Blog
The Real Threat to Religious Liberty
Feb 08, 2010
Rev. Lindi Ramsden is the Executive Director of the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of California.
America is not Iran. Our civil law is not supposed to track religious law. – Eric Isaacson
Wednesday, a group of faith-based organizations (listed below) submitted an amicus brief in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger case. The brief, written by our wonderful attorney, Eric Isaacson, cites the sobering reality of religiously based homophobia and makes the case that Proposition 8 was used to place anti-gay religious doctrine into our shared civil law – posing a real threat to religious liberty.
I and other clergy represented by faiths on this brief were among those who joyously married same-sex couples when it finally became legal to do so – couples that had waited for decades. We were stunned to hear those supporting Proposition 8 claim that legal marriage for same-sex couples threatened their religious freedom. Now that was a twist of logic!
As explained in the brief:
Allowing same-sex couples the right to marry threatens religious liberty of Catholics no more than does allowing civilly divorced citizens to marry in contravention of Catholic doctrine.
Allowing same-sex couples to marry no more threatens the religious liberty of those who oppose such unions in their churches and synagogues than permitting interfaith marriage threatens religious liberty of synagogues and rabbis who interpret their scripture and tradition to prohibit such unions….
The real threat to religious liberty comes from enforcing as law religious doctrines of society’s most powerful sects, to outlaw marriages that others both recognize and sanctify.
Back in 1948, when the ban on interracial marriage was challenged in California (Perez v. Sharp) the CA Supreme Court decided that the law which outlawed the marriage between these two Catholics of different races should be struck down because the couple’s right to marry “is protected by the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom.”
Surely, Unitarian Universalists, members of the United Church of Christ and the Metropolitan Community Churches, Reform Jews, Reconstructionist Jews, and others whose faith traditions bless marital unions without regard to the contracting parties’ race or sex, are entitled to the same religious liberty as the Catholics. Proposition 8 deprives them of that liberty.
To read the full Interfaith Amicus Brief in Perry V. Schwarzenegger click here.
The interfaith amicus brief was signed by the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry, CA and the UULM Action Network, CA; CA Faith for Equality; CA Council of Churches and Church IMPACT; Progressive Jewish Alliance; General Synod of the United Church of Christ and both its Southern & Northern CA Nevada Conferences; Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations; Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches; and the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis.
This blog originally appeared on the Courage Campaign’s Prop 8 Trial Tracker.
More >Hiring Online Community Organizer
Feb 04, 2010
The Standing on the Side of Love campaign has an exciting opening to share with you. We’re looking to fill the position of Online Community Organizer. The job description is below. To apply, email your resume, cover letter and two references’ contact info to love@uua.org.
We are hiring for this position as quickly as possible so interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis. To familiarize yourself with the campaign, it is recommended that you review this website, our facebook page, twitter feed, YouTube channel, and flickr page.
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Standing on the Side of Love is a program of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA).
Posted: February 4, 2010
Position Title: Online Community Organizer – Standing on the Side of Love Campaign
Staff Group: Advocacy and Witness
Reports To: Campaign Manager
Location: Washington, D.C.
Start Date: ASAP
Salary: $32,000/year (no benefits)
This is a temporary position currently funded through June 30th, 2010, with the possibility of becoming a regular position pending funding.
Basic Purpose: To assist in implementing the Standing on the Side of Love Campaign, an intensive initiative to raise Unitarian Universalism’s voice and exercise influence in the public square on issues related to identity based exclusion, oppression and violence. This position will have a primary focus on online organizing and the use of new media.
Description:
You will refine and execute the campaign’s organizing and communications strategy in social media platforms like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and in blogs with the aim to promote the Standing on the Side of Love campaign, recruit new online and on-the-ground activists, and affect the discourse on identity-based oppression.
Your work in online social networks goes beyond marketing — you invest time and energy in implementing organizing strategies, building relationships, empowering influencers, and getting measurable results. You are someone who enjoys a creative challenge and a campaign tempo, thinks outside the box, has exceptional writing chops, and you’re willing to do what needs to be done, from top-level strategizing to cutting and pasting and plugging away.
Responsibilities:
1. Promote and distribute campaign messages, resources, and initiatives through campaign-specific online channels (facebook, email, twitter, blogs, youtube, phone, etc).
2. Use online tools to facilitate offline events: community meet-ups, advocacy actions and media events.
3. Monitor and track the spread and adaptation of campaign initiatives through grassroots and new-media.
4. Stay up to date on the latest social media tools, applications and features
5. Train and support UU staff and UU activist leaders in using the new media tools developed by the campaign.
6. Build relationships with key online influencers, online and on the phone as needed
7. Contribute content and personality to a dynamic and engaging campaign web presence.
8. Document campaign activities, ensuring that successes are tracked and documented and shortcomings are not overlooked.
9. Be prepared to respond rapidly to breaking news to help shape the public discourse, in coordination with the UUA communications and advocacy & witness departments.
10. Travel, as needed, to UU gatherings and campaign events.
11. Provide administrative support to the campaign when needed.
12. Talk with many people, continuously communicating campaign messaging and harvesting constructive feedback on campaign initiatives.
13. Maintain a sense of urgency and consistently energize the campaign.
14. Act as directed by the campaign manager
To apply, email your resume, cover letter and two references’ contact info to love@uua.org.
More >Reimagining Valentine’s Day Check-In
Feb 03, 2010
Adam Gerhardstein, Campaign Manager, checks in about the momentum building for the Reimagining Valentine’s Day National Day of Action. Are you going to host or attend an event?
More >Grandchildren ask Obama to get rid of Don’t ask, Don’t tell
Feb 02, 2010
Susan Smith is a former Army Nurse and now lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.
My five grand kids have written to Obama a couple of times expressing their desire for equal rights for folks like their gay grandmother. I have told them about my experiences in the military and those of people like Joan Darrah under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. When one of my granddaughters heard what Obama said in his State of the Union about ending Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell but not when he would do it, she called me and said, “Guess we’re going to have to write another letter to Obama and remind him to hurry up and sign that paper, Grandma.” So she did.
![me a j march[1]](http://www.standingonthesideoflove.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/me-a-j-march1.jpg "me a j march[1]")
