Pro-LGBT sentiment expressed in 2002 elections
By Leslie Feinberg
Post-election punditry and Republican swaggering are
intended to convey the impression that virtually the whole
population in this country, rather than the political
establishment itself, slid to the right.
In fact, gay-baiting was slung by politicians representing
both elephants and donkeys in electoral races in Arizona, South
Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Florida, Texas,
New Mexico, Montana and New Jersey, according to a Nov. 7 Human
Rights Campaign news release.
But of the some one-third of the electorate that did cast
their votes, many demonstrated an open-minded spirit of
solidarity on important social referenda in several states that
will have an impact on the lives of lesbian and gay, bisexual
and trans people in this country.
Voters in Ypsilanti, Mich., rebuffed a reactionary amendment
to the City Charter that would have excised "sexual
orientation" from the non-discrimination ordinance as well as
barred gay people from protection in any future measures passed
by the city. Unofficial results put the win at a whopping 64
percent to 36 percent.
In Tacoma, Wash., voters pulled the levers down to defeat
Initiative 1, which would have stripped sexual orientation and
gender identity from the anti-discrimination law passed by the
City Council in April.
A progressive ordinance that bars discrimination on the
basis of sexual orientation in jobs, housing, credit and public
accommodations squeaked by, 51 percent to 49 percent, in
Westbrook, Maine.
Seventy-three percent of those who went to the polls voted
to add a similar amendment to the Sarasota, Fla., charter. Only
23 percent opposed the measure.
In fact, the only discouraging word was heard in Nevada,
where voters passed a ballot measure that attempts to bar
same-sex couples from marriage recognition and rights.
Reprinted from the Nov. 21, 2002, issue of
Workers World newspaper
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