On Civil Rights & Marriage Equality. One last chance to fight back.

Donate by Sunday at midnight to have your donation matched. Out of state interest groups have flooded in millions of dollars to try to pay away gay marriage as a state's right for CA, & they're winning, but not by much. If marriage equality ceases to exist to CA, a center for the gay rights movement, then it could just as easily be stripped away in CT & MA. If that happens I, & many others will never have a chance to be married in our lifetimes. This will be decided on election night, & early voting is already underway in CA. The donation has to happen now to have a chance to be used to change minds in time. Have you ever wondered, if I had been an adult during the early days of the struggle for civil rights regardless of race, & of women's rights/suffrage, would I have taken action or sat on the sidelines?

Well this civil rights struggle is going on right now, this vote in CA is the battleground it is going to be fought on, & this is your last chance to move off the sidelines.

With Chapel Hill/Carrboro being the most liberal area in our state, even though this will be decided across the country, it is going to affect a lot of people right here.  I have family in CA, and if I can't get married here in Chapel Hill (although I'll certainly have my reception here!) then this is my only chance to get married where the marriage will feel as real... and its slipping away.


http://www.eqca.org (click the first entitled "No on Prop 8")


Also see EqualityNC's endorsements for fair minded candidates & judges right here in North Carolina.
http://equalitync.org/pac/2008g

Issues: 

Comments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHeTVAE4ZkY

 

 

And here are some other funny ads!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qa8rDqKz9w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOtzmPnGTGc

I'll be asking friends, family, and acquaintances to donate & hope others do the same, but you can also help spread the word by recommending this dairy on Kos & giving it a shot at getting wider viewership.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/17/161328/21/828/633798
So act now, or not at all. Make a decision to step off the side lines of this civil rights issue, or watch it go by. But decide right now.
is what i will go to bed with if i have to start over on planning my marriage in a state where i know no one because people voted to take away existing rights

I worked for half a dozen campaigns over the past 2 years, volunteering more time than I can count, essentially taking on a second job without pay for months on end, & donating more money than I could really afford.  This day should be of celebration, but at this moment after being told that despite my role in helping to create a transformative election that equality only goes so far, I feel no joy.  Maybe tomorrow will be better.

The California loss and J. Arrowood's loss put us back several years.  Take the time to mourn.  The fight returns to us soon.

Well more properly I think the North East may become the new center with MA being a steady rock for marriage equality, its neighbor CT just joining the ranks, with another neighbor like NY city having the highest gay population of any US city, and many states in that region having favorable gay rights related laws on the books.

What we did in North Carolina going blue in so many races & possibly for the presidency is amazing, and our neighbor VA going for Obama was pretty awesome too.

I had put all my faith in CA, I have a little family there, I would have had free accommodations there (which are much needed for someone in student loan debt, who is applying to grad school, and has a cat that I recently found out is very sick & costing a ton to keep alive & healthy, and now I have to start over on the planning for our March wedding & I don't know how I'm going to hope to afford it.

I am both heartbroken about California, and incredibly proud of North Carolina.

Jake, I'm just catching up on OP. I'm so sorry you have to change your wedding plans! Grrr. 

I don't understand what the difference is between civil unions and marriage.  Does California not offer civil unions?  Or do they offer civil unions but those civil unions don't offer the same legal rights as marriage?  Of do they offer civil unions that offer the same legal rights as marriage but the battle is over whether it should be labelled as marriage?  Those are three quite different situations.

 Obama won NC but he did so campaigning in favor of civil unions that offer the same legal rights as marriage.

Psychologically speaking separate but equal is never equal, but also legally speaking civil unions strip away many legal rights that the word marriage entails.  One good thing that came out of the time that CA had marriage equality is that it included no residency restrictions which opened the door for MA to do the same (Mitt Romney had previously dredged an old law specifically designed to say outstate interracial couples can't come to MA to get married to block gay couples from doing the same).

 

California also had a proposition 2 to improve the quality of life for farm animals by requiring that they be housed in facilities with enough space to lie down, etc. While I am very happy that the citizens of California chose to pass prop 2, it's sad that they will support animal rights while restricting basic human rights and, even worse, to do that through their constitution.

I'm sorry they let you down Jake (and others).

So at least I'm feeling a little better about that =)
I think that leaves Obama six EVs shy of an official "landslide".  Missouri is still out, but it'll probably go the other way.  More importantly the Senate races in Minnesota and Oregon have yet to be decided.  Al Franken just needs about 400 more votes in Minnesota, or 200 to flip his way!
on our local progressive potlics board, but I wanted to share a few links

http://www.eqca.org/petition

http://www.jointheimpact.com/

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/event.php?eid=45356108205

The first is an online petition, I'm not sure how much they truly accomplish, but it is a very easy step to take.  The 2nd & 3rd links are in regards to nationwide protests against prop 8's passage/for marriage equality including a couple of location in NC.
The public has spoken in Ca. why can't the gay community accept it?

Uh

For the same reason that none of us ever accepted the Bush administration and that some very scared people right now are declaring opposition to the upcoming Obama administration. Our responsibility as Americans is to speak up and hit the streets when we don't like policies, not to shut up or get the hell out.

Just because a majority (slim) of the people vote for something doesn't make it right.  The fight for equality and justice for all isn't always easy but that's no reason to stop.

If the founding fathers hadn't opposed King George, we'd all have different accents today. If a lot of brave women hadn't opposed the male majority, we wouldn't be voting today. Why would anyone sit quietly while having their basic rights denied?

Many people have noted that the push to get Prop. 8 on the ballot THIS year was the expectation that a large African-American turnout for Obama would also mean a large vote against gay marriage. I can't speak to whether that assumption holds water, but as with other socially conservative measures that have made it through on candidates' coat-tails during "other-issue" elections (and vice versa -- when getting out a large anti-abortion vote helped elect Republicans in some areas), it's not precisely accurate to say that all Californians are against gay marriage.

Otherwise, it's merely an impression, but it seems to me that liberals/progressives are often told to "get over it" or "leave if you don't like it" when we object to the outcome of an election -- and then there's the ever-popular "he's the President and deserves our loyalty and respect." The shoe is now on the other foot nationally, at the state level, and in Congress for many people. Yet, somehow, seems it's only about S. Dak. and Calif., that you hear conservatives touting the "vox populi." Everywhere else they believe the "liberal media" has poisoned people's minds and stolen the election.

Does the public speak with forked tongue?

Just because voters approved Proposition 8 doesn't make it right.

I could say a lot about how the religious right manipulated this issue, but instead I will just ask: Should women have "accepted it" when male voters continually denied them the right to vote? Should African-Americans have "accepted it" when Jim Crow laws were passed after Reconstruction? Should Latino immigrants "accept it" when towns, counties and states pass hateful anti-immigrant ordinances?

It is the responsibility of both the judicial branch of government, and people of conscience, to protect minorities from the "tyranny of the majority". That is what the original CA Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage sought to do. It is my fervent hope that the courts will once again illuminate what is just, and not what is "popular" with some voters. 

Also, Prop 8 was passed by a narrow margin--52% to 48%. So it was the will of MANY voters that gay marriage remain legal in CA.

 I will NEVER accept discrimination. I don't care what "the voters" say. 

Elizabeth Waugh-Stewart

You can listen, or read it:
http://www.wchl1360.com/mp3/commentary/commentary.mp3

 

This is Jake Goad, I'm a Chapel Hill resident, and I've got something to say.

California's Proposition 8, which stripped away the right to Marriage Equality in California in this election, isn't just about California. It's about civil rights and fair play. And a government that values these American ideals is fundamental, whether you live in Orange County California, or Orange County North Carolina.

I have family in California that offered to help with costs and arrangements for my upcoming wedding that was in the works for this March. Proposition 8 passing stole away from me the marriage I was planning, and for the reason just mentioned, it wasn't just an ideological battle lost, instead it has become a very real financial burden. Everyone needs to understand that reduced options and benefits for any class of citizens is never merely an abstract ideological distinction: it ALWAYS translates into real life hardships. And this doesn't affect just me, it takes away an option for ALL our family and friends in the LGBT community right here in Orange County, when there weren't a whole lot of options to start with.

But there is something we can do about it. We can make our voices heard. As a part of a larger nationwide protest, I'm helping to organize a protest right here in the triangle, in downtown Raleigh, this Saturday the 15th at 1:30 pm. For complete event details, check out www.jointheimpact.com or search for the event on facebook.com.
This historic election for our Country & our State will not be measured by historians solely in terms of who we elected, but also by how We The People responded to either enrich or diminish the society in which we live. Whether you were affected directly by Proposition 8 or not, I ask you, will you sit on the sidelines of this civil rights movement, or will you stand up?

Ironically, I can't attend the protest because I will be attending a wedding of two gay men tomorrow afternoon. I'm sure the entire wedding party will be with you in spirit, Jake.

Thanks Ruby, we can use all the support we can get physically, spiritually, or otherwise!


Say hi if you see me there anyone who can make it!

The opening rally in Raleigh at the protest I helped organize, across from the legislative building.



Jim Neal, whose senatorial campaign I worked on, was one of the speakers... you can see him there between the flag & the police officer.

 


Marching in the rain (Myself, & a few family members & friends are in this photo, but hard to see)

 
Protesting loudly at the governors mansion after the rain had cleared up.

 

 I haven't verified it, but I heard it described as the largest gay rights event in NC history.

A Resolution in Support of Civil Marriage for Same-Sex Couples

WHEREAS, The Election Day victories by anti-gay activists in California, Florida, Arizona and Arkansas were a painful reminder that the gay rights movement still faces many challenges; and

WHEREAS, discriminatory marriage laws in the United States deprive same-sex couples of over 1000 federal rights and benefits automatically bestowed by civil marriage including, among others, health care coverage, tax benefits, divorce, domestic violence protections, privileges under immigration and naturalization law, inheritance rights, survivor benefits and child custody; and

WHEREAS, the denial of such benefits has been demonstrated to have significant psychological and social impact on the physical, social, and economic well-being of gay and lesbian couples and their families; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Supreme Court recognizes marriage as one of the ‘basic civil rights of man’ fundamental to our very existence and survival” and “one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men”; and

WHEREAS, heterosexual relationships have a legal framework for their existence through civil marriage, which provides a stabilizing force. In the United States, with the exception of Massachusetts, same-sex couples are currently denied the important legal benefits, rights and responsibilities of civil marriage. Same-sex couples therefore experience several kinds of state-sanctioned discrimination that can adversely affect the stability of their relationships and their mental health; and

WHEREAS, the love that brings and binds two people of the same, or opposite sex, together transcends gender; and

WHEREAS, as Americans, we must remember a foundational principle of our form of government: all are created equal. Consistent with the pursuit of liberty and justice for all, same-sex couples should have full and equal access to the rights and responsibilities bestowed by civil marriage; and

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that The Board of Aldermen of the Town of Carrboro, North Carolina, endorse and support the rights of same-sex couples to share fully and equally in the rights, responsibilities and commitments of civil marriage.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that civil marriage for same-sex couples must include all the benefits commonly bestowed upon opposite-sex couples, including, among other rights, healthcare coverage and related decision-making, privileges under immigration and naturalization law, survivor benefits, inheritance rights, and child custody.

This the 13th day of November 2008

[Formatting fixed. -Ed.]

sorry about the formatting
That's great.  Now howzabout we stop  people from biking on the streets of Carrboro affter dark without lights?
That was really well put.

Hooray for the Carrboro Board of Aldermen!  Once again we land and stick in the right place.  The resolution addresses the full spectrum of this particular civil rights issue -- way beyond "nice and cool" to the real deal.  Whoever crafted it (Mark?) deserves a big vote of praise.  Now if only ... this is where Jake's efforts deserve applause as well. 

NC went blue for the first time in decades, sending a man named Barack Obama to the white house.  This is phenomenal! Imagine the implications for the gay population, climbing the equal rights ladder rung by rung.  Maybe all the way to the top in NC eventually.  

The subject was brought up by Alderman Jacquie Gist and and her statement was adopted unanimously.  The text of the resolution (above) was written by Sharmin Mirman.  It will probably be ratified at our next meeting (that is, the specific language was not in front of us at the meeting last week and will therefore presumably be adopted next week).

I do spend many of my waking hours in Carrboro where I work six days a week & spend time with friends, and things like this make me even prouder to be a part of our community.  Even to those who only would view this statement as sybmolic, in movements like this symbols matter.Speaking of, here's a pic I like as symbol, with this located movement between NC sign & a building in the capital

There were protests & rallies across NC, across the nation, and in at least 10 other countries as well.

A statement from the movements national website:

----------
Last week, some felt angry. Last week, some felt defeated. Last week, some felt hopeless.

Today we have shown the world that we will not be victims anymore! Today, our community has risen and shown our opponents that we are MUCH MORE THAN 1 MILLION STRONG! We brought the world’s attention to the outrage that is Proposition 8. We brought the conversation of equality into the living rooms of America and around the world! Today, we took a gigantic step into the next Civil Rights Movement. We have brought the conversation to a national stage. Now it’s time that we keep it going.
-----------
This has been going around the blogosphere, as it should: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HpTBF6EfxY

I think the practice of some European countries,  where "marriage" is a religious ceremony without legal standing;  and all legal unions are "civil" in nature, is by far the best.   I think the government should only be in the "civil union" business for all couples,  straight and gay.   Leave "marriage" to the specific spiritual practice of your choice.   I just do not understand how anyone  justifies denying a gay couple the same rights and privileges that I can enjoy under the law.    My marriage is only strengthened  by having another committed couple making a pledge to love and nurture one another.   Thank you to the Carrboro Aldermen.  That is an EXCELLENT reolution.      

express the sentiment to make marriage a religious thing, and civil unions a government thing even from many gay and lesbian friends & I appreciate the underlying values of equality & seperation of church & state within that notion, but I worry in the US that this is an impossible victory to win.  Trying to add marriage equality to a minority seems like the shorter road to equality than to take away government marriages from everyone.  I agree the law should treat everyone fairly, but personally I feel the quickest remedy is to have government recognize marriages for gay couples in a purely civil sense without imposing any restrictions on the church (not that they force churches to marry people of different faiths or athiests or any other group anyways so I don't know why some conservatives have that particular fear that it'd be different with gay marriage), and continue to let churches marry in a religious sense whoever they want.But asking the gay rights movement to turn against government marriage for everyone seems like an impossible hurdle to overcome, that would be portrayed as anti-marriage, anti-tradition, anti-family much more than the current struggle to be included in legally recognize marriages is.  I want the government to recognize marriage by that name in a civil sense the same way they do with straight people's marriages.Marriage for a muslim, for a mormon, for a baptist, for a cathloic, for a greek orthodox, for a zoroastrian, for an atheist, may mean lots of different things, the word is used to describe many situations for many cultures that have different understood and expressed ideas about what marriage means & requires, so I don't think we have to have a new term "civil union" for America to handle marriage equality. In short I think it would be impossible to gain any ground as an anti-marriage movement, instead of the current inclusive marriage movement, and I don't understand the need for a new term when the current term is used in government circles in a civil sense already.

I hadn't thought about it in quite that way.  I understand your point and thank you for making it. 

That's an excellent strategic point, Jake, and I'll support whichever way gets us to civil rights sooner. But I also want to weigh in personally in favor of total separation of government unions and religious (or not) marriages. This how BrianR and I did it. We jumped through the hoops with the magistrate to let the gummint know they can now see us as a unit. But I will be the decider of what ceremony makes me married in my own heart.

Priscilla, thanks for posting the Olberman / Prop 8 link.  I realize we have not been moved sufficiently to tears by last week's election.  Love, Catherine

Here's my sign, it says "Marriage Equality... It's a civil rights thing",
as one of the few people who thought ahead about the possiblity of rain
and the need to lamenant signs I had one of the few surviving signs so
I made sure to stand towards the front to help lead things and lead some of the chanting & on street side of the march to show it off... I'm
still kicking myself for not bringing a camera and having to rely on
other people's pictures to remember the day... but at least I know it wont be the last such day if I have anything to say about it!  I would also note in addition to the difficulties to win the
ideological battle if it were to be reshaped in this way, the legal battle
would be worse too.  Civil unions don’t guarantee
all the rights of marriage, so we’d have to do some major legal overhauling,
and marriage is a legal term used in many places and on many documents
throughout this country, so the scale and number of legal battles that we’d
have to win, when all of our battles are already so hard fought and so hotly
contested each time, makes turning away from an inclusive marriage movement
seem like the wrong path to me.

Jake,  you made a comment that a "civil union does not guarantee all the rights of marriage."    Is that so?  I'm trying to understand all the ins and outs of this issue.   What is the difference between the two?   

Good question, Anita. This is an issue that seems to confuse a lot of folks in the queer community as well as everyone else. The fact is, given the existence of DOMA (the federal Defense of Marriage Act, signed into law in 1996 by Pres. Clinton), it doesn't LEGALLY matter what an individual state calls same-sex partnerships. Whether "civil union" or "same-sex marriage", no state can confer the over 1,000 rights & privileges to same-sex couples that are explicitly denied to them by DOMA (including rights to veterans' benefits, social security benefits, medical decision-making, inheritance rights, just to name a few). Until DOMA is abolished--something I hope all those who care about equality will pressure President-Elect Obama and Congress to do ASAP--all individual states can do is give a limited package of rights to same-sex couples.That said, there is a vast difference both socially and psychologically between "civil union" and "marriage". I view civil unions as separate and unequal, and have no interest in pursuing second-class citizenship. For my partner and me, the only true equality is MARRIAGE equality. Plus, as Jake said above, marriage is a common term already understood by Americans of all backgrounds. Civil union just adds confusion to the discussion of what is a basic civil rights issue, IMHO. Hope this provides some clarity. Elizabeth Waugh-Stewart

This protest movement made our voices heard in the streets, but to successful we also have to be heard in the halls of government.  It takes a twofold approach.I encourage anyone reading this to join their facebook group, to sign up for their listserv, or both.  They can send you messages about events, about postcard campaigns, about when & how to mail, e-mail, or call your representatives, when to sign a real or online petition, and that sort of thing that is necessary to change the law.  In the streets, with subsequent media coverage, and in starting conversations we can change minds, but we must also change laws and the best way to take a step in that direction is to click on these links:http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=2249467435&ref=tshttp://eqfed.org/equalitync/home.html

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/11/19/gay.marriage/index.html---------------------"Story Highlights3 gay rights groups file challenge to Proposition 8, which bans gay marriageGroups say ballot initiative "improperly used" to strip away state constitutional rightCourt says it will not interfere with enforcement of the law before it hears appeal"---------------------I've never seen a supreme court move that fast to take on an issue like this, I guess the protests had some effect?

Fla. Gay Adoption Ban Dealt Legal Blow Miami Judge Rules There Is "No Rational Basis" For Prohibiting Gays From Adopting Childrenhttp://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/25/national/main4632388.shtml?tag...  

Yes, it's highly unusual for a Supreme Court to take on any case as swiftly as this.  Either the protests had some effect, or the California Supremes have spotted a serious glitch in the Prop 8 constitutional design.  The latter is more likely for them to have pounced so quickly.  It's a case at this level, not "merely" an issue.  Whoever brought this case before them must have done a very forceful job.  Things are looking up!     

 
See the trailer here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz2F3JtP6Cc

I believe its playing at the Carolina theatre in Durham & the Rialto in Raleigh.

 

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