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HAPPY 3rd ANNIVERSARY!
WOW What a
week!... election results.. television commercials... State House
events and MORE:
WE HAVE THE MOMENTUM STARTED TO KILL THE PETITION
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HAPPY
ANNIVERSARY!...
...and THANK
YOU Laurie, Tim, David and Jim for your editorials all published this
week! I am feeling VERY invigorated! Have
you seen the MassEquality commercials on TV yet? Please
send them additional funds to keep them going. Please
read through this week's letter, it will should energize you too!
First, on the
special elections front, where we had a real chance of LOSING a vote
but, WE WON!.. Independent candidate and strong ally of
equality, Paul McMurtry won the election with 37.6% of the 3-way
vote. Here
are the final results
Our friends
Joe from Attleboro & Janice from Quincy and I went to the State
House this Thursday to lobby legislators and to support the RCFM's
press event celebrating both our 3rd anniversary of marriage equality
and their 1000th, MA clergy leader to sign their Declaration of Religious Support for the Freedom to Marry.
We stood side by side with our heroic legislator Byron Rushing during
the event.
The event was suddenly
turned upside down as we were joined by Governor Deval Patrick, Lieutenant
Governor Murray, Speaker of the House Sal DiMassi AND Senate President.
They stood together, clasped hands and lifted them in the air
proclaiming that we are making progress and that we WILL defeat this
amendment effort.
WE HAVE THE
MOMENTUM ON OUR SIDE, (and it is driving our opposition crazy) but we
need to keep it going, Marc Solomon form MassEquality followed the politicians
and sounded cautiously optimistic. He added that we will only
defeat this measure
"... but the only way we’re going to do it is if you and your friends and your family members take personal action today and every day from now until the fourteenth of June.”
Here in
Quincy, something really exciting is happening too! The group "QuincyForMarriageEquality"
is taking off like wildfire; within just days of existence 56 people
have already joined! Our first group meeting is this coming
Wednesday but we will have already staged our first public event even
before that. To everyone on this newsletter, please mark your
calendars and take note that we will hold a candlelight vigil on the
first Wednesday after the memorial weekend, we need as many Quincy
residents there as possible, but out of town friends and family as well
so that we can truly impress the Quincy legislators that "the
people" want this amendment GONE.
Please believe
me, There was a VERY positive vibe going on in the State House,
those few lawmakers that Kris
Mineau INSISTS are standing strong on his side, are actually
reconsidering their votes, but not publicly letting on. This is
driving Kris Mineau and our opposition INSANE and you can see it in
their interviews with the press. We should expect some pretty dramatic
measures to be taken by our opposition in the next few weeks; we need to
be ready to counter. We already know that the "Vote On
Marriage" group has asked all its members to bombard the Boston
Globe with letters because it will not disclose what legislators might
be reconsidering votes. They are also telling their members to make sure
they are outside the State House on the 14th. I hope you ALL,
active or not, will try to be there too.
It is now more
important than ever that you take the actions listed below and then
encourage other to as well, just like I am doing with you.
| Now
is the time when friends & family who say they support us need
to SHOW IT by completing these simple action items: |
FIRST
AND FOREMOST CALL
YOUR SENATOR AND REP'S OFFICE:
This is THE MOST POWERFUL WAY to make a difference... If you are not
comfortable speaking live, then wait until after hours and leave a
message.
Find your
Senator and Representative's phone numbers at: http://massequality.com/action/start.php
or www.wheredoivotema.com
"Senator/Representative______,
my name is ______. I live on ______ in
______.
I support equal marriage rights for all couples and feel that is is
wrong to vote on anyone's rights.
Please oppose the amendment that would eliminate equal marriage
rights.
Thank you."
Write a
letter to your representative and to your senator (even if you
already have, in the past) asking that they reject the marriage
amendment. Email are ok, but hand-written letters that include your
address and phone number have the most impact. Your letter
can be as simple as the phone script listed above. You can find
out who and where to write to at either:
http://massequality.com/action/start.php
or www.wheredoivotema.com
Discuss the
issue with someone new and get as many others as possible to take
action too.
It is the
people that legislators have not yet heard from that can make THE
DIFFERENCE to vote our way.
Write a
"Letters to the Editor" of your local papers...
Specifically,
the PATRIOT
LEDGER has asked for your letters. (this publication covers
many targeted legislators- who could potentially switch to support
us - they ARE watching)
(if you
need inspiration on what to write, please check the "editorial
watch" listed below)
Not a
writer or uneasy or not sure of the facts?.. I have a crew of
writers willing to ghost write or help edit your letters. The
best letters are the ones that speak from the heart.
Tips
for Writing Letters to the Editor are located on this PDF
file
(click here)
If you, or anyone you
know, lives in Quincy, PLEASE join the "Quincy for
Marriage Equality" list of supporters by sending an email
with your name, address and phone number to:
contact@quincyformarriageequality.com
or
check out
www.quincyformarriageequality.com
for
more information
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If you, or anyone you
know, lives in Dedham, Westwood
or Walpole,
PLEASE make sure that you or the people you know get out and
vote for
D- Stephen Bilafer
in the special election being THIS TUESDAY, May
15th.
If
we lose this election, our opposition will gain ANOTHER
VOTE!
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Contact
me and let me know how you've helped...
If you have
comments/feedback or info that I should include next week, please feel free to
use the feedback link to the left.
Legislative support slim for same-sex marriage ban
A proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages is clinging to a razor-thin margin in the Legislature, as major political figures from Beacon Hill to Capitol Hill step up their attempts to kill the measure.
(Read
More)
Report: Support For Mass. Anti-Gay Amendment Dissolving
(Boston, Massachusetts) Even though a proposed amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution to ban same-sex marriage requires just 50 votes in a joint session of the House and Senate to be sent to the ballot in the 2008 election it could be doomed a report Thursday says..
(Read
More)
MA Governor joins Gay Advocates to Celebrate 3 Years of Same-Sex
Marriage
 Gay advocates, supporters and members of the Massachusetts legislature celebrated three years of same-sex marriage Thursday night in Boston at an event that announced new media initiatives and urged supporters to help finance the final four weeks of advocacy in the race to defeat a proposed anti-gay marriage amendment in the state.
"We are here at momentous moment in history," announced Marc Solomon, Campaign Director for Mass Equality, the organization leading the charge to stop the amendment. "Tonight we are here to celebrate, tonight we are here to rejoice in what we have achieved. 10,000 couples are now married. The numbers are growing every day.".
(Read
More)
Rev. Gayle Harris becomes 1000th clergy to sign Religious Declaration for the Freedom to Marry
The Right Rev. Gayle Harris, Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of the Massachusetts, on May 17 became the 1000th signer of the Religious Declaration for the Freedom to Marry at a signing ceremony at the State House.
(Read
More)
Three Years of Gay Marriage in Massachusetts
(NECN Video)
Story that features out status, our new media
campaign, the RCFM's 1000th Signer, and some really desperate, ironic and hypocritical comments from Kris Mineau.
(Watch
the Video)
Leaders Vow Gay Marriage Fight
(WBUR RADIO)
BOSTON, Mass. - May 18, 2007 - Governor Deval Patrick, House Speaker Sal DiMasi and Senate President Therese Murray locked hands in a victory salute on Thursday, in an unplanned appearance before gay marriage supporters.
After the rally, DiMasi said he may try to delay a June 14th vote on the anti-gay marriage ballot question, saying he didn't want to take the vote unless he was sure it could be defeated..
Listen
to story (Real Audio)
Governor, House Speaker and Senate President address marriage equality rally
 In a clear sign of the growing momentum to defeat an anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment at next month’s constitutional convention (ConCon) Gov. Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray and House Speaker Sal DiMasi came out forcefully against the amendment during unscheduled appearances at a May 17 State House rally sponsored by the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry
(RCFM)..
(Read
More)
Good news for marriage equality momentum
MUCH TO CELEBRATE ON THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF MASS. SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
Massachusetts should not have barred lesbian and gay couples from New York from marrying in Massachusetts prior to July 6, 2006, according to a judgment entered by a Massachusetts court on May 10,
2007 (Read
More)
Please take
note, that you don't need to be from my area of MA anymore to get a letter
to the editor published.
PLEASE help to counter the anti-gay comments being printed and to help
educate the general public. You can take a look at the recent letters in
my "Editorial
Watch" below for inspiration then submit
your own letters.
PLEASE HELP
by forwarding to me (sscivilrights@comcast.net,)
"letters to the editor" and "news editorials" from
any/all sources possible so that we can keep track and try to
respond.
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