Election Special Reports

Last Minute on Election Day: Advisory on Stories, Candidate Interview

Karen Ocamb — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 01:03:00 GMT

Yes, yes—election fatigue besets us. But today’s elections in West Hollywood and Los Angeles will impact the direction the two cities take for years to come. Already millions of dollars from outside L.A. have been spent to oust LGBT ally and LAUSD board member Steve Zimmer, who seems to be supported by most Democrats. And the Republican Party is hoping for low voter turnout so their usually stalwart voters can re-elect Carmen Trutanich against progressive ally Mike Feurer and perhaps more importantly, they hope to sneak attorney and right wing radio talk show host Kevin James into a run-off for L.A. mayor to “rebuild” the state party. James is openly gay but when noted during a debate, he nods and refers to his time on the board of AIDS Project Los Angeles. Well, as I write about in this overview piece—that was the time of the big Calvin Klein extravaganza, after which James lead the organization into filing for bankruptcy to re-organize.

On a more positive note—there are six other openly gay candidates running for office today—the widely endorsed Ron Galprin, running for LA City Controller against openly gay Cary Brazeman; Mike Bonin is seeking to replace his boss Bill Rosendahl on the city council—and THREE openly gay candidates are running for the historic LGBT 13th District—Alex De Ocampo, Mitch O’Farrell and Matt Szabo.

Additionally —please check out my LGBT-specific interviews with L.A. City Councilmember Eric Garcetti andL.A. City Controller Wendy Greuel—the top two contenders to be the next mayor of L.A.

Finally, openly gay incumbents West Hollywood Mayor Jeffrey Prang and Councilmember John Duran are in a fierce battle for re-election with a number of gays wanting their seats. Here’s that story.

Polls are open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Click here if you need to find your polling place.

For Candidate Mitch O’Farrell, the 13th Council District is Home

Karen Ocamb — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 14:00:00 GMT

The Taglyan Cultural Complex on Vine in Hollywood was packed Jan. 24 with supporters for the 13th City Council District candidates debate sponsored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. But there was something different about supporters of gay candidate Mitch O’Farrell. They were not only pulling for him to do well; they seemed to love him.

Shortly after the debate, the Hollywood Chamber’s PAC endorsed O’Farrell. But it’s the support of longtime residents such as Wes Joe, who worked with O’Farrell on designating The Black Cat bar and the steps up to Harry Hay’s Mattachine Society home as historic sites.

“During a site visit on a rare, moist, summer day, it was Mitch who remarked that he could feel Harry's spirit on the hill,” Joe told Frontiers. “So last April, on Harry Hay's birth centenary, we were able to celebrate the naming of the Mattachine Steps on Cove Avenue just above the Silver Lake Reservoir.”

Even O’Farrell’s reasons for running for the seat being vacated by his former boss, Councilmember Eric Garcetti, are personal. “I know and love the 13th District so much,” O’Farrell told Frontiers. “Over the last 31 years, I have been rooted here; from Hollywood in 1982, moving to Glassell Park in 1992 when I met my partner George Brauckman and we began making a life together. ... No one knows the 13th better or has the experience or the track record of making improvements here. I am very eager to put all of that experience to greater use as the next councilmember for the 13th District. ... [A]s a gay man who is in the age group that was hit hardest by the [AIDS] epidemic, but was given the privilege and luxury of being alive and thriving, I feel a duty to give back in a big way to all of society, beginning with my own neighborhood and the 13th District.”

Visit mitchforcitycouncil.org for more info.

13th Council District Candidate Matt Szabo Wants to Do Big Things

Karen Ocamb — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 14:00:00 GMT

After the Jan. 24 Hollywood Chamber of Commerce-sponsored debate between candidates for the 13th City Council District, more than one observer compared the performance of gay candidate Matt Szabo to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s congressional testimony on Benghazi the day before—thanks to his ease with explaining big ideas and having complicated facts at his fingertips.

Apparently respected former 13th District Councilmember and Assemblymember Jackie Goldberg was also impressed. Days later she endorsed Szabo. “There are a number of truly extraordinary candidates in this race, but Matt Szabo is best prepared for the job, has the most progressive vision and the kind of commitment to the community we need on the City Council,” Goldberg said.

Szabo, a former deputy mayor to L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, is not shy about pressing for more than safe ideas. “I'm running for office because I want to do big things for the people of the 13th District and the city of Los Angeles as a whole,” Szabo told Frontiers. “I've worked for more than a decade in the highest levels of city government. I know how the city works. And I want to put it to work on behalf of the residents of my district. Specifically, I want to build upon the tremendous progress we have made in the areas of renewable energy, new open/green space, public transportation and public safety.

“I understand how consequential this time is for Los Angeles—a time of tremendous potential, but also peril,” he said. “The city is not yet financially stable. I understand thoroughly this very immediate challenge and how to address it. It is a very real question whether or not the city will be able to continue to provide services and make the progress necessary to fulfill the promise of Los Angeles. I will not let this city go bankrupt ... [but] I thrive and perform best in tough situations and when stakes are the highest.”

Visit voteszabo.com for more info.

Wendy Greuel Wants To Be L.A.’s First Female Mayor

Karen Ocamb — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 14:00:00 GMT

There was a moment during President Obama’s State of the Union address on Feb. 12 when he said, “We know our economy is stronger when our wives, our mothers, our daughters can live their lives free from discrimination in the workplace, and free from the fear of domestic violence,” noting that the Senate just passed the Violence Against Women Act. “And I ask this Congress to declare that women should earn a living equal to their efforts, and finally pass the Paycheck Fairness Act this year.”

The camera cut away to two Republican women sitting frozen-faced and another turning away. Renewing the Violence Against Women Act ran into trouble this time because protections for the LGBT community and Native American women were included. There has always been more of an intersection between discrimination faced by women, minorities and the LGBT community than many have realized.

For more than 30 years, L.A. City Controller Wendy Greuel has worked to end discrimination through this nexus. Now she is seeking to become the first female mayor of Los Angeles, though she must first face March 5 primary challengers City Councilmembers Eric Garcetti and Jan Perry, gay conservative Republican radio talk show host Kevin James and former aide to Mayor Villaraigosa, Emanuel Pleitez.

For 10 of her 20 years in office, Greuel was a senior aide to L.A.’s first African-American mayor, Tom Bradley, during which time the two made historic advances for LGBT rights and people with HIV/AIDS.

“When I was working for Tom Bradley in the ‘80s, I actually was the liaison to the LGBT community,” Greuel told Frontiers during a phone interview Feb. 13. “I spearheaded our efforts to create the first city/county AIDS task force to address an issue that—at that time—the county was unwilling to address [other than Supervisor Ed Edelman]. ... I was the staffer, go-to, policy—all of that—and really worked hard at a time when so many individuals were discriminating against the LGBT community out of fear and misinformation and, I think, homophobia. I was proud to work for a mayor who said, ‘We’re going to stand up and we’re going to be counted and say that it’s not OK.’“

Greuel recalls how Torie Osborn, then-executive director of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Community Services Center, asked for Greuel’s help when the Center was going to lose its insurance. Greuel recommended that Bradley call the CEO of the insurance company and threaten to hold a press conference asking people to boycott that insurance company because they were discriminating and homophobic. Osborn was incredulous. But Bradley made that call, and the insurance was reinstated.

Greuel also set up a number of AIDS programs, used the mayor’s office to ask the City Council for money for condoms and bleach to stop the spread of AIDS, and was responsible for establishing the City AIDS Coordinator position, headed first by Being Alive’s Dave Johnson, then Phill Wilson (subsequent founder of the Black AIDS Institute) and then former ACT UP member Ferd Egan.

“Tom Bradley was the unlikely older African-American mayor who was a leader on this issue,” Greuel said, recalling the emotional scene when Bradley got a standing ovation at one of the first APLA AIDS Walks. “I feel honored that I not only learned from him but toiled with him on issues that were really important to the LGBT community. He stood for equal rights throughout his entire career—and that was my mentor. And to be the liaison to the LGBT community during some very difficult times was for me a moment I know I learned a lot about standing up for the right things.”

In its endorsement of Greuel, Honor PAC President Alfred Fraijo Jr. noted that she “stood alongside our organization in the fight to defeat Proposition 8” when she represented San Fernando Valley’s 2nd Council District. Greuel also noted that as a councilmember, she fought for the city’s Equal Benefits Ordinance.

“I’m going to be mayor for all of L.A. No part of L.A. will be left behind,” Greuel says. “You’re going to get the same services, no matter where you live. And I’m going to be a mayor that makes sure everyone has their equal rights and that I use the voice of the mayor of the second largest city—and yes, the first woman mayor of L.A.—to ensure there’s no discrimination.”

“I have known Wendy for more than a decade, and I know she understands how to get things done,” says her friend, openly gay California Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez. “Throughout her career, Wendy Greuel has fought to create jobs, return million of dollars to small businesses and improve Los Angeles’ streets and public transit system. Wendy understands the needs of working people and of business owners alike and can bring them together to rebuild our economy. Wendy will be a fighter for Angelenos across the city, and she has my enthusiastic support."

For more info, go to wendygreuel.org.

L.A Mayoral Candidate Eric Garcetti, an Activist on LGBT Rights

Karen Ocamb — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 14:00:00 GMT

Reporting on a Feb. 7 Hollywood fundraiser for Los Angeles Councilmember Eric Garcetti in his race to become L.A.’s next mayor, L.A. Observed’s Kevin Roderick said Garcetti’s “years of blogging, posting on social media ... make him seem like the cool guy candidate.” The L.A. Times’ Michael Finnegan detailed Garcetti’s cultural competency, writing that the candidate “prides himself on his ease with the city's diverse cultures. He sees his mixed ancestry ("I have an Italian last name, and I'm half-Mexican and half-Jewish," he says) as a powerful part of his appeal in a city where voters for decades have split along racial and ethnic lines in mayoral elections.”

Unmentioned so far is Garcetti’s deep relationship with the LGBT community. But the LGBT vote could matter greatly in the March 5 municipal election primary. Turnout is expected to be so low, some politicos speculate that an insignificant progressive vote will be split among Garcetti, his chief rival L.A. City Controller Wendy Greuel and Councilmember Jan Perry to propel gay conservative Republican attorney and radio talk show host Kevin James into the run-off.

But while it’s doubtful the LGBT electorate will vote for James simply because he’s gay, LGBT voters are expected to turn out to advance a bevy of gay candidates for City Council seats and City Controller.

For years, Garcetti has been ubiquitous in the LGBT community. But his commitment goes back further than imagined.

“I kind of cut my teeth as an activist working on issues of equality and civil rights,” Garcetti told Frontiers in a Feb. 13 phone interview. “When I was in college in New York, I worked with ACT UP. I was the leader of a group called the National Students Coalition Against Harassment, which was a nationwide student organization dealing with hate crimes—sexism, homophobia and racism on college campuses. In some ways, I started my work as a political activist around issues of human rights and taught human rights as a professor. I headed up the Young Advocates for Human Rights Watch, worked for the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights dealing with issues of homophobia. Back then, that was more of what we were dealing with than the issue of equality.

“In England, when I was a Rhodes Scholar, I was active in human rights work for the LGBT community there—the age of consent, issues of same-sex partner benefits, education access for gay teachers and other things like that in my time at Oxford. So no matter where I’ve been, it’s been a strong current of my work and how I evolved as a political activist.”

Among his achievements as a councilmember, Garcetti designated The Black Cat and The Mattachine Steps as historic landmarks, and in 2002 expanded the Equal Benefits Ordinance to cover the airport, the port and the Department of Water and Power, requiring them to give equal benefits to same-sex partners for their employees before they could get a city contract. “That was a huge piece of legislation,” Garcetti said.

Garcetti also promises to implement the California FAIR Education Act. “This is a mandate, and I will speak up and speak out for this to be universally in all of Los Angeles’ schools.”

“I’ve never shied away from a fight. I think I’m somebody who’s always looked at the uncomfortable spaces and places of politics and embraced a good struggle for justice,” Garcetti said. “I’ve made sure the LGBT community is not only always at the table, but that voices we don’t hear within the community are heard—homeless, transgender, poor seniors. The diversity of the LGBT community reflects the diversity of the city, and I think I’m the candidate who best embodies a progressive vision that has also produced results. ... We don’t have to make a safe choice in this election. We can make a bold choice, because it’s rooted in somebody who has turned around the kind of heartland of this city—Hollywood, Silver Lake, Echo Park and Atwater Village—and I’ll take that vision citywide.”

Freedom to Marry National Campaign Director Marc Solomon has known Garcetti since 1999 when the two were among the Rockefeller Foundation’s 24 Next Generation of Leaders.

"I'll never forget Eric's guidance when many were pressuring us to settle for civil unions in the early days of the fight in Massachusetts. I called him in a moment of real challenge, and Eric reminded me that civil unions were just a legal agreement but that marriage was about love. 'Fight for love,' he urged me. After Eric offered those words, I've never once turned back,” Solomon told Frontiers. “For the 15 years I've known Eric, full equality for every aspect of our LGBT community has always been a core priority and value. ... Eric will fight hard until every member of our community is fully respected under law, and he will amplify that voice nationwide. I cannot imagine a better person to be mayor of any great American city."

Please go to ericgarcetti.com for more info.

Candidates Square Off at WeHo Forum

Peter DelVecchio — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 14:00:00 GMT

Nine candidates vying for two seats on the West Hollywood City Council in the March 5 election faced off in a “Candidates Forum” Feb. 6 at City Hall. In the incumbents’ corners, Mayor Jeff Prang, first elected to the council in 1997, and John Duran, a councilmember since 2001.

Challengers included Sam Borelli, Tom Demille, Nick Garzilli, Christopher Landavazo, Steve Martin, Tristan Schukraft and Rusty Wiggs. Borelli, a communications consultant, has been a West Hollywood public safety commissioner since 2003. Demille, running for the fourth time, is a 20-year WeHo resident and a graduate of the Sheriff’s Department of Community Policing Academy. Garzilli describes himself as a "Sustainable Transport Entrepreneur." Landavazo is an L.A. Sheriff’s Department deputy and educator. Martin served on the WeHo City Council from 1994-2003 and is an advocate of term limits. Schukraft describes himself as an “entrepreneur with experience creating and managing global companies.” Wiggs is executive director of a Beverly Hills psychology practice.

At the outset, each candidate was asked to state his “first priority.” For Garzilli, it was to put on a “solar pride festival in West Hollywood Park,” in part to showcase a solar-powered “personal rapid transit network” he advocates.

Schukraft wants to see “more community involvement,” possibly involving phone apps showing city issues and councilmembers’ votes.

Martin identified reaching consensus on development and preservation of the city’s character.

Bringing back trust in government and in the city’s leaders on such issues as development and public safety was Borelli’s top concern.

Prang said protection against “overdevelopment,” increased investment in public safety and expansion of parkland are his priorities.

Landavazo wants to see more civic engagement, which he said basically means “listening to our community first and making decisions second.”

Protection and repair of the city’s “aging housing infrastructure,” including rent-controlled units, would be Duran’s first priority.

For Demille, issues affecting seniors, women and children would be paramount.

Wiggs said development issues need the most attention.

With the next topic, traffic, the fireworks began. “In the last two years,” Martin said, “we’ve seen a lot of irresponsible development,” which he said Prang and Duran had voted for. He cited parking and congestion issues associated with several project developments, adding that the ‘Marriott at Sunset and Doheny’ issue “had a lot to do with the fact that ... the lobbyist for the hotel ... also happens to be the consultant for Jeff Prang and John Duran.”

Prang responded that he has “led the way” on traffic issues his entire time on the council, asserting that the city has created 1,700 new parking spaces and instituted other measures to alleviate traffic and parking problems.

Duran said he had voted against the Sunset Millennium project, which he said “Martin championed and passed through” when he was on the council.

Clashes also arose over the topic of “development agreements,” which the moderator said “may circumvent current zoning laws, such as allowing billboards where [otherwise] not allowed” and which “cannot be appealed except through the courts” and “have been increasingly utilized by council over the past decade.”

Martin called such agreements “an invitation for corruption,” saying “developers are buying their way around the general plan” in exchange for offering the city “quote-unquote benefits.” “There’s no accountability,” he said, adding that “these decisions are made behind doors.” He called for a moratorium on development agreements.

Prang responded that the city benefits from development agreements, citing such things as licensing fees for signs on Sunset Boulevard. The mayor nonetheless agreed that “we need to tighten up development agreements” because “it does give developers the opportunity and actually sometimes the incentive to try to get something that we would have otherwise not allowed.” He also said he “voted against the general plan because [he thought] it allowed too much development.”

Duran also defended development agreements, contending that they are only used when they confer a public benefit, and citing the LaBrea Gateway at LaBrea and Santa Monica, which he called “something that’s fantastic, that’s actually doubled property values on the east side.”

When the discussion turned to the city’s budget, and what should be increased or decreased, some of the candidates criticized West Hollywood’s spending on certain special events, including last year’s “Go-Go Dancer Appreciation Day” and the “End of the World” event to mark the purported prediction by the ancient Maya that the end would come on Dec. 21, 2012.

The forum made it plain that many significant issues face the city of West Hollywood and that the candidates have substantial differences of opinion on those issues.

Video of the forum will be replayed on WehoTV Monday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m., and Friday, March 1 at 7 p.m. You can get a DVD of the broadcast by calling (323) 848-6593.

For more on the public forum, click here. You can watch video interviews with the candidates here.

West Hollywood Holds City Council Candidate Public Forum

Paulo Murillo — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 22:06:00 GMT

Residents finally had the opportunity to meet and hear from the nine City Council hopefuls at the highly anticipated West Hollywood City Council Candidate Forum, which took place at the WeHo Auditorium on Wednesday, Feb. 6. Two seats are open for a four-year term for this coming General Municipal Election on March 5.

Mayor Jeffrey Prang and Councilmember John Duran are up for re-election. Non-incumbents Nick Garzilli, Tristan Schukraft, Sam Borelli, Steve Martin, Christopher Landavazo, Tom Demille and Rusty Wiggs have been campaigning for a majority vote.

The open forum gave the candidates a chance to speak to residents and answer 10 questions on a broad spectrum of topics. The categories were:

• First priority if elected
• Traffic and parking
• East side redevelopment
• Proper use of development agreements
• Public safety
• Planning commission challenges
• Affordable housing stock
• Infrastructure—sewage, electricity and gas
• City budget
• Plummer Park

Moderator Michael Willens went right down to business by selecting the candidates at random. The questions had different response times.

The candidates were asked about their first priority if elected. Nick Garzilli had a futuristic outlook towards a solar pride festival where he pitched a Personal Traffic Transportation (PRT). Tristan Schukraft also tapped into his background in technology by proposing an app where people can engage in city issues. Steve Martin expressed an interest in bringing the city together and preserving the city’s culture. Sam Borelli said he wanted to bring back trust in our community, in our government and in the process.

Mayor Jeffrey Prang’s high priorities are to protect our neighborhoods, protect our historic preservation and protect against overdevelopment. Christopher Landavazo wants to implement a technology called NIXLE, which is an electronic notification system to alert WeHo residents about quality of life issues such as road closures and power outages. John Duran’s priority is to focus on housing and infrastructures that are aging, which are in dire need of repair. Tom Demille wants to focus on seniors and women’s issues, as well as child safety. Rusty Wiggs also wants to make city development his first priority.

Regarding the issue of traffic and insufficient residential commercial parking, things became a little heated. “In the last two years we’ve seen a lot of irresponsible development that the two incumbents that are up for re-election have voted for,” Steve Martin stated. “The City Council recently removed 320 parking spaces from the proposed Sunset Millennium project.”

Sam Borelli wants to encourage people to walk more. He spoke of the city’s over-reliance on building parking structures and that it misses opportunities to inspire people to leave their cars at home and participate in a bicycle share program or a nightlife shuttle.

“I’m not sure there’s anybody who’s done more to effect change on this issue during my tenure,” said Jeffrey Prang. “We have built 1,700 public spaces, garages and parking structures to get cars off the street.” He listed diagonal parking, traffic circles to reduce traffic in residential neighborhoods, the addition of more stop signs and bike lanes as some of the improvements that he’s been involved in.

John Duran pointed out that moving traffic more quickly comes at the expense of pedestrian safety. “We need to be concerned for people trying to get across from very busy intersections,” he said. “[Drivers] need to slow down.” He also responded to Steve Martin’s comment about overdevelopment. “I voted against [the Sunset Millennium project]. It’s the largest development in the history of West Hollywood, which Mr. Martin championed and passed through.”

The moderator asked about the east side redevelopment. What is their vision, and how would they make that a reality? There was debate about whether the east side is a beautiful neighborhood according to John Duran and Rusty Wiggs, or a dilapidated portion of the city according to Tom Demile, who feels the sidewalks are dirty, some streetlamps are out and there is a lot of crime.

Steve Martin said he would increase law enforcement, increase assistance to small businesses and give the east side a sense of inclusion. Jeffrey Prang feels the east side is West Hollywood’s success story. “When I moved to West Hollywood in 1987, prostitution was rampant, people complained about drugs and sex outside their homes. The city has invested immensely in public safety,” he stated.

There was a question about the proper circumstance to use development agreements, which are not allowed except through the courts, but have and been used by City Council in the past decade. Sam Borelli responded that he feels developers are running the city and getting away with what they can. He brought up the huge development proposal for a large mall on the corner of Santa Monica and San Vicente Boulevards, which has been a hot button in the city currently, “Are we really supposed to believe that nobody at City Hall knew that this was coming?” he asked.

Rusty Wiggs said this is one issue where the community does not feel heard. “We need the residents involved so that we are all part of the process,” he said.

Tom Demille stated that the residents don’t stand a chance. “Not with the prostitution of campaign donations,” he said. “The residents are never gonna win because of the developer’s money.”

John Duran pointed out that development agreements are rarely used, and if they are, it is for public benefit like the West Hollywood Gateway project. “We created something that is fantastic, which has increased property values on the east side.”

Regarding public safety, for the most part, the candidates agree that public safety can be increased. Tristan Schukraft feels officer response should be dispersed throughout the city. “We certainly don’t need eight people responding to [one incident] like we do now,” he said. Tom Borelli feels we should be more proactive with our neighborhood watch, not reactive, and give the right information out to Neighborhood Watch captains. Christopher Landavazo suggested police officers should get out of their vehicles and engaged with the public more.

According to the moderator, when parties can’t appeal a planning commission recommendation to the city, it eliminates due process. When asked what they would do to change this, the answers were all over the place. Nick Garzilli admitted he didn’t understand the use of the planning commission. Tom Demille didn’t really answer the question and started talking about candidate funding. Christopher Landavazo spoke about transparency. Steve Martin said the system is corrupt. Sam Borelli said he would appoint a planning commissioner who did not answer to developers, and that he would want someone who didn’t feel pressured to vote for something he did not believe in. However, John Duran stated that most of decisions are made by the planning commission. “It’s rare when things get appealed up to the Council, and when they do, we take a look at it and often uphold the planning commission to modify it,” he said.

Regarding West Hollywood’s aging housing stock and affordable housing for seniors, people with HIV/AIDS and the disabled, Sam Borelli spoke about the gentrification of the city, and how young people have been priced out. He also spoke in favor of micro units for young people fresh out of college, to which Nick Garzilli said he was against because he could not imagine living in such a small space. Steve Martin wants to pump the brakes on the demolition of rent-controlled housing, while Tom Demille said that we need to give tax incentives to homeowners. “We’re Democrats!” he exclaimed. “Why can’t we give tax cuts?”

In matters of infrastructure (sewage, power and gas) meeting current demands and projected growth, Prang feels the city’s infrastructure is sustainable and built to last. “We’ve invested significantly in our sewers, including our roads. You know when you’ve entered West Hollywood because that’s when the potholes stop.”

Sam Borelli pointed out that streets lights are out around Plummer Park, and he lamented the use of bike racks, which are not very creative. Rusty Wiggs feels the city can go more green, while Tom Demille took this as opportunity to accuse the city of balancing the budget on the backs of the people.

The debate perked up on the subject of the budget. When asked what items should be increased or decreased in the budget, Jeffrey Prang stated that he would increase public safety and decrease special events. Sam Borelli expressed that he was not a fan of events like Go-Go Dancer Appreciation Day, “I want to represent the entire population of West Hollywood and not just one segment,” he stated.

Duran pointed out that we are in the black and have not had to cut back on funding or lay people off. Landavazo expressed that he is not a fan of events like the End of the World or the current Cupid’s Undie Run, and would like to put an end to expenditures that are being used like an ATM.

The best was saved for last in regards to the future of Plummer Park. Sam Borelli simply feels that the city should engage those who use the park and ask them what they want and give them what they want. The other candidates dittoed the sentiments. Tom Demille said he would not cut down the trees. Christopher Landovazo wants to add a dog park, so that residents don’t have to leave the city for their pets.

John Duran pointed out that there were over 60 meetings that occurred on the park. “A lot of people participated in these meetings, but a lot of people felt that they were not heard, so we put the brakes on to accommodate [them]. So we are starting all over again with the public process and that’s where we are, we’re on a clean slate.”

Jeff Prang had the last words. “The city did a good faith effort for a number of months to try to develop a community consensus of what to do with the park. Sometimes we miss the mark. It’s time to go back to the community and come up with a dignified plan for Plummer Park that everybody could feel comfortable with.”

For the most part, the debate did not have the mud-slinging that people were expecting. Early in the debate, Tom Demille stated that the last thing he wanted to do was go negative that evening, but he was the most combative as the night wore on, linking the incumbents to prostitution, and at one point saying that Jeffrey Prang was "full of shit." Steve Martin did not mince words either about holding Duran and Prang accountable for some of the choices they have made as City Councilmembers. However, the incumbents kept their composure, remained professional and did not engage in hostile cross talk. The debate ended on schedule.

You can watch a brief interview with each candidate here. The public forum will be streamed throughout the month at weho.org/wehotv. The last day to register to vote for this election will be Tuesday, Feb. 19. Look for more on the upcoming West Hollywood City Council election from news correspondent Peter Delvecchio in our Feb. 20 issue.

L.A. Primary March Madness Speeds Up

Karen Ocamb — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 14:00:00 GMT

At a Hollywood Chamber of Commerce-sponsored debate on Jan. 24 among six of the 12 candidates for the 13th City Council District in the March 5 primary, former Councilmember and Assemblymember Jackie Goldberg called the panel an “embarrassment of riches.” That’s especially true for LGBT voters in that district, with three openly gay candidates—former L.A. Deputy Mayor Matt Szabo; Mitch O’Farrell, former top aide to Councilmember Eric Garcetti; and Alex De Ocampo, Director of the Saban Family Foundation.

Given their expertise and fundraising abilities, each of the three gay candidates has a good chance of making the top-two run-off on May 21, if no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote on March 5. But money and credentials mean nothing if voters don’t vote, and off-year primaries are notorious for incredibly low voter turnout (10 percent is predicted for the 13th C.D. this year). Additionally, the field is puffed with multiple Asian and Latino candidates vying to win their own constituencies, as well as trying to get a larger message out. It’s the March Madness of municipal politics.

Vote-by-mail ballots start going out on Feb. 4, and Daily News political observer Rick Orlov predicts that as many as half of all votes cast in the March 5 primary election may come in by mail.

The stakes are high, especially in the race to replace L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. With the retirement of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Jan. 29, speculation has heightened that President Obama may ask Villaraigosa to join his cabinet. If Villaraigosa is asked and leaves before the end of his term, City Council President Herb Wesson would become interim mayor while still serving on the City Council. Right now, City Councilmember Eric Garcetti (13th C.D.,) and City Controller Wendy Greuel are considered the top two contenders, followed by Councilmember Jan Perry (9th C.D.), former Republican radio talk show host Kevin James and a late-comer to the race—30-year-old Emanuel Pleitez, a former high tech executive who once worked for Villaraigosa.

In their first televised debate on Jan. 28 at UCLA, aired on NBC L.A., much of the focus was on the city budget deficit, city employee pensions and health care costs, a ballot initiative proposing a half-cent sales tax hike, expansion of LAX, improving the economy and introducing themselves to more potential voters than they could reach through forums.

“None of the candidates stood out or stumbled,” said KPCC’s gay Frank Stoltze in his report.

“I want more passion,” Lisa Gritzner, president of the longtime L.A. lobbying firm Cerrell Associates, told Stoltze. “It was a little milquetoast. Everybody gave safe answers.”

“Boy, these two are boring—and I'm afraid one of them is almost certain to be L.A.'s next mayor,” groused Mark Lacter at LAObserved.com. “[T]he discourse during last night's debate was so lackluster that you have to wonder whether these folks are capable of ideas that go beyond the ones that have been thoroughly tested in focus groups.”

NBC4 political expert Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, however, thought “Wendy Greuel won by a nose. She was forceful; she had specifics. Wendy Greuel and Kevin James got the most out of this debate.” Garcetti, she said, “needs a little bit more of the leadership spark.” Her advice to James was “to look beyond the small Republican base and become the alternative.”

He’s trying. Throughout the KNBC debate, James emphasized that he’s the “independent” in the race. But the press isn’t buying it. Stoltze reports that James is “drawing significant support from one of the biggest Republican donors in the nation”—Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons—who called President Obama a socialist and spent more than $20 million to defeat Obama’s re-election. Stoltze reports, “James has said he disagrees with Simmons’ characterization of Obama but appreciates his support.” That support includes $600,000 to an independent committee, Better Way L.A., headed by Hollywood GOP consultant and advertising honcho Fred Davis—the man perhaps most famous for his “Demon Sheep” ad for Carly Fiorina against Republican moderate Tom Campbell and his “I Am Not a Witch” ad for Tea Party darling Christine O’Donnell’s unsuccessful Senate campaign.

Davis is already out with a hit piece attacking Garcetti, Greuel and Perry about the foxes guarding the hen house. At four minutes and 31 seconds, the ad appears intended for social media. It starts out very Reaganesque with a “Morning in America” reference, and then devolves into weird horror music featuring scary foxes. “Ten years ago, things were sunny in L.A. Businesses flourished. Life was good. Then we elected Wendy Greuel, Eric Garcetti and Jan Perry to the L.A. City Council. Now we face bankruptcy ... and each of those three want to be mayor. Isn’t that like the fox guarding the hen house?”

Eric Bauman, the openly gay chair of the L.A. County Democratic Party, was furious. “The Republicans are at it again, trying to buy another public office and dupe voters. This time, Harold Simmons, a Texas billionaire, is attempting to buy the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office with hundreds of thousands of out-of-state dollars. This is the same Harold Simmons who gave millions to the ‘Swift Boat Veterans for Truth’ campaign that falsely attacked John Kerry during his presidential campaign and also spent millions to attack President Obama,” Bauman said in a statement. “Let me be perfectly clear—Los Angeles is a deep blue city and is not for sale. We urge all Angelenos to reject Republican Kevin James and his right-wing friend’s attempt to buy the Mayor’s Office. The Los Angeles County Democratic Party is committed to work aggressively to expose James for the hard-right extremist that he is.”

The irony is that this Tea Party-ish ad and GOP backing is on behalf of an openly gay candidate, though the only inkling on his website that James is gay comes from his highlighted reference to his time spent on the board of AIDS Project Los Angeles—when he was an entertainment attorney and before he became a Republican political shock jock on talk radio.

In a section called “Tested During Crisis,” the website notes, “Kevin spent many years donating his time and legal expertise to local charities serving neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles. Kevin began his volunteer work in Los Angeles working for AIDS charities at the peak of the AIDS crisis. Most notably, after serving years as a staff and fundraising volunteer, Kevin joined the all-volunteer board of directors of AIDS Project Los Angeles, where he served for six years from 1995 through 2000. Kevin was the vice-chair of the board in 1998 and co-chair of the board in 1999 and 2000.”

Not to quibble too much, but 1995 was the year HIV/AIDS rapidly transitioned from a presumed death sentence to a chronic, manageable disease with the discovery of the triple-cocktail medication. But this sentence in his second paragraph on APLA is surely questionable: “Kevin was instrumental in expanding APLA’s services throughout the city of Los Angeles and into East Los Angeles and South Los Angeles in order to meet the ever-growing and demanding needs of minority communities throughout the city and surrounding areas.”

That’s not how LGBT icon (and UCLA alum) Jewel Thais-Williams remembers it. The legendary owner of the Catch One Disco co-founded the Unity Fellowship of Christ Church and its Minority AIDS Project with the Rev. Carl Bean in 1984 in South L.A. APLA Executive Director Stephen Bennett recruited her to the board in the late 1980s with the intention of bringing APLA’s services “to the hood.” In the early 1990s, Thais-Williams and Bennett’s successor Lenny Bloom opened the Imani Unidos Food Pantry at Faith United Methodist Church in South L.A. But it wasn’t until 2002, according to APLA’s website, that their Necessities of Life Program opened sites in Long Beach and South Los Angeles, and it wasn’t until 2011 that “the agency relocated its HIV prevention programs to a new site in Baldwin Hills along a light rail line offering service throughout South L.A.”

If Kevin James has done anything more for LGBT people or people with HIV/AIDS since 2000, it is not listed on his website nor recalled by LGBT politicos.

However, if elected, James would be L.A.’s first openly gay mayor. This raises the question for all mayoral candidates—why should LGBT people vote for them?

Thais-Williams says that Jan Perry—who veteran journalist Bill Boyarsky said had a “winning night” at the mayoral forum at Sinai Temple Jan. 29—has been to Catch One and In The Meantime Men events when invited. But Perry is not widely known among the broader LGBT community, and she doesn’t have the same caché as strong allies such as Reps. Karen Bass, Maxine Waters (who supports Perry) and retired Rep. Diane Watson (and her openly gay chief deputy Charles Stewart), who showed up and took action for LGBT people and people with HIV/AIDS from the mid-1980s on.

Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel, on the other hand, have only been ubiquitous at LGBT events and have been extraordinary allies. For instance, Garcetti’s father, former District Attorney Gil Garcetti, made anti-LGBT hate crimes a priority and hired openly lesbian deputy DAs to run the division—which was subsequently dismantled by his successor Steve Cooley. Eric Garcetti has been close with Marc Solomon—the former executive director of MassEquality, former director of the Marriage Project at Equality California and current national campaign director for Freedom to Marry—since 1999 when they were named by the Rockefeller Foundation as two of the “Next Generation of Leaders.” Solomon flew to California to do “whatever it took” to help Garcetti win his first City Council election and is helping him now. Working with his deputy Mitch O’Farrell (a candidate for the 13th C.D.), Garcetti has also made it a point to preserve LGBT history such as the Black Cat and Harry Hay’s house in Silver Lake.

Wendy Greuel has been a friend of the LGBT community since she worked in Mayor Tom Bradley’s office and secured grants for the late Gabe Kruks at the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Community Services Center on Highland Avenue in the late 1980s. Prior to that, she worked in the office of then-closeted City Councilmember Joel Wachs, who wrote the city’s nondiscrimination law to include sexual orientation. She eventually won Wachs’ 2nd C.D. in 2002 and hired openly gay staffers (such as 13th C.D. candidate Matt Szabo) and regularly attended community breakfast meetings hosted by Access Now for Gay and Lesbian Equality, ANGLE.

Other races of import include the race to replace retiring openly gay Councilmember Bill Rosendahl in the 11th C.D. Rosendahl has endorsed his openly gay top deputy Mike Bonin—a longtime LGBT politico who many have assumed would seek elected office. So far, Bonin seems to be holding the lead. For straight allies, having a positive history with the LGBT community matters—which is why endorsements for Mike Feuer for city attorney over Carman Trutanich is a no-brainer, though there is some support for Greg Smith, who recently defended openly gay police Sgt. Ronald Crump in his lawsuit against LAPD and the city. And in the race for city controller, longtime gay political activist Ron Galperin is racking up more endorsements (including from former Controller Ruth Galanter) and money than rivals Cary Brazeman or Dennis Zine (who switched his party registration from Republican to Independent because of current GOP policies).

Also of note is the Special Election in the 6th C.D. to replace Tony Cardenas, who was elected to Congress. Candidates are still filing papers in that race. And there will be three medical marijuana initiatives on the May 21 ballot—one, a compromise proposal sponsored by City Councilmember Paul Koretz, is expected to maintain access to medical marijuana and raise city tax revenue.

But perhaps the most watched LGBT contest in Los Angeles is for the 13th C.D. The district is a historic haven for LGBT people, as it includes parts of Downtown L.A., Hollywood, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Atwater Village and Glassell Park. The councilmembers representing the 13th C.D. have also been gay-positive, starting with Peggy Stevenson (1975-1985), who worked with the first LGBT political action committee, MECLA, after the group started, according to MECLA co-chair Diane Abbitt. Stevenson was followed by Mike Woo (1985-1993), who worked closely with Torie Osborn at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Community Services Center to combat anti-gay attitudes and actions by the LAPD. Progressive LAUSD School Board President Jackie Goldberg came out when she ran in 1994 and remains a hero to many, including openly gay Hollywood Chamber of Commerce PAC Chair Sam Smith, who asked Goldberg to emcee the 13th C.D. debate. Garcetti replaced Goldberg in 2001.

The race has many in the LGBT political community torn. The L.A. County Democratic Party and clubs such as Stonewall Democrats voted “no consensus.” But individuals are announcing their support. Michael Colorge, President of Stonewall Young Democrats, is supporting his old CSUN friend Alex De Ocampo, who was also his predecessor as CSUN Young Democrats’ president. Colorge says De Ocampo has helped the LGBT community through “his work through the Saban foundation, [which has] supported organizations like the Trevor Project and Lambda Legal, APLA, Project Angel Food and the Saban Free Clinic that provides counseling and support for homeless youth.”

The Chamber’s Sam Smith supports O’Farrell. “Mitch has a long history on the ground in the 13th, “ Smith said after the debate. “He understands the people, their needs and what will make the future for that district the very best it can possibly be. He knows where every pothole is and every tree that needs to be trimmed. And he’s worked closely with the Neighborhood Council.”

O’Farrell also has the support of John Gile, former CEO of Project Angel Food. “Mitch was extremely helpful as District Director of [the 13th C.D.] in helping us through the purchase and renovation of the Project Angel Food building on Vine Street,” Gile said. “It is an important public/private partnership, and Mitch helped make it happen, overseeing the permitting, zoning and neighborhood involvement process.”

Szabo also has a slew of endorsements, including his former boss, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “For six years, Matt Szabo has been on the front lines taking on the city's toughest challenges. He knows how the city works inside and out and knows how to get things done,” Villaraigosa said. “Matt is tenacious and decisive, knows how to lead in a crisis and is not afraid to take on the biggest challenges for the benefit of the community he serves.”

But perhaps the most important endorsement came Jan. 31 from 13th C.D. and LGBT icon Jackie Goldberg. “There are a number of truly extraordinary candidates in this race, but Matt Szabo is best prepared for the job, has the most progressive vision and the kind of commitment to the community we need on the City Council,” Goldberg said. “Matt Szabo has faced and met some of the toughest challenges in our city, and is not afraid to stand up to powerful interests to do what is right for the community.”

The city of West Hollywood is also holding elections. While Democratic groups such as Stonewall Democratic Club have endorsed openly gay incumbents Mayor Jeffrey Prang and Councilmember John Duran, their re-elections are far from a shoe-in.

Frontiers will have more coverage on the races before the March 5 elections.

President Obama Must Now Be More Lincolnesque

Karen Ocamb — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Whether planned or fortuitous, the arrival of the new Steven Spielberg film Lincoln just days after the re-election of President Barack Obama presents what the New York Times calls a politically thrilling “civics lesson that is … alive with moral energy,” and—one might extrapolate—a dramatic history lesson applicable to the divided America of today.

The film, written by gay playwright Tony Kushner, focuses on Lincoln just after he has won re-election—the Civil War has finally turned against the Southern Confederacy, but the president is being reviled as “Abraham Africanus.” His party—the Republican Party—is deeply split, and Congress is unhinged. And yet, amidst this turmoil, Lincoln decides to push for a constitutional amendment to finally put an end to slavery. The film, in large part, focuses on how Lincoln secures the votes and passage of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Kushner has said that he wrote Lincoln to show “that you can achieve miraculous, beautiful things through the democratic system."

Certainly, that was the giddy if not also maddening civics lesson of the Nov. 6 elections. After all the remaining votes are counted in Florida—all in Democratic strongholds where voter suppression efforts caused lines up to seven hours long—Obama will have 332 votes to Republican Mitt Romney’s 206, according to the Miami Herald. In essence, that means no more conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, a serious consideration of climate change and sincere efforts to tackle immigration reform.

Nov. 6 was a landmark day for equality. Just as elitist Confederate landowners of old thought they could buy and sell anything they wanted—including people—the Fat Cats of the 2012 election spent almost $1 billion trying to buy electoral seats for their own self-interest. And yet, to their astonishment, they were defeated by a superior ground game based by a coalition of minorities who believed deeply in the core principle of democracy—the equality of all.

Consider the history: Wisconsin Rep. Tammy Baldwin was elected the first openly gay person to the U.S. Senate, despite millions thrown at her rival, Republican Tommy Thompson. Baldwin kept it simple—her race was about the people.

"In my election, my focus has been on helping move our economy forward, helping to create good-paying private sector jobs and giving the middle-class families in this state a fair shot," Baldwin told the Associated Press. "My hope is that regardless of whether the other U.S. senator is a Republican or a Democrat, we would share those same values."

New Hampshire, meanwhile, elected an out transgender Stacie Laughton to the state House of Representatives. "I believe that, at this point, the LGBT community will hopefully be inspired," she told The Nashua Telegraph. "My hope is that now maybe we’ll see more people in the community running, maybe for alderman. Maybe in the next election, we’ll have a senator."

Additionally, on Election Day, voters in Maine, Maryland and Washington state made history when they voted for marriage equality, which had only been granted previously through the legislature or judiciary. Additionally, Minnesota rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. And voters in Iowa retained a judge who the National Organization for Marriage had targeted because of his vote supporting marriage rights in that state.

“This is a huge deal,” said Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin. “Not only did we just eliminate the anti-LGBT talking point that the public is against marriage equality—we re-elected President Obama, sent dozens of our heroes to Congress, put Tammy Baldwin in the Senate, defended a judge in Iowa from a political hatchet job and reinvigorated this movement. The victories were almost too many to count.”

“Anti-marriage demagogues will try to downplay this victory, writing Maine off as ‘another liberal New England state’ despite our Republican-controlled Legislature, Tea Party governor and the fact that we have one of the oldest electorates in the country,” Mainers United for Marriage Campaign Manager Matt McTighe wrote in the Huffington Post. “Indeed, Frank Schubert, who ran the opposition campaigns in all four marriage states, recently claimed that Maine's relatively small population somehow makes today's unprecedented achievement less meaningful. Such obvious spin should be dismissed for what it is: the ‘sore loser’ rumblings of a movement that just witnessed the end of its winning streak. ... There's a change that's happening across the country, and last night we saw that change reflected here in Maine.”

Evan Wolfson, founder of Freedom to Marry, has been at the forefront of that change since the marriage fights first emerged in Hawaii in 1993. Like HRC, Freedom to Marry contributed millions of dollars and boots on the ground in coalition with the marriage campaigns in each of the states. But there were other allies that proved critical as well, such as NAACP President Ben Jealous while the NAACP was simultaneously fighting the Republican-pushed voter suppression campaigns in several states.

"One of many highlights for me was the chance to partner again with the NAACP and solidify support among African-Americans and others who look to the NAACP to testify to our civil rights cause,” Wolfson told Frontiers. “Freedom to Marry worked with Ben and his team, as well as former NAACP Chair Julian Bond, on radio ads and a print ad in Maryland that made the case for the freedom to marry voters, and also ran a radio ad excerpting President Obama's heartfelt and persuasive explanation of why he changed his mind to support the freedom to marry. This built on years of work within the NAACP to elevate voices within and from the African-American community, a key way to grow and strengthen our majority for marriage. Freedom to Marry helped pave the pathway for the president's embrace of the freedom to marry, and then got to see it reverberate and enhance our support, as well as build the support the president needed to win re-election. Marriage was a winner, not a burden, in re-electing the president.”

The historic victories also proved that—given the right regional context—it is no longer anathema to vote in favor of LGBT rights or marriage equality. In fact, just as Equality California made full equality a litmus test for endorsement and support for an elected official many years ago, many other state and national organizations are beginning to adopt the same position.

The power of the LGBT vote was born out in an exit poll published by AP and CNN after the election—it found that five percent of voters self-identified as LGB, and 77 percent of them voted for Obama, while 23 percent voted for Romney. (The poll didn’t ask if voters identified as transgender.) That’s an increase over previous LGB percentages of three to four percent.

“Our community has flexed our political muscle, with exit polls showing an increase from four percent of the vote in 2008 to five percent this year," HRC’s Griffin said. "And the president gained many more supporters among lesbian, gay and bisexual voters—jumping seven points to garner 77 percent of our vote.”

"In general, the exit polls are consistent with past overwhelming LGBT support for Democratic presidential candidates," Gary Gates, a demographics specialist at the Williams Institute, told the Washington Blade. "As I don’t know what the margin of error is on the LGBT sample, it’s hard to really say how meaningful the difference is between the McCain vote and Romney’s."

Gates added in a press release: “The national LGBT vote was crucial to President Obama’s popular vote victory on Election Day. In a contest of razor-thin margins, the 4.5 million votes cast by the LGBT population was a critical component of the president’s winning coalition.

Similarly, analysis of preliminary returns from Florida show that the 420,000 total LGBT votes cast in the state may be a deciding factor in President Obama’s lead there. Though final results aren’t yet known, an estimated 300,000 LGBT Floridians voted for the president—a margin many times larger than the current vote difference between the two candidates.

“In this close election, data suggests that the overwhelming LGBT support for President Obama constitutes a key factor in his victory,” Gates said.

Listening to President Obama deliver his re-election acceptance speech, The Beast columnist Andrew Sullivan wrote, “The president's oration was almost a summation of his core belief: that against the odds, human beings can actually better ourselves, morally, ethically, materially, and we can do so more powerfully together than alone, and that nowhere exemplifies that endeavor more than America. It was Lincolnian in its cadences, and in some ways, was the final, impassioned, heart-felt rebuke to all those, including his opponent, who tried to portray him as somehow un-American. How deeply that must have cut. How emphatically did he rebut the charge.

“What he reminded me of was how deeply American he actually is—how this country's experiment truly is in diversity as well as democracy. And his diversity is not some cringe-worthy 1990s variety. It is about being both white and black, both mid-Western and Hawaiian, both proudly American and yet also attuned to the opinion of mankind.”

Attuned to the opinion of mankind—and that growing opinion is that equality is the core of the American way of life, the principle of democracy. And it is time to write that into law for LGBT people. Hopefully, Obama will see Lincoln and be inspired—despite the difficulty facing him and the country—to choose to push past the obstacle and fight for full equality.

Election Sweep for Marriage Equality

Peter DelVecchio — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Beginning in the 1990s, marriage equality was put to voters in ballot initiatives in states across the nation 32 times. Each and every time, marriage equality lost.

But the anti-gay forces' winning streak was blown away in the Nov. 6 general election when, of four marriage equality ballot measures put to voters in four states, same-sex marriage won in all four. Voters in Maine and Maryland approved measures legalizing gay marriage, and a similar measure was confirmed victorious in Washington state, Reuters reported. While gay marriage has been instituted legislatively and judicially, it has never before been made law at the ballot box.

Minnesota voters rejected an initiative that would have written a same-sex marriage ban into that state's constitution.

Perhaps the sweetest of these victories for marriage equality proponents, and the one most reflective of the rapid evolution of public attitudes on LGBT issues generally, is the six-point win in Maine. In 2009, one year after Californians had a similar experience with Prop. 8, Maine voters approved by a 53 percent to 47 percent margin a measure repealing a marriage equality law that had been put on the books earlier that year.

Marriage equality had suffered setbacks in Maryland as well before winning out at the ballot box Nov. 6. In 2005, a Baltimore lower state court judge ruled that Maryland's statutory same-sex marriage ban violated the state constitution—a ruling overturned in 2007. Then the Maryland legislature approved a marriage equality bill earlier this year, which Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley signed. But before enactment, the bill was first to be put to the voters—who approved it Nov. 6 with a 52 percent majority.

"Over these past few weeks, Marylanders joined together to affirm that for a free and diverse people of many faiths ... the way forward is always found through greater respect for the equal rights and human dignity of all," O'Malley said in a statement.
Washington state also affirmed marriage equality with Referendum 74 after a long legislative road. Washington voters approved civil unions with essentially all the attributes of marriage in November 2009. The state legislature passed a bill legalizing gay marriage last February, and Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire signed it into law, Q13fox.com reports, but the measure was put on hold pending outcome of the referendum, which was called a win Nov. 7 with 52 percent to 48 percent.

Washington has also come a long way in a short time on LGBT issues, according to state Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, chief sponsor of gay marriage legislation. "I was thinking of the last 17 years of this battle," said Murray, SeattlePi.com reported Nov. 7. "The first Defense of Marriage Act was filed the first week of my first session. What an ugly time. At some point in those first three years, the Seattle P-I quoted on the front page then-Rep. Mike Shersted. He said something about putting ‘us’ all in a boat. What a long way we have come."

What happened in Minnesota is perhaps the most bitter pill for marriage equality opponents. The measure had been vigorously promoted both by the usual anti-gay groups and also by Catholic bishops. Nonetheless, with 97 percent of precincts reporting, the measure was going down to defeat 52 percent to 48 percent. This represents the first time an attempt to bar gay marriage at the ballot box has failed.

Another important victory was the defeat of the National Organization of Marriage’s efforts to recall Iowa Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins, one of seven judges who ruled unanimously in favor of marriage rights in the state. "Iowans have made a strong statement for judicial independence, and refused to let politics get in the way of judges doing their duty to uphold the law," said Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin. "Right-wing groups trying to exact political retribution on judges should learn their lesson."

Anti-LGBT forces are trying to put the best face on their electoral rout, denying that it indicates any new trend in public thinking. "Our opponents and some in the media will attempt to portray the election results as a changing point in how Americans view gay marriage, but that is not the case," said NOM President Brian Brown. "Americans remain strongly in favor of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The election results reflect the political and funding advantages our opponents enjoyed in these very liberal states."

Recent polling does not support Brown's view. Americans overall support marriage equality by 54 percent to 42 percent, according to a May 2012 CNN/ORC survey, a Nov. 7 Freedom to Marry release reports.

"Our huge, happy and historic wave of wins last night signaled irrefutable momentum for the freedom to marry, with voters joining courts, legislatures and the re-elected president of the United States in moving the country toward the right side of history," said Freedom to Marry Founder and President Evan Wolfson. "The anti-gay opposition kept moving the goalposts and had as their last talking point that we could not win a popular vote on the freedom to marry. Last night, voters in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and all signs suggest Washington, proved them wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong."