Human Rights Campaign President Cheryl Jacques made the
following statement the day after the election regarding results of votes on constitutional
amendments in 11 states that deny marriage to same-sex couples, as well
as civil unions and domestic partnership rights in some states.
"These amendments protect no one but instead discriminate against
millions of American families. These amendments were put on the ballot
to divide people during the heat of the campaign. We need a thoughtful
conversation about ensuring that every family has the same rights and
responsibilities. Fair-minded Americans know that gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgender people are their friends, their families, their
co-workers and we deserve equal protection under law.
"The closest margin on the amendments was in Oregon where thousands of
same-sex couples there are married. These families – like millions of
other Americans – educated their neighbors, families, friends and
co-workers about the importance of fairness.
"These key conversations happened across the nation and helped us secure
an extremely important victory in Cincinnati, Ohio, beating back a
mean-spirited and discriminatory law on the books. The voters there
repealed a law that banned the city from enacting non-discrimination
laws for gay, lesbian and bisexual citizens. We are proud of that
victory and we are proud of all of the GLBT Americans who had those long
and difficult conversations that brought more and more straight
Americans to the frontlines of the battle for equality.
"GLBT Americans and our allies are more united than ever before. Since
the beginning of this fight, we knew it would be a long journey. We are
committed and we will not give up. In challenging times, America has
grappled with and ultimately stood on the side of fairness, and we will
repeat this proud experience. History is on our side."
Amendments in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi,
Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah passed.
Cincinnati's discriminatory Article XII was repealed by a 54 percent
vote.
Enviroshop is maintained by dedicated NetSys Interactive Inc. owners & employees who generously contribute their time to maintenance & editing, web design, custom programming, & website hosting for Enviroshop.