Subject: Fwd: Project Spotlight
From: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 1995 12:45:44 -0500

Hi all.

This is an anti-gay plan put out by the American Family Association PAC of
Ohio (local branch of the national AFA) which was presented at a national
anti-gay organizing conference in Colorado Springs, CO in May of 1993.  Many
of the strategies discussed in this plan have been adopted by anti-gay groups
around the country, though there is disagreement among right-wingers about
tactics, and a few groups have rejected all or part of Project Spotlight's
recommendations.

My office originally obtained this document and mailed it out to all and
sundry around the US.  I am grateful to whomever took the time to put it on
the net though (I hadn't gotten around to it -- my typing is fairly slow!).
 Thanks!

Buzz Harris
National Gay & Lesbian Task Force
New England office
---------------------
Forwarded message:
From: [email-masked]
Date: 95-01-23 03:27:41 EST

My apologies to anyone for whom this is a repeat:
================================================

                            PETITION DRIVES

                              Pros and Cons

                       By: Phil Burress, Chairman
                     Equal Rights Not Special Rights
                            Cincinnati, Ohio

                       CONFIDENTIAL OPINION PAPER

Statement of Purpose:

This opinion paper deals with petition initiatives to change city
charters or state constitutions or repeal special rights legislation for
homosexuals.

Rationale:
When studying the homosexual agenda and their plan of attack, their
entire plan can not be successful unless they win elected positions in
order to pass legislation. Their ultimate victory, should that happen,
will occur at the United States Supreme Court.

Whether through Human Rights Ordinances or domestic partnership laws, in
order for homosexuals to fulfill their agenda, they must win city,
county, state and federal elected positions.

This opinion is based on what we have learned in Cincinnati, Ohio at the
grass roots level. We feel very strongly about this issue and wish to
share what we have learned and with those who choose to oppose the
homosexual agenda through initiative drives or other options.

Statement of Facts:

*  For the first time in our history, in 1991 the Cincinnati City
   Council was taken over by homosexual-endorsed members.

*  In 1992 Cincinnati became the 73rd locale to pass a Human Rights
   Ordinance.

*  We conferred with many across the country and gleaned valuable
   information about the problem.

*  By 1993 election time, there was only one pro-family city council
   member and eight pro-homosexual city council members, comprising the
   total of nine council seats.

   If we look at the bottom line and ask why we were in this position,
the facts are we lost our city council to the homosexuals. The local
homosexual group, Stonewall Cincinnati, admitted it took them 11 years
to take over city council.

   We acknowledge the lefts' (sic) takeover of the City of Cincinnati
promoted by left-leaning 40% Black vote that has enhanced the
homosexuals' plan.

*  In 1993 we placed an initiative on the ballot to change our city
   charter.

   Since we believe that the bottom line problem was we lost our city
council to pro-homosexual candidates, we placed the initiative on the
ballot at the same time city council was being elected. Our goal was to
make the homosexual agenda and special rights laws for homosexuals the
issue in the election.

*  A key ingredient to victory is winning the Black vote. Our
   spokesperson was the President of the Black Baptist Ministerial
   Association. Even with a Black spokesperson, the Black vote was split
   evenly which was our goal.

*  We won the 1993 election by a 62% - 38% margin in favor of changing
   our city charter to prohibit passage of laws based on sexual
   orientation.

*  We spent $505,000 on the campaign.

*  Unknowingly, at the same time we won our ballot initiative, it
   appears we elected Cincinnati's first lesbian mayor!

*  D. James Kennedy has produced a show on our campaign which started
   airing nationally on March 13, 1994.

Lessons Learned:

For us, winning the ballot initiative was not as important as winning
back city council with pro-family candidates. Our thoughts were, even if
we lost the ballot initiative, we win the war if we won back city
council. If we could win back city council, our first order of business
would have been to repeal the Human Rights Ordinance.

Because we made the homosexual Human Rights Ordinance an issue, many
voters were educated about the homosexual agenda. We won four pro-family
seats. We missed taking back a city council majority by one seat. We
will finish the job and take back city council in 1995 by using a plan
called "Project Spotlight," which is explained later by the American
Family Association's Ohio State Director, Mr. Scott Ross.

Since we did fail to win a majority of city council seats, during the
next two years, we will work diligently to educate the public about the
homosexual agenda and prepare for the 1995 election.

The Human Rights Ordinance continues to be in effect. Unfortunately, the
pro-homosexual population sought the legal assistance of a liberal judge
who has placed a temporary injunction on the citizens' vote. This means
that today our organization is in federal court expecting to spend an
additional $400,000 to defend 62% of the voters. In addition, we were
also forced to create and maintain another local organization or all our
work would have been lost.

It is our opinion that any other petition drive to change a city charter
or state constitution while there are two major court cases pending in
Colorado and Cincinnati could have the following impact:

1. Another petition drive could play into the hands of the homosexuals
   because they could win in court and achieve their goal. Even if a
   state or city initiative drive to change a constitution or charter is
   won, it will require a minimum of $200,000 to defend your initiative
   in court because the homosexuals will sue. Mr. Bob Skolrood,
   President of the National Legal Foundation, the Washington, D.C. law
   firm of Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Strowbridge, and 10 other lawyers are
   helping with this case. The homosexuals have given the court a
   witness list of 40 persons. If you choose not to intervene with your
   own lawyers, then your defense will be left to the city prosecutor or
   the state attorney general.

   In Cincinnati, like all other cities that have passed special rights
   laws, homosexuals control City Council. In Cincinnati, the city
   prosecutor works for the City Council that is not a good combination
   for victory in court.

   The effort to change state or city constitutions needs to be
   thoroughly studied from the legal perspective. There are good reasons
   to do a petition drive; but from a legal perspective, other cases
   following the Colorado and Cincinnati court cases could backfire and
   destroy all work in Colorado and Cincinnati, if not funded properly.
   We are committed to spend up to $400,000 of our own money to win this
   case.

   The Colorado and Cincinnati cases will most likely go before the
   United States Supreme Court. We must win these cases first, and then
   decide on other strategy to change state constitutions, city or
   county charters nationally.

2. There is an extensive financial drain on the pro-family movement to
   run a petition drive, a media campaign, and a major court case. The
   cost in Cincinnati for our ballot initiative included more than
   $800,000 and thousands of manpower hours. With such a heavy emphasis
   on one issue, other very important pro-family issues have suffered.

Changing a state constitution or a city charter does not provide a
permanent solution to the problem. The problem can only be resolved by
taking control of city councils, as well as county, state and federal
elected positions.

We do agree with a petition drive that will simply repeal a
pro-homosexual law. It is a clean approach that, if done properly, will
not require a court battle. Should a repeal of any other form of a
petition drive be considered, the complications that can result from
violating IRS non-profit codes and state campaign laws could destroy any
organization. The homosexuals have challenged Colorado and Cincinnati at
the Board of Elections. Additional money has been spent to defend
pro-family organizations' tax status and protect donors lists. I
recommend that legal advice comes from pro-family lawyers who specialize
in this area of the law.

The source of the problem of homosexuals obtaining legal control is that
pro-family individuals are not involved in the system working to promote
and elect pro-family candidates. In my opinion, every pro-family group
must spend some of its time working on local, county, state and federal
politics.

We, in Cincinnati, had to ask ourselves this question: if we could not
win back Cincinnati City Council with a majority of pro-family
candidates, then what was this all about?  If the answer is to stop laws
from being passed giving homosexuals special rights, then how do we stop
a pro-homosexual majority of city council members from appointing
homosexuals to all key positions such as Board of Health, Education and
other key administrative positions?  The answer is: you can't.

Once the homosexuals take over a city council, the battle to win back
that city can not be achieved solely through petition drives. It takes
direct involvement in politics. We found the Christian Coalition
precinct movement to be the best plan and have aggressively joined that
campaign. It's working already.

If pro-family residents of a city believe city council can not be won,
then that is the problem to address. Frankly, I believe the majority of
cities in the United States where homosexuals have taken over can be won
back. If we join together with a national strategy, a solid plan and
empowered people at the grass roots level.

Networking pro-family groups locally as well as statewide must be done.
Lone rangers become targets. In Cincinnati, more than 30 pro-family
groups worked together. Our petition drive was called Take Back
Cincinnati and our media campaign was called Equal Rights, Not Special
Rights. We used different leaders to speak to different issues so our
spokesperson would not become a target.

The Cincinnati media was fair throughout the campaign. That was the
result of building relationships and having a good plan.

We have two other cities in Ohio that have been taken over by homosexual
activists. They are Columbus and Youngstown. Our plan is to take back
the city councils in each of these cities in 1995 by using "Project
Spotlight," rather than a statewide or city initiative. The cities of
Dayton, Cleveland and Toledo are headed toward passing a Human Rights
Ordinance. Project Spotlight will also be launched in these three cities
to head off the homosexual plan. Nationally, we must become pro-active,
rather than reactive.

We have had several meetings of most pro-family organizations in Ohio.
We did not proceed with the Cincinnati ballot initiative until every
pro-family group leader in the state had an opportunity to meet and
discuss our strategy. Of 231 identified pro-family leaders in Ohio that
represents (sic) every major pro-family group, more than 100 state
leaders attended meetings and voted to proceed with the city-by-city
Project Spotlight campaign.

The American Family Association of Ohio has agreed to lead the Project
Spotlight campaign to win back Cincinnati, Columbus, Youngstown, Dayton,
Cleveland and Toledo city councils.

                      History of Project Spotlight

Project Spotlight was birthed as Phase Three of our Cincinnati
initiative Issue 3 campaign in 1993.

Scott Ross, State Director of Ohio's American Family Association, was a
key leader and served on the Board of Directors of the Issue 3 campaign.

Scott's two-year plan is enclosed.

Pro-Family Team

Every city that will implement Project Spotlight has AFA chapters;
however, Scott has agreed to work and support the leadership structure
that the pro-family leaders agree will be effective.

All local and Ohio pro-family forum groups that have met, agree that who
runs the campaign and receives the positive (or negative) press is not
as important as winning back elected positions.

Winning the battle against the homosexual agenda city, county or
statewide will take a pro-family team made up of many leaders.

This team must be put together and have money in the bank before a
campaign is launched. A failed campaign or court case will affect
everyone.

Compassion

Our campaign in Cincinnati included a three phase campaign. Phase One
had two parts: the Petition Drive and the Media Campaign. Phase Two was
Operation Hope. Phase Three is Project Spotlight.

No one involved at the leadership level in the initiative campaign
wanted to proceed unless we had an outreach program to the homosexuals
and others with sexual addictions.

Operation Hope, with a budget of $30,000, originated through Citizens
for Community Values (CCV) and continues to operate under CCV. Operation
Hope's Executive Director, Roger Russin, brought together all
Christ-centered counseling agencies and most agreed to be part of a
telecommunication system outreach and referral service.

The tape of the phone message and general guidelines for setting up an
Operation Hope outreach can be received by writing: Operation Hope, P.O.
Box 62895, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45262. Please include a check for $25.00 to
cover expenses. Make the check payable to: Citizens for Community
Values.

If you choose, call our Operation Hope line by dialing (513) 483-HOPE.
The opening message takes 4 minutes and the menu of eight choices takes
about 2 minutes each to listen and record information, if you choose. We
grant permission to copy and use any part of Operation Hope.

We strongly encourage anyone who is going to launch a campaign to stop
the Homosexual Agenda to establish a "Operation Hope" style outreach.

Homosexuals really believe we hate them. They really believe we are
bigots and homophobic. They do not make this up. for those of us who are
Christians, and most who are involved in these campaigns are, how can we
proceed with a political campaign without reaching out to someone who
thinks that we hate them?

We know we do not hate them. What we think is not as important as what
they think or perceive to be the truth.

I have talked with most national leaders who have been engaged in
resisting the homosexual agenda. There is a powerhouse of dedicated,
intelligent and committed people who have worked on this issue.

For those who choose to network together, the need to discuss different
options and develop a national plan based on the larger picture is
necessary.

Colorado for Family Values has been an incredible help and resource.
Through this opinion paper, I wish to thank them for their work, vision
and leadership.

For those who choose to proceed with petition drives, we have radio and
television ads on tape for your use. Photos of our billboard campaign
are also available. We stand ready to help in any way we can. We can be
reached at: Equal Rights Not Special Rights, Inc., P.O. Box 62686,
Cincinnati, Ohio, 45262; (513) 733-8908.
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT A PLAN FOR THE NATION
                                    
                             April 20, 1994

                 AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION PAC of OHIO
                    P.O. Box 118, Bethel, Ohio 45106
                          (513) 734-AFAP (2327)
                                    
                          Scott Ross, Director

                      SYNOPSIS OF PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

The name "Project Spotlight" defines our two-fold goal:
     1)   Educate the public about the homosexual agenda.
     2)   Educate voters about every candidate who is pro-homosexual by
          identifying which candidates have been endorsed by the
          homosexuals and the values these candidates advocate to
          receive this endorsement.

Project Spotlight is a four step plan that will begin in mid-1994 in six
cities in Ohio, targeting November 1995 city council elections. City
councils in Cincinnati, Columbus and Youngstown have been taken over by
pro-homosexual activists. Homosexual special rights legislation has
already been passed in each of these cities. Additional cities Dayton,
Toledo and Cleveland are close to passing special rights legislation.

FOUR STEP PLAN

1)   First and most important, educate voters about the homosexual
    agenda through a well-organized educational program that begins far
    in advance of the city council election (minimum one year).

2)   Use every opportunity to register people to vote.

3)   Through each educational meeting and other channels, start a
     petition drive to gather signatures of registered voters.
     Suggestion petition language is:

          "I pledge I will not vote for any candidate who has accepted a
          political endorsement from homosexuals. I am opposed to elected
          officials promoting the homosexual agenda in government and
          schools. I am for equal rights for all. Therefore, I am
          opposed to special rights laws that promote homosexuality."

4)   Two weeks before an election, mail to every person who signed the
petition a list      of candidates who have been endorsed by the homosexuals
and a list of those who      have not.

Very Important:
Items 1 and 2 above are 501(c)3 tax-deductible, non-profit activities.
Item 3 is a Political Action Committee (PAC) activity. Item 4 could be
considered 501(c)3 or PAC activity depending on how the information is
presented in a bi-partisan, educational format or a political format in
an attempt to influence an election.

It is important that you understand and clear these activities with your
board before proceeding. There are two considerations you must explore:
the IRS Codes and State Election Laws. Not doing your homework in these
areas could cause your organization and its supporters great damage.

OBJECTIVES

1. To hold candidates accountable for promoting the homosexual agenda
   through public policy.

2. To elect a majority of city council positions with candidates who
   oppose the homosexual agenda. Once accomplished, repeal the Human
   Rights Ordinance or any other homosexual special rights legislation
   in each of the three cities.

This plan has already been effective to varied degrees in Louisville,
Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1991, Louisville city officials
defeated an attempt to pass a Human Rights Ordinance by a city council
vote of 8 to 4. Since then, the local American Family Association (AFA)
chapter led by Dr. Frank Simon has targeted those who promoted the Human
Rights Ordinance. Only one identified pro-homosexual candidate won an
elected office. The total budget in Louisville was $15,000 and included
more than 1,000 precinct captains and two electronic phoning machines.

Cincinnati voters approved Issue 3 in November 1993 by a large of (sic)
62% to 38% margin. Issue 3 repealed the protected class status special
rights for homosexuals which city council passed one year earlier. While
doing so, voters also elected four council members (from a total of
nine) who opposed the homosexual agenda. Clearly in both Louisville and
Cincinnati, elected officials have distanced themselves from the
homosexuals and their endorsement.

Every city must implement a plan to find candidates who are pro-family
and willing to run for city council. One of the early leaders in
Cincinnati who led the public campaign against the Human Rights
Ordinance was an African-American named Rev. Charles Winburn. Mr.
Winburn decided to run for city council and finished sixth in a nine
seat race. This was the highest finish for a first time candidate in
Cincinnati history. He was highly visible and outspoken against special
rights legislation for homosexuals.

                             IMPLEMENTATION

                          Phase One - Research

     Identify all candidates who have been endorsed by the homosexuals
     over the past five years. Identify existing candidates who are
     endorsed.

                        Phase Two - Team Building

Part 1:   Our plan in Ohio involves many pro-family organizations. Most
          plans fail because of lone rangers working solo, or
          organizations that fail to build a pro-family team of several
          leaders to work together. AFA of Ohio will assist anyone in
          Ohio who wants to implement this plan. We do not claim
          ownership. This plan will only work through servant-style
          leadership.

          One person who works with a leadership team must be the
          coordinator in each city. This person must have the ability to
          coordinate a plan, gather and process all data.

Part 2:   Dealing with the media is extremely important. If managed
          properly, the press can assist to advertise your plan. Leaders
          from six cities in Ohio will be trained to speak and hold news
          conferences. They will then simultaneously hold news
          conferences, making the same statement and answering questions
          uniformly.

Part 3:   Stay on the offense to neutralize the homosexuals and stop
          further implementation of the homosexual agenda. The mere
          public announcement of Project Spotlight in Cincinnati has
          placed pro-homosexual elected officials on the defense.

Phase Three - Education

Part 1:   Purchase a quantity of Gay Rights/Special Rights video tape
          totaling 10% of those who voted in the last election.
          Establish a speakers bureau, using the Gay Rights/Special
          Rights video tapes to educate citizens about the homosexual
          agenda.

          The video will be edited to promote Project Spotlight. These
          tapes can be purchased at a discounted price with a minimum
          order and resold at a modest profit per tape. We plan to use a
          minimum of 10,000 tapes in each of the cities in Ohio.

Part 2:   During speaking engagements educate people about the
          homosexual agenda, sell video tapes, distribute petitions,
          register people to vote, and encourage attendees to do the
          same by using the video in small group meetings to educate,
          circulate petitions, and register people to vote.

Part 3:   Distribute the 62 Homosexual Demands from the 1993 March on
          Washington.

Part 4:   Show the video on network television from revenues received
          from video tape sales.

Phase Four - Action Steps

Part 1:   Circulate petitions to collect one-fourth of the number of
          voters in the previous election. These voters will pledge not
          to vote for candidates who have been endorsed by homosexuals.
          For example: 100,000 voters voted in Cincinnati in the last
          city council election. Before the 1995 election, we will
          collect 25,000 names of these voters on petitions who will not
          vote for homosexual-endorsed candidates. (One Cincinnati
          reporter asked, "Do you realize the impact this plan will have
          on local politics?") This is political activity.

Part 2:   Use a 900 number (charging $2.00 per call) on billboards and
          other advertising methods to inform the voting public of the
          candidates who are endorsed by the homosexuals.

Part 3:   One week before the election - mail a list of candidates who
          is now or ever has been endorsed by the homosexuals to every
          person who signed the petition.

                               CONCLUSION

This plan is inexpensive. In fact, the plan creates revenue.
Approximately $5000 seed money will be needed to buy the original video
tapes. You control the press and timing of the project. The homosexuals
are powerless to attack or prevent this plan from working.

Networking is essential for this plan to work. More than 100 leaders
from across Ohio have been involved in the decision process. This plan
is a product of that work.

Leaders who wish to combat the homosexual agenda will find help from
other pro-family organizations if they are included in the
decision-making process. Working to develop a plan, then calling and
asking others to join your group or plan usually fails. People must have
ownership. Every person who participates in the plan must be willing to
let the best qualified person(s) fill key position(s), especially media
spokesperson.