Hi Friends,
YES!.. The
last ditch effort by the hateful right-wing was just shot down
in federal court!!! (see the first story in the news section
below)
Only one
friend responded to my request to help with additional HRC
action items on my HRC page. THANKS ANNE!!!!
CLICK
HERE: HRC
has added 3 new functions for those who have already signed
the marriage petition. Please please PLEASE
check out the new items you can complete. I only have 40 actions out
of 100.
Notable items
this week:
Bruce
Ayers, my bigoted representative has a nomination
challenger!
The following are excerpts from Monday's
Patriot Ledger...
It
was Rep. Bruce Ayers' vote in favor of putting a
constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage on the ballot
that clinched Paul Meoni's decision to run for state
representative.
"The
amendment to the constitution was the last straw,"
Meoni said, "I'm a gay man, so I'm totally against it.
I don't believe in the philosophy that the majority has the
right to decide the rights of a minority group. By
putting it on the ballot, that's exactly what you are
doing."
In
announcing his candidacy, Meoni said he is concerned about a
"growing sense of apathy" toward state government.
As
an independent thinker, I will fight to restore integrity to
the legislative process in Massachusetts."
State
Senator Jarrett Barrios
and
Representative
Liz Malia
Invite
you to attend a reception honoring a true friend
of the GLBT Community:
State
Senator Brian A Joyce
at the
home of Tony Gale
Sunday, May
23, 2004
11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Laconia
Lofts - 1200 Washington Street
Unit 508 - Boston, MA
Light
brunch will be served
Suggested
donation $500, $250, $100
Message
from HRC
Dear HRC Supporter:
I'm e-mailing those of you in Massachusetts to ask for your help with a project. On May 17, HRC plans to host a slide show of couples from Massachusetts who are getting married. We are doing this to congratulate couples who are getting married, to salute the work of Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) in litigating the case, and to urge people to get involved in the fight to protect the decision - and to defend against attacks across the country.
We will have a place on the website for people to submit photos of themselves getting married in Massachusetts, but we would like to have some initial photos of Mass. couples for the launch on May 17. If you plan to get married next week, or you know someone who is, and would like to submit a picture of you and your
fiancé or fiancée for possible inclusion into this slide show, then I want to hear from you!
If you'd be willing to let HRC use a photo, just e-mail a photo to:
sally.green@hrc.org
Photo specs:
- jpg or gif format
- try to keep the file size under 300kb (maximum, smaller is fine too)
- tell me your names, and the city in Massachusetts where you're from
- when's your wedding date, where
Thank you so much for your consideration!
--Sally
Message
from MassEquality
We're
almost there! After months of waiting, worrying, and
planning, May 17th is just around the corner. This
Monday, the goal we've all been working for will become a
reality, as same-sex couples will be able to apply for, and
secure, marriage licenses at city and town halls across the
state.
We want to invite you to several events to commemorate and
celebrate this historic occasion (see below for the current
list). In addition, as we learn of them we will list
events taking place on our homepage:http://EqualMarriage.org
. Please forward activities that you know of to info@equalmarriage.org.
We have created a web page to answer questions about many
aspects of the process for getting married, including
special circumstances that apply to you and your partner.
There, you can find the latest analysis and guidance from
the attorneys at GLAD, a list of supportive justices of the
peace, and more. The link is:
http://EqualMarriage.org/how_to_get_married.php
If you have specific questions about the marriage licensing
process, or if you run into any problems trying to get a
marriage license, GLAD will be operating a special telephone
hotline every day next week from 8:00 AM until 6:00 PM. The
hotline number is (617) 426-1350.
Please consider writing a short letter to the editor of your
local paper explaining how positive it is--for same-sex
couples and all residents of the Commonwealth--that, for the
first time, committed same-sex couples can receive critical
rights and protections that come only through marriage. You
can remind people that marriage protects same-sex couples
and threatens no one. It is especially important right
now that we have positive letters running in newspapers
throughout the state.
If you are getting married next week and are willing to
speak with the media, please let us know by sending an email
to media@equalmarriage.org
or call at (617) 482-1600. The press is particularly
interested in couples who are getting waivers for the
three-day waiting period and are actually marrying early
next week. However, please forward information about
anyone who is applying for a license next week and who will
speak with the press.
You've undoubtedly read about how Mitt Romney, and his
right-wing cronies in the legislature and around the state,
have pulled out every stop to try to keep same-sex couples
from marrying. We, along with our coalition partners,
have been working hard to ensure that these desperate
measures fail. Over the coming months, the Freedom to
Marry Coalition will be organizing, mobilizing and
activating throughout the state to ensure that we preserve
the right to marry. To support this important
work with a financial contribution, please click here:
http://EqualMarriage.org/give.celebrate.php
Giving to support our work is also a wonderful way to honor
the marriage of a friend or family member.
We all, of course, have much work to do to preserve the
right to marry. However, for now, we invite you to take the
opportunity to bask in this moment in the history of our
movement. Without all of your hard work and courageous
leadership, Monday would not be happening. You deserve
to take great pride in all that we have accomplished
together.
And our best wishes and heartfelt congratulations to you and
any of your friends who may be getting married in the weeks
and months ahead!
Sincerely,
Board of Directors and Staff
The Freedom to Marry Coalition of Massachusetts
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