[Peace] We're Not Gonna Take It - Part 2

[Kimberlie Kranich]

  Hi, All.
   
  Did you know that more than 1,000 people in Champaign County signed a petition in support of an advisory referendum for the November ballot that asks legislators to amend the Illinois Constitution to restrict civil marriage to one man and one woman?
   
  Illinois law already prohibits same-sex civil marriage but this advisory referendum goes a step further.
   
  The wording of the amendment is so broad that should it pass and the legislature add this discriminatory language to the IL Constitution, domestic partnerships and dp benefits would become illegal in Illinois.  Such broad based restrictions are already in place in more than a dozen other states.
   
  Shouldn't simply fairness dictate that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender families have the rights, protections and responsibilities of civil marriage?
   
  We're not gonna take it!
   
  Locally, we are reviewing the signatures of all Champaign County voters who signed the petition to make sure that they did so legally. Those signatures that are invalid will be challenged.  If enough signatures are invalid, the advisory referendum will NOT appear on the November ballot.
   
  We are part of a statewide effort of concerned citizens who are checking at 300,000 + petition signatures.
   
  Won't you join us?  
   
  Allie Carter of the IL ACLU will train us in the method of signature challenging.
   
  When?
   
  6:30pm, Tuesday, May 23
  Geneva Room of the McKinley Foundation
  Corner of Daniel/5th Streets in Champaign
  Bring a laptop, if you have one
  Pizza and drinks provided
   
  Come early, too.  The general meeting of Equal Marriage Illinois Champaign County begins at 5:30pm in the same room.  We're a friendly and open group. We have a lot of fun despite the seriousness of our mission.
   
  For more details, see Philip Reames email below.
   
  Love,
  Kimberlie, 85% Coaltion

Philip Reames <reames at UIUC.EDU> wrote:
  Date: Sat, 20 May 2006 18:25:56 -0500
From: Philip Reames <reames at UIUC.EDU>
Subject: Referendum: Signature Verification Training this Tuesday at 6:30pm
To: UI-GLB-L at LISTSERV.UIUC.EDU

        Hey All,
      This Tuesday at 6:30pm, there will be a meeting to start verifying some of the signatures gathered in Champaign county for the anti-gay referendum.  (See below for information on the referendum.)  Allie Carter, of the ACLU and the Fair Illinois campaign, will be present to conduct a training sessions for volunteers interested in participating in the local challenge process.  I encourage you all to attend and help us fight off this hateful referendum.  If you just can't make it, but still want to be involved, email me and we'll get you trained at a later date.  My email is: reames at uiuc.edu.  If you are on any relevant email list, please forward this on.  
   
  Where: Geneva Room of the McKinley Foundation, 809 S. Fifth St
  What to Bring: a laptop if you have one (we'll have some extras so you can still work if you don't)
  Agenda: 
  -  5:30pm - Equal Marriage Illinois Champaign County general meeting 
    -  6:30pm - Allie Carter, ACLU, Volunteer Training
   
     
  About the referendum (source: Equality Illinois with slight edits):
  On Monday, May 8, the right-wing Illinois “Family” Institute submitted an estimated 345,199 signatures to the Illinois State Board of Elections to get an anti-gay marriage advisory referendum on the November ballot (they needed 283,111). The so-called Illinois Family Institute is seeking to write discrimination into the Illinois Constitution with a ban on marriage equality. (Note from Philip: From what the lawyers are saying, the wording could be used to ban domestic partner benefits, civil unions, or any other legal recognition of same-sex relationships.)
   
  A number of groups have come together to form the Fair Illinois campaign to defeat this hateful amendment and the best way to do that is to keep it off of the ballot entirely.  We believe that many of the signatures submitted are invalid under Illinois law. With our allies, we are mobilizing to uphold Illinois election law and challenge invalid and false signatures. 
   
  By mid-June we need to check each and every one of the over 300,000 signatures submitted. Experts tell us that our chances are good – the "Family" Institute needs 83% of their signatures to be valid (a very high percentage for any referendum). We can definitely win this and keep the amendment off the ballot, but only if we have enough volunteers checking signatures.

Upon delivering the petitions, David E. Smith of the Illinois "Family" Institute called gay and lesbian families “an infection that is dangerous to the absolute institution of marriage.” This is the kind of intolerance we are up against. Please join us in this fight.

     
   
  Yours,
  Philip Reames
   
  Verification Campaign Coordinator
Equal Marriage Illinois, Champaign County




    
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