Two LGBT civil-rights groups that oppose efforts to put a marriage-equality measure on the Ohio ballot this fall said today that they’re joining together to fight instead for anti-discrimination and anti-bullying legislation.
Equality Ohio and two national groups — the Washington-based Human Rights Campaign and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force — announced a statewide coalition this morning that they called “an unprecedented effort to achieve equality in Ohio.”
They said their goals include “ultimately, marriage equality,” but they didn’t say when they might push to undo a 2004 state constitutional amendment that bars gay and lesbian couples from getting married.
“Ohioans share some pretty basic values. We believe everyone should be free to live without fear of discrimination at home, at work and in their community. We believe all students should be free to go to school without the threat of harassment or violence. And we believe all loving couples, including same-sex couples, should have the freedom to marry the person they love, including loving, living and marrying right here in the Buckeye State,” the groups said in a news release issued by Equality Ohio.
Together the three organizations claim 75,000 members in Ohio.
Alluding to efforts by a campaign called Freedom Ohio to collect the 385,000-plus signatures needed to place a proposed marriage-equality amendment on the statewide ballot, Equality Ohio and its partners said: “Our work in other successful coalitions around the country has taught us important lessons. In order for this effort to succeed, we must work in transparent partnership, we must have integrity in our leadership and we must have the resources necessary to win. We must be thoughtful, assemble a large coalition, and undertake the research and polling necessary to craft a winning message.”
Equality Ohio officials have criticized Freedom Ohio on those very points. They say founder Ian James has raised little money so far for the effort but stands to collect a hefty paycheck if his political consulting firm is hired eventually to run the campaign. Others have criticized James for his work against the 2004 amendment that banned gay and lesbian couples from getting married in Ohio. He left the campaign days before the election after questions about how donations and expenses were reported.
(A story in the March issue of Outlook, which will be available on newsstands later this week, will explore the division within the LGBT community about a marriage-equality campaign in 2013.)
Freedom Ohio has yet to react to the new Equality Ohio/HRC coalition, but James has criticized them in the past for being too cautious on the issue of marriage equality in Ohio. He has told Outlook that the LGBT community stands a better chance with Ohio voters than it does with an extremely conservative legislature.
In its announcement this morning, Equality Ohio and its partners called on Freedom Ohio’s supporters to join their efforts:
“We understand that there will be and are other efforts to do similar work in Ohio, including repealing Ohio’s constitutional amendment banning marriage equality. While we believe that many hands make light work, we also know that acting prematurely or without the expertise of other like-minded groups can create dramatic setbacks. Our coalition’s broad focus and our understanding of the current Ohio and national landscapes have led us collectively to the conclusion that our path is the right one at this moment in time. We encourage others who may be interested in achieving similar results in a collaborative manner to lend their resources and expertise to this effort as the coalition grows over the coming months.”
To sign up for the Equality Ohio campaign, click here.
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