to move to Massachusetts in the three years after marriage equality was established than in the three years prior.
The Business Boost from Marriage Equality showed perhaps the most quantitatively valuable results found by the Williams Institute. This report found that marriage equality has generated $111 million for the commonwealth in four years. A significant portion of this revenue comes from an estimated $90 million boost in wedding spending.
For more information about the impact of marriage equality on Massachusetts, please visit www.MarriageEqualityWorks.org.
Update on An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes
The week of November 17, 2009 marked the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the City of Boston offering proclamations in support of the Transgender Day of Remembrance. This followed President Obama’s signing into law a trans-inclusive hates crimes bill on October 28th. This historic legislation is the first federal law to recognize the existence of, and provide civil rights protections for, transgender people.
This was the first time that the Massachusetts House of Representatives recognized the Day which was inspired by the Allston, MA vigil for slain transsexual Rita Hester in 1998. This day has become a worldwide rallying point for a community long under siege to turns its attention to its family, friends and loved ones lost to violence.
A recent poll released by Lake Research Partners shows that 76% of likely Massachusetts voters support H.1728/S. 1687--An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes. The poll showed that 81% of women polled supported the bills. These results prove that ending discrimination against the transgender community is a Massachusetts value that state legislators need to make a priority.
MTPC is grateful for MassEquality's collaborative work on H. 1728, An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes. There is more support for transgender equality now in the State House than ever before, and we would not be there without the help of MassEquality. With these new milestones, we are extremely hopeful that this historic legislation will be passed this session.
- Gunner Scott, Executive Director
Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition
This legislation was introduced to the Legislature in January 2009 and MassEquality took the lead in enrolling 104 cosponsors, representing majorities in both the House and Senate. MassEquality is working to advance this bill by lobbying legislators and the leadership on Beacon Hill. In addition, we continue to activate our members to contact and meet their lawmakers.
Every effort you personally can make in support of this bill will help advance it in the legislature. Please show your support by calling your Senator and Representative and asking them to tell Senate President Murray and Speaker DeLeo to get this bill out of committee and to the floor for a vote.
Volunteer Profile: Andres Del Castillo
Andres Del Castillo wasn’t always enthusiastic about volunteer work until he joined the MassEquality family. “Volunteering at MassEquality challenges me to use my talents and passions to make a difference, which can’t be taught by any textbook or class,” said the two-year volunteer veteran who just graduated high school.
Recently, Andres participated in the canvass to Maine for Vote No on 1. He was inspired by the number of people moved to take action for marriage equality, which is why he continues to devote time to volunteering at MassEquality. Andres is proud to say that he is being the change he wants to see in the world.
Financial Report
The Newport Party 2009
Clockwise from upper left hand corner: 1. R.I. State Rep. Frank Ferri, Ben McGuire & guests 2. R.I. Attorney General Patrick Lynch 3. Providence Mayor David Cicilline & guest 4. R.I. Gubernatorial Candidate Lincoln Chafee 5. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse 6. MERI board member Martha Holt, Co-host Jim Richardson & guests 7. MERI Executive Director Kathy Kushnir & MassEquality board member Joanne Egerman 8. MassEquality Executive Director Scott Gortikov, Freedom to Marry Executive Director Evan Wolfson & Cheng Hee
Donors
MassEquality is grateful to the many donors who have supported us so generously this past year. In particular, we'd like to thank those individuals and institutions who have made significant contributions to our work.
