November 27, 2007 - Tristan Scott, Missoulian

Jess Keith didn't always get hugs from strangers at the grocery store, but she happily tolerates the “random acts of peace.”

But she won't tolerate acts of violence, especially if that means being attacked on her hometown streets because she's a lesbian. That's precisely what compelled Keith, 29, to stand before more than 250 people Monday night at the Badlander and urge their support of legislation that would add sexual orientation, gender and disability to Montana's current hate-crime statute.

“When I was attacked that night I felt really alone, and now I see all of you and I feel so much support,” she said.

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  November 27, 2007 - Robert Struckman, NewWest.Net

“Welcome to the rally,” said Jamee Greer of Forward Montana. “This is a community response to hate. What direction are we going to go?”

It was Monday evening at the Badlander, a bar in downtown Missoula. Galvanized by two recent beatings, reportedly sparked by homophobia, the town’s gay population, and friends, had come out in force.

“It’s not a ‘special right’ not to be beaten up. That’s a basic human right,” Greer said. It was just after 5 p.m. The bar was filling with people.

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  November 27, 2007 - Trevon Milliard, Montana Kaimin

Walking into the Badlander packed with people standing shoulder to shoulder, you’d think it was a Friday night. But it was Monday, and the crowd wasn’t a drunken bunch.

At the bar was 31-year-old C.C. Deveroux, the 17th Miss Gay Missoula. He sported a frizzy wig, with a red bow, and wore red lipstick, a leather jacket, short skirt and fishnet stockings. In displays of solidarity within the gay community, others wore white T-shirts bearing the names they had been called: muff diver, big homo, FAG and vagatarian. 

The group swarming to the Badlander took part in a rally against hate crimes formed in response to attacks on two gay people in Missoula earlier this month.

The Western Montana Gay & Lesbian Community Center held the rally in conjunction with 30 other organizations, including Forward Montana, the UM Lambda Alliance and the Missoula Police Department. The night’s theme was “We are Missoula. Speak up. Stand out.”.

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Tim Fernholz, The Nation, November 27, 2007

And it's not just activism. Thanks to the work of our baby-boomer forebears, young people have a place in politics today. They work on political campaigns, in think tanks, and in government. They seek to expose problems and advocate for change through journalism and blogging. They even run for office. They are part of groundbreaking campaigns like the Oregon Bus Project and Forward Montana.

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  November 11, 2007 - Keila Szpaller, Missoulian

Voter turnout boomed in Missoula's first big foray into an all-mail election, with more than 46 percent of registered voters casting ballots by the Nov. 6 deadline.

[...]

Political observers also are touting postal balloting for producing great turnout. But they say some problems need fixing, and it isn't yet time to shut down all polling places and stock up on envelopes.

“Maybe in five or six years, we'll say it's time to do everything this way. I think saying that right now is possibly jumping the gun a little bit,” said Matt Singer, chief executive officer of Forward Montana, a progressive political organization devoted to youth and politics.

Singer said smaller elections, such as city and school board votes, benefit from mail ballots. At the polls in Missoula, turnout historically runs anywhere from 8 percent to 15 percent in citywide elections with no mayor on the ballot. So when popped in the mail, this year's low-profile ballot led to at least triple the usual turnout.

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