Donations From California Teachers, HRC Lead to $2.25 Million for No on 8

When No on 8 campaign director Patrick Guerriero urged LGBT Americans that we have to match the opposition dollar for dollar if we want to win at the polls in November, people sat up and took notice. In the last 24 hours No on 8 has managed to raise more than $2.25 million, due to a trio of sizable donations.

Early this morning The Advocate reported a half-million-dollar donation from real estate tycoon and Hollywood producer Steve Bing, marking the largest non-LGBT gift to the campaign.

A hour later the Human Rights Campaign announced it was contributing $750,000, bringing the HRC’s total contribution to Equality for All to $3 million. This latest donation was made thanks in part to an incentive gift of $120,000 from longtime marriage equality champions Tom Bombardier and John Fowler.

And the California Teachers Association Issues poltical action committee, which in July donated $250,000 to No on 8, upped their support for marriage equality yesterday by $1 million. The previous donation sent Yes on 8 activists into a blogging frenzy.

In addition to the major donations, several smaller donations in and around the entertainment community have poured in over the past few days. Will & Grace star Eric McCormack and Desperate Housewives’ Dana Delany each wrote checks for $5,000.

Today, Manhunt.net co-owners Larry Basile and Jonathan Crutchley donated a combined $10,000 -- Crutchley came under attack by gay blogger Andy Towle for donating the maximum amount allowed by law, $2,300, to presidential candidate John McCain.

The recent influx of donations beings the amount of money raised by No on 8 significantly closer to matching money raised by the opposition. As recently as last week, Yes on 8 was outraising No on 8 by a 3-to-2 ratio, according to Equality California.

During yesterday’s conference call with LGBT media, Guerriero said he expected to see several major donations over the next few days. (Ross von Metzke, The Advocate)

Keywords: California marriage Prop 8

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Reader Comments

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Name: simple truth
Date posted: 2008-10-27 6:00 PM
Hometown: Fallbrook, California

Comment:

Whoa, whoa, whoa!!! Gays are seeking to imposing THEIR moral values on the majority. Most people are heterosexual and believe that because it is the natural expression of our sexuality, it is superior and certainly the normal one. Gays believe this is an immoral position and though they are in the minority they have been working for over 30 years to impose their morality on the majority while arguing that the imposition of the morality of the majority is unfair!!! Gays should be treated with the same compassion that any group deserves that is not able to function at the optimum level, but lets not be irrational. To foist what is less than optimal on the majority with name calling tactics (homnophobe, hater, intolerant) is what is REALLY unfair.

Name: simple truth
Date posted: 2008-10-27 5:49 PM
Hometown: Fallbrook, Californis

Comment:

Name: Phoebe
Date posted: 2008-10-16 6:21 PM
Hometown: San Francisco

Comment:

Tyler, you deserve a civilized response. I understand people have different morals and it's ok. Prop 8 it goes beyond a right to moral values. It imposes the morals of one group upon another. CA is diverse and everyone deserves basic protection of rights. In grade school, I learned a person's liberty ends where it interferes with another's. Who gets to decide which moral rights are higher or lower? It would be impossible to live this way. Prop 8 is not a poll to see who approves of gay marriage. A Constitutional Amendment writes discrimination into the fabric of our state, of which many gay people, whether you approve or not, are citizens. I'm not asking you to reconsider your position (maybe hoping!) but just to reconsider your logic. A right to moral values does not give the right to impose your moral values on others.

Name: Jerry
Date posted: 2008-10-16 10:01 AM
Hometown: Los Angeles

Comment:

Many thanks to CTA for their generous contribution, and to all contributors thus far. I've just finished reading most of the comments to the LA Times story about Fr. Fallows, the Fresno priest who defied his bishop and came out against Prop 8. Running through those comments in favor of Prop 8 is the serious misconception that churches will be sued and forced to perform same-sex marriages. Because of all the noise from all the ads running for the various props. on the ballot, No on 8 is going to have to really saturate the airwaves to get its message out, and counter all the lies that are being told (and recited as part of Sunday homilies in Catholic, Mormon & evangelical churches). I'm betting they can get the job done but they're going to need a lot more money to do it. I'll be making another contribution today.

Name: rsg35
Date posted: 2008-10-16 9:55 AM
Hometown: Tampa

Comment:

TYLER--listen up! While the marriage ban is at the issue, it is what this poor endeavor represents that is at the issue’s heart. As long as there is no equality—the core of human rights—there is continued oppression of gays. Unfortunately, there is a contingency within society that wants to end homosexuality based on its own sense of skewed morality. But homosexuality is not a choice or preference, and I say skewed because this contingency does not properly follow the principles of love thy neighbor. Instead, they will go to great lengths, such as lying, fear mongering and hatred, to get their point across and demoralize others who do not follow their 'way'. Banning gay marriage represents hatred and bigotry towards a group of law-abiding individuals that contribute to the tax base and do no harm to others. Your vote for yes is a shameful representation of the stupidity and racism that exists in America. I guess for you--ignorance is bliss.

Name: Mark
Date posted: 2008-10-15 5:57 PM
Hometown: Seattle

Comment:

Is Jonathan Lewis, the gay Ohio entrepreneur and political activist, still going to match the $500K from the entertainment industry now that we've met his challenge? This was reported by The Advocate on 10/1/08. Please follow-up with more reporting on this. Thanks. Entrepreneur Vows to Match $500K Worth of No on 8 Contributions Gay Ohio entrepreneur and political activist Jonathan Lewis issued a challenge of sorts to Los Angeles's entertainment industry Tuesday -- raise $500,000 for No on Prop. 8, and he and his family will match the contributions dollar for dollar. [...] [...] [...] "My family and I are issuing a $500,000 challenge to the entertainment industry. We will match the next half-million dollars that entertainment industry leaders contribute. This is an urgent time in the campaign, and we have to act now." [...] (The Advocate)

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