 | |
| Type of site | Nonprofit |
|---|---|
| Owner | KnowThyNeighbor.org |
| URL | www.KnowThyNeighbor.org |
| Commercial | No |
| Registration | No |
| Launched | 2005 |
KnowThyNeighbor.org is a non-profit grass roots coalition co-founded in September 2005 by Tom Lang and Aaron Toleos for the purpose of publishing a fully searchable list of the names of people who signed the petition to end same sex marriage in Massachusetts that was sponsored by VoteOnMarriage.org. Knowthyneighbor.org was the first lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) group to pioneer this type of activism.
Activities
Petition fraud was accused when petition signature gatherer Angela McElroy came forward and testified that she and others engaged in deliberate voter fraud at the direction of her employer. After its inception in Massachusetts KTN listed on its website the petitions to take away GLBT rights in other states such as Oregon, Arkansas, and Florida, posting the Florida and Arkansas petitions but not the signatures in Oregon where the signature collection effort failed. KnowThyNeighbor.org's efforts in Arkansas led to exposing the signature of Walmart CEO Mike Duke as one of the people who signed the petition to put an anti-gay adoption ban on the ballot in Arkansas.
KnowThyNeighbor.org has also been active at rallies in and around the Boston area as early as the Liberty Sunday protest rally on October 17, 2006. KnowThyNeighbor.org continues to be active advocating for LGBT rights by lobbying legislators and through the website's blog.
Controversy
According to The Boston Globe in 2006, the campaign has attracted controversy and opponents are reported as saying that "its real purpose is to intimidate". Similarly, in 2009 in The Seattle Times, Larry Stickney of the group Protect Marriage Washington reportedly accused the homosexual lobby of adopting "hostile, undemocratic, intimidating tactics". Also in 2009 Associated Press reported via abc40 news that the Arkansas Family Council may ask lawmakers to block the release of this information on the grounds that it violated the rights to privacy of those who signed the petitions.
Group's efforts combined with Washington state based group resulted in the United States Supreme Court ruling Doe v. Reed 8-1 in their favor, effectively defeating their adversary's argument that the group's activities of posting the identity of petition signatures constitutes intimidation against those who would sign.
Notes
- Staff (2007-08-25). "Gays, allies mobilize to protect Oregon laws". Advocate.com. Archived from the original on 2007-08-11. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- Staff (2008). "Who signed the anti-gay adoption and foster care petition in Arkansas?". Knowthyneighbor.org. Archived from the original on 2009-06-09. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- Cain, Brad. "Oregon anti-gay groups fail to derail partnership and bias laws". Chicago Free Press Vol.10, No. 39. Archived from the original on 2008-08-29. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - Matthews, Gerard (May 1, 2009). "Remember that list?". Arkansas Times.
- Wangsness, Lisa (2006-06-12). "Another website to list gay-marriage foes". The Bostan Globe. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- Rahner, Mark (2009-06-02). "Gay-rights group wants to name petition signers". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- Staff (2009-04-29). "Ark. group seeks to restrict petition information". WGGB abc40 News. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
References
- Another website to list gay-marriage foes, Boston Globe, June 12, 2006.
- Ark. group seeks to restrict petition information, Associated Press, April 29, 2009.
- Gay-rights group wants to name petition signers, Seattle Times, June 2, 2009.
External links
| LGBT in Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
| History | |
| Rights | |
| Organizations | |