ICYMI Video of the June 17 Meeting | Celebrating Pride Month and Updating Our Bylaws

The Lincoln County Democratic Committee (LCDC) held its monthly meeting on June 17, 2021, via Zoom.

For Pride Month we welcomed Quinn Gormley, Executive Director of MaineTransNet, the largest state-level transgender peer support organization in the country. Quinn discussed the status of legislation in Maine and across the country that seeks to restrict the civil rights of transgender youth and adults and talk about ways allies can support their trans family, friends, and neighbors.

In committee business, members voted to adopt some amendments to our bylaws that better define the way LCDC approaches our grassroots activities. The revisions pave the way for more inclusivity, allows for greater flexibility, and will hopefully grow our group of volunteers by providing an avenue to create more short-term, clearly defined projects by replacing our previous focus on subcommittees with guidelines that support our various organizational initiatives. Thanks to the work done by Vice Chair Kelli Whitlock Burton, Jamie Dalgleish, Leeanne Pander, Jason Putnam, and Julie Tenan in proposing these changes.

Below the video, are some of the notes from the chat during the meeting with some great resources including some important announcements. Note that the video has been edited to show only Quinn’s portion. We have not included the LCDC business meeting.

The next meeting will take place on July 15.

Resources Shared During the Meeting

MaineTransNet
https://www.mainetrans.net/

Kelli Whitlock Burton (she/her): Check out MaineTransNet’s online store, featuring 2021 Pride Designs created by members of their Youth Caucus. All proceeds benefit MTN’s youth programs.
https://www.mainetrans.net/store

Kelli Whitlock Burton (she/her) provided links to some of the legislation that was discussed:
Here’s a link to LD 1044. “An Act To Protect the Rights of Certain Incarcerated Individuals”

Here’s a link to LD 855, “An Act Regarding the Issuance of a Birth Certificate Following a Gender Marker Change”

Immediate Action!

Kelli Whitlock Burton (she/her): You can email Sen. Collins directly and ask her to support the Equality Act with this form from MaineTransNet:
https://secure.everyaction.com/X2Z-b9PfHUG07Dh2lVgEiw2

From Autumn Mahoney | she/her: I sent my note urging Sen. Collins to support the Equality Act on Monday through her website and received this response 2 hours ago.
“Thank you for contacting me to express your support for the Equality Act. I appreciate your taking the time to write.

I have been a leader on equal rights issues at the federal level throughout my service in the Senate. I was the lead Republican sponsor of the law that repealed the military’s discriminatory “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy. I was also a longtime supporter of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would prohibit discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation or gender identity. I led the effort to pass that bill through the Senate in 2013. I was a proud supporter of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a law that expands hate crime protections to LGBTQ Americans. And I have cosponsored bills to prevent discrimination in housing and jury service.

The Equality Act, introduced by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), seeks to establish federal protections for LGBTQ individuals across a broad array of areas such as public accommodations, employment, and housing. Last Congress, I cosponsored the Equality Act as a starting point for negotiations. There are several provisions of this bill that I would like to see improved, and I hope that the bill’s supporters will be willing to take the steps necessary to build bipartisan consensus to achieve the bill’s goals.

I continue to support passing a law to protect the civil rights of Americans, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Although we have certainly made progress on these issues, there is more work to do to secure these important protections.

Again, thank you for contacting me.”

Kelli Whitlock Burton (she/her): Alliance for Defending Freedom
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/alliance-defending-freedom

ANNOUNCEMENTS!

Family Fun Day Lobster Bake
Sunday August 8, 2021
Noon – 3 PM
Cider Hill Farm
785 Main Street, Waldoboro
General Admission: $40
Hosts: $150 and up
Event website will be up soon to sign up!

FMI, to volunteer or to donate, contact Geoff Bates, Leader, LCDC Fundraising Initiatives at:
gbbates@gmail.com
207.644.8776

Treat for Two Raffle!
Win two tickets with round-trip transportation to the Turner Farm Barn Supper for Thursday, August 19, 2021. Tickets are $30 each. To purchase raffle tickets or to ask questions, contact Johnson at 207-549-3358 or email her at valariesmithjohnson@gmail.com. Due to state law, tickets are not sold online.