Say No 2 Campaign Launches Make Your Own Commercial Contest

From Bilerico Project Florida:

Florida's SayNo2 Campaign against the dangerous and deceptive Amendment 2 has just announced a contest to create your own commercial against Amendment 2! They will be picking the top user-generated commercials to blast out on all of their social networking sites like MySpace, Youtube, Facebook, and more! We will also be posting some of the videos here on Bileirco-Florida!

We all know that if passed, Amendment 2 would take away existing benefits from all unmarried Floridians. The amendment would hurt all Floridians by taking away important domestic partnership benefits (like hospital visitation, pensions, and insurance). This massive government intrusion also puts the government where it doesn't belong - regulating the personal relationships of Floridians.

That's why the campaign needs your help! They want you to create a short commercial saying why you will Say No 2 Amendment 2 in November. Visit their website at www.SayNo2.com to get information and see all the reasons why everyone should VOTE NO on Amendment 2! Contest details after the jump!
Apple iTunes

Here's what you need to know:

•The videos should be under 4 minutes in length

•It can be anything- a song about the consequences, your personal story about how this amendment would affect you, anything!

•Upload the videos to YouTube and send them the link at their MySpace account (http://www.myspace.com/flredandblue).

•Tell your friends and spread the word!

•The winners will get to see their videos on their sites, as well as receive a "SayNo2" Prize pack with t-shirts, buttons, and other campaign goodies!

So get creative and get involved! We need everyone to help out in the fight against this dangerous and deceptive amendment!

Word for the Day: Hate

Our regular new daily video diary takes on hate in politics and Amendment 2:

Renneisen Says He Opposes Amendment 2

Despite signing petitions to get Amendment 2 on the ballot congressional candidate Paul Renneisen says he opposes Amendment 2:

"I did sign the petition to get it on the ballot so it can be voted down," Renneisen said. "I didn't sign a petition supporting the amendment at all. I signed a petition to put it on the ballot."

"There are a lot of [gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender] individuals who feel we have an opportunity in this year of change [to] defeat this," he said, adding that he would vote against the proposal to add the state's law banning same-sex marriage to the Florida Constitution.

I'm inclined to take Paul's word for this one, but the explanation sounds a little weak to me. It would be quite easy for someone to think that signing a petition on behalf of getting Amendment 2 on the ballot is an implicit support of the Amendment. And if it passes, which is in the realm of possibilities, then won't this signature (and those of his family) have helped make the new law reality?

Martinez Opposes Amendment 2

Just had Mayor Raul Martinez, who is running against Lincoln Diaz-Balart in Congressional District 21, on Florida Progressive Radio. He said that he is going to vote "No" on Amendment 2.

From the Blogs

Equality Florida: Creepy Video from Amendment 2 Backers

Brevard Young Democratts Do the Right Thing

The Brevard Young Democrats oppose the Hate Amendment. Congratulations to them for publicly taking the correct stand.

Crist Continues His Hateful Ways

Governor Charlie Crist continues his push for the VP spot:

Also on Monday, Crist said he supported Amendment Two which would constitutionally ban gay marriage in the state. Such unions are already illegal in Florida and Crist has previously shied away from the issue, saying he has a "live and let live" attitude.

Less "live and let live," more "live and let die."

I say John McCain should go ahead and pick Charlie. It guarantees McCain won't make it to the White House and it'll do serious damage to Crist's image as a "winner" going into the 2010 governor's race.

Dan Gelber on Amendment 2

Gelber isn't a big fan of the Hate Amendment:

The amendment would do much more than prohibit gay marriages (which are already prohibited by law): it would also prohibit other legal unions that are the substantial equivalent of marriage.

It is also not clear whether this prohibition would apply only to gay couples or to others, such as two citizens living together to increase their social security benefit or to get health insurance. It would likely prohibit the business practice of allowing domestic partners (even heterosexual ones) to obtain benefits (health insurance for example), which happened in Michigan and Kentucky after similar amendments passed.

Given Florida’s health care and education crisis, and all the many challenges facing our state, I’m not quite sure why this topic is even on the ballot. To learn the many reasons why you should oppose this amendment visit www.SayNo2.com.

Why They're Wrong, Part 9

Another one on the "definition" front. This time a guy is trying to say that gay marriage proponents are trying to redefine the word family. He says that ALL dictionary definitions of the word family include "children" as a required part of being a family. Not according to the very link he provides tothe American Heritage Dictionary. Definition 1b is:

Two or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another, and reside usually in the same dwelling place.

I don't see anything having to do with children in that definition, do you?

The title of his "article" is even worse: "Dehumanizing Marriage." He's actually explicitly saying that gay people aren't human. Once again, opposition to gay marriage has nothing to do with the smokescreen of legal or traditional arguments they put forth. It's all about hatred of gay people and using them as a scapegoat in order to drive conservative turnout.

Shouldn't More of Our Unions Be Doing This?

The California Labor Federation is opposing its state's version of Amendment 2 (Amendment 8). Shouldn't all of our labor organizations be doing this as well?

"I understand the power of the state labor federation," said Smith who once served as California's labor secretary. "I suspect this is the first time that any state federation has ever engaged in one of these battles."

Shouldn't Florida be the second?

Miami Beach Does the Right Thing

The Miami Beach City Commission did the right thing and voted unanimously to oppose Amendment 2. Why?

Miami Beach is one of a growing number of government entities to establish Domestic Partnership Registries which offer specific rights and benefits such as hospital visitation and emergency decision making to unmarried partners. Amendment 2 threatens these registries by prohibiting the state from recognizing anything that is "treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof."

Opposing Amendment 2 is something all the cool kids are doing (including the League of Women Voters, the NAACP, Florida's Professional Firefighters and the Florida Education Association). Shouldn't you be doing it, too?

Terrible Ad

I hope the Yes on 2 people keep doing ads like this one:



Why? Because it is pretty insulting. It specifically endorses religion in government and implies there is something wrong with you if you think otherwise. It explicitly endorses creationism. It also portrays marriage as only about children -- therefore women are only about bearing children. It insults single parents -- regardless of the reason why they are single. So, even if your spouse died, this ad still implies you can't be a good parent. This ad appeals to people who already hate gay people, but I doubt it convinces a single person to vote for Amendment 2. Too bad they didn't waste more money on it.

Why They're Wrong, Part 8

One of the arguments that anti-gay marriage people always use is that we shouldn't redefine marriage. It's as if they don't really care about marriage or gay people, they're just worried about the integrity of the dictionary.

The argument is a bad one anyway. There is no such thing as "the" definition of marriage. The words marry and marriage have multiple meanings. Marry and marriage have always had multiple meanings. Some of those meanings specify a man and a woman. Some of them specify a man and women. Some of them say nothing about gender. The earliest usage of the word dates to 1297 when it was defined as "to wed, marry, give in marriage."

So, next time you hear this lame argument, ask the person spouting it, "which definition"? That's what it's really about, choosing which definition is acceptable and which is not. It isn't about redefining anything.

Times Are Changing

The news on California's attempts to ban gay marriage:

More California voters say they would oppose a November ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage in the state’s constitution than would support it, according to a survey released July 18.

The Field Poll found that 51 percent of likely voters say they would vote against Proposition 8, while 42 percent say they would vote for it.

That's a huge turnaround from 2000, when 61% of Californians supported the ban. If this trend holds elsewhere, Amendment 2 is doomed in Florida, as it should be.

Hate Breeds Hate

Kudos go to the Broward County School Board, for passing a strong anti-bullying policy aimed at protecting GLBT students. This is a good step in the right direction and is something that needs to be more widely pursued.

This is also another good reason to oppose Amendment 2. If we further enshrine hatred in the state's constitution, we publicly declare that hatred towards homosexuals is legitimate and acceptable in society. Children who hear that message and already dislike GLBT children and teens are likely to engage in more bullying and hateful behavior. More GLBT children and teens are going to have their self-esteem and mental health assaulted. These things can't be allowed to happen.

Amendment 2 Proponets Tell Supporters To Break the Law

I'm loathe to include the video or the link, lest we give them more traffic, but this video seems to be a direct request by religious right nutjob Mat Staver to Floridians to break the law:



Staver actually wrote Amendment 2 and is pushing the for people to sign petitionsnot just once, but twice:

2:19: "even if someone has already signed it, it doesn't matter. They can sign it again."

He explains that they can go ahead and sign the petition again, even if they've already done so and that the government will sort them out. Forget that this is the direct encouragement of waste in government, it is also illegal:

A person who knowingly signs a petition or petitions for a candidate, a minor political party, or an issue more than one time commits a misdemeanor of the first degree...

Showing once again, that nothing to do with this Amendment has anything to do with right or wrong, Staver is telling his followers to break the law in an attempt to add hate to the Florida Constitution.

These people are trying to win at all costs for political reasons...

Two More Amendment Opponents

On Sunday's radio show state house candidate Ron Rice declared he was against Amendment 2.

Similarly, CFO Alex Sink said she opposes the hate amendment as well, according to several sources today...

Thursday Challenge

We need you to help us out with our new blog/project The Hate Amendment. Here's what you can do:

1. Promote the site. Tell your family and friends about it. Put it on your blogroll. Post about it.

2. Join the site. We need more bloggers to blog against the hateful Amendment 2. Send me an e-mail at quinnelk@hotmail.com and I'll add you to the site.

3. Join our blogroll. If you have a blog and you oppose Amendment 2, let me know, and I'll add you to the blogroll. Again, e-mail me at quinnelk@hotmail.com.

4. Help us identify politicians who support or oppose the amendment. We keep a running tally here. We want it to eventually include all of the members of the cabinet, congressional delegation, legislature, their challengers and prominent local politicians. If you see an article, have a tip, or know one of these people, send me an e-mail. Again, quinnelk@hotmail.com.

5. Obviously, you can vote against the amendment in November and convince as many other people to vote against it as possible. We can defeat this hateful law, but only with your help.

More Amendment Opponents

Via Florida Red & Blue, we discover more politicians who oppose Amendment 2. All of the following are on the board or advisory board of the organization:

Andrew Gillum, Tallahassee City Commissioner
Congressman Kendrick Meek
Congressman Robert Wexler
Congressman Ron Klein
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Congresswoman Kathy Castor
Senator Dave Aronberg
Senator Jeremy Ring
Senator Steve Geller
Senator Ted Deutch
Senator Tony Hill
Representative Dan Gelber
Representative Kelly Skidmore
Representative Ari Porth
Representative Loranne Ausley
Alan Brock, County Commission Candidate
Annette Taddeo, Congressional Candidate
Commissioner Craig Lowe, City of Gainesville
Commissioner Fran Russo, City of Hollywood
Commissioner Sue Gunzburger, Broward County
Horace G. Feliu, Mayor, South Miami
Mayor Frank Ortis, City of Pembroke Pines
Vice Mayor Stacy Ritter, Broward County
Representative Audrey Gibson
Representative Elaine Schwartz
Senator Nan Rich
Adriene Reese, Candidate for Supervisor of Elections, Broward County
Anne Gannon, Tax Collector, Palm Beach County
Commissioner Bruno Barriero, Miami-Dade County Commission
Commissioner Carlos Gimenez, Miami-Dade County Commission
Commissioner Joe Angelo, City of Wilton Manors
Commissioner Ken Keechl, Broward County Commission
Commissioner Richard Steinberg, Miami Beach
Commissioner Saul Gross, Miami Beach
Commissioner Scott Galvin, North Miami
Councilwoman Patty Sheehan, City of Orlando
Joe Garcia, Congressional Candidate
Joseph Gibbons, House Candidate
Mark LaFontaine, House Candidate
Max Linn, Congressional Candidate
Mayor Carmen McGarry, Hillsboro Beach
Mayor David Dermer, City of Miami Beach
Mayor John Hornbuckle, Village of Biscayne Park
Mayor Joy Cooper, Hallandale Beach
Mayor Scott Newton, City of Wilton Manors
Michael Gongora, Commissioner City of Miami Beach

Members of Congress: 5 against, 0 for
Congressional candidates: 4 against the amendment, 0 for
Legislators: 15 against the amendment, 0 for
Legislative candidates: 4 against, 0 for
Local officials: 22 against, 0 for
Local candidates: 2 against, 0 for

More later.

Calderin Says No on 2

Wasting no time, Michael Calderin, candidate for state house district 119 has responded to our challenge to come out against Amendment 2:

No on 2.

It's a waste of the state's time and resources, both banning gay marriage -- which isn't legal in Florida anyway -- and eliminating the rights of straight Floridians, including many seniors who live with an unmarried partner.

Whether you're for or against gay marriage doesn't even matter. It's already not allowed. Whether this amendment becomes part of Florida's Constitution or not won't change that.

What it will do is create more bureaucracy, interfere with people's lives, and invite expensive lawsuits.

Creating laws should be about priorities. How would *you* prioritize something that's redundant, intrusive, and expensive?

The best way to tell him thanks? Contribute here.