KNOWTHYNEIGHBOR Expands to Florida; Anti-Gay petition signers online

[Tesha]

(Moderators: This is a press release so it is posted in its entirety.)

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Primary Contact: Tom Lang, Co-Director
Cell: [phone]

Secondary Contact: Aaron Toleos, Co-Director
Cell: [phone]

KNOWTHYNEIGHBOR.ORG EXPANDS TO FLORIDA;
POSTS NAMES OF 450,000 ANTI-GAY PETITION SIGNERS ONLINE

Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA, June 12, 2006 -- KnowThyNeighbor.org, the
Massachusetts group that drew national attention for posting the names
of anti-gay marriage petition signers online in December 2005, announced
today that it has expanded its activities to Florida. KnowThyNeighbor.org
has partnered there with the Christ Church of Peace in Jacksonville to
post online the names of over 450,000 signers of The Florida Marriage
Protection Amendment.

The names can be accessed at KnowThyNeighbor.org and ChristChurchofPeace.org.

The two groups have been working together since February 2006 when members
of the Christ Church of Peace congregation contacted KnowThyNeighbor.org
for help. Tom Lang, co-director of KnowThyNeighbor.org, says, "We are
excited to be partnering with people of faith to protect the rights of gay citizens.
It's great to have a pro-gay, Christian group making such a strong statement
on this issue and we are honored to have them with us."

The proposed Florida amendment would not only deny civil marriage rights to
gays and lesbians, but also put civil unions and domestic partnerships in
jeopardy. Lang explains, "The other side will accuse us of trying to
intimidate voters but they are the ones who are threatening to take people's
rights away. When someone is sponsoring legislation to hurt your family, it
is your right if not your obligation to find out who is behind it?"

KnowThyNeighbor.org expects that, as in Massachusetts, gay citizens in
Florida who find the names of friends, neighbors, family, and co-workers
on the website will be triggered into a state of activism and seek out
conversations with those who would take their rights away. Lang explains,
"These conversations can be uncomfortable for both parties but are
desperately needed if people are to understand how important marriage
and family are to the gay community."

The expansion to Florida represents a conscious effort by KnowThyNeighbor.org
to move onto the national scene and its directors have been actively
collaborating with citizen activists in other states. Co-director and
webmaster Aaron Toleos explains, "The Republican Party has used the
gay marriage issue as a tool to mobilize voters in this country. But
their tactics have also given rise to a counter-movement that we plan
to capitalize on as KnowThyNeighbor.org becomes a tool for grassroots
organizing across the nation."

###

Read more and talk on the KTN blog:

http://knowthyneighbor.blogs.com

[William769]

1. I hope my name will be accessed!

Now that would make me proud! :bounce:

[Laughing Mirror]

2. You are proud of signing an anti-gay marriage petition?

Why? Hate is something to be proud about?

[William769]

4. Boy do I have egg on my face!

I shouldn't post this damn early in the morning. I was thinking of another petition I in Florida signed to keep the marriage ammendment off the ballot! And yes I would be proud to have my name accessed on that one! Please forigve me for being so damn stupid this morning.

[zanne]

6. I think we all knew it was one of those, William769

I firmly believe that coffee is the answer to everything :)

[William769]

9. I don't drink coffee, but I think I should now.

Oy!

[zanne]

3. Are we sinking to their level, then?

Granted, the Right Wing gets what it deserves, but do we lose the right to call them sleezy if we use the same kind of tactics? I really don't know, but I hope that others reply to the original post to give me some food for thought.

[Tesha]

5. Why would you think that posting open records is...

Why would you think that posting open records is "sinking to
their level"? All that's happening here is that if you signed
a (publicly-visible) petition to take away the rights of some
folks, then KnowThyNeighbor is going to make sure that everyone
has enough access to know that you feel that way.

The best disinfectant for hate is to bring the hatred (and haters)
into the light of day. (Why do you think the Klan wears sheets?)

Tesha

[LostinVA]

11. You got it n/t

[ElboRuum]

15. No points for second place...

Regardless of the virtue of the intention...

Of course, I'm not sure I understand how this qualifies as the same kind of tactics. But if it does, I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is politics, not a canonization committee. You always have the right to call them sleazy, but it may not stick if you don't take the high road... then again, it doesn't seem to be sticking anyway, so...

Answer?

Stop calling them sleazy. Just beat them.

[mitchtv]

29. Huh?

Truth is the name of the game. Public records, besides their level of lowness cannot easily be obtained. Should we use every tactic possible? in most cases, yes

[rodeodance]

7. the FL amend. would also deny civil marriage to gays. Time to fight

DIRTY. The have a brother in south FL. who has a civil marriage with his partner. This is all out war!

.....The proposed Florida amendment would not only deny civil marriage rights to
gays and lesbians, but also put civil unions and domestic partnerships in
jeopardy. Lang explains, "The other side will accuse us of trying to
intimidate voters but they are the ones who are threatening to take people's
rights away. When someone is sponsoring legislation to hurt your family, it
is your right if not your obligation to find out who is behind it?"

[rodeodance]

8. REC

[Ilsa]

10. Yuck, I found the name of a distant relative.

Actually, no relation to me. Husband of my spouse's relative. He's a diehard Bushie, so I shouldn't be surprised. I'm glad her name isn't on that list. Here's the thing, though: the man is divorced (with a child)and on marriage number 2. I doubt gay marriage had anything to do with his first failed relationship, either.

[MuseRider]

12. Found my cousins

as I expected. They are distant and old but I figured they would be there. Too bad, the two times I met them they were pretty nice.

Thanks for posting this.

[JackBeck]

24. I found three relatives.

I remember visiting them in Florida when I was really young. If they only knew me now maybe I could change their minds.

[sofa king]

13. Is there a lawyer in the house?

Could I, as a potential employer, utilize this list to deny employment to anti-gay petition signers?

In my hypothetical line of work, one of my primary concerns is weeding out applicants with lower educational background, lower cognitive skills, and antisocial tendencies. I propose to use this list for that purpose.

Would it fly? Does it depend on the state (I know some states can fire people for any reason, or none at all)? In which states could it be used for that purpose? May I inform the applicant of the reason for my decision?

Thanks in advance for your input.

[Tesha]

16. Generally speaking, one need never cite a reason when...

Generally speaking, one need never cite a reason when one
chooses not to employ someone.

I mean, you can do it if you think it would be helpful
("You don't have enough experience yet with the Poster-
Matic2000."), but you don't *HAVE* to give any reason.

Tesha

[sofa king]

31. Heh, I think it would be helpful...

I think it would be helpful to say, "I didn't hire you because I know you're an asshole, and here is how I know." Casting that first stone right back at the sinner, so to speak.

It's fun to think about, I guess, but whether or not it's legal it still seems rather unfair and more within the code of ethics of our rivals rather than us. Since I can barely keep myself employed, I rather doubt I'll ever be able to do it, anyway.

But you can bet I'll bookmark that list and keep it handy, just in case.

[Tesha]

36. It's not that you declined to hire him because he's an asshole...

> It's fun to think about, I guess, but whether or not it's
> legal it still seems rather unfair and more within the code
> of ethics of our rivals rather than us.

It's not that you declined to hire him because he's an asshole,
per se.

You declined to hire him because you expect to hire a person who
can work with many other members of your team, and who knows
when someone on your team will turn out to be a person whom
this asshole, umm, candidate has already stated they'd prefer
to discriminate against? You don't want a person like this
candidate messing up a highly-skilled, well-integrated, happily-
functioning team, right?

Tesha

[mzteris]

14. Put YOUR State Online!

You don't need to be part of an existing gay rights organization... you just need to be a regular citizen ready to stand up for equal rights. In most states, any citizen can get the list of petition signers directly from the Secretary of the State. Let us help get you started!

Contact us today:

Tom Lang, Director
[phone]
[e-mail]

Aaron Toleos, Director
[phone]
[e-mail]

Find out how to contact us for more information.


***********

**Thanks for posting this!**

[Bridget Dooley]

17. Eek

My grandmother signed that thing! Her and I are going to be having a litte talk this evening!

[mzteris]

18. I was surprised NOT

to find my sister and her husband on there. . .

You should find out if your grandma was "tricked" into signing it, maybe?

[Tesha]

20. "Tricked signatures" was a very definite problem in Massachusetts

> You should find out if your grandma was "tricked" into signing it, maybe?

I'd like to *STRONGLY SECOND* that suggestion. In Massachusetts,
when signatures were being collected for the anti-gay-rights
initiative, a number of different methods were used to trick
voters into signing the petitions and, when contacted, many
voters disclaimed their signatures, stating (probably truthfully)
that they never would have deliberately signed such a thing, but
they did remember signing a petition for "x" or "y" or "z".

So don't assume Granny's Gone Bad(tm) before you check with her.

Tesha

[bear425]

19. Thanks for the link. I just found out that several of my former

neighbors signed. :( Makes me really sad.

[Ian David]

22. Checked my daughter's potential dentist against the list. And he signed...

and he KNEW he signed, and said that he stands behind signing the anti-gay petition.

That would be the Pediatric dentist in Stoughton, Mass.

[Tesha]

25. Well ain't that a kick in the teeth?

Are you (therefore) remaining in the market
for a new pediatric dentist?

Tesha

[Ian David]

26. Yep, still looking. Keeping my eyeteeth open. n/t

[populistdriven]

21. Ok, my 3 year old kids day care provider is on the list

friggin wonderful, there isnt a damn thing i can do about it since she's great with the kids and lives 1 block away

[closeupready]

23. You could talk with her. What if your child's gay?

At any rate, it's probably not a good idea to have a homophobe near your kids. Good luck. :)

[populistdriven]

27. it doesn't matter if my 3 year old is gay or not, what matters is, what if

this homophobic freak somehow thinks so

[closeupready]

30. Yes, of course. Forgot to put my thinking cap on today.

:D

[mzteris]

35. that doesn't even matter....

what matters is that all the children are being subjected to "negative language" - EVEN IF the provider is "trying to be careful".


What kind of signals are being sent out?

No, no, Johnny - you can't play dress up with the girls clothes.

No, no, Sally - you can't play with the trucks and cars - those are for boys.

No, no, Johnny - you can't play in the kitchen - that's for girls.

No, no, Sally - you can't "be the Daddy"

No, no, Johnny - boys don't cry. Don't be a sissy.

No, no, Sally - you can't be the doctor, just the nurse.


I don't care how "wonderful" the daycare provider is - if they're biased - they're teaching it to the kids.

[alfredo]

28. Some of my relatives on my wife's side signed, but I'd expect they

would, being staunch republicans and members of the Paris Hilton class. Alberto is on the way to their home and should be passing right over them soon.

[karlrschneider]

32. kickety

:kick:

[Book Lover]

33. I was pleasantly surprised

Those who I thought I would find, I did not. Thank goodness.

[Zhade]

34. Good for them!

I support exposing bigots.