march 2.2001
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Voters in
2000” examines an often undercounted portion
of the electorate and was completed during the
2000 election by Denver-based Gill Foundation.
Some key findings from the research:
• Knowing someone who is gay makes a differ
ence. 37 percent of voters familiar with gay people
say their personal relationship has increased their
awareness of gay issues. 26 percent of likely voters
say they have a family member who is gay. 32 per
cent of likely voters know a close personal friend,
44 percent know a co-worker and 63 percent say
they have a friend or acquaintance who identifies
as gay. Only 9 percent of the respondents to a sur
vey of all likely voters said they did not know any
one who was gay.
• Voting matters to gay individuals. 92 per
cent of LGBT respondents said they are regis
tered to vote, 52 percent say they vote in all
elections and 34 percent say they vote in
most but not all elections.
• Gay voters, like other voters,
embrace political moderation. In terms of
political philosophy, 43 percent of gay vot
ers identify as moderate compared to 40 per
cent of voters in the total U.S. population.
• More gay people are comfortable com
ing out. Half of gay voters consider them
selves to be very open about their sexual ori
entation, while 35 percent say they are not open
at all about their orientation.
NEW YORK
•
A recent survey conducted for New York
£ 1 magazines Gay Life Now issue found a
landslide level of tolerance and openness regard
ing homosexuality.
The poll found that straight residents are
widely supportive of issues affecting gays and les
bians, such as adoption, marriage and
discrimination. In fact, when compared
to a national sample, New Yorkers are
twice as likely to support legalizing gay
marriage.
“The poll paints a picture of a city in
which most straight people are not only
comfortable with gays but socially and
professionally intimate with them as
well,” the magazine reports in its first-
ever gay issue, which hit newsstands
Feb. 26. Among the findings:
• A total of 46 percent of straight
New Yorkers have a gay male close
friend, while 31 percent have a close
friend who is a lesbian.
• About 71 percent would be likely
to vote for an openly gay candidate for
mayor.
• A total of 49 percent
would be comfortable with an open
ly gay baby sitter for their children.
• More than three-quarters (78 per
cent) think the state’s current hate
crimes law should include gays and
lesbians.
• Two-thirds (65 percent) think
gays and lesbians should be free
to adopt children.
ILLINOIS
wo men were arrested for attempting to
close the Cook County Marriage License
Bureau by locking its doors with a chain during
a pro-gay marriage protest Feb. 14 in Chicago.
About 75 demonstrators gathered outside the
City Hall/County Building downtown, then
marched through the corridors chanting, “Mar
riage for gays, we demand it today!” and “Lesbian
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TEXAS
he House Committee on Judicial
Affairs approved the James Byrd Jr.
Hate Crimes Act on Feb. 19 in Austin.
Witnesses included the parents of the
bill’s namesake, the victim of a brutal
racially motivated murder in Jasper.
In a 7-2 vote, the panel advanced the
measure, which is designed to prevent
hate crimes motivated by prejudice. The
decision followed closely on the heels of
the bill’s 5-1 passage through Senate
committee in early February.
“The momentum behind the James
Byrd Act this year is just incredible,” said
Dianne Hardy-Garcia, Lesbian/ Gay
Rights Lobby of Texas executive direc
tor. “Today’s vote was a powerful demon
stration that our legislators are taking a
strong stand against hate in Texas.”
Because of a recent Supreme Court ruling,
the current Texas law is unconstitutional.
According to the Apprendi v. New Jersey deci
sion, hate-based motive must be proved beyond
a reasonable doubt in order to enhance penalties.
The new legislation contains specific lan
guage conforming to the new standard, Hardy-
Garcia said. “The James Byrd Act is a compre
hensive bill that will correct both the unconsti
tutionality and the unenforcability of the old
law and help prevent hate crimes in Texas.”
House Bill 587 is backed by a statewide coali
tion of religious leaders and civil rights organiza
tions. They will join thousands of other Texans
in showing their support for the act during the
March Against Hate on March 18.
I
marriage is our right, we’ve only just begun to
fight!” Deputies initially tried to prevent the group
from approaching the bureau but then relented.
Outside the doors of the agency, one lesbian
and one gay couple were allowed to enter and
attempt to get licenses. After they were denied,
Chicago Anti-Bashing Network co-founder Andy
Thayer and member Michael Maltenfort went
inside and shortly thereafter tried to affix chains
to one of the bureau’s two public doors. A lesbian
woman successfully chained the other door.
Thayer and Maltenfort each are charged with
felony criminal damage to government-support
ed property and misdemeanor disorderly con
duct. After being held overnight in Cook Coun
ty Jail, the two were released on $3,000 bond.
The maximum possible sentence for the charge
is one to three years in prison or up to 30 months’
probation and up to $25,000 fine.
Compiled by Copy Editor J1M R adosta , who
can be reached at jim@justout.com.
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