(Albuquerque, New Mexico)  Barely a month after New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson signed legislation adding sexual orientation to the state's human rights code, a movement has been launched to repeal it. 

The gay rights provisions would make it illegal to discriminate against gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and the transgendered in matters of employment, housing, credit, public accommodations and union membership.

Businesses with fewer than 15 workers are exempt. 

The new law does not go into effect until July, but Republican Pam Wolfe has begun a campaign to kill it.

Wolfe told a weekend state GOP meeting in Albuquerque that she is looking at two possibilities for overturning the law. 

The first involves a preemptive strike.  To prevent the law from taking effect pending a referendum she will require signatures totaling 25 percent of the state’s 2002 general election turnout.

If the law takes effect, a repeal referendum can be forced at the next general election if she and her supporters gather signatures totaling 10 percent of the 2002 election turnout.

That would require about 50,400 signatures, which must be submitted to the secretary of state at least four months before the November 2004 election.

Gay rights advocates in the state said they were dismayed but not surprised by the repeal effort.

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