From the Associated Press:
An appeals court on Tuesday upheld the state's campaign disclosure law that requires a national anti-gay-marriage group to release its donor list, but the group plans to take the fight to shield the list to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The decision pertains to ballot question committees in Maine and represents a second defeat for the National Organization for Marriage, which previously lost a challenge to the state's political action committee laws and laws governing independent expenditures and advertising attribution and disclaimers.
The latest appeal focused on part of the law that says groups that raise or spend more than $5,000 to influence elections must register and disclose their donors.
The NOM, which says it was founded in 2007 in response to the "growing need for an organized opposition to same-sex marriage in state legislatures," donated $1.9 million to a political action committee that helped repeal Maine's same-sex marriage law. It said it believes that releasing the donor list would stymie free speech.
"We already know that the homosexual lobby has launched a national campaign of harassment and intimidation against supporters of traditional marriage, so there's a good reason to keep these names confidential," said Indiana lawyer James Bopp Jr., who's representing the NOM.
Mary Bonauto, an attorney with Boston-based Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, said Bopp's claims are an attempt to divert attention from NOM's failure to follow Maine disclosure rules.
As long as they can appeal, NOM will not give up the names of their supporters. They claim that it could be dangerous if the list is posted because the big bad queers will go after them.
First, it is the law to list anyone who has given more than $5,000 and they have been told twice now that they are NOT exempt from disclosing the names. Until they have run the gambit of appeals, they are not going to give it up nor is anyone going to jail.
Second, it is suspected that the Catholic church has filtered a ton into NOM and that would not be a good thing for NOM or the church WHEN it comes out.
The problem is that by the time the Supreme Court makes a judgement, the damage will be done.
Maine is not the only state they are hiding information from. They are spending big bucks in several states to shield their supporters.
The big question is why are they trying so hard to hide the list of names.
If they are all about "Supporting traditional marriage", why are they trying to undo other protections for LGBTs? Why aren't they working to make getting a divorce harder? Or dumping money into teaching kids that marriage is not something disposable despite the way folks in the news make it seem.
Britney Spears married 55 hours.
Kim Kardashian married 3 months
Newt Gingrich cheated and married 3 times
This is not the fault of equal marriage. In fact, LGBT couples who have been lucky enough to get married, do not have the option of getting a divorce. There are a very few who have after much time and money but the laws are not set up for it.
My wife and I were married in DC. The only way we can get a divorce is if one of us moves there and lives for a year before we can even apply. Maryland requires the couple to separate for a year before applying.
They are trying hard to make it seem that "Traditional or Natural Marriage" will stop because LGBTs can marry. This is one of many lies told by NOM and others like them.
People are not going to stop getting married and raising kids. The 50% divorce rate THEY created will not be affected by equal marriage.
LGBT folks are not going to stop making commitments and raising kids either. We just want the same protections that they get for doing the same thing. Working hard as a couple and doing the best job they can raising kids.
So what are they afraid of? That we will do a better job at staying married? Better at raising kids?
Finally seen as the first class, contributing, happy families?
Oh Goddess forbid!
An appeals court on Tuesday upheld the state's campaign disclosure law that requires a national anti-gay-marriage group to release its donor list, but the group plans to take the fight to shield the list to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The decision pertains to ballot question committees in Maine and represents a second defeat for the National Organization for Marriage, which previously lost a challenge to the state's political action committee laws and laws governing independent expenditures and advertising attribution and disclaimers.
The latest appeal focused on part of the law that says groups that raise or spend more than $5,000 to influence elections must register and disclose their donors.
The NOM, which says it was founded in 2007 in response to the "growing need for an organized opposition to same-sex marriage in state legislatures," donated $1.9 million to a political action committee that helped repeal Maine's same-sex marriage law. It said it believes that releasing the donor list would stymie free speech.
"We already know that the homosexual lobby has launched a national campaign of harassment and intimidation against supporters of traditional marriage, so there's a good reason to keep these names confidential," said Indiana lawyer James Bopp Jr., who's representing the NOM.
Mary Bonauto, an attorney with Boston-based Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, said Bopp's claims are an attempt to divert attention from NOM's failure to follow Maine disclosure rules.
As long as they can appeal, NOM will not give up the names of their supporters. They claim that it could be dangerous if the list is posted because the big bad queers will go after them.
First, it is the law to list anyone who has given more than $5,000 and they have been told twice now that they are NOT exempt from disclosing the names. Until they have run the gambit of appeals, they are not going to give it up nor is anyone going to jail.
Second, it is suspected that the Catholic church has filtered a ton into NOM and that would not be a good thing for NOM or the church WHEN it comes out.
The problem is that by the time the Supreme Court makes a judgement, the damage will be done.
Maine is not the only state they are hiding information from. They are spending big bucks in several states to shield their supporters.
The big question is why are they trying so hard to hide the list of names.
If they are all about "Supporting traditional marriage", why are they trying to undo other protections for LGBTs? Why aren't they working to make getting a divorce harder? Or dumping money into teaching kids that marriage is not something disposable despite the way folks in the news make it seem.
Britney Spears married 55 hours.
Kim Kardashian married 3 months
Newt Gingrich cheated and married 3 times
This is not the fault of equal marriage. In fact, LGBT couples who have been lucky enough to get married, do not have the option of getting a divorce. There are a very few who have after much time and money but the laws are not set up for it.
My wife and I were married in DC. The only way we can get a divorce is if one of us moves there and lives for a year before we can even apply. Maryland requires the couple to separate for a year before applying.
They are trying hard to make it seem that "Traditional or Natural Marriage" will stop because LGBTs can marry. This is one of many lies told by NOM and others like them.
People are not going to stop getting married and raising kids. The 50% divorce rate THEY created will not be affected by equal marriage.
LGBT folks are not going to stop making commitments and raising kids either. We just want the same protections that they get for doing the same thing. Working hard as a couple and doing the best job they can raising kids.
So what are they afraid of? That we will do a better job at staying married? Better at raising kids?
Finally seen as the first class, contributing, happy families?
Oh Goddess forbid!
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