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发帖数: 4174 | 1 The march to equality has steps forward and steps backward. Yesterday we saw
some of each. Our fight for equality at the federal level was dealt a
serious setback – but there are paths forward for pro-equality bills and
amendments, and there are new opportunities for progress in states across
the country. If you know anything about HRC, it's that we're fighters. And
fighting tirelessly is exactly what we'll need to do over the next few years.
Since 2006, the U.S. House has been led by committed supporters of equality.
But yesterday, a wave of anti-LGBT radicals seized control. Their leaders
– Reps. Boehner (R-OH), Cantor (R-VA), and Pence (R-IN) – all received
scores of zero on HRC's congressional scorecard, meaning they've NEVER
supported a single pro-equality bill. Key Senate seats were lost as well.
In Pennsylvania, arch-conservative Pat Toomey beat the staunchly pro-
equality Joe Sestak, and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal leader Rep. Patrick
Murphy lost his seat. Longtime LGBT rights champion Sen. Russ Feingold lost
to multi-millionaire Ron Johnson in Wisconsin. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota
, who's called homosexuality a "dysfunction" and "personal enslavement,"
continues as a U.S. Representative. See our analysis of yesterday's most
critical races »
But there were major victories last night as well. A record number of openly
LGBT candidates prevailed, including newly elected David Cicilline (D) of
Rhode Island, Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), and Rep.
Barney Frank (D-MA). The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) spent
millions to gin up hatred and fear, and although they ousted three Iowa
judges who ruled for marriage equality, many of their favored candidates
lost – like Tea Party darlings Christine O'Donnell in Delaware (who founded
a group to "cure" homosexuality) and Sharron Angle in Nevada (who refused
donations from pro-equality companies), as well as Carly Fiorina and Meg
Whitman in California and Carl Paladino in New York. The man who likened
homosexuality to alcoholism, Colorado's Ken Buck, also went down in defeat.
The upside is that we are now better positioned to win marriage equality or
other forms of family recognition in multiple states. HRC's Campaign for New
York Marriage helped pick up three state senate seats, building significant
momentum for a marriage equality vote. Maryland re-elected Governor O'
Malley, who has committed to signing a marriage bill, and flipped a key
state Senate Judiciary Committee seat. In California, Hawaii, Rhode Island
and Colorado, pro-equality governors will take office.
These elections also proved again that pro-LGBT candidates don't lose
because of their belief in equality. New Hampshire voters rejected the
bigotry and hate of NOM and other anti-equality forces and re-elected
Governor John Lynch, who signed marriage equality legislation last year.
So today, I want to thank all of you for your support these past months.
Thanks to your help, HRC had staff on the ground in 17 states during this
election cycle working for pro-equality candidates. We recruited thousands
of volunteers, made 85,000 phone calls, and sent 3.3 million election-
related emails to get out the vote. Our wins were only possible because of
your generosity. And our losses were fewer, and less devastating, because of
your commitment.
After last night, you're probably asking: "Where do we go from here?"
Well, I want you to know that we won't back down. Given the predictable anti
-gay attacks that we expect to come from Republicans, HRC's voice on Capitol
Hill will now be more important than ever. And we can still secure major
gains outside of Congress.
We won't stop moving forward, because there's more than one path to victory.
When one door closes, others often open. So this is where we go from here:
*
We're going to put every ounce of strength into pressuring the Senate
to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" before the end of the year.
*
We're going to fight harmful bills and continue to introduce and look
for ways to move pro-equality legislation forward – and we'll use both to
make sure every voter knows how out of touch radicals in the House and
Senate really are.
*
We're going continue to put pressure on the Obama administration to
make policy changes that don't require an act of Congress, following our "
Blueprint for Positive Change," where we've already made major progress.
*
We're going to fight for marriage equality and relationship
recognition in states where there are now open doors – and continue
exposing NOM's extreme agenda.
*
We're going to fight bullying in our schools and work with religious
communities and communities of color to amplify the voices of pro-equality
Americans. We're going to enable more same-sex couples to adopt children so
that they can build loving families, and work to make corporations and
hospitals more equal. And we will shine a light on bigotry, no matter the
source, and mobilize hundreds of thousands of supporters to speak out
against it.
Find out more about the new path forward »
We will not give up. I know you won't either.
Thank you for all that you have done, and for all that you will make
possible in the months and years to come.
Sincerely,
Joe Solmonese
Joe Solmonese
President | g********d
发帖数: 4174 | 2 WOW, HI的CIVIL UNION指日可待,IL的CU和RI的MARRIAGE也很有希望。 |
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