Gay Intimidation Destroying Constitutional Rights

Americans believe in a secret ballot. No one should know how you voted. But should we also keep secret the names of those people who put an amendment or proposition on the ballot? This is the question in the state of Washington.

Gay rights groups have demanded to know the names of the 138,000 people who signed a petition to put Referendum 71 on the November ballot. It would remove the state's same-sex domestic partner law. The gay groups want to put these names online. But if they do, the signers are sure to be harassed.

Don't think so? Look at what happened to donors to Proposition 8 in California last year. Those who opposed the amendment to define marriage between a man and a woman went after donors who supported the amendment with a vengeance.

Scott Eckern, artistic director of the California Musical Theater in Sacramento, was forced to resign because he donated money to the "Yes on 8" campaign. The same fate befell Los Angeles Film Festival Director Richard Raddon. And Majorie Christofferson, manager of the famous Los Angeles restaurant El Coyote, resigned after her restaurant was subjected to a month of boycotts. Her crime? She contributed a mere $100 to the Proposition 8 campaign.

At the moment, the names of those in Washington are not being released due to the actions of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. I suspect he was well aware of what took place in California and wanted to prevent a repeat in Washington.

Justice Kennedy had to step in because of a previous ruling. A U.S. District Court judge originally ruled that releasing the names could infringe on the First Amendment rights of those who signed the petition. The Ninth Circuit Court disagreed and overturned the ruling.

At least for the moment, common sense reigns. But you have to believe that the attempt to publish the names of those who signed the petition will have a chilling effect on future initiatives. I fear many citizens will be less likely to sign a petition or donate to a cause because of the harassment others have received. I'm Kerby Anderson, and that's my point of view.