Vermont Activists Urged to Harass in Massachusetts

The following email was sent to homosexual activists in Vermont last month, asking them to join the “truth squads” in Massachusetts.

Much of the information in this email is blatantly false, says Bryan Rudnick, such as that the Amendment will affect hospital visitation rights. “They are trying to mislead the voters,” he said.

(None of the typos in the email have been corrected.)

We Need Your Help in the Next Five Weeks in Massachusetts to Stop the Defense of Marriage Ballot Initiative. The Massachusetts Citizen’s Alliance is sponsoring a defense of marriage ballot initiative. This initiative would change the Massachusetts constitution to prohibit not only gay and lesbian marriage, but also to deny gays and lesbians even the most basic of domestic partner benefits, such as health insurance, bereavement leave, and hospital visitation rights.

If our opponents collects enough signatures, the initiative will go on the ballot in 2004, where it stands a very good chance of passing. They have hired an out of state petition drive firm to collect the 100,000 signatures they need. They have until Thanksgiving to collect the signatures.

Our coalition of gay and civil rights groups, the Campaign for Equality, is organizing a “Decline to Sign” campaign to block this paid signature drive. Whenever we find a paid petitioner in front of a grocery store or in a mall, we send a “Truth Squad” consisting of two or three people to stand near the circulator and urge people not to sign the petition.

So far, our effort has been PHENOMENALLY successful. Whenever a Truth Squad is out there near a paid circulator, we’ve seen the circulator’s signature totals drop by as much as 80%. If we can ramp this effort up statewide, we have an excellent chance at slowing down the signature drive enough to stop the ballot campaign before it starts.

WE NEED YOUR HELP RIGHT AWAY. We have only six weeks to stop this hate campaign.

1) Send an EMERGENCY contribution today. We must raise $75,000 in the next two weeks if we are to be successful with the “Decline To Sign” campaign. We have pledges for about one-third, but are just beginning to organize fundraising for the ballot campaign which will need $2.5 million—if we are unable to stop their signature drive. We need 1000 people to give $100 in this emergency. If you can give more—thank you

Please make your check out to the Campaign for Equality and write >”Decline to Sign” on your check.

2) Help us find the paid circulators. We need lots of people – in every city and town in Massachusetts – to check stores in their local areas to see if there are paid circulators working in the one or two likely spots, and report in to us any that are sighted. This is the most important job that we have. If we can’t find them, we can’t block them.

3) Join a Truth Squad—only a few hours would help. We will provide training and put you in a team with other experienced Truth Squadders. All you need to do is hand out leaflets and talk to passers by. Everyone who has worked in a Truth Squad has said that it’s an empowering and “downright fun” experience. We need your help for as many or as few hours as you can spare. The best times for collecting signatures are Saturday and Sunday noon to 8 PM, followed by Thursday, Friday and Monday 4 PM to 8 PM. Those are the times we need to target. Scouting store fronts: we need as many people as possible to go out on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday between 11AM and noon, to check store fronts in their areas and call in sightings. We will give you a list of stores in your area to check.

Truth Squads. We are organizing four hour shifts as follows: Saturday and Sunday - noon to 4PM and 4PM to 8PM. Thursday, Friday and Monday - 4PM to 8PM. We have only five more weeks to stop the signature drive. If you can help, please contact us. Contact www.massequality. com and then click on DTS where it lists volunteer training times, etc. [ GLAD NOTE: If that fails, contact GLAD for information.]