While watching the evening news, I caught a piece about the
Christ Church of Peace down in Florida that put up a
database of the persons who signed the petition in support of the
Florida Marriage Protection Amendment. Their goal:
The purpose of Know Thy Neighbor Florida is to provide meaningful access to public information in order to promote open and meaningful conversations regarding the anti-family, anti-equality Florida Marriage Protection Amendment.
What I didn't know was this was copied from the Massachusetts version,
knowthyneighbor.org, created in response to the
Legislative Amendment to the Constitution relative to the affirmation of marriage (House, No. 3190, amended).
Here's my concern: There was a lot of discussion both here and at YearlyKos talking about not just outing, but the repercussions that result from it. Here's an example of how this well intentioned idea can, and probably will, come back to haunt us:
You walk into the lobby, ready for your job interview. The interviewer pulls out your resume, turns to the computer and plugs in your name, searching specific databases to determine if you will be a good 'fit' for the company. Oh look! You support
name of issue. The interviewer now knows you are one of "those people" and you end up with a insincere 10 minute interview and are quickly shown the door. It's not likely they will contact you, but even if they do, they "gave it to another candidate" with no mention of the
real reason you were'mt hired.
Another example:
You signed a petition to get a Democratic candidate's name on the ballot. One week later you're coming out of the grocery store with your kids and a guy you don't even know confronts you and tells you his Republican candidate is a better choice. The next day, two more people repeat the exact same speech. For weeks you are confronted and accosted - All because you signed a petition.
Yes, I know the petitions are a matter of public record, and while I support gay marriage, I just can't condone writing off the privacy that comes with signing a petition and knowing it's filed deep in the bureaucratic bowels of some office downtown. Can these people go downtown and look through the files for your name? Of course they can. But then they have to work for it. No one's political opinions should be on display at the click of a mouse button, regardless of which side of the issue you're on.
Update - Allow me to clarify my position: I am not suggesting that signing a petition should not be a public document for any and all to see. What I am saying is by putting these public petitions online as searcheable databases, it will be MUCH easier for political attacks to become more personal, invasive and confrontational.