National and state gay rights groups will step up efforts to advance legislation allowing gays to marry in California and New York, saying chances for passing such legislation are expected to improve significantly after the November elections.
The Democratic National Committee, meanwhile, assisted a gay group in Illinois with its efforts to block an anti-gay marriage amendment from going before voters in November and has adopted a five-point plan for fighting similar ballot measures in other states, according DNC spokesperson Danien LaVera.
“As we move forward in this election year, we will help in a variety of ways,” LaVera said.
LaVera’s disclosure of the DNC’s role in fighting a specific anti-gay ballot measure was part of a flurry of statements from advocates on both sides of the gay marriage debate that followed a controversial court decision in New York on July 6 upholding the state’s law banning same-sex marriage.
The New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, issued a 4-2 decision July 7 saying the state law banning same-sex marriage was based on a legitimate rationale that it is better “for children to grow up with both a mother and father.”
DNC Chair Howard Dean made headlines this year by going on the anti-gay Christian Broadcast Network and erroneously claiming his party’s platform opposes marriage for same-sex couples. He later apologized for the mischaracterization — the 2004 platform leaves the issues to the states — and issued a strongly worded statement last week criticizing the New York court decision.
“Today’s decision by the New York Court of Appeals, which relies on outdated and bigoted notions about families, is deeply disappointing, but it does not end the effort to achieve this goal,” Dean said.
“As that essential process moves forward, it is up to the state legislature to act to protect the equal rights of every New Yorker and for the debate on how to ensure those rights to proceed without the rancor and divisiveness that too often surrounds this issue.”
LaVera said he could not comment on whether Dean was changing his position on gay marriage, other than to say Dean and the DNC strongly oppose efforts to ban gay marriage by amending the federal or state constitutions.
Officials with the Human Rights Campaign and the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, the nation’s two largest gay political groups, said they would step up efforts to promote gay marriage bills in several states.
“HRC is committing $3 million to the fight for equality in the states, including marriage battles as well as state legislative elections,” said HRC president Joe Solmonese.
NGLTF Executive Director Matt Foreman said his group plans to give $300,000 to fight anti-gay marriage ballot measures. Task Force spokesperson Roberta Sklar said that when staff salaries, related travel expenses and additional grants to state and local groups are added to the equation, NGLTF would spend about $1 million this year on the ballot measure fights.
Foreman said NGLTF continues to work with HRC and others to advocate for state bills to provide same-sex couples the full marriage rights.
“
- ur collective goal is to win marriage equality — either through legislative or judicial action — in 10 states in 10 years,” Foreman said. “There is no question that if our movement is resourced to scale, this is an achievable goal, and the New York court decision has no impact on that.”
‘Strategy? What strategy’
Foreman and Solmonese said their organizations would work cooperatively with statewide gay groups to educate voters about the important role marriage plays in families headed by both same-sex and opposite couples.
“The reality is that these are uphill struggles in every state because they put the rights of a minority up for a popular vote, which is not only wrong, it is immoral,” said Foreman. “Our goal is to build grassroots strength, win or lose.”
Lesbian activist Robin Tyler, one of the lead organizers of the California-based group pushing for same-sex marriage rights, said NGLTF, HRC and other gay groups were not taking an aggressive enough stand against court decisions and state ballot measures that have blocked same-sex marriage rights.
“Strategy? What strategy?” asked Tyler. “In the red states, once they lose on Election Day, the national groups leave,” she said. “The local people feel deserted, just like the people left behind after Hurricane Katrina.
“We need to mobilize for another march on Washington to get back into the streets. We’re not getting anywhere being nice.”
Gay Democratic activists in New York and California have said public opinion polls look favorable for the election of Democratic governors in the two states who have pledged to support and sign bills legalizing same-sex marriage.
In New York, state Attorney General Elliot Spitzer, a longtime gay rights supporter, is leading his Republican gubernatorial rival by more than 60 points in most polls. Democrats in New York also say the state Senate, which has been controlled by Republicans for generations, could be taken over by Democrats.
That would open the way for the passage of a same-sex marriage bill. Democrats already control the State Assembly, which is expected to easily pass a same-sex marriage bill. Spitzer has pledged to sign such a bill.
“I would say we have a 50-50 chance of getting a gay marriage bill passed if the Democrats win control of the Senate,” said longtime Manhattan gay activist Ray Gast.
In California, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides is said to have a chance of defeating incumbent Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who vetoed a groundbreaking gay marriage bill passed by the California Legislature last year. Angelides has said he would sign the bill.
DNC’s 5-point plan
to fight ballot measures
LaVera said the DNC’s five-point plan for fighting state ballot measures calling for banning same-sex marriage includes a number of actions the DNC has already put in place.
The first calls for labeling the anti-gay ballot measures “divisive” ploys by the Republicans and others to deflect voter attention from other important issues, including “the Bush’s administration’s failed policies.”
Another consists of the state “party-building” operation that Dean started, LaVera said, which includes specific training for state party operatives in all 50 states on how to campaign against anti-gay ballot measures.
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