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posed to go into effect Oct. 1 but was delayed when
an anti-gay group filed petitions to put the measure
on the November 2002 ballot. Anne Arundel
County Judge Eugene M. Lemer ruled Nov. 21 that
"hike Back Maryland did not have enough valid
signatures for a referendum under state law, which
means the act now is forever safe from challenges.
Had there been a referendum, discrimination
against individuals because of their sexual orien
tation could have continued legally until the
issue was decided by voters “This is an enormous
victory for Maryland gays and lesbians, who now
can live free from prejudice,” said Dwight Sulli
van, managing attorney for the American Civil
Liberties Union of Maryland’s Baltimore office.
After the signatures were filed and certified
by the Maryland State Board of Elections,
lawyers examined the petitions and found mas
sive irregularities. The A C LU filed suit, charg
ing that the documents did not meet the state
constitutional standards for taking a popularly
passed law to referendum.
The act was passed by the General Assembly
this spring by about a 2-1 margin after 11 years
of failed attempts. Gov. Parris Glendening
signed the bill May 15.
“Today, Maryland is a safer place for families
to live and work,” said Erin Leveton, Free State
Justice chairwoman. “We’re elated. It’s another
thing to be thankful for.”
With the settlement of the lawsuit, Maryland
becomes the 12th state to prohibit discrimination
based on sexual orientation. The others are Cali
fornia, Hawaii, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nevada,
New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Ver
mont, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
“The tide is turning against right-wing extrem
ists who have been using the ballot box against us
for too long,” said Lorri
L. Jean, National Gay
and Lesbian Task Force
executive
director.
“Fair-minded people
are tired of their divi
siveness and bigotry.”
The state’s funding of Kentucky Baptist Homes
for Children closely mirrors the kind of funding
schemes Bush has proposed expanding nationally
to funnel public money to religious groups for
social services without requiring adequate safe
guards against discrimination. The House passed
most of the White House plan last summer, but it
has not been scheduled for a Senate vote.
“Just today, President Bush went to a soup
kitchen to urge Congress to give final approval
to his plans for government-funded religion
before Christmas,” said Terri Schroeder, an
A C L U legislative representative. “But we
remain confident that the Senate will refuse to
adopt the House-passed bill as long as it remains
a faith-based prescription for
discrimination.”
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N A TIO N A L
A
fter coming under fire
from national watch
dog organizations, an anti
gay Christian Reconstructionist has with
drawn his name for consideration for appoint
ment to the National Labor Relations Board.
According to media sources, President
Bush was ready to nom inate J. Robert
Brame III to serve as a member of the panel
despite his long-standing leadership of reli
gious-political extremist groups on the far
thest fringes o f the right wing. But he
dropped out after the N ational Stonewall
Democrats sent a letter of opposition to U .S.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., chair
man o f the Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions Com mittee.
Brame has served as a top official of Amer
ican Vision, an Atlanta-based organization
seeking to replace
U .S. secular democ
racy with a “Christ
ian” regime based on
“biblical law,” in
cluding enforcement
of the harsh legal
code of the Old Tes
tament. He also has
K EN TU CK Y
served as an adviser
n a closely watched
to the Plymouth
case highlighting
Rock Foundation, a
the dangers posed by
Massachusetts group
President Bush’s pro
with similar views.
posed faith-based ini
Brame recently
tiative, the American
resigned from the
Civil Liberties Union
American
Vision
appealed part of a law
board
after
its
con
suit filed on behalf of a
troversial agenda be
lesbian who was fired
came public. A lt
by Kentucky Baptist
hough he served in
Homes for Children,
that capacity since at
which receives most
least 1994, he told
of its funding from the
the Wail Street Jour -
state.
Earlier this year, a This photograph of Alicia Pedreira, submitted m l he was unaware
federal judge said the without her knowledge in a state fair art
of the group’s ex
agency’s funding re- competition, led to her termination from
treme views.
lationship with the Kentucky Baptist Homes for Children
American Vision
calls
democracy
“the
first
step
toward fascism,”
state might be an unconstitutional intertwining
argues women must be subordinate to men and
of church and state but dismissed all of the
insists the Bible requires the death penalty for
claims related to Alicia Pedreira’s employment.
gays. A national watchdog organization said
The A C LU filed papers Nov. 20 with the U.S.
Brame’s service with these groups, which are
Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit appealing
affiliated with the so-called “Christian Recon
the constitutional employment claims before
structionist” movement, should disqualify him
the case is tried.
from a post in government.
“Alicia Pedreira was fired because this
“ Brame and his allies seek to impose a
agency thought that a lesbian can ’t cany out
harsh
Christian theocracy on the nation," said
its religious mission,” attorney Ken Choe
the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United for
said. “When taxpayers are footing the bill,
Separation
of Church and State executive
that’s unconstitutional.”
Pedreira was a top-notch therapist but was director. “Someone with such radical political
fired when Kentucky Baptist Homes for Chil views should automatically be disqualified
from holding public office." JH
dren found out she is a lesbian. On the same day
she was terminated, the agency enacted a writ
ten policy that homosexuality is "inconsistent” Compiled by News Editor JlM RADOSTA, who
can be reached at jim@justout .com.
with its religious values.
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