DotOUT

For Immediate Release: 11 January, 2005

DotOUT Holds First Endorsement Forum

Dorchester's gay and lesbian political advocacy group, DotOUT conducted an endorsement forum last night featuring the candidates for the 12^th Suffolk District House of Representatives Seat recently vacated by Thomas Finneran. All five declared candidates attended, and took their allotted fifteen minutes to make their case for the group's endorsement. This is the first time DotOUT, formed in June of 2004, has held a formal endorsement process.

Nearly fifty lesbian and gay voters crowded into the function room of the Harp and Bard restaurant on Dorchester Avenue to hear the candidates and to deliberate on their responses to the four questions posed in advance as well as the questions asked by the members at the meeting.

Emmanuel Bellegarde, Linda Dorcena Forry, and Stacey Monahan all stated unequivocal support for gay marriage, a woman's right to choose, and pledged, that if elected, they would vote to restore funding to AIDS service organizations, and to oppose amending the constitution to limit the right to marry. Candidates Eric Donovan and Kerby Roberson both stated a preference to let the right to marry be put to the people for a vote.

At the end of the meeting, the membership nominated Monahan and Dorcena Forry for endorsement, after which a vote by those members in attendance ended with Dorcena Forry securing 74% of the vote and DotOUT's endorsement. Sixty percent was needed to gain the endorsement.

Dotout will circulate an announcement of its endorsement among its members, encouraging them to assist the candidate financially and by volunteering. DotOUT will also assist in getting out the vote of its membership and by conducting a fundraiser for Dorcena Forry.

"This is a great moment for DotOUT" said co-founder Daniel Cushing, who served as moderator for the event. "In just eight months, DotOUT has assembled a membership base of over 120 lesbian and gay registered voters in Dorchester." "And we all have friends" added Stephanie Moura, Steering Committee member, alluding to the potential for the group to mobilize in behalf of its candidate. By meetings end, many of the DotOUT members had pledged to campaign for Dorcena Forry.

"This was a complete success for DotOUT", said Steering Committee member Ed Cook. "All of the candidates came. We made a clear choice."

"Linda was a dynamic speaker, she held the attention of the room and managed to temper her remarks with humor in a very genuine way, and seemed quite at home campaigning" stated Moura.

"I was impressed by each candidate's decision to attend the meeting. They don't all agree with us on every issue but their attendance indicates a willingness to engage in a constructive dialogue with us," said Richard O'Mara, steering committee member.

Other issues that the members asked about included improving public school education, health care issues, and affordable housing, while still other members expressed interest in the volunteer activities of the candidates.

"This forum showcased the diversity of issues important to our community," said Cushing. While demonstrating that Dorchester's gay and lesbian voters, long active in civic associations and ward committees can come together in a free exchange of ideas. DotOUT represents a wonderful opportunity to bring together Dorchester's gay and lesbian voters to support candidates who demonstrate a commitment to their gay and lesbian neighbors."