Date: Sat, 5 Aug 1995 00:46:43 -0700 (PDT) From: Richard Isaac Subject: BIGOT BUSTERS (WA) newsletter: The Counter-Petitioner, 8/95 Greetings! I haven't sent out much on the BIGOT BUSTERS list lately, but we're publishing a newsletter this week, so I'm including excerpts below. Included are announcements of several upcoming events, updates on current developments in the campaign, and information about certain items we have for sale. Any questions or orders or offers of help/resources/funding (all of our activities are done on a volunteer basis and a limited budget) may be directed to our hotline (206.767.2457) or our mailing address: 1202 E Pike #1110, Seattle WA 98122-3934. BIGOT BUSTERS is democratic grassroots activism, providing voter education about anti-gay initiatives 166 and 167 in Washington State. We speak to passersby "at the point of sale," that is, where signatures are actually being gathered for the petitions, in the hope that, having heard both sides of the issue, voters will DECLINE TO SIGN, and the initiatives will fail to qualify for the ballot. This tactic proved extremely successful last year against I-608 and I-610, both of which failed to qualify for the ballot, thus saving the queer community months of campaigning and many thousands of dollars. We believe this is the most effective way of defeating the initiatives this year, and that we can repeat our success! Thank you for your support! * Richard Isaac __*_*___ report sightings of signature-gathering for \* * / Seattle anti-gay initiatives 166/167 to: *\ * (206) 767-2457 ***\**/** rmisaac \/ @eskimo.com --------------------------------*******----------------------------------- BIGOT BUSTERS/DECLINE TO SIGN CAMPAIGN 1202 E Pike St #1110 Seattle WA 98122-3934 206-767-2457 THE COUNTER-PETITIONER vol. 2 no. 1 AUGUST 1995 CELEBRATE SUMMER! We will hold our first annual potluck picnic on Saturday, August 19 at Woodland Park in Seattle. Bring whatever you want--or nothing at all and mooch off others! Bring yourself, a friend or two, and have fun! Expect prizes and special guests! Be prepared for outdoor games! Meet folks you might only know as voices on a telephone! *Date: August 19, 1995 *Time: 1:00-6:00 pm *Place: Woodland Park (call for a flyer with exact location) LEGAL BEAGLES Updates on some legal issues... * Washington State Ferries Commission spokesman John Wong has reaffirmed that Bigot Busting is constitutionally protected activity. That means we can pass out literature to cars in line or go into the ferry terminal itself. The I-166 campaign, meanwhile, claims that it, too, has free reign in the ferry terminals. So, the battle of the ferries is on! * Also, in response to a letter by the Secretary of State sent to all County Prosecutors concerning the rights of those collecting signatures for initiatives and warning them about possible "harassment," Bigot Busters Steering Committee has issued a letter which has also been sent to all County Prosecutors. The letter states our position regarding the initiative process, and indicates that we consider ourselves a part of the democratic process, just as much as petitioners are. ALERT!: EDMONDS-KINGSTON FERRY There have been many sightings of signature-gatherers for I-166 at the Edmonds s ferry terminal, the Kingston ferry terminal, and on the ferry which runs between them. If you are in the area, we ask you to take a moment and look around for them and report any sightings there. Furthermore, if you take the ferry for the purpose of checking for signature-gatherers, we will reimburse you (if you keep your receipts) for up to $20.00 per month. We have also bought bright orange vests for your safety, and are looking into storing them in Edmonds near the ferry terminal. PAID FLUNKIES? The word on the street is that the I-166 campaign will be paying signature gatherers. In fact, they may be doing it already. Paid signature gatherers are financially motivated to collect as many signatures as they can; last year, the only campaign to make extensive use of them (the denturists) was the only one whose initiative qualified for the November ballot. On the other hand, they lack the ideological conviction of volunteers. If you go counter-petitioning, it is important that you try to find out if the signature-gatherers are being paid (ask them!). Tell potential signers that the petitioner is a paid flunkie-- watch how people react and call in with your observations. Also, please report this information to the Hotline (767-2457) and ask for the information to be passed along to Patrick, or call Patrick directly (325-2286). Thanks! SMILE! YOU'RE ON BB-Camera! Since the opposition has threatened to videotape interactions with Bigot Busters, we are responding in kind. A videocamera will shortly be available for your use in the field; this way, we will have our own record of our interactions, and possibly the presence of a videocamera will prevent staged provocations from the opposition. The dispatcher will let you know where you can pick it up before you go out Busting. TRAINING WHEELS As the fall approaches, the pace of signature-gathering for I-166 and I-167 will pick up for sure. And so Bigot Busters will be presenting its third volunteer training. If you have not yet attended a training this year, or feel you need a refresher, you should attend this one. The training has been totally revised since last year, using professional instructional techniques, and is very participatory (those 3 hours just fly by!). We have a variety of handouts covering the do's and don't's of Bigot Busting, and responses to most every question or comment that might come your way in the field. We are also using videos of Bigot Buster interactions to hone your skills to a fine point. Of course, it's free, too! Watch for a notice in the Seattle Gay News, LRC Community News, or in the mail for the exact time and place. *Date: September 9, 1995 *Time: TBA *Place: TBA (call 767-2457 for more details) ACCESSORIZE! You're getting dressed for work or a night on the town, and you're looking for just the right shirt... Or perhaps you're looking for something to cover up that Mondale/Ferraro bumper sticker... Well, you're in luck! Bigot Busters (TM) merchandise is here!: * T-shirts: BIGOT BUSTERS surrounded by a circle of words: Pride--Strength--Democracy in Action, etc.; (sizes: L, XL, XXL and XXXL; color: white; design: $12.00 each); * buttons: BIGOT in black, crossed diagonally by BUSTERS in red, in a red circle, forming the international sign for "no" ($1.00 each); * bumper stickers: DECLINE TO SIGN in black, with 166 and 167 on each side in a red international sign for "no" with BIGOT BUSTERS and the hotline number in smaller type ($2.00 each). All these items are available by sending a check to the Bigot Busters post office box; buttons and bumper stickers are also available at the following outlets: Beyond the Closet, Red & Black Books, Rosebud Espresso, the Wildrose, Spags, and the Seattle Leather Mercantile. T-shirts will soon be available at outlets on Capitol Hill. (If you know of an outlet where you would like to see these items sold, please let us know or have the owner contact us and we will make the arrangements.) Show your support with pride and convey the message to others with a T-shirt, button or bumper sticker! GLAAD TO BE OF HELP! Bigot Busters is honored to host Donna Red Wing, national field director of GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), and 1993 Advocate Magazine Woman of the Year (for her work in defeating Ballot Measure 9 in Ore Oregon), who will present a media workshop. Come learn useful skills for dealing with the press--behind the scenes, in the field, and in response to unfavorable media coverage. Learn how to deal with reporters, talk-show hosts, and editorial boards. The workshop is free, and open to the general Bigot Busters membership. *Date: September 23, 1995 *Time: TBA *Place: TBA (call 767-2457 for more details) BIG NUMBERS Rock and Roll will never die! Long live rock! The Stranger, the alternative Seattle newspaper, will host a live music event to benefit Bigot Busters in October. Come out to see 66 Saints (passionate power punk, all-grrl trio) and Sweet 75 (Krist (ex-Nirvana) Novoselic's new band). All of the proceeds will benefit Bigot Busters. Tell your music-loving friends then call closer to the date for more information. *Date: early October 1995 *Time: likely at night *Place: Crocodile Cafe, 2200 - 2nd Ave., downtown Seattle AND THE ANSWER IS... Bigot Busters is very proud to host a sneak preview of "A Question of Equality," a PBS series about the lesbian/gay civil right movement. Though the series will air in October, we will show "Generation Q," the installment about queer youth at a yet-to-be-determined date in early September. Call the hotline (767-2457) for more details. R.S.V.P. Please respond--if you haven't already--to the phone call you received in late June or early July. The Outreach Committee very much needs to know how you want to participate in the campaign. If you didn't call back after the Outreach phone team left you that really long message, it's not too late! You can still let them know whether you want to dispatch, Bigot Bust, sell bumper stickers, plug into one of our behind-the scenes committees, supply some special skills or resources, or contribute your in a way that none of us have ever thought of. Call the hotline (767-2457) today! ACT WITH DISPATCH Dispatching (answering the hotline and dispatching Bigot Busters) is the most critical point in the Bigot Buster system. We are in great need of people willing to take a shift or two (2-8 hrs. each). Training by an experienced dispatcher will be provided. Dispatching can be done from the comfort of your home, as we can forward calls to the hotline to your home phone. Please contact the hotline (767-2457) if you can help with dispatching! PLUG IN! Bigot Busters is more than answering phones or going out into the field to counter-petition, as important and pivotal as these activities are. There is much to do behind the scenes. We have the following subcommittees, which are essential to our operations: * Media: responding to media coverage, writing letters to the editor or op/ed pieces, issuing press releases, arranging interviews and providing background to the press (Erika 784-4261) * Fundraising: need we say more? (Jean 722-8145) * Outreach: networking with other groups in the community and with other communities (Kent: 325-2286) * Legal: clarifying our rights to participate in the initiative process in various arenas (Patrick: 325-2286) If you have a particular interest or particular expertise in any of these areas, please contact the person listed above. These activities are vital to our success and your input is important and valued! PROACTIVITY We are arranging pro-active flyering teams for future events like Bumbershoot and baseball games. Find a friend and sign up to go. If the initiatives are there, "bust" the bigots. If you don't find anyone, pass out some brochures, then relax and enjoy yourself. Pick the events that sound like the most fun--or the ones that sound the most cheesy and tacky. Just go! Call the hotline (767-2457) for a list of suggestions. SECOND COMING The first 100 copies of the Bigot Buster manual, Decline to Sign : A Guide to Defeating Anti-Gay Initiatives Through Counter-petitioning, sold out! A second printing is underway. Buy your copy for a mere $5.00. Send checks to the BB address. IN THE NEWS... * The issue of "harassment" and the letters issued by Secretary of State Munro and Bigot Busters to the County Prosecutors was given fair and even-handed coverage in an op/ed piece in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on Sunday, July 23, 1995. The piece used quotes from both letters, as well as quotes from BB Coordinator Patrick Hogan... Call the P-I (464-2121) to express your appreciation. * On the other hand, the Seattle Weekly of July 19, 1995, in the "Gay" listings, gave "boos" to Bigot Busters for its opposition to I-654, the anti-fundamentalist initiative by Stranger columnist Wm. Steven Humphrey (see below). Ironically, in the same breath, the author, Mike Romano, gave kudos to Sen. Slade Gorton for co-sponsoring the Ryan White AIDS funding reauthorization bill. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, for sure, but it's a strange day when the gay-friendly Weekly applauds Gorton and condemns Bigot Busters in one fell swoop. Let them know (gently) what you think (623-0500). LOVE THE SINNER Some useful information for Bigot Busters in the field who are confronted with sentiments from the public that we are "anti-Christian": Bigot Busters recently issued a press release opposing I-654, which would have restricted adoption and foster care by "fundamentalist Christians." Though obviously a satire on I-167 (we do get the joke!), we feel that opposing this initiative protects Bigot Busters against this charge. TAKING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION Bigot Busters Steering Committee has decided to include language opposing I-172 (which would end affirmative action in Washington State) to our 1995 informational brochure. While we have decided to focus our counter-petitioning activities on I-166 and I-167 only, we will forward reports of sightings on to organizations which are fighting I-172 and we have already invited members of those groups to attend our trainings and establish counter-petitioning activities of their own. Bigot Busters in the field who are asked about I-172 (since it will appear in the brochure being handed out) should feel free to pass along those questions to the No on I-172 organization at 296-5631. SHAZAM! ADIOS! Bruce Stores moves to Mexico in September. Bruce helped found Bigot Busters way back in November 1993 and has been a crucial resource for us. Bruce was not only a tireless counter-petitioner but also wrote articles, dispatched, has sat on the Steering Committee, and more. But Bruce has been Bigot Busting before the name was ever coined; he is a veteran of the I-490 and I-10 campaigns in 1986. We are saddened to see him go but we feel great about his taking the opportunity to move to Paradise, to hear him tell it. Bye-bye Bruce and thank you! LIBERTE', EGALITE', SORORITE' (Taken from a let letter from NOW, the League of Women Voters, and the Office of Women's Rights): August 26, 1995 is the 75the Anniversary of Woman Suffrage. To commemorate this, join Woman Suffrage Celebration Parade & Festival on August 26, 1995. The Parade will begin and end at Seattle Center, and will be followed by music, dance and drama. The event will last from 11am to 4pm. If you have any questions, please call Chris Gaston at Seattle NOW (632-8547) or the League of Women Voters at 329-4848 and leave a message for Dorothy Young Sale. --end--