maplewoodflierAn anonymous flier in Maplewood last week targeting openly gay city council candidate Jim Llanas has raised a ruckus in advance of Tuesday’s city election. But the situation in Maplewood is not unique: LGBT candidates across the country are facing anonymous attacks. The sad part is, they often work.

In Houston, Tex., city controller Annise Parker, who is a lesbian, is running for mayor, but a lit piece sent out to voters last month says that a homosexual should not lead the city.

“Annise Parkers lifestyle that of being a HOMOSEXUAL is not the proper role model to lead the fourth largest city in the United States,” it read. “The Bible speaks clearly against the lifestyle she represents, James 1:8 says, ‘A double minded man is confused in all his ways’. She does not believe in what the scripture says about her lifestyle which in return means she doesn’t believe in God.”

The flier was signed by Christians for Better Government, but the group said it didn’t create the piece and claimed that someone else is using their name.

In Akron, Ohio, Sandra Kurt is running for city council. Last week, a flier signed, “A concerned neighbor,” slammed Kurt for being a lesbian.

The flier says she has “no education or experience in government other than political activism for special rights for homosexuals.” The flier also accuses “homosexuals” of working to “sensor [sic] speech against homosexuality (e.g.. criminalize reading bible passages in church that condemn homosexual behavior), prohibit insurance coverage for therapy to repair their deviant lifestyles, require schools to teach children that homosexual behavior is natural and acceptable.”

In 2008, Ken Herndon, an openly gay candidate for the Louisville, Ky., Metro Council, lost his primary challenge by 112 votes after an anonymous flier “featured a photo of Herndon’s face planted atop the body of a man embracing two other men kissing at a gay-pride parade.” The flier read, “[Herndon] wants us to elect him because he designed new garbage cans?! I guess when you live a life of trash you become pretty familiar with garbage cans.”

Such unsigned fliers attacking LGBT candidates are a common tactic and often are effective at playing to people’s prejudices. Earlier this year, openly gay candidate Derrick Hankerson lost his bid for Dania Beach City Commission in Florida by a scant 98 votes after an anonymous flier portrayed him as “a radical gay drug-dealing felon” was distributed. He plans to sue for libel.

Yet, despite the prevalence of the practice, more and more LGBT people are getting elected into office. According to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, the are 450 openly LGBT elected officials in the United States. And during the 2009 off-season elections, the group is tracking 76 LGBT candidates.