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February is COMMITMENT month - Get Engaged in the Fight for Equality
This month, Equality California (EQCA) has launched a month-long campaign to galvanize millions of people around the cause of ending marriage discrimination against same-sex couples. As you read these words, EQCA's Get Engaged Tour is hitting the road, carrying the message of marriage equality to virtually all 58 counties in California. You can learn more about the Get Engaged Tour by visiting http://www.eqca.org/get_engaged2006, and by bookmarking the page, you can stay informed of Get Engaged activities.
EQUALITY CALIFORNIA
February 9, 2006
With Valentine's Day less than a week away, many of you may be thinking of ways to show your commitment to the loved ones in your life.
While how you choose to honor your commitment to a loved one is a personal decision, the value of commitment also has a larger meaning. LGBT people in California are severely restricted in the range of actions we can take to demonstrate commitment to another person of the same sex, because marriage is still denied to LGBT people in California.
This month, Equality California (EQCA) has launched a month-long campaign to galvanize millions of people around the cause of ending marriage discrimination against same-sex couples. As you read these words, EQCA's Get Engaged Tour is hitting the road, carrying the message of marriage equality to virtually all 58 counties in California. You can learn more about the Get Engaged Tour by visiting http://www.eqca.org/get_engaged2006, and by bookmarking the page, you can stay informed of Get Engaged activities.
A highlight of the Get Engaged Tour will take place on Valentine's Day, when thousands of LGBT Californians have an opportunity to truly put their hearts into the marriage equality cause. In each county, we are mobilizing same-sex couples to go to their county clerk's office and request a marriage license. The purpose of this action is to highlight the government's discrimination against same-sex couples, and to give a face to the part of the population that is negatively impacted by the inability to marry. You can join this powerful action and help show all of California why marriage equality is necessary. Take action on February 14 by going to the Marriage Counter demonstration nearest you! Visit your local chapter at http://www.eqca.org/chapters for more information.
We also are proud to present a guest commentary by Debra A. Wilson, an acclaimed African-American filmmaker whose film "Jumpin' the Broom: The New Covenant" is airing this month on Showtime Showcase and Showtime Too. In the piece, Ms. Wilson explains how commitment and the centuries-old tradition of "jumping the broom" remain relevant today. Read her commentary by visiting http://www.eqca.org/site/lookup.asp?c=9oINKWMCF&b=1417253.
In addition to the Get Engaged Tour, Equality California will be highlighting commitment in other ways throughout February. We value your commitment to our cause, and ask you to stay committed to our goal of achieving full LGBT equality.
February 9, 2006
With Valentine's Day less than a week away, many of you may be thinking of ways to show your commitment to the loved ones in your life.
While how you choose to honor your commitment to a loved one is a personal decision, the value of commitment also has a larger meaning. LGBT people in California are severely restricted in the range of actions we can take to demonstrate commitment to another person of the same sex, because marriage is still denied to LGBT people in California.
This month, Equality California (EQCA) has launched a month-long campaign to galvanize millions of people around the cause of ending marriage discrimination against same-sex couples. As you read these words, EQCA's Get Engaged Tour is hitting the road, carrying the message of marriage equality to virtually all 58 counties in California. You can learn more about the Get Engaged Tour by visiting http://www.eqca.org/get_engaged2006, and by bookmarking the page, you can stay informed of Get Engaged activities.
A highlight of the Get Engaged Tour will take place on Valentine's Day, when thousands of LGBT Californians have an opportunity to truly put their hearts into the marriage equality cause. In each county, we are mobilizing same-sex couples to go to their county clerk's office and request a marriage license. The purpose of this action is to highlight the government's discrimination against same-sex couples, and to give a face to the part of the population that is negatively impacted by the inability to marry. You can join this powerful action and help show all of California why marriage equality is necessary. Take action on February 14 by going to the Marriage Counter demonstration nearest you! Visit your local chapter at http://www.eqca.org/chapters for more information.
We also are proud to present a guest commentary by Debra A. Wilson, an acclaimed African-American filmmaker whose film "Jumpin' the Broom: The New Covenant" is airing this month on Showtime Showcase and Showtime Too. In the piece, Ms. Wilson explains how commitment and the centuries-old tradition of "jumping the broom" remain relevant today. Read her commentary by visiting http://www.eqca.org/site/lookup.asp?c=9oINKWMCF&b=1417253.
In addition to the Get Engaged Tour, Equality California will be highlighting commitment in other ways throughout February. We value your commitment to our cause, and ask you to stay committed to our goal of achieving full LGBT equality.
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Dear AC Chapter Members,
This is a safe space to be yourself on Valentine's Day
This Valentine's Day, celebrate with people who share your belief that we all deserve the same rights and protections for our families.
On February 14th we need you. Our first Valentine's Day celebration is planned for the 2nd anniversary of the winter of love, when so many couples got to feel like full class citizens at San Francisco City Hall. We are thanking our elected officials for their support and it is important they see people out there do care. So even if your time is limited, this is the time to show up. And by registering by January 31, you save 20% on your tickets. To register, go to http://www.eqca.org/AlamedaValentine (http://www.eqca.org/AlamedaValentine) .
Besides politics, we have a great entertainment program coming together. While details are being fine tuned, we have comedy (our own chapter's "Asian Poster Bride for Marriage Equality" and stand-up comic Jennifer Lin will perform along with others), music, and other fun diversions. And we have some great prizes too. I know some of us have a hard time staying up until 10 pm. While the event goes from 6 - 10 pm, the core program will be over by 8 pm so you can leave early or stay and appreciate our DJ with you dancing feet. Wouldn't a dance with your valentine or someone you meet during the evening be sweet?
Our Alameda County Chapter of Equality California, all volunteering our time, have been working hard to move equality forward. We have gotten resolutions passed in Berkeley City Council, Oakland City Council, and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors supporting equal marriage rights regardless of gender. Our legislators in Sacramento voted for the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act. We have done extensive Voter Identification with door to door canvassing, tablings, and other outreach. We will soon be phone calling with the support of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. This work builds our support base to defeat any proposed constitutional amendments that might build discrimination into our state constitution including reversing the gains made through domestic partnerships. We have sent speakers to different venues and organized rallies to keep our issues in the public eye. We have gotten letters to the editor published. We do whatever we can to educate people about the reality and impact of denying equal protection. And now we are planning this celebration to have fun, meet one another, and keep the spirit of the "winter of love" alive.
If you care about any of this, please join us on Valentine's Day in downtown Oakland at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland (685 14th Street by Castro - about five blocks from the 12th Street BART station). To register, go to http://www.eqca.org/AlamedaValentine (http://www.eqca.org/AlamedaValentine) . We look forward to seeing you there. And please invite your friends to celebrate with you.
Sincerely,
Robin Barnett
Pamela Brown
Co-leaders
Alameda County Chapter
___________________________________________________________________
Valentine's Day Marriage Counter Event
We are also seeking same-sex couples that will willing to go on Valentine's Day (Tuesday, February 14th at 11:30am) to the Alameda County Clerk's office at 1106 Madison Street in Oakland to request (and be denied) marriage licenses. We have met with the County Clerk's office who have offered to include the Alameda County Board of Supervisor's support of marriage equality in their statement to the press and couples. We will be contacting local media and would love for you to come. If you think you can make it, please drop us a note at alameda [at] eqca.org
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
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