Throughout this past year, we fought against roll-backs to child labor laws, chemical reform protections, reproductive freedom, same-day voter registration, and the Maine Human Rights Act.

We sent you action alerts, and you sent thousands of messages to law-makers. Click on the title to read the original alert.

And the winner is (now, I know that most people start with number five, and count down to number one … and there’s a bunch of fan-fare and hoopla and suspense … but, I’m not going to do it that way).

ahem.

And the winner is…

1. beards?

February 23, 2011 – This alert was about this (now famous) quote by Governor LePage, “The only thing that I’ve heard is if you take a plastic bottle and put it in the microwave and you heat it up, it gives off a chemical similar to estrogen. So the worst case is some women may have little beards.”

The Governor’s quote referred to a proposal to roll-back the chemical policy reform that Maine has been leading the nation with. Well, you said “not so fast, Governor.” You sent over 900 messages.

You helped to stop the roll-back.

2. Governor LePage Just signed the bill…

During the session, we fought hard to protect voting rights.  You sent almost 400 messages to legislators. The bill passed, and on June 21, 2011, Governor LePage signed a bill that would eliminate same-day voting rights in Maine. A group of Maine voters immediately gathered at the offices of the Maine Women’s Lobby to file an application to veto the bill. Throughout the summer, we all fought hard to protect voting rights in Maine.  And, on election day 2011, you stood proud with the rest of the Protect Maine Voting Rights Coalition to celebrate the successful people’s veto. The law that allows voters to register and vote on Election Day stands in Maine. Burn.

3. bathroom politics

The Maine Women’s Lobby has fought for civil rights for more than three decades. The victories – and critical protections – were hard won. During this past session, legislation was proposed that would undermine the Maine Human Rights Act and invalidate critical protections for transgender, lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. You sent almost 350 messages to the legislature asking them to defeat a proposal that would scale back the Maine Human Rights Act. The proposal was defeated. Oh Yeah.

4. don’t script me

We saw four bad anti-choice bills this past session. I mean big bad scary bills – the kind they pass in Texas (sorry about that to all my Texan friends). This particular piece was in response to a bill that would have required a woman to listen to a (biased) script before she could make choices about her own body. You sent over 320 messages to law-makers asking them to protect a woman’s choice of whether – and when – to have children. All four bills were defeated. We do things a little differently up here in Maine than they do in Texas (again, apologies).

5. What’s Next – Running with Scissors?

Now this one. wow. This was about the proposed roll-back to child labor laws. I know, huh?

The 1800′s called and they want their regulations back.

YOU sent 920 messages. You protected Maine laws that had existed for over one-hundred years. Mainers believe that for our youth, school is their job.

For more in the Child Labor law realm, you can read: the boss ate my homework, Is exploitation the new business friendly?, Jobz v. skool, and lots of others by visiting our online archive.

All said and done, this year alone YOU’VE sent over 3,000 messages to law-makers. GOOD JOB – and thank you. Subscribe right now.

Please contribute right now to help us continue this important work.

Please share this post, using the tools to the left. And, help us build our influence by suggesting that your friends subscribe.

Happy New Year,

Charlotte Warren
Associate Director

Maine Women’s Lobby Responds to Vote to Defeat Paycheck Fairness Act

Statement of Sarah Standiford, Executive Director, Maine Women’s Lobby

“The failure of the U.S. Senate to proceed to an up-or-down vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act has jeopardized the economic standing of Maine’s women, and the families that they support. The Maine Women’s Lobby is disappointed that Senator Snowe and Senator Collins refused to support the cloture motion on Paycheck Fairness.

“The principles of fairness and equity were set back today. Unfortunately, so was the Nation’s economic recovery. Recent U.S. Census data demonstrates that the gender wage gap is widening in Maine. Women in Maine are now earning just 77 cents to a man’s dollar. The bill would have provided grants to improve women’s ability to negotiate for equal pay and deterred discrimination by strengthening penalties for equal pay violations (bringing them on par with other civil rights violations). It was designed also to provide greater levels of wage transparency, allowing employees to discover instances of employer discrimination.

“Even though 84% of Americans support these new tools to promote equal pay, unfortunately today, the U.S. Senate failed to stand up for the needs of working women.

“The recovery of the American middle class begins and ends with well-paying jobs, but that cannot happen if women are bringing home less and less each year. Women are increasingly the sole breadwinners for their families. That means equal pay is not just a matter of fairness—but also the key to a family’s ability to make ends meet.

“The question before Maine women is now: How long will we have to wait for fair pay?”

The Maine Women’s Lobby is a non-partisan, non-profit, membership organization working since 1978 to increase opportunities for women and girls through advocacy and legislative action. www.mainewomen.org

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Word from Portia Wu , Vice President at the National Partnership for Women and Families, from  inside the event was that Lilly Ledbetter was star of the show.  No surprise there! Lilly headlined an event here in March with her story about fighting pay discrimination at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

Here’s hoping she continues to pound the pavement – I mean the halls of the U.S. Senate office buildings. Meantime we’re going to do all we can in Maine to get this bill passed once and for all. As the V.P. says: “Step Up, Man!”

If you’re like me, you’re disturbed and disappointed by the passage of Question 1. Everyone put so much on the line. On the lobbying team and in the field ,volunteers and staff were driven, thoughtful, strategic and focused. Thousands of you put your stories, time, and dollars to work. You did everything right.

Ultimately, however, this is just one phase in the campaign for justice. The foundation we built together will endure – and prepare us for the next moment. We’re particularly proud of Maine’s lawmakers who heard their constituents appeals for justice and in some cases, rightfully provided leadership in their districts. As part of the Maine Women’s Lobby’s 30 year history, you know that winning justice is a multi-year , sometimes a multi-decade proposition, and it will never be easy. This is why we lead.

Thanks for being part of this work now, and for the long haul. We’ll grieve – we’ll support our friends and partners in the work – but we won’t stop today, or ever.

Thanks to all,

Sarah Standiford

http://www.wmtw.com/video/21458064/index.html

In my opinion, the principled position in support of equal rights carried the day. Loving, committed gay and lesbian couples should have the same rights and protections as anyone else. My favorite quote: “Let’s remember, gay and lesbian couples want to enjoy marriage…not change it.”

 No on 1!!

So, I started asking around … and here are some reflections from the women of the Maine Women’s Lobby:

Director of Public Policy, Laura Harper, and some of her lobbyists cohorts.

Here’s what Laura had to say:

I feel certain that my experiences lobbying for marriage equality will never be matched. Every day, I came out to legislators. I shared with them my commitment for my partner, Lauren, our engagement, and the fears and discrimination I have faced during our partnership because we can’t get married.

It was a rush. It was exhausting. It was scary. It was joyful.

When the Governor signed the bill into law, I was waiting with other advocates outside his office. When a member of his staff discreetly stuck her head around the door and whispered, “He signed it,” I knew I was a part of Maine history. I knew it would be a moment I would never forget, similar to when President Obama was elected or when we finally passed the anti-discrimination law in Maine.

I will return to that moment again and again. There will always be a part of me that will never age, there will always be a young woman standing there in her little suit with her sweaty armpits and rumpled tissue thinking, “Oh my God, we’ve actually won.”

Here’s Sarah, our Executive Director:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s Kim Simmons, one of our board members:

The highlight of the 124th Legislative session, for me, was the passage of the Marriage Equality Bill!  I am impressed with the cooperation that emerged in the 124th Legislature and with the fact that our leadership is female. Nevertheless, I was disappointed not to see more radical and progressive action taken to redistribute wealth in our state, to protect the poor, and to address the absence of paid sick leave which creates both the potential for a public health crisis and family emergencies on daily basis. It seems to me that we have a unique moment to truly push for tax policy that is rooted in social justice priorities and reflects the interests of most Maine people, and I hope that more progressive and innovative thinking will emerge in the second session of the 124th!

Charlotte at the State House

And, here’s what I think:

So, when I think back on the 124th session of the Maine Legislature, my first thought is, “phew … it’s over.” And don’t get me wrong, I love the excitement of the session. I love the exhilaration of the wins – and the opportunity of the losses. And, I guess in a lot of ways I would describe this past session as a roller-coaster ride – we were up, we were down, we were recessed, we were tabled … Oh yeah, I was paying attention to the play-by-play afforded to us by Laura, her Blackberry, and Twitter … and I was addicted! Check out our newsletter archive to review the roller-coaster ride.

So, enough about us. What do you think? Add your reflections today.

PS: Yes, “phew” is actually a word. It’s in the dictionary and everything.

Thanks everyone,

Charlotte

The Sun Journal editorialized against the decision.

And here’s what Sarah said, “The Sun Journal editorial stating that a transgender woman should use the men’s restroom misrepresents gender identity and discrimination.” (Go Sarah … Go Sarah.)

Check out the articles (I’d advise against perusing the reader comments – unless you’re lookin’ to get fired up) and then tell us what you think …

PS: I have to send a shout-out to Pam and her “Pam’s House Blend” blog. Check it out… and then come back and give us your take.

After this law took effect, many places, including the names of mountains and creeks, were changed. But, believe it or not, some people just couldn’t let it go. Their need to use a racial slur that degraded and dehumanized Native American women was too strong. Shorter versions of the word started to appear, such as “squa,” or the combination of “squa” with other more acceptable names.

I hope I don’t sound angry; because I’m not. I’m tired. I’m tired of debating fellow Mainers (and Americans in general) on discrimination, tolerance, and respect.

The argument defending the use of this word (or parts therein) shocks me. Again, believe it or not, some of these defenders are Native Americans. What’s their argument? Their argument is that the ORIGIN of the word wasn’t offensive. And, I’ll concur, it wasn’t. It meant woman, female, chief’s wife, etc. And, that just because the word’s connotation over time became a slanderous assault against Native American women, doesn’t mean its original meaning or the original way the word was intended should be deemed inappropriate now.

The first thing that comes to mind, when hearing this argument, is the origin of MOST racial slurs. Almost 90% of racial slurs had an original meaning that was far from offensive. They were often derived from other languages, and their use was common place and accepted by all backgrounds. But, over time, the tone, pejorative connotation, and discriminative categorization, became racially demeaning, and yes, offensive. Some of these racial slurs are now so representative of hate that using them as an example here would be extremely unacceptable and downright wrong.

So, I say, where is the merit in the defensive of using the word squaw? Do they also feel that we should use ALL slang words with an original meaning that at one time was socially acceptable and in some respects harmless?

Hmmm … what do you think?

(Augusta) Today in a news release, organizations representing Maine people celebrated the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“In selecting Judge Sotomayor to be his nominee to the highest court, President Obama has chosen someone who is superbly qualified and has outstanding legal credentials,” said Sarah Standiford, Executive Director of the Maine Women’s Lobby. “Moreover, Judge Sotomayor comes to the position with an unparalleled level of experience – three decades of experience at all levels of the law.”

Members of the Maine’s Fair and Independent Federal Courts Coalition lauded the historic nomination-and the wealth of experience that Judge Sotomayor would bring as a woman and as the nation’s first Latina nominee. Sonia Sotomayor grew up in the South Bronx, the daughter of parents from Puerto Rico. Despite the challenges her family faced, Judge Sotomayor attended Princeton and Yale Law School, served as an Assistant District Attorney, worked as a corporate litigator in a New York law firm, and went on to become the first Latina appointed to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Over a career that spans three decades, Judge Sotomayor has worked at almost every level of the judicial system and brings an understanding of how the law affects the lives of every-day Americans.  

Said Kim Moody, Executive Director of the Disability Rights Coalition, “Maine’s Senators will have a critical role to play in the confirmation of this Supreme Court Justice. The confirmation process will allow the Senate and the American people the opportunity to learn even more about this very impressive nominee, her commitment to the rule of law, and the rights and liberties of all Americans.”

Maine‘s Fair and Independent Federal Courts Coalition was founded in 2004 to monitor appointments to the federal bench. Included among the 30+ members are Centro Latino, Disability Rights Center, Environmental Health Strategy Center, Family Planning Association of Maine, Maine AFL-CIO, Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, Maine People’s Alliance, Maine Women’s Lobby, NAACP Portland Branch, National Council of Jewish Women Southern Maine Section, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, and Sierra Club Maine Chapter.

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