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发帖数: 19713 | 1 Seattle Gay Man Sends 2,000 Messages to Conservative Voters
By Neal Broverman
SEATTLE X390 (GETTY) | ADVOCATE.COM
As a ballot initiative effort is set to launch in Washington State that
could rescind marriage rights there, a gay Seattle man is personally
reaching out to past opponents of LGBT equality.
Paul Thomasson is taking advantage of a Supreme Court decision that allows
the identities of petition signers to be released to the public. Thomasson
is combing through the records for R-71, a failed initiative attempt to
overturn the state's domestic partnership law, so he can find out who
supported it. In a hope to change these individuals' minds about R-74, this
year's initiative to overturn marriage equality in Washington, Thomasson
emailed about 2,000 supporters of R-71.
"I can't know what motivated you to sign the petition for R-71, but I
sincerely hope and pray that you will not sign the petition for R-74," he
wrote.
While many R-71 supporters said they did not want their identities released
over fear they would be harassed, Thomasson's emails have been the only
known contact to the petition signers. By all accounts, Thomasson's email is
not threatening; instead he's trying a gentle tactic of persuasion.
"People are basically good and tolerant," Thomasson tells The Seattle Times.
"My intent was to let them know there's an actual human being affected by
their decision."
Thomasson, who identifies as Republican, was kicked out of the Navy during "
don't ask, don't tell" and now works in human resources at Boeing. |
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