Posts Tagged ‘marriage equality’

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Stonewall Young Democrats bring strong support for the Equality Network’s “Family Values” Fundraiser

Thursday, August 6th, 2009
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I will let the pictures do most of the talking here.  However, suffice it so say that the fight for marriage equality takes a variety of actions.  We have canvassed, phone banked, blogged, done viral videos, etc.  However, last night we helped our brothers and sisters at the Equality Network to raise money for their efforts to Repeal Prop 8.  Needless to say, this was one of the more entertaining ways to help out.

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My experience at Camp Courage – A life changing experience

Thursday, August 6th, 2009
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Going into Camp Courage last weekend, I will admit I was a bit skeptical about giving up a full weekend to attend an activist training. After all, I was still exhausted from attending the wedding for two of my best friends the previous weekend and had been phone banking, canvassing and doing online organization for awhile now. When I first walked into camp at 9:00am Saturday morning, I was blurry eyed and dying for a cup of coffee.

However, as the weekend started, I found myself getting slowly and steadily drawn into the material. This was more than just some “rah rah, we can do it” glorified cheerleading camp, there were real skills being built and great networking being done here. The first day, I learned about how to personalize my own story to share, how to canvass effectively and talk to voters who might be against us without getting overly emotional and losing my cool. When the day started, I was also assigned to a small group of strangers who I was practicing these skills with. And at the risk of sounding corny it was also a day of sharing personal stories and as it went on I found myself getting closer and closer to this small, diverse group.

That night was the first Courage Lounge, and evening of networking and meeting other passionate people who were fighting for equality in California. It turned out to be a very fun night involving good wine, great chicken skewers and a lot of coalition building that has already been very helpful in the subsequent week. At the end of the day, we are going to win or lose our rights as a community, not as individuals.

On Day 2, there was a lot more sharing and building stronger bonds within my small group. We learned how to develop and tell community based stories that are critical in communicating with people around such an emotional issues like LGBT rights. I also learned important campaign management skills and was able to hear from some long time activists on the highs and lows of a prolonged struggle like ours.

By the end of the weekend, I was definitely exhausted, but also rejuvenated. This was truly a life changing experience that I am extremely happy I took part in. I am already preparing to take on a bigger role at the next Camp Courage in Long Beach and am now planning to fly back to Sacramento for the Camp there so I can bring my parents as well.

Needless to say, I strongly recommend that anyone who has not attended one of these camps sign up immediately. You will learn some absolutely critical skills that we all need to know if we are going to win the next initiative be it in 2010 or 2012.

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D-Day and Meet in the Middle: An Equality Week Recap

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
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Equality week was insaaaane!

The decision came down Tuesday morning, and though it wasn’t a surprise, we were pissed.

First stop, the Latino Equality Alliance rally in East LA. Hundreds of people showed up in the middle of their work day to express their anger and disappointment.

Next stop: the night rally starting in West Hollywood. Speakers included the amazing Dan Choi, Reverend Eric Lee, Drew Barrymore, and Kathy Griffin. Celebrities, gays, and straights marched together down Santa Monica and stopped at the Matthew Shepard square for a moving tribute to the victims of hate crimes. Marchers stopped in their tracks and went silent as they examined the faces of the victims of homophobia and took the time to lay down white flowers in front of the memorial.

Thousands of us marched from there all the way to Hollywood and Highland stopping traffic along the way. We took some time to sit-in and grabbed some chalk and wrote out our messages and feelings about prop 8 and made our way back to West Hollywood.

Saturday was the day we had all been waiting for as people actually looked forward to traveling to Fresno. The morning began with a symbolic march from Selma as hundreds marched the 16 miles from Selma all the way to Fresno including Reverend Eric Lee.

The marchers came just in time for the start of the rally and were met by a deafening roar of support from the awaiting rallyers. The crowd of 5,000 were honored with speeches by the leaders of this movement and was capped off by an emotional and motivating speech by Meet in the Middle organizer Robin McGehee followed by Cleve Jones.

Sunday morning’s Leadership Summit provided some informative and helpful polling information to use in the fight ahead. The room was packed with over 250 leaders.

Sunday evening, the “Still Standing in the Middle for Marriage” group had their counter-rally at city hall. We headed there for a “loving witness”. I took pictures since I can’t pretend to love them and I didn’t want to go off on the fuckers. Our people held signs like, “I love my gay parents” and “Straight Christian for Equality” and “God Bless You”. We killed them with kindness and bubbles and had some very meaningful conversations. Though we didn’t expect to change any minds, we were visible and sent a certain message that we’re not going to disrespect you (because we’re better people than you) but we’re not going away.

Unfortunately there were a group of rogue reactionaries who ran around screaming “bigot” and being disruptive thus undermining our message. Poor form. Then our car got keyed with “Yes 8”. That was not cool.

All-in-all, we came together and expressed ourselves and fueled up on each other’s energy for the fight again. Viva la revolucion!

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Why I’d Like to Return My California Marriage License

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
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Though my wife can be a terror at times, I still like keeping her around as my spouse. This is also despite the fact that Andy Pugno of “Yes on 8” fully expects us to divorce: “if California goes as Massachusetts did after legalizing gay marriage, a substantial portion of the still-recognized gay marriages will be dissolved by divorce within a few years.”

No, I want don’t want a divorce; I want to return my marriage license. I’m now an owner of a document and a part of a system that specifically excludes a segment of the population, specifically my queer brethren. I’m ashamed to be a part of the California marriage system, and I want nothing to do with it until this discrepancy is fixed.

You see, my wife and I got illegally married back in 2006, and for all intents and purposes, that is our wedding date. When the California Supreme Court in all their wisdom opened their door to same-sex marriage, we of course jumped at the opportunity to claim the equal rights, responsibilities, and recognition that had been due to us.

Us and our legal paperwork.

Us and our legal paperwork.

We were proud to be two of the 18,000 gay married folks that made it before the election. After the election, we were naturally devastated and out for justice. It has never been just about our individual marriage, it was always about the larger ideals involved. So when the decision came down Tuesday morning that upheld inequality yet left our marriage intact, I was still disgusted. I remain disgusted and find no solace in the “well at least you’re still married” comments.

I want out, and I want out now. I will not be a part of a system that separates me from others because of identity and I will certainly not be a part of a system that makes me one of the lucky few just because I filed my paperwork before the election.

We’re sending my marriage license back to the state with “Return to sender. Broken system. Please send back when fixed.”

(This is done with the permission of my terror of a wife Melissa.)

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Prop 8 is Upheld and 18k Marriages Stand

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
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Speaking as a legally gay married person, the fact that my marriage still stands doesn’t mean shit to me unless everyone else can be married too.

We have a war to win now, the first step is today, get to the streets and PROTEST!: www.dayofdecision.org

Stay tuned for the next steps after today

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The Decision Comes Down Tuesday! Here’s What You Need to Do!

Friday, May 22nd, 2009
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The Decision will come down regarding Prop 8 at 10:00 am Tuesday from the CA Supreme Court. Here’s what you need to do in chronological order (Win or Lose!):

Too lazy to read? See Matt’s video guide:

1. 10:30am Lambda Legal Press Conference. The legal team will brief us on the results, what it means, and what we need to do next. Lucy Florence Cultural Center, 3351 W. 43rd Street, L.A., CA 90008.

2. 12-3:00pm Rally at the L.A. County Marriage License Office. The Latino Equality Alliance is hosting this rally and civil disobedience act (if the decision is negative). 4716 East Ceasar Chavez Avenue, L.A., CA 90022


3. 7:00pm Rally & March in West Hollywood. March with SYD carrying our banner (see below photo). Meet us at the corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and Robertson! For more information, contact Tom at tom.desimone@stonewallyoungdems.org.

It will be a big ‘ol rally reminiscent of the rally the night after the election. Corner of Santa Monica & San Vicente, March to Hollywood & Highland. (if you can’t make it to WeHo in time, meet us along the march or at Hollywood & Highland around 9:30 pm.)

    Bring:
    - White Ribbon to tie White Knots all along our march
    - White Flowers to lay in Matthew Shepard Human Rights Park
    - White Chalk to write messages in the road and on the sidewalks
    - Wear White to show our unity in supporting same-sex marriage
    - Signs and bullhorns and anything else to make noise

Stay informed by becoming a fan of the facebook feed.

4. Go to Fresno on Saturday! Meet in the Middle 4 Equality. We’re all going, and you should too. 1:00 pm, Fresno City Hall. For more information on where to stay, and what to do, see the MITM site.

And bring cans of food to donate to Fresno’s tent city!

You can kick off your road trip with a free gas card thanks to FAIR at the LA Launch Event & Rally. 7:30 am Saturday at the Los Angeles County MTA, One Gateway Plaza, L.A. 90012. Behind Union Station, Downtown.

What are you waiting for? GO!

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New York Assembly Predictably Approves Gay Marriage Bill, Senate Next

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
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Tuesday night, the New York Assembly approved a bill introduced by Governor David Paterson supporting Gay Marriage. The bill passed overwhelmingly 89-52. Five Republicans voted “yes” including Janet L. Duprey who credited her shift from a “no” vote in 2007 to neighbors who are a lesbian couple.

Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times

Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times

These brave Republicans defied party lines despite threats by the Republican Party:

The Conservative Party is also applying pressure: it has threatened to strip its party affiliation and its ballot line from any politician who votes for same-sex marriage.

“We can’t look the other way,” said Michael R. Long, the party’s chairman, who added that he had informed the Republican leaders of the Senate and the Assembly of his threat to take away the Conservative ballot line — which in some elections can mean the difference of thousands of votes — from anyone who votes yes on the bill. – New York Times

This time, a veto from the governor is not what we’re worrying about, it’s the State Senate. The original bill passed in the assembly in 2007 and died in senate. Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith has stated that he will only introduce the bill if he knows he has the votes for it to pass. They need 32. So it appears that the timeline for New York is up in the air depending on how much support Smith thinks the bill has in senate.

Taking bets: Who’s next for marriage equality – New York or New Hampshire?

PS – Mad props to Empire State Pride Agenda who is doing the hard work including a new ad campaign starting tomorrow.

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11 Actions YOU can take right this second to fight for Marriage Equality

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009
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Hello Equality Activists,

 

            Previous blog posts I’ve done (on my old blog during Prop 8 ) centered around a number of LGBT issues.  However, I wanted to my first blog here on the Stonewall Young Democrats site to focus on what people can be doing today to continue the fight for Marriage Equality.  Right this second, there are several actions you can take to help achieve equality and to be prepared to act when the California Supreme Court issues its ruling during the next few weeks.

 

            First, everyone reading this should immediately sign up for the Day of Decision updates. 

 

Join them on Facebook on by following this link:

 

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Day-of-Decision-LA-Area/72496721740?ref=nf

 

And make sure you get immediate updates on Decision Day by joining their Twitter here:

 

http://twitter.com/DayOfDecision

 

Second, get involved with groups who are building coalitions and preparing for future campaigns and making marketing strategies to spread the truth about the benefits of equality. 

 

Obviously, the first step is to become a member of the Stonewall Young Democrats if you haven’t joined already.  We have our own Marriage Equality Committee, are a part of the Out West coalition, have strong political connections within the Democratic Party and have relationships with the organizations listed below.  So stop reading and follow this link immediately if you are not currently a member:

 

http://www.stonewallyoungdems.org/

 

Also, join our group on Facebook:

 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Los-Angeles-CA/Stonewall-Young-Democrats-Los-Angeles/10644424934

 

And sign up to follow our Twitter for important Marriage Equality updates and other critical information:

 

https://twitter.com/StonewallYDems

 

Then check out the following groups who are also fighting for Marriage Equality.  Most of them meet at least once a month and are working on a number of positive items:

 

Courage Campaign – http://www.couragecampaign.org/

LoveHonorCherish – http://www.lovehonorcherishfoundation.com/

Roots Of Equality   - http://www.rootsofequality.org/

 

Next, go to the White Knot web site and register there to show your support.  They are advocating people wearing around white knots (a symbol of marriage) to show their support for Marriage Equality. 

 

http://www.whiteknot.org/

 

Also, search Google and become apart of news feeds to find out about other, smaller Grassroots actions that are occurring.  Go to the site below and adjust the setting so you get the e-mail alerts you want about Prop 8 updates in California:

 

http://www.google.com/alerts?pz=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=%22proposition+8%22+california&t=1

 

Among the various actions happening, check out this site, Faces of Us that aims to show viewers the actual people and families being hurt by anti-gay marriage movements like Prop 8.  Included are many regular people and even one mini-celebrity – Katelynn, the Transgender woman from this season’s Real World.

 

http://facesofus.blogspot.com/

 

Finally, if you have any questions or suggestions for other groups or sites to check out, please feel free to send me an e-mail at Chris.Hauck@stonewallyoungdems.org

 

Chris Hauck

Stonewall Young Democrats

Marriage Equality Chair

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Maine Becomes the 5th State to Legalize Same Sex Marriage

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009
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Gretchen Robbins, of Winthrop, Maine, smiles while hugging Sarah Reece of Los Angeles, after Maine's House members gave final approval to a same-sex marriage bill at the State House in Augusta, Maine, on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. ( AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach)

Gretchen Robbins, of Winthrop, Maine, smiles while hugging Sarah Reece of Los Angeles, after Maine's House members gave final approval to a same-sex marriage bill at the State House in Augusta, Maine, on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. ( AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach)

After LD 1020 passed in Maine’s Senate 20-15 and then the House 89-57, the Governor, John Baldacci, decided to stand on the right side of history and sign the bill into law. Baldacci stated that, “I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage.” – CNN

Equality warriors in Maine will now prepare for a possible challenge if grouchy residents put this on the ballot to be overturned.

Maine now becomes the fifth state after Massachusetts, Iowa, Vermont, and Connecticut to legalize gay marriage. So far none of these states have been plagued with locusts or fallen off the continent due to their gayness.

New Hampshire is next. Their bill is poised to be sent to the desk of Governor Jon Lynch.

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Maine House of Reps Passes Gay Marriage Bill

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
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Happy Cinco de Main-o!

On Top Magazine

On Top Magazine

After the Maine State Senate approved LD 1020, the gay marriage bill in Maine, the House approved it with an 89-57 vote today.

The house rejected an amendment which would have brought the issue to voters.

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