November 20, 1992 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE
Page 7
Rights kept in Portland, Maine, but voted out in Tampa
by Peter Freiberg
It was a tale of two cities, with two different endings: In Portland, Maine, voters upheld a law prohibiting discrimination against gays by a nearly 3 to 2 margin, while in Tampa, Florida, they voted in similar numbers to repeal the local ordi-
nance.
The unofficial Portland tally was 19,643, or 57 percent, to retain the law that was approved by the City Council last May, compared to 14,770, or 43 percent, in favor of repeal.
In Tampa, the vote for repeal was 52,713, or 58.5 percent, compared with 37,441 or 41.5 percent, in favor of keeping the law. And a Tampa suburb, Temple Terrace, voted overwhelmingly to remove itself from a Hillsborough County human rights ordinance that includes gays, and pass its own law that specifically excludes sexual orientation. gay rights supporters in Portland hailed the vote and predicted it would encourage Maine legislators to try again to pass a statewide gay rights law.
Backers of the Tampa legislation were downhearted, saying the vote vote would hurt efforts to gain other municipal laws and statewide legislation in Florida.
"I think that politicians who are not quick to stick their necks out on controver-
sial issues may just look at this Tampa vote as an excuse," said Susan Glickman, Florida director for People for the American Way, a liberal group that was active in the antirepeal "Say No to Hate" coalition.
Portland is considered a liberal city politically, while Tampa is regarded as moderate. The two campaigns showed striking similarities, as well as some sharp differences--especially in funds raised by progay forces--that may account for the contrasting results.
Equal Protection/Portland (EP/P), the broad-based coalition that fought the repeal effort by right-wing fundamentalists, raised more than $100,000 for its battle. The
group hired a well-known professional campaign consultant to provide tactical advice, particularly on media strategy. And the funds allowed EP/P to counter the anti-gay advertising of the opposition with ads that they placed on radio, TV, and in the newspapers, including a full-page ad in the Portland Press-Herald with the names of 2,000 gay rights supporters.
"We knew from the beginning they were going to be on TV," said Barbara Wood, a lesbian activist and former city councilor. "We knew we were going to have to combat that." While EP/P made sure it garnered support from Portland's
Elections raise the number of gays in office to 75
Washington, D.C.--Openly gay and lesbian candidates have won new state seats in Wisconsin and New Mexico, plus retained important positions in Oregon, Texas, Maine, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington. Both openly gay Massachusetts Reps. Gerry Studds (D) and Barney Frank (D) were re-elected as well, according to Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund executive director William Waybourn.
Prior to November 3, there were 64 openly gay and lesbian elected officials in the U.S. Sixteen won re-election, plus 11 others won for the first time, bringing the total number of elected officials to 75. Of the 52 gay or lesbian candidates seeking office Tuesday, 27 won and three races are still undecided.
Studds, who won after a bruising primary and tough general election, is in line to become the U.S. House's first openly gay chairman of a full committee, the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. Studds soundly defeated two challengers, while Frank overwhelmed his opponent.
Tammy Baldwin (D) becomes Wisconsin's first openly lesbian member of the State Assembly, representing Madison. Liz Stefanics (D) joins the New Mexico State Senate.
Winning re-election were Texas State Rep. Glen Maxey (D), Oregon State Rep. Gail Shibley (D), Minnesota State Sen. Allan Spear (Democrat-Farmer-Labor), Minnesota State Rep. Karen Clark (D), Maine State Sen. Dale McCormick (D), Maine State Rep. Susan Farnsworth (D), New York State Assemblywoman Deborah Glick (D), Vermont State Rep. Ron Squires (D), and Washington State Rep. Cal Anderson (D).
Six openly gay and lesbian candidates for boards of education were also elected, including Gary Miller, Robla, Calif.; Angie Fa, San Francisco; Tim Wolfred, San Francisco Community College; Ken Yeager, San Jose Community College; Tom Brougham, Peralta, Calif. Community College; and Richard Gordon, San Mateo, CA.
Five candidates recommended by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund won their races, and five recommended candidates were defeated, Waybourn said. Losers included Jerry Bidwell, a Republican running for the Ohio House of Representatives in Columbus, and Names Project founder Cleve Jones, who was seeking a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
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political, religious, and business leaders, says Wood, "We knew we needed... to get to the average Joe and Jane. We needed to get our message to them." Commercials were designed with help from major advertising agencies in the Portland area.
In contrast to Portland, where organizing got underway right after the City Council vote approving the ordinance, Tampa's pro-gay forces kept hoping until just a few weeks ago that they would not have to fight the repeal for another three years.
Anti-gay forces, led by the Florida chapter of the American Family Association, had gathered signatures for a repeal referendum on the 11⁄2-year old law. But city officials argued in court that some of the signatures were invalid and that in any case a vote should not be held until the next city election in 1995. When the repeal was
finally placed on the ballot, it left "Say No to Hate" with little time to organize.
The group won the support of most elected officials, including Mayor Sandy Freedman. As in Portland, the major papers backed the anti-discrimination law. But "Say No" was only able to raise $18,000, which left the group unable to counter a barrage of homophobic literature and advertising on radio and television.
"People here were... led to believe that this was a referendum on sodomy, on child molestation, on pedophilia," said Todd Simmons of "Say No."
"If we had the money, I think it would have been a lot closer." The only effort "Say No" was really able to mount was direct mail.
Reprinted with permission from the Washington Blade.
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