Out lesbian Patricia Todd wins at Alabama state Democratic exec committee

[PageOneQ]

http://pageoneq.com/news/2006/alabama_082606.html

The removal of Patricia Todd by a committee of the Alabama Democratic Party has been reversed by the party's executive committee, The Victory Fund has said in a statement issued today and obtained by PageOneQ.

Todd's victory today all but assures her election as Alabama's first out elected official. The Birmingham district she hopes to represent is overwhelmingly Democratic and the Republican party has not fielded a candidate for the seat.


More...
http://pageoneq.com/news/2006/alabama_082606.html

[IndianaGreen]

1. This is most excellent news!

Todd, associate director of AIDS Alabama, won the primary for a seat in the Alabama state legislature by 59 votes. Following a complaint by her opponent's mother-in-law, Todd and her opponent were both disqualified from the race. The complaint maintained that Todd had turned in a financial report form late. In the course of the hearing over the complaint it was learned that no candidate for state office had turned in such a form on time, including Todd's opponent and the party's current gubernatorial candidate. The committee voted Thursday to remove both candidates, as neither had filed the required form on time.

The racism and homophobia displayed by a bunch of Neanderthals, and Democratic Neanderthals at that, was a travesty and a slap in the face of all the primary voters.

You should post this in GLBT Forum if you haven't done so already.


Patricia Todd

I wonder if she is unattached... :9

[Alacrat]

9. Self delete

[rocktivity]

2. CUE THE VONAGE THEME, YOU ALL!

Lieberman in reverse--the majority voted for her, she won, but she CAN'T represent her party? Glad their little scheme didn't work...and props to her opponent's mother-in-law!

:woohoo:
rocknation

[karlrschneider]

13. Props? Her opponent's MIL was the one who filed the complaint.

:eyes: :eyes:

[rocktivity]

21. Yeah, but the opponent was as "guilty" as Todd

something that perhaps the MIL should have checked into first?

:rofl:
rocknation

[Cerridwen]

3. Yes!

I'm relieved to read this.

:D

[bluerum]

4. Finally some GOOD news! One tiny bit of justice in this world of sh*t.

[gully]

5. Good news.

eom

[cal04]

6. more

"Finally, the voters have prevailed. We are enormously proud of the courage and tenacity Patricia showed throughout this ordeal, and equally proud of her supporters in Alabama and beyond who stood by her unfailingly. The Victory Fund and its network of donors have worked to ensure Patricia had a level playing field and a fair chance to show that a qualified, committed public servant can win the trust of the voters regardless of her sexual orientation. We have no doubt her career in the legislature will reflect the same determination and skill she showed in her campaign."

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=71301

Doing the Right Thing
WE WON!!!!!
Patricia was all smiles, and her supporters were ecstatic. I walked out with party Executive Director Jim Spearman, who told me that Howard Dean had called eight times during the meeting to find out what happened. He said he’d been on the phone with Dean all week, and that the DNC was frantic because of all the negative feedback. People were ticked off, and no funds were coming in.

So thanks to all of you who contacted the DNC, the Alabama Democratic Party, your local committee members, and anyone else who would listen to insist that justice be done.

Democracy prevailed today, folks. We have reason to be proud.

UPDATE: Here’s the Victory Fund statement. And the angry black man was apparently local radio talk show host and perennial candidate Frank Matthews. What a kook.

http://www.queervoice.net/kmcmullen/2006/08/26/more-on-the-sdec-meeting/

http://americablog.blogspot.com/
:woohoo:

[Syrinx]

7. Joe Reed Is A Racist

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Openly gay Patricia Todd was reinstated Saturday as the Democratic Party's nominee for a seat in the Alabama Legislature in a vote that turned more on the race of the candidates than sexual orientation.

The Alabama Democratic Party Executive Committee voted 95-87 to reject the ruling of a subcommittee that had voted to disqualify Todd, who is white, and her black opponent, Gaynell Hendricks, in the race for the House seat from Birmingham's District 54.

The committee vote pitted vice chairman Joe Reed, a powerful black political leader, against other party officials. Reed had written a letter to black leaders in Jefferson County before the July 18 runoff asking them to support Hendricks so that a black would be elected from the majority black district.

The vote fell mostly along racial lines. Committee members were asked to stand to show their vote and no whites were seen standing to vote to uphold the subcommittee report, while a small number of blacks stood in support of Todd.

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/local/15369817.htm

[IndianaGreen]

8. Racism cuts across racial lines

and Joe Reed is no different from those that exploited the Tawana Brawley case to advance their agenda.

[msongs]

10. he might not be too fond of lesbians either nt

[IndianaGreen]

11. I haven't forgotten how many black churches endorsed anti-gay laws

and bought off the lie that sexual orientation was a choice. I count several Black gays and lesbians among my friends, and they all speak of a very oppressive culture in which they have to face homophobia and bigotry from their own community. The men particularly get more static from their families.

I am sorry to say that the same holds true for my Latino community.

[Kickoutthejams23]

14. Racism and discrimination based on sexual orientation

has no place in the Democratic Party.

[ldf]

22. what kickout says!

:thumbsup:

ain't that the truth!

and welcome! kotj23...

:hi:

[VegasWolf]

12. In these dark days of the Bush administration, it's nice to see a little

ray of sunshine!

[JanusAscending]

15. Best news I've heard all week!!

Now we need to keep the momentum going all around the country! Success breeds success!!! Way to go Ms. Todd !!!:toast:

[Zhade]

16. Justice! YES!

NT!

[Rose Siding]

17. Congratulations Alabama Democrats!

:toast:

[YankeyMCC]

18. Good news but

it's a shame she had to fight this particular battle in the first place.

[leQ]

19. yes, this is good news for all gay people

i say every little bit helps. one law here, an ordinance there... freedom is hard work.

[IndianaGreen]

20. and a set back for racists and homophobes in the Democratic Party

Unbelievable that the reasons for disallowing the primary results were that the winner was a white woman, and that she was a lesbian to boot!

[nealmhughes]

23. Yesterday I told all that the Executive Committee was to rectify

this ASAP. It was a credentials subcommittee whose m-in-law had clout to get her candidacy nixed, but his was voided by their reasoning as well, a bylaw on financial disclosure that had not been used since a statewide law went into effect over ten years ago as it was more stringent than the reporting to the Executive Committee/Chair, he/she just rubber stamped it after receiving the state report from the SOS.
This whole thing was a bunch of crap and sour grapes that tried to play both the lesbian and race cards as trump, but the state party didn't see the trumps and used its joker!
She is assured to win now. It isn't so odd as it seems: Bham is the center of gay life after Nashville and Atlanta in that area, drawing in huge crowds every Friday and Saturday night from as far away as KY and MS. The old industrial multi-ethnic Bham is dead. Now there is a large Black and White white collar population, period. Mercedes, regional educational and medical centers and banking rule there now, not steel. The old union town which one could smell from as far away as Cullman (two counties away) and see from that county atop Lacon Mountain when the blast furnaces were operating is dead. It is white bread/corn bread midamerica now, with a racial-political rift of staggering proportions.

[immoderate]

24. Good news.

Democrats should not be seen as hypocrites. Let's leave the Pubs the monopoly on that. Congratulations, Congresswoman Todd!

--IMM

[pro_blue_guy]

25. Congrats!!!!!