Antigay Campaigns Dont Get the Vote
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Kevin Cathcart, Executive Director of Lambda Legal, issued the following statement in response to the 2006 election results and what they mean for the LGBT community:
There is much to celebrate and analyze about the results of the elections, but one thing is for sure — antigay campaigns don’t work. The downfall of homophobic politicians like Rick Santorum and the defeat of the antigay constitutional amendment in Arizona signal that the tide is turning. The politics of harm and spite no longer carry the day for those who oppose LGBT equality.
Though some people wondered if Lambda Legal’s win in New Jersey would impact state and national elections it is now clear that this did not happen. The U.S. Senate elections in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, for example, showed that voters were not negatively swayed by the court’s decision.
Though we have much work to do towards our goal of full equality for the LGBT community, the playing field feels a little more level today than yesterday. Perhaps the most important thing to come out of the national elections for LGBT people will be a more balanced approach to judicial appointments.