If You Live In Massachusetts.......Vote!

Elect a friend and ally of the LGBT community!

Pass it on!

Come On, Massachusetts!

Up in Massachusetts state Senator Scott Brown, the anti-gay Republican vying to succeed Senator Edward Kennedy, is polling even with the pro-LGBT Democratic candidate, Martha Coakley.

A poll published Saturday by Public Policy Polling shows state Brown one point ahead of Democratic nominee and Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley. In a poll of residents who planned to vote in the special election—which occurs next Tuesday, January 19—48 percent said they intended to vote for Brown, while 47 percent said they would vote for Coakley.

Six percent of responders said they were undecided.

So, undecideds? What gives?

Public Policy Polling’s poll speculated that Brown found strong support in an overwhelmingly “blue” state because of depressed Democratic interest in the election and because he’s favored by independent voters.

Of course, as with all polls, wait a minute and another one comes around. One such poll, conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, gives Coakley had a 17-point lead over Brown. Fifty-three percent of responders said they would vote for her, while 36 percent said they intended to vote for Brown.

Still, Massachusetts, who do you think Ted Kennedy would like to see carry on his work for you?

• Scott Brown, in 2007, voted for a state constitutional amendment that would have taken marriage rights away from gay couples in the first state in the country to allow same-sex marriage. The amendment failed.
• Coakley, by comparison, supports same-sex marriage and as attorney general has been a proponent of federal recognition for married same-sex couples. Last year, she filed a lawsuit on behalf on the State of Massachusetts against the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits married same-sex couples from receiving the federal benefits of marriage. Coakley supports legislation that would affect the LGBT community, like a repeal of DADT. As attorney general, Coakley has “aggressively prosecuted” hate crimes at the state level—including those against LGBT people—and in 2008 she was the first statewide official to endorse state legislation that included gender expression and identity in Massachusetts discrimination and hate crimes laws.

So, Massachusetts, a hater, or a helper.

Make a choice.

DADT DOMA News

Massachusetts is suing the federal government over a law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

State Attorney General Martha Coakley filed the lawsuit Wednesday in federal court in Boston. It says that DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act, interferes with the right of Massachusetts to define marriage as it sees fit.

Martha Coakley:

"DOMA is a law that codifies discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Because of this law, individuals in same-sex marriages often pay more in federal income taxes, are not eligible for surviving spouse benefits from the Social Security Administration and, if they are employed by the federal government, cannot obtain healthcare coverage for their spouses."

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Democratic Congressman Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania, a former West Point professor and Iraq War vet, is the lead sponsor of legislation to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell:

"Our president, President Barack Obama, has stated that If Congress can get a bill to his desk repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell, he will sign it into law. It is now our job, and my job specifically, to quarterback this through the Congress of the United States to do just that. I can not tell you today how long it's gonna take. All I can tell ya is that paratroopers don't quit, and paratroopers get the job done. To remove honorable, talented and committed Americans from serving in our military is contrary to the values that our military holds dear."