This race is still too close for comfort. As we've said from the beginning, this election will be decided by voter turnout. Money is pouring in from out of state to fund our opponents, and they are investing heavily in radio ads. We know the best way to counteract the outrageous lies our opponents are telling is with direct conversations with voters.
You can help us win by phone banking any night of the week between now and the election, canvassing at our Trick or Vote event, and waving signs at intersections to raise visibility for the Approve 71 campaign. It is essential that we each do all we can to get out the vote. Our state-of-the-art system is set up to only call voters who have not voted yet.
To register to phone bank in Seattle, RSVP here To register for Trick or Vote, RSVP here For a schedule of sign waving events you can register for, click here Here is a link to a schedule of phone banks, canvassing and Approve 71 sign waving events going on in the Seattle area.
Thank you for all you have done to help ensure gay and lesbian families are treated equally under state law.
P.S. If you have not already joined our Facebook group, join us! Our fan base is growing by more than 100 people per hour! Join us!
Visibility events below the fold.
Related:
* Federal judge rebukes Reject 71 but can't stop wave of Colorado cash
* My vote will be counted. Will yours?
Folks, be sure to print out and fill your pockets with plenty of palm cards to give to people. This is a great reminder for people when they get home and start wondering, "now what was that all about, and how can I get more information?"
Make sure your signs are clearly marked "Approve Referendum 71" besides whatever other messages you wish to write.
Bellevue sponsored by Bellevue PFLAG
Saturday, October 31
1 pm - 3 pm
At NE 8th and 112th. That big intersection at 405 and NE 8th Street.Bring signs with simple statements that drivers can read...Approve Ref 71, Protect All Washington Families, or personal messages. Keep them simple and positive. Even stop by for 30 minutes but be involved...Dress for cold/rain but bring your smiles and be ready to wave!!!
Seattle - RSVP here
Friday, October 30
7:00 am - 8:00 am
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Join us at the Madison I-5 overpass between Downtown and Capitol Hill to show our support for APPROVING referendum 71 to the morning commuters.Millions of Washingtonians drive onto the I-5 weekly and this is our chance to make sure they vote to APPROVE referendum 71.
We will be waving signs and showing our support.
Seattle - RSVP here
Monday, November 2
Tuesday, November 3
7:00 am - 8:00 am
Join us at the Madison I-5 overpass between Downtown and Capitol Hill to show our support for APPROVING referendum 71 to the morning commuters.Millions of Washingtonians drive onto the I-5 weekly and this is our chance to make sure they e they vote to APPROVE referendum 71.
We will be waving signs and showing our support.
Tacoma
Saturday, October 31
11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Kelly McDonald:
Where: Corner of South 38th & South Steele, Tacoma (Costco & Borders)There is one more weekend before the election.
We need YOU this Saturday. The opposition has incredible numbers, and Tacomans must see both sides represented.
If you have an hour or two to give this Saturday, please stop by.
Bring signs and wear green!
Important details:
1) Parking is an issue. It's best to find street parking by the Toyota dealership or in the residential area behind Costco.
2) Enhance our visibility by wearing green
3) Bring signs with you
4) Are you staying a while? Bring a water bottle and a snack (there goes the mom in me!) :)
5) If you cannot make it, invite someone to come on your behalf!The Rejects WILL be there, per communication made to area businesses from their side. Though tempting, it is NOT effective to engage with them. They will try. We are there to be visible to the public in a peaceful, positive, affirming way.
Looking forward to seeing you there, en masse, and so excited at the amazing effect of Facebook word of mouth!
Kelly
Tacoma
Tuesday, November 3rd
6 am - 9 am
4 pm - 6 pm
Kelly McDonald: Election Day is the final opportunity to generate visibility! We need YOU to sign wave at the Jackson Avenue overpass over Highway 16.
Woodinville sponsored by Bellevue PFLAG
Saturday, October 31st
10 am - 11:30 am
Corner of NE 175th Street and 131st Ave NE right past the railroad underpass in downtown Woodinville (near McLendon's)
Parking is nearby on side streets and there is a small park trail on 131st Ave NE.Bring signs with simple statements that drivers can read...Approve Ref 71, Protect All Washington Families, or personal messages. Keep them simple and positive. Even stop by for 30 minutes but be involved...Dress for cold/rain but bring your smiles and be ready to wave!!!
You have to read this to believe it. Gary Cass heads up the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission, so you can imagine his response to the passage and signing of the hate crimes bill into law. Hysteria ensues:
Based on this reaction, his head will explode if ENDA passes. I wonder when we will see "the plans?" Check out this endorsement of Cass's organization:
"In other nations, like Canada, where hate crime laws have been enacted, it is Christians, specificpecifically conservative Christians who hold to the historic Christian faith and it's values, that become the object of institutionalized, governmental hate."
"Christians who dare to tell the truth about the social, moral, spiritual and health consequences of illicit homosexual acts are accused of hate speech and intimidated into silence with threats of fines or jail."
"The fact the hate bill had to be passed in such an unscrupulous and cynical manner (attaching it to the Defense Authorization Act) reveals the depth of President Obama's commitment to a radical, anti-Christian agenda. He will stop at nothing to undermine the will of the majority of Americans to pay back militant homosexual activists who raised millions of dollars for his campaign and worked to get him elected."
"To sign the bill in the Rose Garden is another slap in the face and shows the level of contempt President Obama has for the majority of Americans who oppose the "homosexualization" of marriage and public education."
"The Christian Anti-Defamation Commission will soon be announcing its plans, along with other leading pro-family groups, to defy, counter and challenge this unconstitutional attack on our religious liberty."
Bill O'Reilly of Fox News agrees-now is the time for a Christian anti-defamation group (see the story here). We are humbled that God has provided us with many distinguished advisory board members, who have endorsed CADC and have agreed to lend their name to our efforts (see the list here).
You know who is on that board?
- Star Parker
- Rick Scarborough, President, Vision America
- Lou Sheldon, Chairman, The Traditional Values Coalition
- Matthew Staver, Founder and Chairman, Liberty Counsel
- Don Wildmon, President, American Family Association
- Leslee Unruh, Founder and President, The Abstinence Clearinghouse
- Phil Burress. Citizens for Community Values
- Ted Baehr, Chairman, Christian Film and Television Commission
Cross-posted from the blog Christ, The Gay Martyr: http://christthegaymartyr.blogspot.com/
At long last, hate crimes protection for LGBT Americans will be signed into law this evening. Yes, we have the current President, Barack Obama to thank for this, but not exclusively. There were dozens of ens of Senators, Congressional representatives, Capitol Hill staffers and activists all over the country working their butts off toward this goal. Foremost among them were the tireless Dennis and Judy Shepard, parents of anti-Gay hate crime victim Matthew Shepard.
This long, bitter battle predates Barack Obama's election to the Senate (it actually predates him holding any public office), so he certainly can't claim sole credit; but when he affixes his signature to the legislation, we’ll have a legitimate victory to celebrate. We should celebrate, too, but we can't afford to rest for very long. We must redouble efforts to dismantle the US military's career-destroying Don't Ask/Don't Tell (DADT) policy, and to enact job protections for millions of Lesbian, Gay, bisexual and transsexual wage earners.
As we struggle to get a gender-inclusive Employee Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) moving through Congress, it’s necessary to identify the specific forms LGBT job discrimination can take. It comes under the category of sexual harassment, but it seldom takes the form of leering stares, unwanted touching or sexual blackmail. This isn’t about Miss Hathaway fending off Mr. Drysdale’s roaming hands. No, we suffer a very unique kind of sexual harassment, one that needs to be studied and discussed. Toward that end, I decided to write this essay.
During my twenty-plus years in the working world, I've fallen victim to heterosexism on the job several times. My androgynous physical appearance and feminine mannerisms have sometimes triggered incidents of disrespect and persecution. I believe these incidents are typical of what LGBT workers all over the world have to contend with.
Let me share with you some examples culled from my most recent work history. Up until last week, I was an insurance claims processor and a help desk agent who answered phone calls from pharmacists. What I’m about to share with you comes from a diary I've compiled for use in a possible wrongful termination lawsuit. The names of my supervisors have been changed for legal reasons.
“Mamie”, my manager, told me that my pharmacy phone calls were too loud. However, when I lowered my voice, pharmacists complained that they couldn’t hear me. When I first came to work in “Mamie’s” department, my desk was right beside hers. She moved me to a huge, isolated desk in one corner of the department.
Physical ostracism is one weapon a heterosexist supervisor may use against you, and of course, it's a weapon most LGBT folk are only too familiar with; many of us were ostracized as school children. The ostracism you experience on the job may not be this overt, but just like me, you’ll feel it. In your interaction with staff, you'll get a persistent, understated message that you are unwelcome. Then again, that message might not be so understated:
I was told by my immediate supervisor, “David”, that I “don’t belong in this department”. This happened after I disagreed with some performance demerits he gave me.
Every now and then, your supervisor's hostile feelings toward you will manifest themselves at an inappropriate moment. This is liable to happen if ever you have occasion to disagree with something your supervisor says. Depending on how strong his heterosexist attitudes are, it may not take much to provoke him.
Assistant manager “Daniel” made me train another employee without being told in advance that I would be required to fef do it. I didn’t even know what I was supposed to be training the employee to do! I had to ask the employee to find out. Later, I complained about this to “David”, my immediate supervisor.
LGBT employees tend to be good workers. They’re dependable and trustworthy. They bring a lot of dedication and experience and knonow-how to their jobs. Heterosexist supervisors are aware of these assets, and don't hesitate to make use of them. Unfortunately, they're prone to make use of these assets in ways that express disrespect and contempt for the LGBT subordinate.
One day, assistant manager “Daniel” interrupted one of my pharmacy calls so that he could make fun of my hairpiece. I was shocked and humiliated, but afraid to say anything. “Daniel” was “Mamie’s” favorite assistant manager. This happened again one day when I was preparing to take calls. He called out to somebody I didn’t see: “Look, Donny’s changed his hairpiece again!” And he laughed.
Ridicule of physical appearance is something transsexual workers probably are all too familiar with. It's a weapon that butch Lesbians and effeminate men (like myself) can also expect to have aimed at them.
“Daniel” accused me of making inappropriate sexual comments to him. Once, before I started having trouble with him, I did make what was, in retrospect, a foolish comment. His desk was behind mine, and I was trying to be friendly in a typically clumsy way. On the occasion of his birthday, people in the office were stopping by to offer congratulations. I told “Daniel” that I hoped he’d “get some” for his birthday present. I didn’t say what I meant by “get some”, but my implication was clear (wink, nudge). It was a macho wisecrack, and stupid for me to make, but that was the closest I ever came to saying anything inappropriate.
If you're a perceptibly homosexual or transsexual person working in a heterosexist environment, it's best that you police your sense of humor. If you don’t, someone else will! Office humor is notoriously raunchy, but you must be extremely careful of what you say in jest. Any joke or humorous comment with even a hint of sexual connotation can and surely will be used against you. Remember what the heterosexist mentality dictates: LGBT folk should be viewed as purely sexual beings who can't help but act out inappropriately. Their uncontrollably prurient impulses must be kept in check!
My “training” to increase speed consisted of having another agent observe my processing and offer suggestions. Once, Mary sat with me. On another occasion, I was critiqued by Heather. This technique never worked for me, but it’s the only technique “Mamie” would allow. I asked for the chance to do “job shadowing”, which means to observe another agent’s technique while they work. I was never given the chance to try to increase my production this way.
If you are deficient in any of your job expectations, and you are pressured to improve on threat of termination, don’t be surprised to find that your path to improvement is strewn with obstacles. On the other hand, if you are not deficient, expect to be treated as if you are:
When my computer malfunctioned, “Mamie” accused me of “closing pop-up boxes” on my computer screen so that the system wouldn’t load the necessary programs. I did no such thing.
“Mamie” repeatedly made me explain why I wasn’t on the phone in an accusatory manner. When I was of was off the telephone during scheduled times, it was always for an authorized reason.
The Tier II extension is a phone line you can call for assistance with difficult pharmacy calls. “Mamie” accused me of transferring calls to Tier II too often, but frequent transferring to Tier II was required at the time. At the same meeting, “Mamie” actually accused me of being a Tier II agent (I never was!), and of transferring calls to other Tier II agents that I should have taken. “Mamie” later accused me of refusing to transfer pharmacists to the Tier II phone line.
“Mamie” accused me of using Aux 6 (a kind of “hold” button on a pharmacy call telephone) in an unauthorized way. I had been instructed to use the Aux 6 button in that way by “David”.
“Mamie” accused me of spending the exact amount of time on every insurance claim, and that it was always too long. This was not so. The time I spent processing a claim varied according to its difficulty.
“Mamie” accused me of constantly confusing images on my computer screen and processing claims under the wrong reference number. To my recollection, this happened just once.
“Mamie” accused me of deleting insurance claims on a whim with no procedural justification. I only ever deleted claims according to my understanding of procedure.
“Aggie”, my new immediate supervisor, told me that I sounded too “frustrated” on the telephone. She was unable to explain what she meant.
“Aggie” and another assistant manager named “Maria” verbally reprimanded me for praising Mary’s work in writing when I did insurance claims reviews. I was told that the insurance company we were processing claims for didn’t like reading the praise.
Beware of frequent, undocumented accusations of wrongdoing! To my knowledge, none of the aforementioned reprimands were ever documented. I got written performance ratings that were successful and sometimes even outstanding, but I'd been verbally reprimanded so often, I feared getting fired at any moment.
“The Invisible Monster” continues with Part Two.
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