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ELECTION ISSUE! Dayton voters could elect Ohio�s first gay legislator Dayton voters may elect Ohio�s first gay lawmaker by Eric Resnick Dayton--Voters here could elect Ohio�s first openly gay legislator on November 7. Joe Lacey, a Democrat and certified public accountant, is running a strong race for the open Ohio House seat currently held by 23-year incumbent Republican Bob Corbin. The 42nd district includes part of Dayton and its southeast suburbs. Lacey has challenged the popular incumbent once before, in 1998, and received 38 percent of the vote. This was better than the vote for high-visibility statewide Democrats that year, including Lee Fisher�s gubernatorial bid. The 1998 race set Lacey up for a strong run this year. Because of term limits, Corbin cannot run again. Lacey�s Republican opponent is John White, a Kettering council member. White, who describes himself as a �bold conservative,� beat Washington Township trustee Joyce Young, who is far more moderate, in a brutal GOP primary last spring. Lacey had no primary. He is pleased that White is his opponent, since he believes White�s views are more conservative than the district. Lacey has been outspoken on issues of concern to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community for many years, and has continued to speak up for inclusive civil rights throughout this campaign. He has been visible working with the African-American community leaders to build the necessary coalition to pass an ordinance adding sexual orientation and gender to Dayton�s non-discrimination laws. That ordinance was introduced by openly lesbian city commissioner Mary Wiseman. Dayton�s alternative newspaper Impact Weekly featured Lacey, Wiseman, and other LGBT activists on its cover for an in-depth piece on National Coming Out Day earlier this month. Lacey has been clear about his commitment to the LGBT community if he is elected. �I know if I am elected, I would be expected to represent the interests of our community,� said Lacey. �I would be proud to do it. In fact, I would relish that fight.� In the meantime, Lacey is focused on education and finding solutions to the problems that have plagued the state since the education funding formula was ruled unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court. He is endorsed by the Montgomery County Democratic Party, the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, and all of organized labor. Lacey notes that White talks about the problems but has no plan, and hopes that the plans he has outlined will earn him the endorsement of the Dayton Daily News. �So far, the Daily News has treated me fairly well,� said Lacey. Lacey can not afford to do any polling, but he as produced and is airing a TV commercial. His opponent has not. Lacey�s campaign has raised and spent $23,000, a third from GLBT-identified contributors. Lacey also says many of his opponent�s campaign promises have diminished since he first made them in the primary race. �He earned his �bold conservative� label by advocating a ten percent across-the-board reduction in the permanent income tax rate,� said Lacey. �Since then, he�s come down to five.� Lacey has built his support through �a massive amount of walking.� He has knocked on 40,000 doors between the last campaign and this one. �I have been out every day,� said Lacey, �except when there were events like labor rallies to attend.� Lacey claims to have registered over 500 new voters while walking. Lacey is not endorsed by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a Washington, D.C. group that contributes to openly gay and lesbian candidates. He did not apply for Victory Fund endorsement in 1998, believing it was a waste of time for him to do so. This year, with his prior strong showing, Lacey tried to make his case, but was rejected. �They only looked at one thing--the Republican index of this district--and decided I wasn�t viable,� said Lacey. Like candidates of other minority communities, Lacey occasionally has to work a little harder than non-minority candidates to prove to voters that he has broader concerns than just his community issues. He seems more able to do that than some because many of his voters have already elected openly lesbian city commissioner Mary Wiseman. In fact, even though Lacey is a very out candidate, his sexual orientation rarely comes up. During the primary election, one woman called to say Lacey was being �deceptive,� saying he should say that he is gay on his yard signs. The local weekly newspaper Christian Citizen endorsed Lacey�s Republican opponent and put the words �openly gay� under Lacey�s photo. In what he describes as the most emotional moment of his campaign, Lacey came out to a group of high-school-age voters, and told them of his friends with HIV. While taking questions on sex education, Lacey denounced the Ohio legislature for returning $900,000 of HIV prevention money to the Centers for Disease Control, because they felt it went against the state�s abstinence-only law. �I outed myself to that group, and told them I trusted them with that information about their health,� Lacey said, adding that he told the group of the many people he knew that have contracted HIV. �I have a personal perspective on this,� Lacey told the students. Lacey related another personal event to the Jewish Federation, telling the story of how in 1993, he returned home to find you fucking faggot spray-painted on the side of his house. At the time, he was working to oppose the election of Dayton Mayor Mike Turner, a Republican anti-gay activist who is leading the opposition to Wiseman�s gay civil rights ordinance. Lacey is prepared to advocate hate crime legislation in the Ohio House that includes sexual orientation and gender. He was attacked coming out of a bar in 1986. �They hit me and busted my nose,� he said. �I didn�t see the person, but while he was running away, he yelled, �Why do you want to be a faggot?� � �I still have the bloody T-shirt I was wearing,� Lacey added, alluding to its possible use as a prop to illustrate the need for a hate crime law. Lacey said his opponent, like most Ohio Republican legislators, calls GLBT rights �special rights.� �He opposes all gay civil rights legislation, even though he claims to oppose all discrimination,� said Lacey, �and he always talks about being gay as a �lifestyle choice�.� Although Lacey is pleased with where is campaign is, he notes that the Republicans have done polling and, if they think their candidate is within striking distance, may dump thousands of dollars into his campaign during the last two weeks, which Lacey cannot match. In the meantime, Lacey�s hard work is earning him a great deal of respect and, with a good Democratic voter turnout, may earn him a place in history as Ohio�s first openly gay state legislator. |
Voters in 5 states to decide on gay and lesbian issues by Anthony Glassman This year, voters in five states will decide the future of their lesbian and gay communities. Four states will do this with ballot issues. In the fifth, Vermont, voters will choose candidates who are for or against repealing the state�s historic civil union law. Vermont also has the first openly gay U.S. Senate candidate endorsed by a major party. Nevada and Nebraska both have so-called �defense of marriage acts� on the ballot. Oregon has a ballot issue that would outlaw �promotion� of homosexuality in schools. Voters in Maine will decide whether or not they want to restore a statewide gay civil rights law repealed two years ago. Nevada Ron Ziser, the leader of an organization called the Coalition for the Protection of Marriage, raised over 120,000 signatures for Question 2, a proposed amendment to the Nevada constitution that would ban same-sex marriages in the state. It would also prevent Nevada from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states, despite the fact that none allow gay marriages. Immediately after the July 7 announcement by the secretary of state�s office that Question 2 qualified for the ballot, the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada announced their opposition to it. Over the next few months, they were joined by a number of other organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Equal Rights Nevada, and clergy from a number of other Christian denominations as well as Jewish rabbis, all came forward to speak against the proposed constitutional amendment. They pointed out that Nevada law already defines marriage as being between a man and a woman. The initiative �makes discrimination against gay and lesbian people part of Nevada�s constitution,� Rev. Valerie Garrick of the Northwest Community United Church of Christ told the Las Vegas Sun. �That�s wrong.� Surprisingly, the Catholic church is not taking sides in the matter. The dioceses of Las Vegas and Reno, in a joint statement, reaffirmed the church�s belief that marriage should be between a man and a woman, but left the decision of whether or not Nevada law already sufficiently covers the matter up to individual voters� consciences. An early poll showed 60% of Nevadans in favor of the amendment, but it would need to pass this year and again in the 2002 election to change the state constitution. The poll was taken before the Catholic church�s directive to �vote your conscience.� Nebraska Initiative 416, which would ban gay marriage in Nebraska and outlaw the recognition of such marriages performed elsewhere, is getting support from a number of sources, including the Mormon church. This is both helping and hurting the efforts to pass the state�s defense of marriage act. The Defense of Marriage Amendment Committee, who organized the original effort to get the issue on the ballot, didn�t want to take out-of-state money or help, thus fending off the image of the religious right moving from state to state, forcing anti-marriage laws. The Mormons also wanted to give them a political consultant well known as a hired gun. Before the committee made a decision, Mormons in the state, joined by the Nebraska Catholic Conference and Family First, part of Focus on the Family, formed the Nebraska Coalition for the Protection of Marriage, thus creating a schism in the state�s anti-gay efforts. The Mormon church in Salt Lake City also earmarked $600,000 for a campaign to pass the measure. This is similar to the amount they gave to pass marriage bans in California last year, and in Hawaii and Alaska. The wording of Nebraska�s measure is, according to some, indefensibly vague. In addition to outlawing same-sex marriages, it also states that civil unions, domestic partnerships, and any �other similar same-sex relationship shall not be valid or recognized in Nebraska.� This could mean that existing powers of attorney, wills, and other documents used by gay and lesbian couples to protect themselves could be invalidated.
�Your measure will be challenged,� Wolfson told the Omaha World-Herald.
Maine In 1998, in a special election with less than half the voter turnout of a presidential election, Maine�s year-old gay civil rights law was voted down by a narrow margin. This year, the legislature is putting it back on the ballot, to see what happens when the expected full complement of voters shows up at the polls. Surveys in the state show that the bill is likely to pass, thanks in part to a compromise reached with the state�s Catholic diocese, which had opposed the previous measure. In this year�s measure, there is a built-in exemption for church schools and programs, which has led the church to endorse the legislation. In addition, supporters of the legislation have raised over six times as much money for the campaign as have their opponents according to official records. Since the anti-gay forces at work opposing the measure have the backing of out-of-state organizations, not all of their assets are shown, according to leaders of the LGBT community. As an example, they point to a Colorado group that produced leaflets that were distributed in churches in Maine, a donation with great value but most likely not declared as an asset by the campaign against the new law. In a recent poll, 66% of those surveyed said they were in favor of passage of the gay civil rights referendum. Oregon Lon Mabon, the leader of the notorious Oregon Citizens Alliance, has brought forth another anti-gay proposal for this year�s election. Mabon and his group have put forward two previous anti-gay measures, both of which were defeated in the early 1990s. Ballot Measure 9, colloquially referred to as �no promo homo,� would ban schools from promoting or encouraging homosexuality. What exactly would be defined as �promoting or encouraging� is not yet known, nor is their a guideline for punishment of infractions, other than the withholding of schools� state funding. �Because some schools are not condemning homosexuality, [they are] portraying that as a promotion of homosexuality, and that is really two different things,� Maura Roche, a political consultant working against the proposal, told the Eugene Register-Guard. A September 17 poll showed a dead heat, with 47% supported the measure, with 48% against it and 5% undecided. However, advance polling on the earlier Mabon anti-gay measures seems to show that some voters may not be truthful with pollsters. While the measures were ten points behind in the polls, they only failed by a slim margin. Vermont In perhaps the most-watched of states, voters in Vermont will weigh in on civil unions November 7. Five Republicans who voted for it have already lost their seats in September primaries. Running against Gov. Howard Dean, who signed the law creating civil unions, is Ruth Dwyer, a Republican who has been the center of controversy herself, mostly because of what some perceive as poor impulse control when she speaks. Her brash, abrasive manner has angered many voters, and many of those who say they will vote for her are doing so for reasons other than civil unions. Dwyer is also opposed to gun control and opposes Vermont�s statewide property tax used to fund education, two other issues that are stirring up voters in the state. Out of 900 civil unions performed, most were out-of-state couples, whose own states don�t recognize the relationships. Another race worth watching in Vermont is the U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent James Jeffords and former state auditor Ed Flanagan, a Democrat. The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund has endorsed Flanagan. The Human Rights Campaign, after much thought, endorsed both. Explaining why they did this, HRC noted that Jeffords has a 96% voting record on gay and lesbian issues. Flanagan is the first openly gay Senate candidate to be supported by one of the two major parties. HRC couldn�t betray a staunch ally like Jeffords, and they couldn�t turn their back on a liberal gay politician like Flanagan, so they endorsed both. Jeffords, an incumbent powerhouse who has turned back strong challenges before, is expected to win.��������������� |
Two Cleveland area AIDS agencies to merge by Anthony Glassman Cleveland--A proposed merger between two Cleveland AIDS service organizations is being hailed as a step towards integrated service for people living with the disease. The AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland and the AIDS Housing Council announced October 19 that they planned to merge the two organizations, under the name of the AIDS Taskforce, by the first day of the new year. The move would cut down on administrative costs by paring duplicated services, offering "one-stop shopping" to people living with HIV and AIDS, said to AIDS Taskforce board president David Feldt. The move would also make funding the agencies easier. "The AIDS Housing Council has had some difficulties in the past year," AHC board president Roger Lynch said. "The needs have outpaced the resources." "There is . . . a growing public perception that the epidemic is almost over, that we�ve just about beaten this thing," Feldt expanded. "Nothing could be further from the truth. We�re not even close to a cure or a vaccine, and the numbers continue to mount every day." "We have to keep public awareness high, and develop services that will remain stable over the long haul of the epidemic." The merger, which awaits routine legal and financial reviews, has been endorsed by a number of officials with local agencies, including the Ryan White CARE Act Planning Council, the United Way, the AIDS Funding Collaborative and the Open House. "As the executive director of one of the other AIDS service organizations in town, I can only view the merger as a good thing," said the Open House�s Sister Marian Durkin. "The AIDS Taskforce and the AIDS Housing Council serve many of the same people, and their case managers fulfill many of the same roles. It�s a good fit." According to AIDS Taskforce executive director Earl Pike, independent auditors will come in to see where cuts can be made without adversely affecting service. "The driving principle all the way through has been to keep the level of service up," Pike said. It is not known yet where the combined agency will have their offices; they will continue, for a while, to run out of their separate buildings. The AIDS Taskforce was formed in 1983 as the Health Issues Taskforce, and provides social work case management, support groups, education, and other services. The AIDS Housing Council was incorporated in 1988 and provides housing and support services to nearly 700 people with HIV or AIDS a year.����|
Stonewall Democrats endorse in Columbus races Stonewall Democrats of Central Ohio has endorsed candidates in Columbus area races. Candidates were endorsed based on responses to the club's questionnaire, as well as their public record on gay issues.
Ohio Legislature
Franklin County
Stonewall Akron rates candidates in four counties After surveying office-seekers and hosting a candidate night on October 3, Stonewall Akron has rated candidates in four counties. Listed below are candidates seeking office in the Akron area, and their numerical rating based on the survey. Ratings range from 25 to 100, with 100 as the best possible. An �S� means a supportive response; a dash � means the candidate did not complete a survey. �NR� in judicial races means the candidate gave a neutral response, citing judicial canons. Party affiliations are shown as (D) Democrat, (I) Independent, (L) Libertarian, (N) Natural Law and (R) Republican. Candidates with a bullet � by their name attended the Stonewall Akron Candidates� Night Out. Stonewall Akron is a non-profit, non-partisan, political action organization dedicated to the elimination of discrimination against the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community. It can be reached at P.O. Box 3216, Akron, Ohio� 44309-3216; phone 330-849-1520, or e-mail stonewallakron@hotmail.com. Races in which no candidate responded are not listed. U.S. Senate
U.S. House
Ohio Senate 22nd District
28th District
Ohio House 44th District
45th District
54th District
55th District
75th District
Judicial Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
9th District Court of Appeals
Summit County Common Pleas Court
Medina and Portage Counties Medina County Recorder
Medina County Sheriff
Portage County Coroner
Stark County Stark County Commissioner
Stark County Commissioner
Stark County Treasurer
Stark County Clerk of Courts
Summit County Summit County Executive
Summit County Council District 2
Summit County Council District 4
Summit County Council District 7
Summit County Clerk of Courts
Summit County Engineer
Summit County Prosecuting Attorney
Summit County Sheriff
Summit County Treasurer
Log Cabin gives nod to Cleveland area candidates The members of Log Cabin Republicans in Cleveland have issued their recommendations for local candidates in this year�s election. The candidates recommended by our club are those who have met with club leaders on various occasions and have expressed support or willingness to work with our community on issues of importance. We believe it important to note that not all Republicans running in our area have been recommended. Here are some candidates we feel deserve a special mention. James P. Trakas in Ohio House District 15 is an ally to the GLBT community both in his support for inclusion of open gays and lesbians in the county GOP, and also his willingness to work with our community. He is committed to supporting inclusion of sexual orientation to Ohio�s hate crime law and supports efforts to stop discrimination of any kind. He also may be an important ally in the new Ohio House leadership next year. Sally Conway Kilbane in Ohio House District 16 is a fine legislator who works hard for her district, we look forward to continuing to work with her. Mike Maleski in Ohio House District 19 is a newcomer to the political scene, but has expressed a sincere interest in learning about the GLBT community and we believe will make an excellent addition to the legislature. Knowing who your judicial candidates are is extremely important to our community as well. In the Juvenile Court, our community can have no better friend than Judge Robert A. Ferreri. Ferreri is a man who truly understands the needs of the community and of those he serves. He has served two terms in the Juvenile Court and has an incredible wealth of experience in this court. He truly cares what happens to the people he sees in his court day in and day out. While he has been involved in some controversy in the past, we still feel he is a strong and talented jurist who deserves re-election. George MacDonald has taken the time to meet with us and the Ohio Human Rights Bar Association, and he has a sincere interest in learning how he can serve the GLBT community on the bench. He also has a wealth of legal experience, and we support his election to the bench. We are also impressed with the legal knowledge and talent of Colleen M. O�Toole, and would urge your vote for her to the Court of Appeals. Following is a list of recommended candidates. The National Log Cabin Republicans have endorsed George Bush for president and Dick Cheney for vice president. Some of our area members strongly support this endorsement, while others do not. We feel it is best to leave this important decision to individuals to do what they feel is best and are not able to offer a local recommendation. We believe strongly, as many in our community do, that this election is a critical one for our community and we urge you to vote on November 7, regardless who you vote for. Ohio Senate District 24: Bob Spada Ohio House District 11: Ron Lisy Ohio House District 15: James P. Trakas Ohio House District 16: Sally Conway Kilbane Ohio House District 19: Mike Maleski Cuyahoga County Commissioner: LaVerne Jones Gore Cuyahoga County Sheriff: Valarie Wilson Cuyahoga County Recorder: Ed Cleary Cuyahoga County Treasurer: Gordon Short Cuyahoga County Engineer: Jim Perk Ohio Court of Appeals: Colleen M. O�Toole, James Porter Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court:
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, Juvenile Division
Cincinnati political group makes endorsements Cincinnati--The Greater Cincinnati Stonewall Political Action Committee has made the following endorsements for the Nov. 7 election. For more information, see www.stonewallcincinnati.org/pac.htm. President: Al Gore U.S. Senate: Ted Celeste U.S. House, 1st District: David Groshoff Ohio Supreme Court: Tim Black and Alice Robie Resnick Ohio Legislature 30th House District: Sam Britton 31st House District: Catherine Barrett 34th House District: Jean Siebenaler, M.D. 35th House District: Jeanette Harrison 36th House District: John Smith 37th House District: Les Mann Hamilton County Commissioner: Todd Portune Treasurer: Bob Drake Recorder: Melanie Bates Clerk of Courts: Eve Bolton
Bar association evalauates judicial candidates The Ohio Human Rights Bar Association has evaluated judicial candidates, and made the recommendations below. OHRBA is an organization dedicated to encouraging the professional expertise of lawyers addressing gay and lesbian legal issues, promoting sensitivity to those issues and working to achieve equal rights under the law for all people. Candidates not listed either did not respond to OHRBA�s questionnaire or are not recommended for election. Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
Franklin County 10th District Court of Appeals
Court of Common Pleas
Court of Common Pleas
Cuyahoga County 8th District Court of Appeals
Court of Common Pleas
Court of Common Pleas
HIV coalition rates Cleveland area candidates The Government Affairs Committee of the North Coast HIV/AIDS Coalition sent questionnaires to all candidates running in the Cleveland area for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Ohio Senate, Ohio House and Cuyahoga County Commissioner. The questionnaires consisted of six questions relating to their views on HIV testing, AIDS Drug Assistance Program funding, housing, safer sex education, AIDS prevention, needle exchange and medical benefits. Each response was given a numeric score. The results below are the total scores (out of a possible 100) earned by each of the responding candidates. Incumbents are listed in italics. Candidate scores with an asterisk (*) responded, but did not complete the questionnaire. D is Democrat, L is Libertarian, and R is Republican. Candidates had until October 20 to respond. U.S. Senate Ted Celeste (D)���� 86 John McAlister (L)�������������� 36 U.S. House, 10th District Ron Petrie (L)������� 64 U.S. House 11th District Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D)�� 100 U.S. House 13th District Sherrod Brown (D)��������������� 96 Rick Jeric (R)������� 64 U.S. House 19th District Sid Stone (L)�������� 56 Ohio Senate 22nd District Cheryl Neufer (L)� 68 Randy Jotte����������� 4* Ohio Senate 24th District Ed Boyle (D)��������� 88 Ohio House 8th District Shirley Smith (D)� 88 Ronnie Jones��������� 76 Ohio House 9th District Claudette Woodard (D)������� 84 Alan Rapoport������ 84 Ohio House 10th District No response Ohio House 11th District Peter Lawson Jones (D)������ 88 Ohio House 12th District No response Ohio House 13th District Mary Rose Oakar (D)����������� 4* Ohio House 14th District Ed Jerse (D)��������� 64 Ohio House 15th District No response Ohio House 16th District No response Ohio House 17th District Bryan Flannery (D)������������� 92 John Hartman (L)� 76 Ohio House 18th District Erin Sullivan (D)�� 64 Ohio House 19th District Dale Miller (D)���� 84 Mike Maleski (R)� 76 Ohio House 20th District No response Cuyahoga County Commission Tim McCormack (D)������������ 84 Laverne Jones Gore (R)������� 60
Human Rights Campaign endorses six in� Ohio The Human Rights Campaign, a Washington, D.C. gay and lesbian political group, has made endorsements in 19 U.S. Senate races and 187 U.S. House races. Of the House candidates, six are Ohioans, including Maryellen O�Shaughnessy, a Democrat who is seeking John Kasich�s District 12 seat in northeast Columbus, Westerville, and Delaware and Licking counties. The other five are incumbents: Dennis Kucinich (D-10, western Cleveland and suburbs), Stephanie Tubbs Jones, (D-11, eastern Cleveland and inner suburbs), Sherrod Brown (D-13, Medina, Geauga, and parts of Lorain, Summit and Portage counties), Thomas Sawyer (D-14, Akron, Summit and western Portage counties), and Deborah Pryce (R-15, southern Columbus, Franklin, Madison and northern Pickaway counties). None of the Senate candidates endorsed are in Ohio.�� |
Club [is] too new to make endorsements The Stonewall Democratic Club of Cleveland was unable to make endorsements in time for the 2000 general election. Since the organization formed only a few months ago, there are no by-laws or endorsement criteria that are in place to do so. The club plans to establish fair and appropriate processes for use in future elections. For additional information on the Stonewall Democratic Club of Cleveland, e-mail ps7836@yahoo.com or call 216-6477437.��������� |
New web site is a center of voting information Denver--"Come out and into the voting booth" is the rallying cry of a nonpartisan effort urging lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to vote. A major component of the campaign is a new web site, www.outvote2000.org, which is a central resource for LGBT voters to learn about issues, candidates, absentee or early voting rules, polling locations and times, and most importantly to send e-postcards to encourage others to vote and to set e-mail reminders for themselves and their friends to vote. OutVote 2000 is a nonpartisan project of the Gill Operating Foundation of Denver that provides training and technical assistance and helps build the capacity of LGBT nonprofits nationwide. "OutVote2000.org will mobilize lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender voters to claim their rightful voice and power in the voting booth, proving that our individual voices do matter, and our votes will make a difference," said Katherine Pease, executive director of the Gill Operating Foundation. One of the powerful advertising images being used in the campaign reads: "Matthew Shepard, Arthur "J.R." Warren, Brandon Teena and Tyra Hunter can�t vote. We can. We can pay tribute by remembering the power each of us has to change the future." Each of the people listed was the victim of a hate crime because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The advertisements call on LGBT people and their friends and families to vote. Ellen DeGeneres and her mother Betty will lend humor -- and their voices -- to the project in a special recording that can soon be heard on www.OutVote2000.org and emailed to friends to encourage them to vote. "We know that a common complaint among apathetic voters is that they don�t have enough unbiased information about the candidates. The web site www.OutVote2000.org provides one-stop shopping for voters seeking links to nonpartisan information about issues and candidates positions. Voters interested in LGBT issues have no excuse not to vote, not to be heard, not to make policy makers aware of our concerns," said Pease. In addition to the visibility effort to urge LGBT individuals to vote, OutVote 2000 is conducting research to better document and understand LGBT voters and to do research into the extent to which friends and families consider candidates� stands on LGBT issues when casting a vote. The research is being done in conjunction with Harris Interactive, one of the most reputable national public opinion research firms in the country, and the only one that asks respondents to self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. "Our research indicates that about six percent of respondents to our surveys identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, and that up to 40% of the respondents consistently say they have a family member or know someone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender," said David Krane of Harris Interactive. The Gill Operating Foundation operates technical assistance and training programs for LGBT non-profits nationwide, and provides resources to people learning about philanthropy through its OutGiving department. OutVote 2000 is a nonpartisan project to motivate gay voters and provide research into understanding LGBT and allied voters. The Gill Operating Foundation is affiliated with the Gill Foundation. Started by Tim Gill in 1994, the Gill Foundation and the Gill Operating Foundation focus on LGBT issues, having given more the $19 million dollars and providing thousands of hours of technical assistance since it was started.��������������|
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