Your Gay News Service with election results

The good news:

Kalamazoo easily passed its gay-inclusive human rights ordinance. About 65% voted in favor!

Chapel Hill, North Carolina has a new gay mayor, Mark Kleinschmidt. He won by 101 votes, 49.5% to 46.5%. Amazingly, there are already two other gay mayors in NC. In Durham, NC the city council voted for a marriage equality resolution (NC is the only Southern state without a marriage protection amendment). The news is that those up for reelection won by wide margins (72% and higher) in spite of Fundie calls for their hides.

The lesbian candidate for Houston mayor is leading, but will have to face a runoff.

The improved domestic partnership law in Washington State appears to have passed by 51%. The results won't be certified for several days (or until a Fundie concedes…) because Wash. state has vote-by-mail and your ballot only needs to be postmarked by election day. Gays are hopeful the victory will be maintained because the counties with the most ballots to count are the ones that are most favorable to gays. Though the referendum was a headache for gays and allies, it brought a much better understanding of what gays have to go through on a daily basis and may make the repeal of the state's gay marriage ban easier. Keep track of the results at the Wash. Sec. of State website.

Charles Pugh, a gay man who used to be a TV news host, won the most votes for the 9 seat Detroit City Council. That makes him Council President. Pugh had to leave his TV job before running for council, meaning he was unemployed for about a year -- long enough that foreclosure proceedings were started on his condo. That prompted the Detroit Free Press to withdraw their endorsement. He won anyway.


The bad news:
The vote in Maine was 53% against gay marriage. This vote was to overturn the gay marriage law, not for a marriage protection amendment. Supporters will try again soon. That has left one person wondering "how 12% of the voters would be compassionate enough to help a granny with glaucoma get some OG Kush, but also think gay people shouldn't be married." For the clueless, Kush is a type of marijuana. Maine approved medical marijuana by 60%. Both issues deal with compassion for real people.

Here's an essay on why civil rights should not be up for a vote. The writer, a person of color, is glad racial issues are not subjected to mob rule.

This little image by Box Turtle Bulletin reader Elliot Ryan explains why we lost in Maine.



Obama didn't help in Maine (and his AG passed on answering), since we lost we can blame Obama for inaction which could have made the difference. Passing on an answer gave Obama supporters (54% of last year's vote) the cover they needed to vote against fairness.


The Episcopal Church in Kalamazoo placed a full-color ad in last Sunday's local paper. This is another example of how churches are speaking out in favor of gays.