Gay-rights strategy raises issue of privacy in democratic process

Some members of the gay-rights movement are putting typically arcane, archived public documents about who signed a petition against gay marriage within reach of anyone with a computer.
June 7, 2009
By Lornet Turnbull
Seattle Times staff reporter

Across the country, thousands who contributed to a campaign banning gay marriage in California — including some people in the Seattle area — have had their names and addresses permanently ascribed to an Internet site, along with the amount they gave and their place of employment.

Last week, a Seattle gay man said he will do something similar: post and make searchable online the names and addresses of all who sign a referendum petition to recall legislation giving gay couples in Washington the benefits of marriage, except the name.

This strategy signals a radical change in the way some gays are using the Internet to battle for their cause — putting typically archived public documents within reach of anyone with a computer. the rest