Mass. Equality Action-Items for "Equal Marriage Month" of May Click here

[Ian David]

Cross-posted from:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=221x10627

MassEquality is viewing the entire month of May as "Equal Marriage Month," with the actual one-year anniversary of marriage equality celebrated throughout the state on May 17. Given the importance of the month ahead, I wanted to update you on our plans.

1. Website Upgrade. This isn't just about style. We are overhauling our site to educate more people about equal marriage, and to better activate our supporters. While the month is celebratory, the work ahead is not, and we need to engage more supporters to take action.

2. Launching a Petition Drive. In the next week to 10 days, we will launch a web-based petition calling on the Legislature to preserve equal marriage rights. We will ask our supporters to forward the petition wide and far, so that our elected officials know how broad and deep the support is for full marriage equality.

3. The Constitutional Convention. While we have no control over the timing, we do know that we do not -- do not -- have the votes needed to stop the anti-gay amendment from going to the ballot. Yes, we made a big difference in the state elections, first in the September primary, and then again on election day in November. We have some newly elected supporters and momentum, but we do not have the votes to win today.

4. A Plan to Win. Our strategy to win is no secret. And it's the inside-outside rule. We will continue to work inside the State House, talking to every single legislator about the need to support full equality. But, at the same time, the only sure way to influence a vote is to to identify and mobilize supporters at the grass roots level, legislative District by legislative District. We need you to speak out, and to find others to do the same.

5. Take Action. We will only win if you are with us. These next few months will likely determine whether Massachusetts will keep equal marriage rights or not. Please stay engaged. We have a plan to win which we will launch in phases over the next days, weeks, and months.

The goal of MassEquality is focused: to celebrate not just the first anniversary of marriage equality in Massachusetts, but the second, third and fourth. To do that, we must win this year.

Thank you for your continued support. And stay tuned.

Marty Rouse
Campaign Director

PS. The view beyond our borders. Connecticut just enacted civil unions which might have been a step towards marriage equality. But instead, the legislature inserted a DOMA provision which was unnecessary and, some might argue, mean-spirited. We salute the work of Love Makes a Family which never backed away from full marriage equality in Connecticut and plans to continue the fight. Meanwhile, New Jersey and Washington are two more states that may soon win equal marriage rights. And Canada, with equal marriage in most of its provinces already, will have a Parliament vote in June to establish equal marriage nationwide. In addition, Spain may soon join Europe's Netherlands and Belgium with full equal marriage rights. Our beacon of equality in Massachusetts is helping to shine light across New England, the United States, and the world. Happy Anniversary, indeed.

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MassEquality.org is a coalition of local and national organizations defending equal marriage rights for same-sex couples in Massachusetts. We are working to protect the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's decision on marriage equality and to defeat any discriminatory amendment to the Massachusetts state constitution.
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MassEquality.org values its relationship with you. If you do not want to receive our updates, please visit http://www.massequality.org/unsubscribe.php . If this e-mail was forwarded to you and you would like to join the MassEquality.org email list, you may subscribe by visiting http://www.massequality.org/subscribe.php . If you would like to make a financial contribution to support MassEquality's work, please visit http://www.massequality.org/don.php . Thank you. We are a team and with your help, we will win.

[TaleWgnDg]

1. a necessary *kick* . . .

.
A necessary *kick* to keep the light shining on this vital issue.


Know who is working AGAINST same-sex marriage in the halls of our statehouse and elsewhere:
L to R,
(1) MA Representative Philip Travis (.pdf format, Adobe Reader necessary), Democrat, of Rehoboth, MA, who co-sponsored the 2004 anti-gay amendment;
(2) MA Representative Mark J. Carron, Democrat, of Southbridge, MA, who votes anti-gay (anything);
(3) Daniel Avila who is a paid lobbyist against gays for the Massachusetts Catholic Conference at the statehouse and elsewhere; and
(4) "Reverend" Ron Crews, Republican, of Ashland, MA, a fundamentalist preacher, a carpet-bagger from Georgia who is a paid lobbyist for the "Massachusetts Family Institute" (MFI) a hate-mongering and gay-bashing religion-into-law fundamentalist evangelical organization and as former president of "Massachusetts Family Institute" filed an amicus brief against same-sex marriage and against same-sex civil unions with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in the Goodridge case, who as a Georgia state representative pushed for Creationism being taught in Georgia public schools and redefinition of marriage as only for one man and one woman and public school abstinence-only sex education, and who recently ran (quite) unsuccessfully against incumbent U.S. Representative James McGovern, D, Worcester

See also: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/02/12/how_legislators_voted_on_travis_gay_marriage_amendment/
(BosGlobe, 3/29/04, How State Legislators Voted on Gay Marriage Amendment, Massachusetts Constitutional Convention 2004)
(as last visited, Monday, April 25, 2005)
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[Ian David]

2. Ron Crews looks very gay in a very "Uncle Arthur" way

Me thinketh he doth protest too much