5/7/09

Bay Area Faith Communities Prepare For Day of Decision



Updated schedule as of May 16th at bottom of post.
The ruling is expected to be announced by June 5, join others of faith and stand for equality at the following events.

1. Prayer Service on the EVE of Decision Day – Grace Cathedral (pictured right, 1100 California Street San Francisco) 7:00 – 8:30 pm The night before the announcement of the CA Supreme Court’s decision, we invite the Bay Area community to come for an evening of songs and meditation that will center our hearts on peace, healing and understanding.

2. Service/Blessing on Decision Day – St. Francis Lutheran Church (pictured left, 152 Church St. San Francisco, across from Castro Safeway) 8:30 – 9:15 am The morning of the day of decision, we invite the Bay Area community to come for encouraging music and words from community leaders, testimonies from married couples and blessings for those who will be doing civil disobedience. We will march in a procession from the church to Civic Center Plaza. Clergy are requested to come in their clerical garments.

3. Circle of Care – Civic Center Plaza If Proposition 8 is upheld, we will surround those who are willing to be arrested in civic disobedience as we sing, and move aside as they are arrested. See the following page for more information.

4. The “Sunday” After – The weekend following the court decision, clergy and worship leaders are encouraged to address the theological, social and emotional effects of the court decision during their worship service. Read the clergy Resource Kit that is attached to gain ideas on how to articulate your message. Marriage is not just a nice idea for some. To deny it is a form of bashing. On Decision Day, a group of people will participate in civil disobedience if the Supreme Court upholds Prop 8. In partnership with an interfaith group of clergy, we'll do a peaceful street blockade with the message SEPARATE IS NOT EQUAL! We're looking for people to participate in this action with us, and for friends who will support us as peacekeepers and legal observers. For more information, please email action@onestruggleonefight.com.

SPONSORED BY: Bay Area Coalition of Welcoming Congregations, California Faith for Equality Congregation, Sha'ar Zahav Fellowship of the Rainbow Progressive Jewish Alliance Jewish Mosaic - The National Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, California Council of Churches Colage, The Fellowship Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco, Freedom in Christ Church of San Francisco Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies of Pacific School of Religion Equality California Marriage Equality USA Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry California Glide Memorial United Methodist Church Grace Cathedral St. Francis Lutheran Church One Struggle, One Fight Nueva Vida Ministries The Society of Franciscan Workers API Equality PANA Institute of Pacific School of Religion Network on Religion and Justice for API

CONTACT: Rev. Roland Stringfellow at rstringfellow@clgs.org

Facebook event page Prop 8 Decision Day Religious Events in the Bay Area


Subject: SF Day of Decision events - update as of may 16th - spread the word

The California Supreme Court's ruling is nearly upon us, and could come down any day now.Here's a rundown of all of the activities in San Francisco -- please spread the word far and wide:ON THE NIGHT PRIOR TO THE RULING:- 7:00pm to 8:30pm: Interfaith Prayer service at Grace Cathedral (1100 California St). All peaceful loving people are invited to come together for this service, no matter what their position on the court case may be.

THE DAY OF THE RULING:- 8:30am to 9:15am: Service/Blessing at St. Francis Lutheran Church (152 Church St, across from Safeway).- 9:15am to 10am: March from Saint Francis to Civic Center Plaza.- 10:00am to 10:30: California Supreme Court steps (400 McAllister St) Everyone is invited to stand with us on the steps to receive the ruling.

If you are a couple that married, or wanted to marry and will speak to media, please email your name, contact information, phone number and story to media@marriageequality.org.

Please bring your families and allies with you.- 10:30am: Circle of Care at Civic Center Plaza. If the marriage ban is upheld, a group of Bay Area clergy and congregants will engage in nonviolent civil disobedience immediately after receiving the ruling go to http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.onestruggleonefight.org for details.

THE EVENING OF THE RULING - COMMUNITY GATHERING
Emceed by Stuart Gaffney, John Lewis, Lawrence Ellis, Molly McKay and Davina Kotulski- 5:00pm to 6:00: Pre-March Rally at SF City Hall (speakers include Terry Stewart, Kate Kendall and others)- 6:00pm to 7:00: March to MLK Memorial at Yerba Buena Gardens (4thand Mission, next to Metreon). Follow http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://twitter.com/stop8dotorgfor live updates from the march.- 7:00pm to 8:30: Post-March Gathering at Yerba Buena Gardens, (speakers including Rev. Amos Brown , Dolores Huerta music, and next steps)(We NEED volunteers for SF's Day of Decision. Please email volunteer coordinator Dolores at d_lorlor101@yahoo.com. We need help with peacekeepers, handing out stickers, postcards and chant sheets.)For more information visit http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.marriageequality.org or http://www.facebook.com/l/;dayofdecision.org

THE SATURDAY AFTER THE RULING:- Meet in the Middle for Equality in Fresno:http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.meetinthemiddle4equality.com/- Saturday: March from Selma to Fresno, meeting at 6:30am and kickingoff at 7:50amBuses leave from San Francisco - join your fellow love warriors for a road trip for justice you will always remember!- Saturday: Rally in Fresno; warmup at noon, kickoff at 1pmPLEASE INVITE AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE!


5/6/09

Marriage Equality Down To The Wire | Call New Hampshire Governor


NH House votes to send marriage equality bill to the Governor. By a vote of 178 to 167 the NH House voted to accept the Senate version of the bill and send the bill on to the Governor. It is all up to him now! He can veto, sign the bill or allow it to become law without his signature.
Today NH Freedom to Marry delivered petitions to the Governors office containing 12,000 signature's. We must continue to keep the pressure on.


Funds Needed
We are being outspent three to one by the opposition. We can not allow them to do in NH what they did in California with proposition 8.
They have made a $50,000 ad buy in NH. They are running ads featuring and targeting Governor Lynch himself. We can not allow them to outspend us by that degree. We have created an add that is now running on cable in limited locations. We must remain competitive and by more ad time. Now is the time to dig deep and help raise the funds needed. Donate Here


Call the Governor
(603)271-2121
TELL HIM TO SUPPORT MARRIAGE EQUALITY, HB436
The community is mobilizing like never before to win equality!
We are;
1) canvasing to collect signatures on the petitions. Please join other Freedom to Marry volunteers? Can you provide community housing for our volunteers as we move from town to town. We are working in Porstmouth, Keene, Concord, Hanover Manchester and Nashua. Do you have a guest room? A couch in the basement? If we are not in your town, start your own canvas, we will help you begin. If you can help contact heather@nhftm.org



We must collect thousands of signatures on our equality petition. Please click here to sign online or to download petitions to help collect signatures. Return these signatures to us by fax or call for us to pick them up.
2) Phone banking is happening in Concord 5PM to 9PM
3) Make a lawn sign, "support equality" send us a picture of yourself with your sign to http://us.mc456.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=info@nhftm.org
2) Write a letter to the editor click here
Join our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @NHfreedom2marry


Take Action NOW! Click here to take action



TRANSGENDER PROTEST APA & GID at MOSCONE CENTER MAY 18 2009


The American Psychiatric Association is holding their annual meeting in San Francisco from May 16 to 21, 2009. On May 18th a number of Transgender community members and allies are presenting on "Gender Identity Disorder" and the need to reform this diagnosis. We are calling on the APA to make an official statement that all Gender Identities and Expressions are natural human variation, and not disease or mental illness. And for the APA to reshape the upcoming DSM V version to remove stigmatizing and problematic portions of the diagnosis "Gender Identity Disorder."

Date: Monday, May 18, 2009
Time: 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Location: Moscone Center
Street: Howard St & 4th St
City/Town: San Francisco, CA
View Map

Phone: 7018851125
Email: protestgenderdx@gmail.com
FaceBook event page

Gayla Prom Southern Methodist University June 6th

Online ticket sales for the Masquerade Ball Gayla Prom is now open. Tickets are currently $10 until May 15th, They will be $15 from May 16th until June 5th and $20 at the door. Multiple tickets can be purchased and all sales are final. To purchase tickets go to gaylaprom.org and click “Buy Tickets”
The theme this year is “Masquerade Ball,” so it should be tons of fun to dress up, get in costume, and fill your dance card at the most inclusive prom in north Texas!

In 2008 Resource Center of Dallas became the new home of the Dallas/Fort Worth Gayla prom. This event was started in 1997 by the Walt Whitman Community School. Over the past 12 years the Gayla Prom has grown from a small yearly event to THE social gala for GLBTQ youth in North Texas.

One of the largest events of its kind in the country, Gayla Prom offers something to all who attend. Voted "Best Prom" by the Dallas Observer in 2008, Gayla Prom gives youth from all over the opportunity to celebrate with their friends in a safe and positive environment.

Be One in A Million Governor Schwarzenegger | Honor Harvey Milk

The same group, motivated by fear and hate, who brought us Prop 8 is at it again with a new target.


This time they are turning up the heat, urging their members to contact the governor asking him to veto EQCA’s legislation–authored by Senator Mark Leno–to honor my uncle, Harvey Milk.
The governor needs to see a groundswell of support for legislation to honor one of our movement’s greatest heroes, Harvey Milk. Please sign the petition today!
This morning, EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors will be joined by Senator Leno and Dustin Lance Black, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of the movie “Milk,” to give testimony before the Senate Education Committee urging the passage of this legislation that pays tribute to the sacrifices Harvey made to advance equality.
Last year, Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed a similar bill saying that my uncle was a figure of only local significance. Since then, millions have seen how important my uncle was to the LGBT rights movement – and how he inspired so many to fight for what is right.
Please sign the petition to Governor Schwarzenegger and urge him to sign the Harvey Milk Day bill. You can even add in a special message about what Harvey Milk means to you.
The deadline is fast approaching. All the petitions will be delivered to the Governor on May 22, my uncle’s birthday.
Warmly,
Stuart Millk
Watch Senator Mark Leno, EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors and Dustin Lance Black, the award-wining screen-writer of Milk, testify at the Senate Education Committee for the Harvey Milk Day legislation.
Watch on Cal Channel >
Join the Facebook rally!


There is no excuse for failing to protect Texas school children.




Bullying & harassment are not rites of passage; they are serious problems.
Children are being bullied to death.




When will the madness stop?
In 2007, the anti-bullying and anti-cyberbullying "Corinne's Law" was introduced in the Texas Legislature by Rep. Harold Dutton and supported by Equality Texas.
The bill died on the floor of the Texas House of Representatives for lack of action.



YOU can help stop the madness.



Urge passage of House Bill 1323 by Rep. Mark Strama.
Take Action. Ask your representative to vote FOR HB 1323. Help stop the madness.



Tell me more
Send this message to:
Your Representative (if you live in Texas)
Talking Points
House Bill 1323 will not end bullying and harassment in Texas schools.
It is, however, a step toward acknowledging the existence of serious problems and initiating steps to deal with them.
HB 1323:
Expands the definition of bullying by including bullying by electronic means such as computers, cell phones, text messaging, and instant messaging;
Expands the current definition of bullying to include incidents that occur off school property if the communication is likely to cause a disruption to the educational environment of a campus;
Provides for the movement of the bully to another classroom or campus, at the discretion of school administation. Currently, the victim is required to move to another classroom or campus;
Expands the mandatory sexual harassment policy that school districts are required to have to include bullying.
Requires notification of the parents or guardians of both the victim and the student who is bullying or sexually harassing another student;
Expands the state's Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) reporting requirement to include incidents of bullying, harassment, and sexual harassment. Includes a requirement to report if incidents were a result of race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, or disability.



Subject:
Dear [ Decision Maker ],
(Edit Letter Below)I live in your district and you are my state representative. I am writing to ask you to vote FOR Representative Mark Strama's Anti-Bullying Bill - HB 1323.
There is no excuse for failing to protect Texas school children. Bullying and harassment are not rites of passage. Our children are being bullied and cyberbullied to death.
When will this madness stop?
HB 1323 expands the definition of bullying by including bullying by electronic means such as computers, cell phones, text messaging, and instant messaging.
HB 1323 expands the current definition of bullying to include incidents that occur off school property if the communication is likely to cause a disruption to the educational environment of a campus.
HB 1323 provides for the movement of the bully to another classroom or campus, at the discretion of school administation. Currently, the victim is required to move to another classroom or campus.
HB 1323 expands the mandatory sexual harassment policy that school districts are required to have to include bullying.
HB 1323 requires notification of the parents or guardians of both the victim and the student who is bullying or sexually harassing another student.
HB 1323 expands the state's Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) reporting requirement to include incidents of bullying, harassment, and sexual harassment.
We can stop this madness. I urge you to support and vote for House Bill 1323 by Representative Strama.
Sincerely,[Your name] [Your address]
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