 Camera icon indicates an included picture. | Choose the archive for 1996 1997 |
Reverse Chronological Order
| Camera icon indicates an included picture. | Choose the archive for 1996 1997 |
Reverse Chronological Order
If the sponsor of a gay-rights bill had not withdrawn it this week, chances are the Legislature would have defeated it next year.
CMF leader Cosby said more details about the Concerned Maine Families Foundation will be released next week. But, she said, the foundation will be able to spin off a political action committee that could campaign again on electoral issues.
The officers write down the license-plate numbers of the cars and send letters to the registered owners to let them know when the vehicles have been seen in the neighborhood.
Both Sen. Dale McCormick, D-Monmouth, and Sen. Georgette Berube,D-Lewiston, have submitted bills that would prohibit discrimination in Maine on the basis of sexual orientation. But the bills' sponsors are considering withdrawing their proposals.Sen. McCormick's Bill
The group that initiated the Nov. 7 anti-gay rights referendum says it still is gathering proof to back its allegation that voter fraud contributed to the referendum's defeat.Concerned Maine Families charged on Election Day that referendum opponents brought out-of-state allies into Maine to register and vote illegally on Nov. 7.
A Comprehensive analysis of the strategies which defeated Maine's 1995 anti-gay initiative.
In defeating the anti-gay referendum last week, Maine voters responded to a ''no'' campaign built on carefully chosen themes, from discrimination to government intrusion to economic hardship.
The people of Maine made the right choice on Tuesday when they said that ''Maine Won't Discriminate.'' They now must show the same resolve every other day of every year.
Time for a good laugh."Plagued by persistent paranoia and a mouth she cannot close, the leader of Concerned Maine Families confirmed this week what many have long suspected: She lets out a lot more air than she takes in."
The leader of Concerned Maine Families said Thursday that she won't contest the results of Tuesday's vote in which Mainers rejected a referendum that would have blocked gay-rights laws
Maine didn't need this distraction from its effort to make the state a place where all God's children can live in safety and equity
A day after the narrow defeat of Question 1, the referendum's main supporter vowed to oppose any attempt to pass a gay-rights bill in the Legislature.
Amid an unexpectedly high voter turnout, the nationally watched referendum developed a collateral controversy earlier in the day when its backers attempted to videotape people who showed up at City Hall to register to vote.
Cosby accused the Portland city clerk of allowing outsiders to register in huge numbers.
Maine's anti-gay rights referendum was rejected Tuesday by a 53 percent to 47 percent margin, leaving opponents of the measure overjoyed and referendum supporters defiant and disbelieving.
This is an indexed and linked list of all the vote tallies on Question One.
If you have a slow modem you may want to get this straight text file with the same info but no bells and whistles.
Polls across Greater Portland were thrown into a momentary uproar Tuesday as supporters of a controversial anti-gay rights measure challenged scores of newly registered voters.Their acts infuriated voters who were challenged, intimidated others and caused Portland city leaders to dispatch police to four polling places to keep the peace
(Transcript of the broadcast story.)
As citizens of Maine vote whether or not gays and lesbians are entitled to special minority protections, Eliza Hobson of New Hampshire Public Television reports.
On Tuesday, after a rancorous debate, Maine will become the latest state, and the first in the East, to vote on a ballot initiative that would both nullify and prohibit local laws protecting homosexuals from discrimination.
Topics: (There are jump links at top of feature)
- Both sides claim support from broad range of Mainers
- Seeking a 'yes' vote
- Seeking a 'no' vote
- A history of gay rights legislation
- Facts about QuEstion 1
Turn off the babble.
Now it's time to stop. Each of us needs to take a quiet moment to read Question 1 - all 48 convoluted words - and ponder it from the most important angle.
As Election Day draws near, the campaigns on both sides of Maine's anti-gay rights referendum are trying to draw votes with a blitz of television, radio and newspaper advertisements."There is an awful lot of ambiguity,'' said Kenneth Hayes, political science professor at the University of Maine. "The biggest problem is the wording of the measure itself . . ."
" Passage would put in state law a statement that says it is okay to discriminate against people in Maine because of one's preception of these people."
The Press Herald debunks CMF leader Cosby's claim made in a WCSH-TV guest editorial.
Opponents of the anti-gay rights referendum are maintaining a 10-1 advantage in fund raising, according to campaign finance reports filed Wednesday that put their war chest at more than $1 million.The reports, covering contributions and expenditures through Oct. 26, showed the Maine Won't Discriminate coalition drawing its largest recent contributions from out-of-state and sinking its money primarily into TV advertising and direct mailings.
CMF is distributing 350,000 copies of a campaign publication that warns if the referendum passes, militant gays would ``ruthlessly shove elderly and handicapped persons aside'' and use state government as a ``billy club to push their interest.'' It also predicts that if a federal gay rights law is ever passed, it ``would make any minister a felon who dared to call homosexuality a sin.''
The latest battle over gay rights will occur in this independent-minded, rural state on Nov.7, 1995. Religious conservatives have put a referendum on the ballot seeking to ban state lawmakers and communities from extending special civil rights protection to homosexuals
Cosby is poised to have $8,000 in legal bills paid by a contribution from a Phoenix-based organization that regularly helps pay for lawsuits involving ''family values,'' abortion and religious freedoms. Ironically, the money was channeled through Maine's Christian Education League, a nonprofit group run by the Christian Civic League, which Cosby has condemned for not aiding her group
Mary Bonuato and Amelia Craig, speaking for Gay/Lesbian Advoctes and Defenders, address constitutional issues regarding Question One on the Maine ballot
Amid the campaign rhetoric around the Nov. 7 anti-gay rights referendum, the personal convictions and not-too-deep pockets of Mainers like Nora W. Stetson and Joan Bakker are easy to overlook.This article also provides a cursory look at the July 6th to September 30th financial activities of MWD, CMF and CESR.
The debate over an anti-gay rights referendum has pitted civil rights advocates and the state's business community against two groups of religious conservatives, which have spent much of the campaign fighting each other.
An unenlightened trend has arrived in New England.
Maine is on the verge of passing legislation which will effectively restrict the rights of gays in that state.
The anti-gay rights referendum to be voted on next month is more insidious than most; it discriminates by exclusion.
(Not about the referendum - this is our Gay Rights Bill)``I believe that coming off the (gay rights) debate we're having in the state now, the timing is right to address the issue once again,'' said the legislative council's chairwoman, Sen. Jane A. Amero, R-Cape Elizabeth.
Never before has a governor in a state facing a referendum on gay rights taken such a step. Even Barbara Roberts, the former governor of Oregon and a solid opponent of a similar measure there, did not appear in commercials.
Maine Won't Discriminate, which opposes the referendum, Tuesday launched a television ad in which Gov. Angus King urges Mainers to vote ''no.''
Academic leaders at the University of Southern Maine have added their voices to those urging Maine to protect human rights by voting ''no'' on Question 1 on the Nov. 7 ballot.
"They have acceptance. They have toleration. ... If they were smart, they would simply accept that and stop this push for minority-class status," said Carolyn Cosby, a Portland housewife who formed Concerned Maine Families to put the measure on the ballot.
Tennis great Martina Navratilova spoke out Thursday against an anti-gay rights measure on next month's Maine ballot
Portland's savvy weekly devotes an entire issue to the referendum. Includes personal stories of discrimination from community members.
"Dale McCormick of Maine, who works to improve women's earnings and for gay rights, has designs on the national arena."An Associlated Press backgrounder describes the accomplishments, ideals and goals of the state senator from Maine as she launches her campaign for a seat in the US House of Representatives.
The Forecaster is a popular weekly published in Falmouth, Maine. It is not known for taking strong stands but in this edition, with two stories and an op-ed piece, The Forcaster casts its support with those of us who oppose the anti-gay initiative.
Politics and Other Mistakes -THE INDIFFERENCE OF HEAVEN
-Casco Bay Weekly 8/3/95
This week: Al Diamon says Carolyn Cosby has gotten the brush-off from God.
ANTI-GAY COALITION FORMS TO SUPPORT REFERENDUM
-Community Pride Reporter - Summer 1995-
The ChristianCivic League of Maine is the parent of this coalition with support from Focus on the Family, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado and the Family Research Council, based in Washington, DC.
CONCERNED MAINE FAMILIES STONEWALLS ETHICS COMMISSION INVESTIGATION
-Community Pride Reporter - Summer 1995-
Leaders of CMF have maligned Marylin Canavan, Director of the Ethics Commission. Canavan seeks CMF's financial records as a result of alleged financial mismanagement.
EPISCOPLAIANS TAKE AN OFFICIAL STAND
At their annual convention, Maine's Episcopalians adopt a resolution in
opposition to the Anti-Rights referendum. This is the exact text to their resolution 16.
Al Diamon takes a harsh and sardonic look at the logic and motivation of special interest groups like Concerned Maine Families."Special interest groups are the secret force that drives government in unreasonable directions. Special interest groups are directly responsible for every evil from federal budget deficits to intestinal parasites . . . "
Politics and Other Mistakes -MYSTERIOUS WAYS
- Casco Bay Weekly, May 4, 1995
Concerned Maine Families ought to be concerned about its bookkeeping. A check of campaign finance reports filed by the anti-gay rights group raises questions about whether CMF is engaged in some form of money laundering. According to the report, Linda Bean Folkers, the L.L. Bean heiress and former Republican congressional candidate, wrote a check for $3,500 to support CMF's anti-rights campaign. "Not so!", sayeth the heiress....
EMOTIONS FLOW AT HUMAN RIGHTS HEARING
- Portland Press Herald, May 3, 1995
Front Page story with color picture of the overwhelming pro-rights turnout for a hearing on the bill (LD 310) destined for Maine's November ballot.
Text-Only Version
DEBATE IS OVER WHETHER HUMAN RIGHTS ARE DESERVED BY ALL
- Portland Press Herald Editorial, April 13, 1995
Jim Brunelle Editorial. This piece followed Cosby's 'Godzilla' remark by one day (see following item). While Cosby rattles on about "wealthy homosexuals buying special rights, Brunelle notes that among the largest contributors to the equal rights campaign have been Maine's governor and the publisher of the Press Herald. Brunelle has little regard for the hate and fear mongering of the anti-equal rights mob.
GAY RIGHTS SUPPORTERS AHEAD IN FUNDRAISING
--Portland Press Herald, April 12, 1995
News story about the campaign finance report filed by Maine Won't Discriminate with the Secretary of State's Office. Concerned Maine Families did not file on time but that did not deter Cosby from making her 'Godzilla' remark and again trying to get her 'unscrupulous politicians' conspiracy theory to fly.
MLGPA PRESIDENT ON NO RIGHTS BILL and REFERENDUM HEARING
--April 10, 1995
MLGPA president Karen Geraghty's letter to members explaining the decision and encouraging activism in the upcoming anti-rights referendum. The hearing before the Judiciary Committee is part of Maine's referendum process.
SUPPORTERS TO HOLD OFF ON GAY RIGHTS BILL
-Portland Press Herald March 10, 1995
Gay rights advocates said Thursday they will not submit a bill this year. Instead, they will wait until after voters decide on a referendum proposal seeking to bar protections for homosexuals.
ACTIVISTS WON'T SEEK RIGHTS BILL FOR GAYS
--Bangor Daily News March 10, 1995
Gay rights activists said that if a civil rights bill for homosexuals were to win approval by the Legislature, it likely would be declared a competing measure to the referendum banning gay rights measures initiated by Concerned Maine Families.
The full text of the referendum question. Note that this was written to accomplish restricting equal rights for gays and lesbians in a constitutionally sound manner - by preventing any marginalized group from gaining equal protection - ever.
APRIL 1995 HEARING ON REFERENDUM BILL ANNOUNCEMENT
When this was released, "the referendum" question was a bill before the Maine legislature (LD-210). See also this story for an explaination of the process.
GAY RIGHTS BATTLE GETS MORE COMPLEX
-Bangor Daily News, Feb 25, 1995
Carolyn Cosby, 43, lives in a modest house on Portland's outskirts with her husband, David, a postal worker, and their friendly Maine coon cat, Tigger.Positive bio of the leader of Concerned Maine Families and the battle against granting constitutional liberties to anyone else.
The article does go into greater detail on both sides' arguments and the process involved. Also has a very early reference to the "competing measures" issue which eventually led to the decision not to persue an equal rights bill in 1995
SPECIAL RIGHTS: GRASSROOTS BATTLE GAY MILITANTS
-Christian American, February 1995
"Before this November ends," according to Portland housewife Carolyn Cosby, "the nation will be seeing Maine in a whole different -- and contentious -- light."Political/Religious right article on Concerned Maine Families and Carolyn Cosby.
Lewis F. Lester appeals from a summary judgment in the Superior Court. The court concluded Lester could have no recovery on his claims for libel, slander, and tortious interference with contract against his former student, Mary Jane E. Powers. We affirm.Final decision in a case resulting from a class discussion of homosexuality at Colby College
The formation of a state wide GLBT maillist
MAINE GAY NETWORK MAIL LIST
- Casco Bay Weekly, March 30, 1995
Full text of the story presented in Portland's popular Casco Bay Weekly.
CBW's Home Page.
REFERENDUM UPDATE - AUGUST 1994
Concerned Maine Families has announced to the press that it has collected enough signatures to put its anti-gay, anti-everyone measure on our 1995 ballot.
PORTLAND SAYS NO TO DISCRIMINATION
- Portland Press Herald, November ?, 1992
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.
Go to The Maine GayNet Archive for 1996 1997
It would be wonderful if you could type or scan the material into an ASCII text file.
Thanks
