Stonewall Young Democrats

Stonewall Young Democrats congratulates Political Vice President Ari Ruiz for being our Outstanding Volunteer of the Year at the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley Truman Awards!

This past year has been an eventful one indeed, the culmination perhaps of an epic decades in the making.

Some of us were there to witness history being made as Barack Obama was sworn in as our Nation’s 44th President. Others of us took part in the National Equality March.

Some events this year were symbolic of how far we have come in the LGBT movement. We watched as Iowa legalized same-sex marriage, as West Point Officer and Iraq War Veteran, Lt. Dan Choi came out on national TV and as Iceland named Johanna Sigurdardottir as its first lesbian prime minister and as the world’s first openly-gay leader.

It’s a pretty safe bet that the Christopher Street bar patrons, and their straight allies, fighting to reclaim a little dignity on a late June night over 40 years ago would never have envisioned that, on another June night, not all that many years later, they and others like them would be honored by the illumination of the Empire State Building in lavender, for the world to see – an example of how just a few can change the hearts of many.

But perhaps just as significant, during the parade commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, were the openly gay and lesbian NYPD officers holding hands with their partners as they marched right past the spot where their predecessors had once been the very face of LGBT oppression.

Decades before Stonewall, right here in Los Angeles, our predecessors were busy leading the fight in the streets of Silver Lake, and tirelessly working to unify us through pioneer gay activism organizations like the Mattachine Society and underground publications like ONE.

The gay rights movement owes so much of its progress to courageous Angelinos, just as our generation owes so much to the generations who have come before us. I think they would be very proud of modern day events like Meet in the Middle, Day of Decision and Lavender Los Angeles.

And just as we can learn from our long and storied past, so too will future activists learn from our struggles. History may indeed reveal that Prop 8′s passage last fall was the best thing to happen to us in 20 years, awakening a new generation of LGBT activists. Off the couch and into the streets!

Indeed, this is an exciting time to be in the movement. The recent signing of the Matthew Shepard Act reminds us that we are indeed gaining ground. We are currently at the very cusp of a whole new era for our community. Marriage Equality, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and a whole host of other causes are reaching a critical mass and it’s only a matter of time before the scale tips toward full acceptance and equality.

Now, more than ever, we have an opportunity to take the driver’s seat in our own collective destiny and in that of our community.

Although the time has come for me to embark on the next chapter of my life, I can honestly say that my involvement in the Stonewall Young Democrats is perhaps the thing in my life which has been both the most exhilarating and the most rewarding.

We have accomplished much together and we should all be very proud of the progress we have made.

The coming years hold a lot of promise for our movement and for this club. I am excited for the new executive committee and I will continue to watch SYD’s progress with much pride and enthusiasm.

Best of luck to all of you, and best wishes to the new leaders of SYD!

Shawn

You are cordially invited to attend Stonewall Young Dem’s meeting as we elect the new board for 2010-11. Elections will be held at the November General Meeting on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 6:30 PM at Plummer Park. Nominations will be open from now until the night of the election.

Nominations are now open for the following SYD officer positions for the 2009 -2010 term:

President
Operations VP
Political VP
Community VP
Communications VP
Secretary
Member at Large (Female)
Member at Large (Male)

Anyone wishing to nominate someone for any of the above positions may do so by emailing Shawn Amsler at shawn.amsler@stonewallyoungdems.org

Program: We will also be discussing issues affecting the LGBT Community such as ENDA and EFCA.

Speakers include:

Maria E. Durazo, Executive Secretary -Treasurer (Invited)
Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO

and more speakers to come!

Thank you,

Your Friends at Stonewall Young Democrats

Dear SYD and LGBT Community Members,

On July 16, 2009 – Judy Chu (D-CA) was sworn in as a Member of the United States House of Representatives making history as the first Chinese-American woman elected to the United States Congress. In addition, Congresswoman Judy Chu has been a long-time friend and ardent supporter of Stonewall Young Democrats. The main mission of Stonewall Young Democrats is to give voice to LGBT youth and take action in a grassroots manner on matters of both local and national significance.

In October 17, 2009, Stonewall Young Democrats will host: “The LGBT Community Reception for Congresswoman Judy Chu“. We will celebrate her election to serve in congress and her unwavering support for the LGBT Community. We plan to commemorate the occasion with a big, yet casual, party. Congresswoman Judy Chu has advocated for LGBT rights from the late 1980s until now. Although, It was not often a popular position she was never afraid to tackle this important issues – because she knows that it is the right thing to do. Congresswoman Judy Chu is an ardent supporter of marriage equality and stands with us during this great turning point in history for LGBT Americans. During a meeting for Stonewall’s endorsement for her candidacy she was asked why she supports LGBT Rights and likening her previous injustice experience as a Chinese Immigrant said that she cannot fight for the civil rights of one group without fighting for the civil rights of the LGBT Community.

Detailed information can be found here

“SYD LOVES JUDY AND JUDY LOVES SYD!”

With Warm Regards,

Ari Ruiz
Political Vice-President
Ari.Ruiz@stonewallyoungdems.org

Our Host Committee:

Hon. Antonio R. Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles
Hon. Sheila Kuehl, Former State Senator
Hon. Bill Rosendahl, Los Angeles City Council Member
Hon. Jeffrey Prang, West Hollywood Council Member
Eric C. Bauman, Chairman, Los Angeles County Democratic Party
Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor
Ari Ruiz, Commissioner, City of Los Angeles*
Liliana Perez, Commissioner, City of Los Angeles *
Chris Braun, Rent Board Commissioner, City of Santa Monica*
Shawn Amsler, President of Stonewall Young Democrats
Michael Colorge, Executive Secretary of Stonewall Young Democrats

*Titles used for identification purposes only

Enjoy some photos of Congresswoman Chu with SYD:

As a US immigrant, I recently experienced what it’s like to have someone you care about be deported from the United States. A friend from college and I were to meet up for drinks in West Hollywood over the weekend and have a girls night out. During the week, however, she sent me a text message saying this weekend was canceled as she was deported back to Mexico the day before. I was devistated, but also quite shocked as I didn’t know she was undocumented in the US. I just assumed that she was legally here considering how visible she was during college and didn’t even think that she is part of a hidden class of people living in this country who have to constantly fear about being deported.

When we were both in college, we both looked like your typical overachieving students. She and I were both student leaders and involved with campus life with her in student government and Me in my LGBTA organization. We had talks about various things during our college years such as gay rights, the war in Iraq, clashing of cultures, and funny enough, immigration reform. Go figure we both end up learning we are opposite sides of the immigration reform debate that has been talked about, yet not acted upon. Even from Democrats in safe districts.

When she finally had a chance to explain her situation to me after settling herself in Mexico, I found out just how complicated immigration laws are for current undocumented people. To be held for over 8 hours in a detention center after being stalked by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for weeks to try to arrest you and then shipped back across the boarder with nothing more than what you were arrested in is quite enraging to me. I guess after undocumented people are thrown out of the country it becomes that out of sight, out of mind mentality. I doubt that was the original intention of deportation when thought about in the abstract on paper, but I’m sure no one thought the experience in real life would be so… criminal.

And in the end, with all the difference she has made to countless people, including myself, she was still thrown out due to bureaucratic technicalities. She wasn’t a criminal; she worked, paid her taxes, volunteered in the community, was politically involved as much as I am still and that didn’t matter in the end. Both of us were born somewhere else and then our parents made the decision for us to move to the United States to have a better life and in the end we both contributed positively but she ended up being shown the door in spite of it all. Even though our parents made the decision back then to come to the United States, we both made the decision to contribute and to become involved which is more than people who were born here and can vote but choose not to care. And yet we still do, no matter what has happened. Even though we have hundreds of miles, a border patrol checkpoint, and crazy immigration laws between us, some things never change. She’s still the same friend who still wonders why I drink so much coffee or why I am such a workaholic. A lot can change thanks to laws and procedures, but not friendships.

When I started out this year on the Executive Board, I had no real expectations about what this term would bring. It might be due to the fact I’ve been with SYD from the days after its founding in 2004 and have seen quite a lot of thing come to pass. But two things didn’t factor into my mind. One was the quality of people we have as officers that has shown throughout the year. And the other is our current Political Vice President Ari Ruiz.

I first really met him when he ran for his position in January 2009. I knew him prior due to his job at Barrio Action and was shocked he was interested in becoming our youngest VP. I figured SYD would be his training ground for politics but quickly figured out that he’s been active in his own right prior to joining our board and brought his experience to compliment SYD.

As I watched and recorded him be sworn in as an LA City Commissioner, I wondered about what the future holds for him. I doubt this will be the last time he takes an oath for office with his close friends around him taking photos of the event. No doubt he will serve well the Commission for Children Youth and Their Families as he has served Barrio Action, his community, and Stonewall Young Democrats amazingly. And no matter what the future holds for Ari, I am reminded that no matter where you are, you are there… Boldly going.

Michael Colorge
Secretary

Alright my fellow activists, it’s time for a one time, can’t miss event.  How many of you have already heard about the Campaign Boot Camp?  Well if you have, then skip the rest of this and go register ASAP (http://outwestcoalition.org/bootcamp/).  If not, then keep reading.  This promises to be one of the most important training for our future leaders that we may ever see.

I will give you my quick opinion and then past the newest unofficial invitation below.

This Boot Camp is going to be critical for our community and our supporters.   This is going to be very different than the equally important trainings put on by Courage Campaign and Vote For Equality (see below for more on this).  This is a very high level training that focuses on campaign strategies from the point of view of a campaign manager.  The reason we all need to understand this is not only to be more educated, but also because we have some many individual activists and grassroots groups that will be working on a variety of projects during the next campaign.  We need the leadership in these organizations to understand the best ways to craft messages for different voters, fundraise, recruit and perform a variety of other functions that will be vital for our victory.

So that’s my take.  Please read the information below and sign up ASAP.  Again, I can promise this will only be a one time event.  This is not an event put on by a large, statewide organization that can be replicated.  It really has been about a number of passionate volunteers coming together, because we all felt this was vital information our community simply did not know.

Chris Hauck

Marriage Equality Chair

Stonwall Young Democats and Stonewall Democrats

___________________________________________________________________________

INVITATION FOR OUT WEST CAMPAIGN BOOT CAMP

Register Today!

WHAT:

OUT West, a broad coalition of marriage equality groups, is proud do offer a unique 2 day training to help activists learn what it will take to restore marriage equality in California.

The OUT West Campaign Boot Camp will train activists in fundamental campaign skills and offer them a campaign manager’s view of how a solid campaign is run. Committed activists will gather for two days of training at USC that will prepare them to be leaders in the next campaign for marriage equality.

ABOUT THE TRAINING:

This unique experience offers participants access to a stellar array of speakers, campaign strategists and information. Among many highlights, participants will break out into two of four tracks offered that will teach them both fundamental and advanced skills on a campaign including:

· Finance

· Field

· Political and Online Organizing

· Communications/Messaging

Christine Peolosi will also deliver an address on the second day of the training and training participants on the art of crafting your message for different audiences.

This is a fun, interactive training – not a lecture. Prepare to be part of the action!

How Is This Different from Camp Courage or the Vote For Equality Trainings?

Do not mistake the OUT West Boot Camp with the wonderful trainings our brother and sister organizations have put on.

Camp Courage is about training people how to speak with voters, friends and family about marriage equality to effectively change their hearts and minds.

The Vote For Equality trainings teach essential campaign skills like voter registration, volunteer recruitment, putting together house parties, etc.

The OUT West Boot Camp is about learning what it takes to win a campaign from a strategic stand point.

· How you can reach voters with effective messages and through different mediums.

· How you can fundraise in a variety of manners and where does that money need to go.

· How you can organize a field team and what specific targets need to be accomplished in order to secure a region for your side.

· How you can respond to a viscous attack from the other side with an effective counter-message.

These are critical skills our activists and grassroots groups need to be aware of, so we can out maneuver Frank Schubert, Ron Prentice and the rest of the Yes on 8 leadership in the next campaign.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS:

· All participants will receive a free copy of Christine Pelosi’s “Campaign Boot Camp: Basic Training for Future Leaders,” which Arianna Huffington dubbed a “passionate call to public service” by “a sharp and knowledgeable drill sergeant.”

· A special session taught by Christine Pelosi

· A happy hour social, which will be a great opportunity to meet some of the most influential activists and community leaders in the struggle for equality. This is a great opportunity for people just joining the fight and for long time activists.

· A special preview of Lavender Los Angeles – the upcoming LGBT history experience

EVENT DETAILS:

Saturday September 12^th and 13th
Saturday: 8:30am – 5:30pm

Sunday:   8:30am – 5:15pm

LOCATION:

University of Southern California

(more detail will arrive in your confirmation e-mail)

REGISTRATION:

You must pre-register for this event and you must commit to attending both days of the training.  It is on a first come, first serve basis, so space is limited, sign up now to reserve your spot.

http://outwestcoalition.org/bootcamp/

In addition to OUT West presenting the training is, it is also being co-sponsored and hosted by Equality California, the Courage Campaign, and the USC LGBT Resource Center.