Features
Queer Summit VII Gets Out the Vote
Queer Summit VII Gets Out the Vote
by Christopher Kaufman
Nineteen
Vermont GLBT organizations met at Vermont's historic State House in downtown
Montpelier on a sunny Saturday in late June to begin planning coordinated
efforts to register more voters and turn out GLBT and allied voters in
November.
As part of the Queer Summit program organized
by R.U.1.2? Queer Community Center, this was the first time in recent
years that Vermont's GLBT organizations came together to plan strategy
for the upcoming elections.
Beth Robinson, an attorney working with
the Vermont Fund for Families, a pro-gay political action committee said,
"The Vermont Fund for Families will be making endorsements and working
on a few targeted races at the state level. In the past we've mobilized
volunteers to do a lot of this work. Rather than creating another layer
of bureaucracy, this year we'll plug people directly into the campaigns
we support."
Robinson, with help from Sherry Corbin of
the Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force and Rep. Bill Lippert, D-Hinesburg,
also helped explain to the many organizations present what kinds of activities
are permissible by the different types of non-profit organizations represented
in the room.
Robinson noted that Vermont "has a
lot of different types of organizations, most people at the Summit are
from 501c3 organization which allow tax deductions for donors but are
limited in politicking." However, Robinson
continued, most can do limited lobbying, voter education and grassroots
mobilization including voter registration and "Get Out the Vote"
or GOTV campaigning to ensure that their members and constituents reach
the polls on time.
This seventh Queer Summit was the first
to invite representatives of the three main political parties in Vermont.
Scudder Parker, chairman of the Vermont Democratic Party, and Karin Eade,
a member of the coordinating committee of the Vermont Progressive Party
attended the Summit representing their Parties. Both have long-term ties
to the Vermont GLBT community. Parker and his partner Susan Sussman are
members of R.U.1.2? Queer Community Center while Eade was one of the early
Executive Directors of Outright Vermont.
Repeated attempts to secure participation
in the Summit by a representative of the Vermont Republican Party were
ultimately unsuccessful. Republican Party staffer Ian Grossman told R.U.1.2?
that only Party Chairman Jim Barnett could represent the Party at the
Summit. Barnett was unavailable to attend.
The Progressive and Democratic representatives
both explained their parties work on voter registration and GOTV efforts
and were questioned by organization representatives on their outreach
to potential GLBT voters and volunteers. Both promised to look into recruiting
volunteers in gay-friendly venues like Out in the Mountains. Both Parties
were a major presence at the Vermont PRIDE Festival two weeks later.
Rep. Lippert urged organizers in the room
to use their voices as organizational leaders to explain the importance
of this election to members and constituents. As an example, he noted
that, under the current house leadership, Rep. Peg Flory, an-anti GLBT
legislator, will chair the judicial retention committee. In the coming
session, this committee will hold hearings on whether or not to reinstate
Vermont's gay-friendly Supreme Court Justices for additional terms of
office. It is possible that the current Republican majority could reject
judges perceived as too liberal.
Robinson also urged organizers not to forget
the national agenda - at least a dozen states are fighting constitutional
amendments banning same-sex marriage, while the Bush administration is
currently pushing for passage of a federal anti-gay constitutional amendment.
At press time, the federal amendment appears to be dead for this election
year, but there seems little doubt that a re-elected President Bush would
continue to use the power of his office to push back civil rights gains
for GLBT People.
The seventh Queer Summit closed with a powerful
demonstration of the work we have ahead of us. Malisa Gemmel, newly arrived
from California and a representative of the Barony of All Vermont registered
to vote and took Vermont's Voter's Oath in front of the assembled organizers
to much applause. Many of those present vowed to become notaries public
and begin registering voters at their own organizations.
Outright Vermont and R.U.1.2? Queer Community Center can register voters
in person at their offices or on their websites at www.outrightvt.org
or www.ru12.org The Vermont Freedom
to Marry Task Force will be registering voters at the Addison County Fair
and Field Days, the Tunbridge World's Fair, the Champlain Valley Exposition
and the Rutland State Fair.
Christopher Kaufman is the Executive Director of R.U.1.2? Queer Community
Center, 34 Elmwood Avenue in Burlington, VT. To be invited to future Summits
contact him at 802.860.7812.