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But measure to extend civil rights law fails in Greeley, CO

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Voters in two communities turned back efforts to undo civil rights ordinances based on sexual orientation, while a ballot measure to expand non-discrimination laws to include sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religious belief and other factors failed in a third community.

In Falmouth, Maine, voters overwhelmingly defeated a proposed city charter amendment that would have prevented the Town Council from banning discrimination based on sexual orientation in the areas of employment, housing, credit, education and public accommodations.

In Spokane, Washington, voters defeated a similar proposal. It would have repealed a civil rights ordinance based on sexual orientation. The repeal effort failed, with 52.1 percent of the voters rejecting it.

Finally, in Greeley, Colorado, voters defeated an attempt to prohibit discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations based on sexual orientation, age, disability, race, religion, sex and organizational affiliation.

"These ballot measures profoundly affect the vitality of our communities because right-wing extremists use them to demonize us," said Kerry Lobel, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "NGLTF is committed to supporting local leaders who educate voters about the truth about who we are. Greeley reminds us that voter education is a long process. Across the nation, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people are organizing for their rights and educating voters, and more communities are passing nondiscrimination measures."

The Policy Institute of the NGLTF operates the Training Initiative, which is aimed at helping state and local gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered groups defeat legislative and ballot-based attacks from the right wing. The Training Initiative is led by Dave Fleischer, Senior Fellow with the Policy Institute, who travels the country year-round, to train local activists in voter identification and get-out-the-vote efforts. Last spring, Fleischer visited Spokane, where he conducted a three-day intensive training to help local leaders prepare for the election.

"These campaigns teach us that a broad base of voters will support us when we educate them about the reality of our lives," said Fleischer. "In Spokane, the local leadership turned around the election results from just two years ago when we lost on a similar issue 60 percent to 40 percent. The keys are persistence and learning from past experience."

At the upcoming annual Creating Change conference convened by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Fleischer will conduct several electoral trainings, entitled "How to Win an Election," "Defeat the Anti-Gay Knight Initiative," and "Door-to-Door Campaigning Against the Knight Initiative." The Knight Initiative is an anti-gay ballot measure that would prohibit the state of California from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states.

"I'm excited that we are offering at Creating Change the most ambitious series ever of new trainings to help people make sense of and learn from these very difficult challenges," Fleischer said.

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The mission of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is to build the political power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community from the ground up. We do this by training activists, organizing broad-based campaigns to defeat anti-LGBT referenda and advance pro-LGBT legislation, and by building the organizational capacity of our movement. Our Policy Institute, the movementís premier think tank, provides research and policy analysis to support the struggle for complete equality and to counter right-wing lies. As part of a broader social justice movement, we work to create a nation that respects the diversity of human expression and identity and creates opportunity for all. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., we also have offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis and Cambridge.