Activist Takes Advantage of Politician's Expired Web Domain

A gay activist in Ohio has taken advantage of a very specific technological situation.

Dayton city commissioner Dean Lovelace allowed his ownership of the website domain DeanLovelace.com to expire. Local activist David Lauri quickly purchased the domain to launch his own website, explaining that Lovelace had voted against an ordinance to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation in 1999 and 2007. According to the website, Lovelace said the antidiscrimination ordinance was a good idea, but he added that there needed to be "some community discussion regarding what the ordinance means and its implications." The measure passed in 2007 despite Lovelace's disapproval.

While the commissioner told the Dayton Daily News that he is not against gay rights, he called the notion that the gay rights movement is just like the civil rights movement "crap."

"That's just not true," Lovelace told the News. "As a commissioner, you're not going to make everyone happy, but my agenda is not gay rights. My agenda is around poverty reduction, community reinvestment and diversifying our safety forces. I don't step outside that."

Lovelace is up for reelection this November and is campaigning with a new website, Re-ElectDeanLovelace.com.