About Town

Is No On 1 loss due to Obama?

Jeff Inglis — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:58:00 GMT

John Aravosis at gay.americablog.com has an interesting account of the interplay between the DNC, the Obama administration, the New Jersey governor's race, and the No On 1 campaign here in Maine.

One very interesting point he makes is that the 2008 presidential race had far more people cast ballots than the 2009 No On 1 race. That's not that much of a surprise - it was an off-year election, after all - but it does raise the question of whether Obama's machine could have made a difference.

By Aravosis's calculation, 122,000 Obama voters didn't cast ballots at all this year. (I'm not certain about his math, but it seems clear that around 150,000 people who voted for either Obama or McCain didn't cast ballots in the No On 1 election. The split is where I lose his chain of logic.)

Anyway, given that 31,000 more No On 1 voters would have turned the tide, and that number is just 1 in 5 of the people who didn't vote at all, it does make some sense that if Obama and the DNC had stepped up and used their voter lists, more people might have shown up at the polls. Maybe not, and it's certainly not a given, but an interesting concept to explore, as the gay community in America wrestles with its opinion of Obama.

More on Tuesday's election

Deirdre Fulton — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:14:00 GMT

A pretty comprehensive round-up of some of the political philosophies around same-sex marriage votes.

Post-election: the view from the wilderness

Jeff Inglis — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:22:00 GMT

Deirdre's morning-after-the-election blog post had a line early on that really struck me: she mentions the "sheer disbelief that so many people have a worldview that is so radically different from my own."

I don't think Deirdre is ignorant, or stupid, or insular - quite the opposite of any of that. But her perspective is enlightening. She grew up largely in the Clinton era. The first presidential election she voted in was Bush-Kerry in 2004. America was deeply polarized already, and the poles weren't speaking to each other. Occasionally, they shouted across the canyon at each other, but nobody was listening on the other side. Over the early 2000s and into Bush 43's second term, the polarization got worse.

After spending years in an environment where no one with a differing viewpoint was ready to hand, and where whatever disagreements did occur were little more than garbled gobbledygook being shouted across a canyon, little wonder that Deirdre and others - of all ages - came to believe the country they lived in was quite homogeneous, at least in terms of political and social viewpoints.

I contrast this with my own experience, not because it is so unique or interesting but because I know it best. I grew up in the Reagan era - my second-grade class sent get-well cards to the president after the 1981 attempt on his life. The first presidential election I voted in was Bush-Clinton in 1992. I was long used to disagreeing with those in power, and frankly had few expectations that they would ever represent my wishes, hopes, and desires.

I expected to live in the wilderness - I knew nothing else. I would submit that Deirdre, through no fault of her own, knew plenty else than the wilderness, and found the exile during Bush 43's first term quite painful. I found it no less painful, but was more easily resigned to my fate.

Kerry came along, and the divide was deepened, and I didn't much care. Bush 43 continued along, just like I always assumed. My interests, my values, my wishes were not part of the national dialogue - I had to come to terms with being a philosophical/political minority.

Obama appeared, and for the first time I saw a way out of the wilderness, a light through the trees suggesting to me there might be something more than just the wilderness. But to Deirdre, I think, that light through the trees represented not an arrival of something new, but an opportunity to return from exile, to regain lost territory.

While I reveled in the wonder of Obama's win, I found Deirdre and others like her to be truly overjoyed in a way I was not. I now recognize their emotion as the joy of homecoming, while my feeling was the amazement of a new discovery.

And today we both find ourselves back in the wilderness - with a lot of company, as we have always had. (I never felt alone in the wilderness; neglected, ignored, cast aside yes - alone, never.) And I find that the shock and pain of a renewed feeling of exile for Deirdre is again deeper, more powerful, more profound than my feelings at being back on what is after all for me familiar ground. Much as I enjoyed my time away from the wilderness, I find that I never actually thought I was out for good. And we are not. But Deirdre is again deprived of a home, and I have merely returned to a familiar unpleasantness.

Our hearts break, but in very different ways.

Morning-after thoughts

Deirdre Fulton — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:39:00 GMT

Well, it's over. I feel today -- and I heard several people echo this sentiment last night and this morning -- similar to how I felt on November 3, 2004, when John Kerry lost the presidential election. In addition to a sense of sadness and frustration, there's also sheer disbelief that so many people have a worldview that is so radically different from my own.

Just got back from the No On 1 morning-after press conference. A morose scene, despite the let's-persevere messaging. Faces were long, eyes were damp, and many of the 100 or so attendees were wearing black. EqualityMaine's Betsy Smith's voice cracked with emotion when she pointed to the people around her and said: "Mainers are not ready to treat these people fairly." But she, GLAD's Mary Bonauto, the MCLU's Shenna Bellows, and other speakers were clear about their intent to build on the 47 percent of Mainers who are ready to do so. This community is used to setbacks, said Bonauto, a longtime veteran of same-sex marriage battles in New England and beyond. And how do they respond? "We pick ourselves up and stay the course." To that end, Bellows pointed out two specific strategies that worked, this time around -- the Family Ambassador Project, which had same-sex parents talk in their communities about how gay marriage affects children; and the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry, which addressed how gay marriage fits in the spiritual life. In the background, one supporter held a sign that read: "Love the Sinner; Hate the Sin; Forgive the Catholic Church."

Here are two fucking outrageous things I've read today.

From Time Magazine: " 'What's the hurry [for gay marriage]?' asked [Scott] Fish, whose group began seeking a so-called 'people's veto' almost immediately after Maine's Democratic (and Catholic) Gov. John Baldacci signed the gay marriage bill in May."

He can't be serious with this. What's the hurry, dude? Oh, I don't know -- generations of second-class citizenship, decades of discrimination, 20 or more years of committment, in some cases? It's not like you're talking to hundreds of same-sex couples who want to run off and elope in Vegas. "What's the hurry." Unbelievable.

From the Portland Press Herald: “It’s been the little guy against the big guy in terms of resources, financial resources,” said [Marc] Mutty.

You know, he's so right. I've often thought of the Roman Catholic Church and the conservative political machine that passed Prop 8 as "the little guys."

What a couple others are saying:

Nate Silver dissects what happened, with this sad bit of analysis: "But this may not be an issue where the campaign itself matters very much; people have pretty strong feelings about the gay marriage issue and are not typically open to persuasion."
AsMaineGoes gloating, morning-after fear-mongering, etc.
A really smart friend of mine: who cares if i get married?
jesus
why does it bug so many people

Also, there's this:

County breakdown - Question 1 #marryME

Jeff Inglis — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:00:00 GMT

According to the Bangor Daily News numbers as of 9:25 am, here is the breakdown by county, and a handy map (made with the help of Microsoft MapPoint) showing exactly how little of Maine voted for marriage equality (remember, Yes is to repeal equality and No is to protect it):

County	% Yes	% No
Androscoggin	60.13%	39.87%	Very Strong Yes
Aroostook	73.22%	26.78%	Very Strong Yes
Cumberland	39.67%	60.33%	Very Strong No
Franklin	59.53%	40.47%	Very Strong Yes
Hancock	46.81%	53.19%	Solid No
Kennebec	56.56%	43.44%	Solid Yes
Knox	49.16%	50.84%	Weak No
Lincoln	50.62%	49.38%	Weak Yes
Oxford	59.13%	40.87%	Very Strong Yes
Penobscot	58.79%	41.21%	Very Strong Yes
Piscataquis	66.81%	33.19%	Very Strong Yes
Sagadahoc	49.32%	50.68%	Weak No
Somerset	65.41%	34.59%	Very Strong Yes
Waldo	53.38%	46.62%	Solid Yes
Washington	64.79%	35.21%	Very Strong Yes
York	50.22%	49.78%	Weak Yes

Same-sex marriage repealed

Jeff Inglis — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:36:00 GMT

I'm very sorry. Personally, professionally, everything. This is terrible. But it has to be said. Jesse Connolly just gave what can only be described as a concession speech at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland. Sure, he said they'd keep fighting, and make sure every vote was counted. But nobody talks that way if they're winning.

The Bangor Daily News results at this hour - 12:50 am - show have 86 percent of precincts reporting, and 53 percent of registered voters in Maine having participated.

The tally is sobering:

Repeal equality - 265,189 - 52.74 percent

Preserve equality - 237,648 - 47.26 percent

This is an awful, horrible sentence to type: Based on the estimated total voter turnout, if every single person who voted in this election, but whose vote has not yet been counted, voted to preserve equality, it would still be repealed.

To all my gay, lesbian, transgender, questioning, etc friends, I can only offer my heartfelt sympathies.

Bigotry has won again. But I, like many, take heart in the teachings of the Buddha: Nothing is forever. Everything is impermanent.

There will be recounts, there will be recriminations. But tonight, there are only tears.

Just voted!

Deirdre Fulton — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:18:00 GMT

Ran into not one, not two, but THREE No On One canvassers doing Get Out The Vote work on my walk from Congress Street to the East End Community School. This is what matters, on Election Day.

Steady stream of voters there, but no lines to speak of. Kevin Donoghue and Charles Bragdon are both shaking hands outside.

Secretary of State Matt Dunlap is estimating 50 percent turnout, which is unheard of on off-election years (Tweeters are warning other tech-savvy folks to stop tweeting about high turnout lest they discourage people from heading to the polls). More than 20 volunteers are counting the record number of absentee ballots at Portland's City Hall.

Keep up here, here, and here. And here, once the polls close.

Catholic Church officially opposes healthcare reform

Jeff Inglis — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:59:00 GMT

The Colorado Independent has the story: the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has instructed pastors nationwide to distribute anti-healthcare-reform literature in church and to preach against it from the pulpit.

I'm no Catholic, but with the Church's opposition to same-sex marriage (in an unholy alliance with Mormons and evangelical Protestants) and now the basic human right of healthcare for all, I'm not sure what being Catholic is anymore.

Another Schism, anyone?

More retrosexing on the radio

Jeff Inglis — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:52:00 GMT

Yes, I promised as much, and here's the link: Deirdre and me talking about retrosexing. (Followed by a discussion of what crazy things women do on Facebook, and annoying things men do.)

VOTE

Deirdre Fulton — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:42:00 GMT

I went to hear Rebecca Solnit speak at Bowdoin last night. She talked about a collective sensation of altruism, joy, and community that can come in the wake of natural (and sometimes manmade) disasters. She connected those experiences to the outpouring of public emotion that happened on and around Election Day last year, when Barack Obama was elected president, and the people who put him there -- who worked together to achieve victory not just for a man but for a movement --were moved not just by their electoral success but by their sense of civic engagement. Solnit believes that our lives have become too wrapped up in the personal, the private, and that we need more moments like these -- times when the community is forced to come together, with purpose -- to feel whole again.

I couldn't help but think, as she spoke, of today's big election. There's certainly a feeling in Portland today of togethernes; I'd wager that people who have been phone-banking, canvassing, and speaking to friends and family about gay marriage over the last few weeks do feel fulfilled, engaged, and happier for working toward a common goal. Solnit suggested that we need to find a language for this particular type of pleasure. I agree, and I hope that talking about it more would make it easier to sustain, even after big elections, even after a disaster has subsided. No matter what happens today, for example, I'd hope that gay marriage advocates, gay and straight, will continue to use this momentum, to keep open the forum of ideas that's been developing over the past year.

But most of all, I hope people get out and vote. Because all the altruism and solidarity in the world wouldn't change the facts of the manmade civil-rights disaster of Yes on One prevailing.

Jill wants to marry Diane #marryME

Jeff Inglis — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:55:00 GMT

You may have seen a video about same-sex marriage in Ireland. But check out this one about it in Maine, featuring Portland's own Jill Barkley:

Retrosexuals and retrosexing!

Jeff Inglis — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:22:00 GMT

For the listeners on KCNW in Canada who just heard Deirdre and me talk about retrosexuals and fretrosexuals, here are the links to our stories. (And for our local readers, we'll post the link to the audio stream just as soon as we can!)

Here's Deirdre's piece on retrosexuals.

And here's mine on fretrosexuals.

Thanks for listening!

Catholic lector ousted for pro-marriage stance

Jeff Inglis — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:47:00 GMT

The National Catholic Reporter has a story about Pamela Starbird Beliveau of Lewiston, a lector and Eucharistic minister in her Catholic parish, who wrote an op-ed piece in the Sun Journal supporting same-sex marriage - and who very quickly received a letter from her parish priest saying she would no longer be allowed to lead worship services, specifically because of her pro-equality stance.

Maine Catholics split over same-sex marriage

Jeff Inglis — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:44:00 GMT

The National Catholic Reporter carried a story yesterday about the split in the Catholic Church in Maine, with many practicing Catholics publicly breaking from Bishop Richard Malone, who has led the anti-same-sex-marriage fight. (The Church has put up a lot of money, but so has a group reportedly closely tied to the Mormon Church.)

In Iran, this is great - in the US, the feds are after you

Jeff Inglis — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:55:00 GMT

Wired has the story of a man we first heard tell of from local anarchist Paul McCarrier after the G-20 protests: a man who used Twitter to communicate and help protestors rally against an organization he believes is a threat to human rights.

No, this isn't those Twitter-fueled Iran protests, which the State Department famously asked Twitter to delay site maintenance to support. This is an American citizen, on American soil, using technology to protest.

And, as both McCarrier and the Wired writer point out, the irony is clear and direct. If this was an Iranian being jailed, searched, his computers seized by the authorities for using Twitter in a protest, the Obama administration would be outraged and objecting.

But since it's an American protesting against the G-20, which includes the US, the feds are trampling all over his rights, including his patient-client privacy rights, because he is a social worker.