[Blog/Commentary] [USA] Sockpuppet Exposed: Lurleen Blogovitch as Laurel Ramseyer
Stephanie Stevens
January 08, 2011
Sockpuppet Exposed: Lurleen Blogovitch as Laurel Ramseyer
A puzzling, interesting and to many seemingly psychotic turn of events
this past week as ENDAblog alleges malfluence
<http://knowthyneighbor.org/endablog/endablog.htm> perpetrated by
"front page" lgbt blogger, Lurleen, at Pam Spaulding's "Pam's House
Blend." According to Kathy Padilla, her posts were deleted from Pam's
House Blend for daring to question Lurleen if a conflict of interest
exists that would stifle or delay Transgender Rights in Washington
State or nationally. From ENDAblog and with additional research on
ERW's site bios, we find that Lurleen or Lurleen Blogovitch is indeed
Laurel Ramseyer, Equal Rights Washington's Communications Director, so
there never should have been any issue with "outing" this person.
Some in the Transgender Activist Community see much of Gay Inc as
"marriage-centric," placing Trans Rights on the back burner and it
appears that this may have been Kathleen's concern with Lurleen.
ENDAblog removed this post yesterday, January 8th, but
KnowthyNeighbor.org has re-posted it here
<http://knowthyneighbor.org/endablog/endablog.htm> . The reason for
deletion according to ENDAblog was in response to Lurleen's
explanation that she "panicked" when she blocked Kathleen and
subsequently accidently removed all of Kathleen's posts from the last
5 years. The reasons for Lurleen not responding to Kathleen's emails
or others comments and posts were never reasonably explained.
This has become a bit of a personal issue for KnowThyNeighbor as if it
is true, and there is no reason to doubt the facts, that Laurel
Ramseyer works for Equal Rights Washington then she was indeed acting
as a sockpuppet <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_sock_puppet>
for Josh Friedes at Equal Rights Washington during the Referendum 71
battle which could have redacted by people's amendment the Expanded
Domestic Partnership Rights of WA for same gender (and opposite gender
couples). I remember Josh Friedes during that fight calling me to
tell me that KnowThyNeighbor via our affiliate WhoSigned.org must not
post names of the signers of the anti-gay Referendum 71, that
"Lurleen" is working on a piece that would criticize our strategy
<http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/11323/whosignedorg-needs-to-bow-out-gracefully>
and he asked me in such a way whether I "knew who Lurleen was?" like
she was some sort of force to be reckoned with. All the while
"Lurleen" was Laurel Ramseyer part of Josh's minions and is now ERW's
Communications Direction possibly acting in a consultant capacity.
This Lurleen (see PHB) <http://pamshouseblend.com/> , Lurleen
Blogovitch (see Facebook)
<http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1742996711> , Laurel (see
BlueMassGroup.com)
<http://bluemassgroup.com/diary/21756/harvard-shamefully-reopens-campus-to-rotc-while-throwing-transgender-students-under-the-bus>
and Laurel Ramseyer (see ERW)
<http://endablog.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/laurel-ramseyer-erw-01.jpg>
are all one in the same.
KnowThyNeighbor.org and WhoSigned.org met the scorn of "Lurleen" but
as I said before the surprising thing was that Pam Spaulding was
complicit in this. I sent Pam emails asking for an explanation but was
not contacted by Pam but instead by Lurleen who bragged that
"Blenders" are privy to Pam's emails. KnowThyNeighbor and
WhoSigned.org rose up to push the dialogue in Washington State about
the necessity of speaking to those who would sign petitions that would
take away one's rights. This is just not applicable to marriage
equality but to any set of rights, including Transgender Rights which
might be forced to be defended in a Ballot Initiative. The Maine
Marriage fight and the Washington State Ref 71 were set up to give the
illusion of the lgbt response being "homegrown." It was the furthest
from homegrown imaginable--it was a union of Gay Inc with the Netroots
Bloggers like Spaulding calling the shots on strategy and online media
response. KnowThyNeighbor.org was told to "stay out" of WA and ME
because I was from Massachusetts. Yet in WA State alone Josh Friedes
was from the Massachusetts FTM and part of the MassEquality Coalition,
Josh Cohen, ERW/WAFST tech lead/communications heralded from New
Jersey, Monies were sent from EQCA by Marc Solomon (though Maine
received a substantial amount more), bloggers from around the nation
controlled messaging via list serves, and Lurleen made attempts at
discrediting KnowthyNeighbor's importance, the least of which was in
sending an email calling us "carpetbaggers" while she herself was a
MassEquality export and maintained a presence under the pseudonym,
Laurel, in the largest liberal Massachusetts blog, BlueMassGroup.com
throughout the Ref 71 Campaign. To this day "Laurel" at BMG tries to
influence MA politics.
The fight for Equality will take all of our efforts
<http://knowthyneighbor.blogs.com/home/2010/06/knowthyneighbor-victory-in-scotus-doe-vs-reed.html>
. The leading wins that we have had required all strategies, all
lgbt, all allies, engagement of the electorate etc. The Transgender
Rights battle with Inclusive ENDA and various statewide Transgender
Protection Bills, Marriage Equality and others will require this same
strategy--the strategy of "wanting to be treated as Equal Americans."
These sockpuppets <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_sock_puppet>
, power grads, battles of online prowess directed against our
activists have got to stop. People like Lurleen Blogovitch aka Laurel
Ramseyer would be a much more effective activist if she came out of
her own closet of fear and neuroses.
>snip<
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