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Anti-Gay Campaign Raises $4 Million�Sparks Fears

California's 'No on Knight' Blasts Massive Build-Up

Assembly Speaker Villaraigosa Says Fairness Targeted

Compiled By GayToday

San Francisco, California --- In just 90 days, proponents of the Knight Initiative have raised an astonishing $3.1 million. The unprecedented amount of funds indicates a right-wing campaign strategy that goes far beyond passing the anti-gay initiative--to one that many expect could be a full-out assault on the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community and the recent legislative gains made this year in Sacramento.

California Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa opposes the bigoted state Sen. Pete Knight's anti-gay proposal

California Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa and the No on Knight campaign warned that given the large sum of money already raised, the Knight Initiative sponsors are likely to launch a massive and ugly TV and radio media campaign attacking GLBT people � similar to what was seen in Hawaii and Alaska initiative campaigns last year.

Already, the Knight campaign has amassed a war chest of nearly $4 million. It is likely, given that most money in an initiative campaign is usually raised during the last 45 days of the campaign, that the Knight Initiative sponsors will spend upwards of $10 million dollars over the course of the campaign.

The vast majority of the Knight money raised thus far comes from the Catholic Church ($311,000), the Mormon Church, and far-right activist Howard Ahmanson ($310,000), a major funder of extremist organizations, including ones that advocate the death penalty for gays.

The Mormon Church acknowledges a large Knight Initiative fundraising effort but refuses to disclose how much money they have collected. The No on Knight campaign has brought in close to $900,000 to date.

"The right wing has rolled up its tanks to the California border, and they've got a huge arsenal pointed right at us. If the Knight Initiative is as simple as they say it is, why spend millions of dollars on this campaign?" asked No on Knight Campaign Manager Mike Marshall.

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Related Sites:
No on Knight

California State Assembly

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"Let this serve as a wake-up call to our community. We are in for an ugly and unprecedented attack that we must harness all of our resources to stop. If we do not, everything we achieved this year in Sacramento and over the course of the past 20 years is in imminent danger of being undone. The unfair, divisive, and intrusive Knight Initiative must be defeated," added Marshall.

California Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa also spoke out against the Knight attack:

"Californians believe in fairness � and this year in Sacramento we made great strides toward equal rights. The right wing has raised this mountain of money to try to turn back the tide. We're proud of our live and let live attitude in California. The right wing, on the other hand, is raising millions to try to convince us that government should be able to intrude in our private lives, said Villaraigosa"

The Knight Initiative, sponsored by right-wing State Senator Pete Knight (See GayToday's current 'People' Feature) is on the March 7 ballot. It states: Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.

The Knight Initiative threatens hospital visitation rights, inheritance rights and other equal rights and protections that any two people in a committed relationship deserve.

It increases the rhetoric of hate and intolerance towards gay and lesbian Californians and their families. And it would inject the government into the most personal decisions -- who we spend our lives with.

The Knight Initiative is opposed by Vice President Al Gore, presidential candidate Bill Bradley, and Republican Congressman Tom Campbell, among others.