The Phelps amendment

[niceypoo]

The democrats should label Bush and the GOP's rusty old "Gay marriage" fall-back position "The Phelps Amendment". I think it would be great spin and would put the republicans on the defensive on the issue. Let them try to deny it, make them squirm in their chairs. Who is "Phelps"? For those who don't know.....Fred Phelps and family protest funerals of aids victims and US war dead:

http://www.godhatesfags.com/

[MuseRider]

1. Hmmmm

We defeated the Phelps Ordinance here in Topeka. Using his name worked for us and against us. It might be worth a try. :shrug:

[Stinky The Clown]

6. I'm curious ... how did it work against you?

Surely no credible group defended him, did they?

[MuseRider]

7. Several ways.

1) Those that were essentially for the ordinance but did not want to identify with Phelps used it to make us look like extremists. "Just because Phelps circulated the petition does not make this his ordinance, LOTS of people signed it (even though they were mislead to sign it) and you just want special rights." That created all the "scenarios" that the public would have to face if we defeated the ordinance.

2) It created a group of people who were essentially on the same side as old Fred but presented themselves as clean cut, concerned citizens. While we were working 24/7, sleepy and cranky and hungry and in our comfortable clothes because many people were sleeping at the office they were in suits, clean, just from church clean. Not the Phelps type. They seemed almost reasonable. So by using Fred we created a group that was less easy to categorize and we did not have time to mount a defense (it was a 3 week campaign) since they showed up the last half of the election with lots of money and exposure.

When we backed off using Phelps as a way to garner support we were totally abandoned by the media because all they wanted was a big Phelps vs the GLBT supporters fight. I spent an hour being interviewed by the New York Times with another friend and when we directed the conversation away from Phelps they dropped the story except to talk about how afraid everyone in Topeka is of the WBC. It was odd the way it created a bad scenario for us no matter what we did. Had we had more time we might have been able to frame it up better but 3 weeks was awfully difficult to work against an ordinance that nobody could make heads or tails of. Using Fred helped a little but not enough, it was education that helped us the most.

[Stinky The Clown]

8. Interesting .......

..... your experiences could/should serve as a 'lessons learned' topic for the time when this gets really serious. Has anyone from your goup been in touch with the DNC or any other national group?

[MuseRider]

9. Our group is no longer

since we closed up the corp. to become one of the first chapters of this http://www.kansasequalitycoalition.org/, born after the marriage amendment that came exactly one month after the ordinance fight. It was the longest 2 months of most of our lives.

We worked with and were helped tremendously by the NGLTF*. I would guess they have put all that information together. I do know that we have kept it all in our little minds and are working on getting ahead of all of this in our state and it seems to be working. Amazing how being proactive can help! It took a while to turn some of that around after years of being jerked around by the other side.

*National Gay and Lesbian Task Force for those who might not know (usually that is me!)

[Stinky The Clown]

10. Good for you!

Keep the faith and hang in there. This is a struggle you're destined to win. I am certain of that. It may take time, but in the end, you'll win.

[MuseRider]

11. You know it!

It has been a real trip for this neophyte who entered the ordinance battle with no clue what she was getting involved in. Now these issues have become my life. Civil Rights battles are great fights to be involved in. They are frustrating as hell and difficult but it is so easy knowing you are doing the right thing and yes, we are destined to win. Eventually we will win but not without the hard work. Thanks.

[blondeatlast]

2. Very good idea. C'mon, Dems, let's see those guts! nt

[Chipper Chat]

3. Better yet - have Phelps and clan standing behind Him tonight

in the Rose Garden when he makes his "Put the Fags in Their Place" amendment push. Maybe the teenage girls in Fred's entourage can service Frist and Santorum during the proceedings to make it an all-hetero event. Fundies are blind, so all they would see was ice cream and cake being dished out.

[niceypoo]

4. Right chipper.....

as long as those on the recieving end of the "service" weren't named "Clinton" none of them would notice.....

[Chipper Chat]

5. Seriously, I feel so sorry for those teenagers.

They will die of heart-attacks before they are 30 from rotting hearts.