( There is now at least One Event being held in EVERY Single State in the United States of America. Click here and follow the link for YOUR City and State )


Yes PLEASE Do Repost This Information

( Matthew Brunner, NYC Program Director at Empire State Pride Agenda will be addressing Prop 8 and other critical questions at 2 pm on Sunday at the Reform Temple of Forest Hills )


Yes PLEASE Do Repost This Information

( Read more... )


REPOST REPOST REPOST PLEASE

this is X-Posted from the California East Bay PFLAG Chapter! Please forward

( click here to read more on how YOU can help )

Hallmark Cards that epitome of middle-American 'normalcy' is now offering Same Sex Marriage Cards, and the right wing is pissed!

( they are rallying their bigots and haters to try and make Hallmark regret and reverse this decision, so please help us turn the tables on them )

So like all good little Queer Activists I was quickly skimming thru GLAAD's "Stories to Watch" section when I cam upon these two items:

1.) Out-of-State Gay and Lesbian Couples Can Marry in Massachusetts
2.) New Studies on Marriage for Gay and Lesbian Couples

( GLAAD the term is 'Same Sex Marriage and you of all organizations know this! So why are you disrespecting and distracting a large portion of the LGBT Community by using this non-inclusive language especially in this important election year? )

This essay is X-Posted from BiNet USA President Wendy Curry's Blog curriedspam

Honestly, I've been less enthused about the "gay marriage" vs same sex marriage debate than I was the trans inclusive ENDA; with the ENDA battle, rights were being held up . . . With the marriage debate, it could be argued . . . as some have done . . . that the semantics (word choice) will not result in a lack of benefits. After spending time with the amazing Moira, I got to understand how some decisions are being made and can respect that.

One of the reasons so many "state DOMA" legislation's passed, IMO, was that national figures imposed their beliefs and did not listen to local voices . . . who better knew what would work in their neck of the woods. I am definitely enjoying listening to several CA voices on this list [Note: she means the very lively & interesting BiNet USA Discussion List - Click Here To Join] discuss the strategy pros and cons.

I believe the passion form the bi/trans communities on this issue comes from years of baggage and mistreatment from the gay/lesbian community. Since Stonewall (even before), bisexual and transgender individuals have been the back bone of the gay/lesbian movement. We have marched, planned the first pride marches, spoke before congress on DODT, and volunteered tireless hours to effect change for the entire GLBT community.

Yet, time after time, the gay/lesbian leaders have conveniently omitted us - from press releases, proposed legislation, web pages, magazines, etc, etc. The expressed pain comes from the long history of being welcomes when work is needed, yet shunned when convenient. In this particular case, there appears to be no reason for the omission. Does anyone really NOT know what "same sex marriage" refers too?

The gay and lesbian community does a disservice to it's own cause when they remove us from a discussion. Same gender marriage effects bisexuals and transgender individuals in a different way from gays and lesbians, which they would understand if they included us in the process.

One may argue that 2 bisexual females are in a lesbian relationship. I would counter - your individual experiences, feelings, and yes, sexuality effects your relationship. If not, why would so many gays and lesbians be afraid to date us? it's merely a "gay" relationship, right?

Note that among the collection of right-wingnuts, religious loonies, garden variety bigots, and cynical political opportunists who signed on to the lawsuit brought by Arizona's scary-fundy "Christian" (Dominionist?) Alliance Defense Fund to block Governor Patterson's directive recognizing same-sex marriage are five (5) Republican legislators. Might they be from YOUR district?

Maybe they should hear about how their Constituents don't want their tax-dollars spent on their elected representitive's personal religious escapades. Also remind them that you will remember this little mis-adventure of theirs come re-election time.

o State Senator Martin J. Golden (R) Brooklyn
o State Senator Serphin R. Maltese (R) Queens
o State Assemblyman James N. Tedisco (R) Schenectady-Saratoga
o State Assemblyman Daniel J. Burling (R) Warsaw
o State Assemblyman Brian M. Kolb (R) Canandaigua
o Michael R. Long, Chairman. Conservative Party of New York State
o Shaun Marie Levine, Executive Director. Conservative Party of New York State
o Duane Motley, member New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms
o Jason Mcguire, member New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms
o Stephen P. Hayford, Esq., Coalition to Save Marriage in New York
o William C. Banuchi, Sr. Marriage & Family Savers Ministries
o Angel D. Rodriguez, (affiliation unknown)
o Piyali Dutta, (affiliation unknown)
o William Carlson, (affiliation unknown)
o Nicole Carlson, (affiliation unknown)
o Frances Vella-Marrone, Brooklyn Conservative Party

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Ms. Denise Penn
DenisePenn (at) aol (dot) com
949.498.8771

May 15, 2008

The American Institute of Bisexuality (ABI) applauds today's California Supreme Court ruling that the state may no longer exclude same-sex couples from civil marriage. AIB also congratulates and thanks lead counsel NCLR, Lambda Legal, the ACLU and Equality California who have been fighting for this victory for four years on behalf of all of us.

( Read more... )

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Lewis v. Harris: New Jersey Marriage Equality Case

October 25, 2006 Trenton: The New Jersey Lesbian and Gay Coalition is thrilled by the recent decision of the State Supreme Court which recognizes that providing to "committed same-sex couples the financial and social benefits and privileges given to their married heterosexual counterparts" is mandated under the State Constitution. The New Jersey State Supreme Court has upheld equal rights for the all citizens. By leaving the "name to be given to the statutory scheme that provides full rights and benefits to same-sex couples, whether marriage or some other term, is a matter [left to the legislature]" we look forward to a speedy process that reflects the diversity of New Jersey. We have faith that all fair-minded citizens of NJ agree with the Court's decision. ( Read more... )

GLAAD, NGLTF, and Freedom to Marry have collaborated on an ad campaign promoting marriage rights for “gay and lesbian” couples entitled “Marriage Matters.” It talks about the discrimination faced by “gays and lesbians” and how they are working to protect “gay and lesbian families.” Many organizations have co-signed the ad but not one bi organization was invited to sign. ( Read more... )

Bialogue is in the process of sending the below letter, signed jointly by many bi organizations, to lesbian, gay, and straight leaders on the marriage equality issue in NY State. We noticed that bis were being left out of the conversation on marriage so we decided to be proactive about being included in the dialogue. 

In the letter we ask : "While engaging in the debate over the marriage issue we request that you use language such as “access to marriage for same-sex couples” instead of “gay marriage,” “same-sex couples” instead of “gay and lesbian couples,” “LGBT families” instead of “gay and lesbian families,” and talk about the right for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to marry the person they love, or the right for everyone to marry the person they love.( Read more... )

A large crowd gathered at New York City's Sheridan Square in The Village tonight to protest the NY State Court of Appeals decision to deny same-sex marriage rights to New Yorkers.

( read full text of Ms. Lambert's report and comments )

The New York Court of Appeals today ruled by a 4-2 margin that the state Constitution does not guarantee a right to marriage for same-sex couples. The court did not rule that the state should not or could not allow same-sex marriages, only that the state constitution did not require that it allow them. They further indicated that state lawmakers, not the courts, are better suited to consider the issue.

The worst part of the ruling was when they asserted that being against same- sex marriage cannot be regarded as bigotry and cannot be compared to laws prohibiting interracial marriage which were later overturned!

( Read more... )

( read letter from Executive Director of the Empire State Pride Agenda )

RALLY TONIGHT: Thursday, July 2006 at these Locations in NY State!!

New York City
Start time: 6:00 PM
Location: Sheridan Square (Christopher Street and 7th Avenue, Manhattan), site of the historical Stonewall uprising
Rain location: LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th Street

( more rally locations around NY State )