Well, friends.  I'm sorry it took so long to let you know this info,
but I've been doing some celebrating.  Here's a front-page story from
Wednesday's Portland Press-Herald:


PORTLAND SAYS NO TO DISCRIMINATION

The Landmark Gay-Rights Ordinance is Upheld By Voters In All But 8 of
The City's 28 Precincts.

Portland voters upheld the city's landmark gay-rights ordinance in a
referendum that supporters called a test of the community's tolerance and
respect for diversity.

The vote was 19,643 to 14,770 when all precincts were tallied at 12:07 this
morning.

The ordinance -- Maine's first -- will become law in Portland in about a
month.  It allows victims of sexual-orientation discrimination to sue
alleged violators.

Just after midnight, the city councilor who proposed the ordinance last
spring told an exhuberant victory celebration attended by more than 200
people that Portland "said no to discrimination."

"We said no to the politics of deceit, deception and distortion.  And we
said no to hatred," said Peter O'Donnell, who also is a spokesman for
Equal Protection/Portland, the group that lobbied against the repeal effort.

James Duran, the leader of Concerned Portland Citizens, conceded defeat
at Portland City Hall as a handful of his supporters looked on.

[More stuff deleted... you get the idea.]

YIPPEE!  It was a lot of work, but certainly worth it.  And now we need to
help the Colorado folks with their court battle, and "package" what we've
learned to teach the folks in Cincinnati and other places where the same
evil is planning to strike.

Larry Bliss
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Lawrence Bliss, Director/Advising and Career Services   | Live your life
University of Southern Maine                            |     as an
96 Falmouth Street, Portland, ME 04103                  |   exclamation,
(207) 780-4199                                          |     not an
BITNET: BLISS@MAINE.MAINE.EDU                           |   explanation!
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