Friday, July 17, 2009

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Signs Prepare to Prevail Statement

In a statement released yesterday, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force declared it has signed on to the Prepare to Prevail statement, urging Californian marriage equality supporters to "forego a rush to the 2010 ballot box to repeal Proposition 8."
"As a state that has often served as a political and cultural trendsetter for the rest of the country, what happens in California has national significance for the LGBT movement. That's why for well over five years the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has devoted significant human and financial resources to winning the freedom to marry in California. This commitment remains steadfast as we continue to work on the ground in California with the Vote for Equality Project of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and Equality California to build effective models of person-to-person voter persuasion about marriage equality.

"We support the soonest possible return to the ballot box to repeal Prop. 8 that gives the LGBT community a fighting chance to win. The priorities expressed in 'Prepare to Prevail' are about the hard work it will take at the grassroots to move towards a solid victory, and we look forward to continued work with our partners in California to build a strong, diverse and successful campaign for marriage equality."
The statement then continues to break down what needs to be accomplished before returning to the ballot, such as build solid majority support for the freedom to marry before returning to the ballot, show that we can move Yes on 8 supporters to marriage equality, develop persuasive messaging and build a campaign infrastructure.

Read the full statement.

3 comments:

  1. Hopefully Unite the Fight will begin to the see the light. Our community is broader than just the people who show up at forums to "vote" on marriage in 2010.

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  2. I think it would be a mistake to wait until 2012. We may be tired, but so are our enemies. I suspect that they have been hurt by the economy as much or even more than we have. I think we have a better chance of winning in 2010 because Obama will not be on the ballot. A lot of people who wound up voting against us came out to vote for Obama in 2008. If we wait, we send the message that the issue is not important to us. If we lose in 2010, then we go back in 2012. Eventually, we will win.

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  3. Yes, Obama will not be on the ballot in 2010. But he will in 2012, and there will be another massive turnout of anti-gay people of color to support Obama. While they are voting for Obama, they will also vote against marriage equality. Why are we playing these games? Our enemies are hoping against hope that we will wait until 2012: it gives them more time to organize and to collect money. They no doubt already have the soundbites and robocalls with quotes from Obama saying he does not support same-sex marriage ready to go.

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