Report on Protest over DOMA Brief at Boston's DNC Fundraiser

Blog Ryan's Take covers first-hand the protest of the DNC's fundraiser in Boston. Spurred by the DOJ's and Obama Administration's insulting brief defending DOMA, many have taken the Democrats to task for accepting our money but not keeping their campaign promises to us.

Ryan's Take reports on Pam's House Blend:

If today's event in Boston is any indication, the DNC, DSCC, DCCC and Obama campaign committee can be expecting hundreds upon hundreds of protestors across the country at their fundraisers in the days ahead. About 30-40 people came to protest President Obama's DOMA brief at today's DNC fundraiser at Fenway Park in Boston, headlined by Vice President Biden.
-----
Some key moments of the protests: Lt. Governor Tim Murray and Mayor Boston both attended the event, but neither of them recognized the protestors. MassEquality's Scott Gortikov crossed the (picket) line, attending the fundraiser despite the protestors and Obama administration brief. Lastly, the police pushed protestors back beyond the original protest area, to the extent that it made it very difficult to have a fair voice in protesting.

“With President Bush, we kind of expected his anti-gay policies and agenda,” Paul Sousa, co-chairman of Join The Impact Massachusetts which helped plan the protest, told the Boston Herald. “With Obama, we thought we were getting a friend in the White House.”





Videos from Ryan's Take. Image by John Wilcox of the Boston Herald.

EVENT REMINDER: Stand for Marriage Equality on Tax Day!

TODAY IS TAX DAY! Read this post to see what actions are planned today to fight for your rights!

REMINDER: Don't forget to rally for your rights on tax day Wednesday, April 15! Many benefits offered through marriage are denied the LGBT population because of anti-gay marriage laws, and this is more pronounced than ever during tax season.

Check out the new press release from Marriage Equality USA, Join the Impact and HRC.

Also, don't forget to celebrate on tax day as well. Check out Same Sex Kiss Day. Going to Starbucks will never be the same!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As millions of Americans file their income taxes, a coalition of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy groups call attention to the tax inequities facing same-sex couples as a result of the state and federal laws that refuse to recognize or extend civil marriage protections to same-sex couples.

Marriage Equality USA, Join the Impact and the Human Rights Campaign have collectively organized a series of events at U. S. Post Offices across the nation to highlight the ongoing moral and financial costs of denying marriage equality to same-sex couples—as well as the consequences paid by all Americans as a result of these discriminatory state and federal laws.

Join the Impact:

"As LGBT Americans, we work hard, take care of our families, and pay our taxes every year. Yet, our families are not included in the very policies we help fund. Our loved ones are treated like legal strangers and denied the economic protections given to our heterosexual counterparts."

Molly McCay, Marriage Equality USA Media Director, states:

“Each tax season, same-sex couples sit at their dining room tables and are forced to live a legal lie by checking ‘single’ despite their decades together and then arbitrarily dividing up their joint household’s income, expenses, and dependents. Then we write checks to the IRS for social security taxes, knowing that when we die our families will not even have access to any of the family ‘safety net’ benefits provided in the form of social security survivor benefits, estate tax deferral, and other programs that we help fund through our tax dollars and that only heterosexual couples and their children will enjoy.”

To find out what rallies in your area, go to TaxDay2009.com.

More...

A study produced by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) debunks the myth that granting same-sex couples the freedom to marry would cost the government money. In fact, it would save taxpayer dollars. Same-sex couples aren’t the only ones paying for marriage discrimination, all taxpayers fund this discrimination which amounts to as much as $1 billion over the next 10 years

Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report debunking same-sex marriage myth

Publish at Scribd or explore others: taxes benefits

National Call for Civil Disobedience Issued

In response to the growing equality movement in California and across the country, community organizers are issuing a call for the use of nonviolent civil disobedience to further the cause. This call comes at a time when the equality movement is energized surrounding the upcoming California Supreme Court decision on the validity of Proposition 8.

The call to action, led by national groups Soulforce and Join the Impact, states “We are tired of agonizing political setbacks, token change, defending ourselves against charges of moral inferiority, and being told to 'wait' in the land we love while liberation occurs in other countries.”

To assist in educating the public on nonviolent civil disobedience, the website nonviolence4equality.org has been created and is launching today. On the website, community members can learn about the history and philosophy of nonviolent civil disobedience, sign the call to action, and connect with others locally who are interested in organizing nonviolent civil disobedience.

“Today, we affirm that nonviolent strategies such as marches, vigils, demonstrations, public protests, and civil disobedience seek to create what Dr. King called 'healthy tension',” the call to action reads. The call has been signed already by several community leaders, including Cleve Jones, who is the founder of the NAMES/AIDS Memorial Quilt, and was a historical consultant on the Academy Award winning film MILK.

The call specifically promotes nonviolent tactics. "As we resist injustice, we must avoid violence of the fist, tongue, and heart,” it reads. Community leaders are urged to sign the call to action at nonviolence4equality.org and to begin training in their own communities immediately. For questions pertaining to nonviolence4equality.org, please contact N4E@soulforce.org.