Box Turtle Bulletin
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyJanuary 12th, 2008
Opponents of California’s new law which protects students from discrimination, harassment and bullying based on the basis of gender or sexual orientation in the public schools, announced yesterday they failed to collect enough signatures to put a referendum on the ballot to repeal the law:
In an e-mail announcement issued around 2 p.m. yesterday, which coincided with a Sacramento press conference, Karen England, director of the Save Our Kids Campaign, said backers of the referendum had collected over 350,000 signatures – more than 80,000 short of the 434,000 valid signatures needed to force a statewide plebiscite on the law in the June elections.
Last October 12, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed SB 777 into law after an acrimonious campaign among social conservatives to persuade him to veto it. Opponents claimed that the law would “promote homosexuality” and “persecute” Christians.
Three days after Gov. Schwarzenegger signed the law, Capitol Resource Family Impact, a Sacramento group, filed a referendum with the state attorney general’s office. They then formed the Save Our Kids Campaign to collect signatures before the January 10 deadline to put the referendum on the ballot.
Never one to concede defeat, England tried to turn lemon into lemonade:
“For a completely volunteer-driven campaign to obtain this number of signatures is unheard of,” said England in her e-mailed announcement. “We had to overcome incredible difficulties during our signature gathering, including the holidays, and the results are astonishing. While we didn’t reach the threshold of required signatures, we have surprised political observers with the amazing amount of signatures we gathered in just 70 days. It is unheard of for a volunteer-only effort to find this kind of support, especially in a state as large as California.”
England also announced that with the referendum effort dead, they have filed an initiative with the Attorney General’s office and will begin collecting signatures again. Meanwhile, a legal challenge to the law is still before the courts.
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Suricou Raven
January 13th, 2008
The last time an anti-gay signature drive fell short, they managed to find a court who put the law on hold anyway because it would be ‘ignoring the will of the people’ to ignore a petition – even one that wasn’t long enough to reach the requirement.
A judge with some history of anti-gay rulings, too.
SteveMD2
June 26th, 2008
It is totally amazing how, in the Name of God, all these so called Christians work against everything that Jesus Life On Earth was meant to be – an example of God’s love for ALL his people.
They are total hypocrits, now wonder that so many youth have given up on religion.
And as many younger people say, anti-gay bias and yes hate is a generational problem. As the old farts die off, they will take to their grave and their place in hell their prejudices.
And for all who say gay marriage will destroy marriage, it is actually the str8 people who are destroying this institution with their infidelity, wife beating, etc. Meanwhile, where gay marriages or civil unions exist, the number of ‘divorces’ has been absolutely minimal.
Don’t worry, str8 people, you will still have the right to get married for a lark, and divorced a week later. Enjoy your rights, but I think the real issue is that the gays who get married will make fools of you and your church, with a divorce rate that will be minimal. Hooray for them.
And now it is time to go talk with my spouse of over 40 years. Yes I am a minority, and btw I am male and she is female.
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