VIDEO: No Prop 8 Trial Proceedings Today Due to MLK Holiday

There will be no trial proceedings today for the federal case challenging Proposition 8 due to today's importance of remembering the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In celebration of King's legacy, I want to post video blogger Sean Chapin's visual piece containing MLK's historical "How Long?" speech.

Illinois Moving Fast Towards Civil Unions, But Should It?

Facing down threats to stop it, the Illinois Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, or HB 2234, which would grant same-sex couples the right to have civil unions, overcame its obstacles and passed a House subcommittee. It now will go to the House floor for a vote.

Current Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn believes that this bill will pass, saying "I think that's probably where the legislature is headed in the state."

Five years ago One year ago, this might have been good news, but now? Just hearing "civil unions" runs against my grain. Why? Because it has already been established in several states that that institution is a bone to satisfy second-class citizens, including the LGBT population. With so many marriage equality victories as of late, why should we settle for civil unions?

The Chicago Tribune ran a story this morning talking about why civil unions should come first and how, for Illinois, the strategy is more fitting than for states like Iowa.

"'In Illinois, we're charting what we think is the right path now for our state,' said Jim Madigan, executive director of the gay rights group Equality Illinois. '[Civil unions have] the advantage of really abating a lot of the harms suffered by couples who aren't married. And for those people for whom marriage remains a sticking point, it allows them to find a middle ground.'

"Because of the nature of the Illinois Constitution and the makeup of the state's Supreme Court, Equality Illinois has asked its members not to seek any kind of court action regarding same-sex marriage. Iowa followed a judicial path to gay marriage, but it's a state with a strong equal protection clause in its constitution and a Supreme Court known for being progressive with regard to civil rights issues.

";When people say to themselves, 'How could Iowa be ahead of California or Illinois on all of this?' it's important to remember that Iowa has had this unique reputation of being in front on issues like women's equality and race equality,' Madigan said. 'In Illinois, at the Supreme Court level, we haven't had many precedents that touch on [lesbian, bisexual, gay or transgender] issues.'"

Reading this, I understand the logic and want to agree. But at the same time, I feel it's a glaring concession during a tidal wave of advancement for marriage equality. I am no expert by any means on the law in Illinois, but I can't help but remember Martin Luther King's "A Letter from a Birmingham Jail" when he responded to critics who said that he must wait, move slowly and consider the circumstances:

"We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was "well timed" in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied."

I lived in Chicago. I did sit-ins at the county clerk's office demanding marriage certificates. And if I still lived there, I would do it again. I would also stand with my LGBT co-patriots in their fight for civil unions. Yet not a day would pass without them hearing from me, "But what about marriage?"

Pictures of Saturday's Martin Luther King Remembrance March

Unite the Fight had the privilege to join in on the Martin Luther King Remembrance March this past Saturday, April 4th.

With the strong support coming from MLK's Southern Christian Leadership Conference for the LGBT community, Unite the Fight wanted to show its support in return.

The march focused on quality jobs, quality education and safe neighborhoods, all issues pertinent to everybody. Continue to show your support for these issues, because when you do, you're not only supporting the LGBT community who also has these same needs, you're also supporting our allies.

EVENT: Remembering Martin Luther King March

On April 4th, a march in Los Angeles will be held on the 41st anniversary of Martin Luther King's assassination. Hosted, among others, by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Los Angeles, the organization founded by MLK, its focus will be on quality jobs, quality education and safe neighborhoods.

Contrary to popular belief, many in the African American community support the LGBT community and its fight for their civil rights. We need to show equal support for the African American community. A good showing from the LGBT community at this march will be a great step in continuing our alliances.

Here to Stay, an African American LGBTQ coalition, is organizing a marching contingent. You can reach them to get involved at heretostaycoalition@gmail.com or at their website www.heretostaycoalition.org.

For full information, review the flyer below and pass it on!

Flyer for April 4th SCLC March

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Martin Luther King SCLC

National Action Alert! from Equalityactionnow.org

To ALL who support the rights of Gay America: please sign and use this message, or any message of your choice, to congratulate President Obama, as well as to remind him of the importance of his commitment to Gay Civil Rights. Please FORWARD WIDELY.

The White House email address is:

During this time of transition, we encourage you to also copy to: info@barackobama.com

Also consider: vice_president@whitehouse.gov

There is also a contact form that may be used here

The White House server was apparently "down" for some time yesterday, but is apparently up and accepting email again today, according to CNN.

Sincerely,
EqualityActionNOW.org

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear President Obama:

We, as Gays and as allies of the Gay community, applaud your choice of Rev. Gene Robinson to lead the Invocation Prayer at your Lincoln Memorial inauguration event, although we were most disappointed that his prayer was not aired on the networks. We hope that your choice symbolizes a new beginning for your relationship with our community.

Over the last two years, wherever you have looked during your campaign, the Gay community was there. Unlike the right wing, we supported your campaign financially and otherwise—just as in the past we supported Rev. Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, and other leaders who championed equal rights for oppressed minorities.

We recognize and yes, even support your desire to build a coalition across the political spectrum. However, we ask that you recognize the important difference between those with differing political points of view and those who preach fear to support the denial of basic Human Civil Rights. We trust that, in the future, you will find ways to reach out across the American political spectrum, without supporting or providing the appearance of support to individuals or groups that stand for hate and bigotry.

The basic human right of each and every American citizen to equality under the law—regardless of race, color, creed, gender, or orientation—is simply not a political question.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

Our Post Prop 8 Strategic Approach

A new study on California's vote to ban same-sex marriage has revealed that far fewer African Americans voted for the ban. Exit polls released shortly after election day showed that about 70% voted for the ban, but the new in-depth study found a much different number: 57% to 59%. Out of roughly 700,000 African American votes, that's a huge difference.

Though I don't want to get into the details of the study, it does conclude that race was less of a factor in determining one's vote - it was more age, ideology and religious beliefs across ethnic groups.

As a community, the LGBT response to the vote has been to focus on minority groups in an effort to educate them more about who we are and how we live our lives, to show them that we are just like everyone else. And though this is good and must continue, this new study shows that only time can make the big change. Why? A quote from The Advocate.com:

"Perhaps surprisingly, the study also revealed that partisanship and ideology trumped the fact of knowing someone who is openly LGBT. About two-thirds of the state’s self-identified conservatives knew someone who was gay and about 4 out of five of them voted for the measure – the same exact ratio of conservatives who voted for Prop. 8 but didn’t know an openly LGBT person. Republicans demonstrated a similar pattern, with about four out of five of them voting to pass the ban regardless of whether they knew anyone who was out or not."

To really make a significant change in society so that, if necessary, same-sex marriage can pass on the ballot, people's beliefs and ideology must change, something that will likely never happen. Reaching out to this group doesn't appear to make that much of a difference because 4 out of 5 of them, who knew someone from the LGBT community, still voted to strip us of our rights.

More...

So where's the hope? What's the key to our success? The new generation involved in what is currently known as the "youth movement." Just eight years ago, Prop 22 passed with 61% of the vote, while Prop 8 barely made it with 52% (Graph). Many of the "No on Prop 8" votes came from those who weren't old enough to vote in 2000, and not just secular youth. There's a panic in the right wing as they realize their own youth are trending towards support for same-sex marriage (read this illuminating article from ABCNews.com about the shift). This shift isn't just for gay rights, but also abortion.

This new generation is our key to success, our hope. When I say it may take time for our success, I don't mean a lot of time. I'm not going to "wait", a piece of advice MLK rejected in his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail". I'm going to help educate those who are open-minded, who are willing to look at me as a person and not a plague to "the family", who can see past lifestyle differences and respectfully acknowledge me as a fellow citizen of their country, not a second-class citizen. I'm not going to waste my resources on those who have proven again and again that though they may love me to my face, will continually stab me in the back by voting my rights away. And if we do in fact get a new initiative on the ballot in 2010, a mere year away, to allow same-sex marriage, I have complete faith that, with the help of this new generation of both secular and evangelical youth and our renewed focus on them, it will indeed pass.

Unite the Fight! (Mission post - it's long, sorry, but please read!)

We have a long fight ahead of us.

Not just here in California but nation-wide. Rallies and marches, though great for an initial response and getting the nation’s attention to a horrific injustice, will only get us so far. So what do we do next? How do we harness our raw emotional response to motivate us to the finish line – equal rights for all? First, we need to know who ACTUALLY voted Yes for Prop 8, our opposition. Second, we need to educate ourselves on our opposition. Last, we need to organize!

KNOW YOUR OPPOSITION!!

People use the phrase, “Know your enemy.” But these people who voted Yes for Prop 8 are not our enemies. They are our fellow citizens. However, they are our opposition. Yet, who are they?

How many Mormons actually make up the population of California? According to Wikipedia, 2.12%. (Mormon Population.)

California’s Population: 36,553,215 (2007)

Mormon Population: 773,800

Out of 773,800 Mormons living in California, how many of them were eligible to vote (that number includes kids, the unregistered, etc)? And of these, how many actually voted Yes? I can guarantee you, not all. The number gets smaller and smaller.

Here is a link of the Prop 8 exit polls from CNN. Look at them closely:

CNN Exit Polls

These people, the Yes votes, are the true opposition. So out of the roughly 5.5 million who voted Yes, that’s an awfully small amount of Mormons.

Here, I want to state my objection of the gay community’s focus on the Mormon Church and its role in the passing of Prop 8. This focus of hate needs to stop!

We are angry. We are hurt. But above all, we are motivated to speak out against this injustice. And in this trying, emotional time, we are looking for someone to blame, someone to point a finger at and yell, “Shame on you!” I don’t blame any of us for doing this because after years and years of discrimination, we have experienced an enormous injustice of having been granted rights just to have them ripped away. But is this a productive, healthy response? Will it do us more harm than good? I believe it will do harm.

I understand that the Mormon Church donated millions of dollars to the passage of Prop 8, but many of them didn’t vote. They don’t live here in California! The best we can do is report them to the IRS and shift our focus to those who actually voted. So with this in mind, look at the exit polls again. Those are the people we need to focus on peacefully and with respect, reach out to them and educate them on who we are as a community, show them who we are, something we and the No on Prop 8 campaign failed to do before the vote.

A quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. from his famous, “I Have a Dream” speech:

"The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people. For many of our white brothers as evidenced by their presence here today have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We can not walk alone."


MLK stood for non-violence. After reading the quote above, we can consider our present situation and realize, as not all “white brothers” of MLK’s time were not against the Negro community, not all Mormons are against the gay community. Though I’m not accusing us of physical violence (though it came close, having witnessed a few scuffles at the protests), I believe our words, such as “bigots” tossed at the Mormon Church expresses a hate that feels awfully close to verbal violence.

In this historic moment, with our first African American president gearing to take charge, change is in the air. I say we take advantage of this change and fight for our rights. But how do we do this? What is our next step?

WE EDUCATE OURSELVES!!

First, we educate ourselves on civil rights history and our constitution, and we educate ourselves on who our opposition is and what they believe.

Our great nation is based on freedom and democracy, statutes found in our nation’s (and state’s) constitution. And I will fight until my dying breath to protect the rights of everyone the freedom of their opinion and their religion, including those who voted Yes. However, the crux of my argument is that these same people, who made up a slim majority, should have never had the right to vote on our marriage in the first place. Nor for that matter, we should have never been forced to protect our marriages through a vote!

JFK fought for civil rights and desegregation. But did he put it up to a popular vote? No. If he had, do you think it would’ve passed? Hardly. He fought through the courts. And why? Because the constitution (both our nation’s and our state’s) was written to protect not only the majority, but the minority as well, and the law is enforced through the judicial branch, not by the majority. The constitution was written to protect the little people from majority (or Mob) rule. This is where our focus should be. This is where we learn from history. We focus our attention on the constitution and the courts and not a moral debate with the majority who don’t have the right to overrule the law.

There is a flip side to this, however. No matter how much we don’t like it, and whether all this is decided by it, this is a battle of public opinion. The nation is watching! This does, believe it or not, affect judges’ decisions. Keeping this in mind, how should we present ourselves to the nation? As one minority treating another minority (as the Mormons see themselves, or the Latino and African-American communities?) as they have treated us? Shouting slurs at them and defacing their property? No! We should rise above it. Show the nation that we are worthy of their respect. Yes, we are angry. We are frustrated. We have had enough! But use this amazing motivation to win the war and not fight battles that get us nowhere. Let us lead by example. Let us educate ourselves about our opposition and address their concerns and why they voted Yes in the first place.

How do we educate ourselves on our opposition?

• Know who the opposition is (see the exit polls) and what their concerns are about gay marriage. Don’t focus on just the Mormons! (Stop the harassment!) Many of those who voted Yes were Judeo-Christian.

• Know what they actually believe in. Study their religion! The religion’s history. Show that you respect them enough to not just toss their beliefs aside but that you have taken the time to learn and engage them. A good book to read by Christians who don’t believe homosexuality is immoral, “Is the Homosexual My Neighbor?” (Buy the Book) It’s a short read but loaded with great information, all derived from the study of the Bible.)

• Know why they voted as they did.

Then what? Engage the opposition! Inform those who voted Yes that we respect their religion, beliefs and morals, and that we are not taking away their beliefs or violating them, but we are demanding the rights that are guaranteed us. Let's show them we can have differing opinions, different religions and ideas of “morality”, and still live side-by-side with mutual respect. Yet remind them that the country that they live in also has one civil moral code. The constitution. We must abide by it.

WE ORGANIZE OURSELVES!!

It is AMAZING and wonderful that so many of us are taking action, but unless we organize as one voice and combine our strength, confusion amongst our community will cause this raging fire to burn out. We also need clear next steps!

Several websites exists about repealing Prop 8:

overturnprop8
invalidateprop8
www.petitiononline.com/seg5130/petition.html


Combine your forces! Give the community ONE place to combine our support to get rid of Prop 8!

Several groups on Facebook exist.

Californians Ready to Repeal Prop 8
Repeal the CA Ban on Marriage Equality - 2010
Repeal CA Proposition 8
1,000,000 Strong to Overturn Prop 8


Combine your forces!

MY CALL TO ACTION!

I call that as our next step, we hold a town hall meeting. We discuss our next steps. We talk about what we have learned, not only about our opposition and how to reach out to them, but what we learned from the mistakes we’ve made before the vote. Prop 8 passed! What did we do wrong?


I call out to the leaders of No on Prop 8 campaign: Lorri L. Jean, Kate Kendell, Geoff Kors, Dr. Delores A. Jacobs, and I call out to Rodney Scott, president of LA Pride, to continue to lead. Hold a town hall! Educate! Give us our next steps! Reach out to your community! Lead by example! Stop calling Mormons “bigots” and stop leading the harassment and help us respectfully reach out to those who actually voted Yes! If not, we will move on without your leadership, just as we marched on this past week without your presence. (LA Weekly Article on the Nov. 6th March)

I call out to the gay and straight community, those who have marched and those who have yet to act. Do something! This is about you and your family! The nation is watching. And amazingly, amongst all of our nation’s troubles, we have their attention. What will you do now?

Don't let the passion die. This is the perfect storm. Ride the wave. Take action. The nation is watching. Let's take it to them! Let’s take it to Washington!