Blog
Urge President Obama to Remain Steadfast
Aug 19, 2010
In the past few weeks, anti-Muslim voices have become deafening. In some cases, these same voices are the ones casting aspersions against immigrants, LGBT people, and people of color. Thankfully, several prominent individuals have spoken out in support of religious freedom, including family members of those who were killed on Sept. 11, 2001, and conservatives like former solicitor general Ted Olson, NJ Governor Chris Christie, and former GOP Rep. Vin Weber.
President Obama has also spoken out. When speaking to a group of Muslims dining at the White House, he said: “This is America. Our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country, and that they will not be treated differently by their government, is essential to who we are.”
The Standing on the Side of Love campaign is founded on the ideal of a world where no one is denied freedom or equality because of who they are, whether they have been marginalized because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, gender, disability, or any other fundamental aspect of their identity — including their religion.
This past weekend, anti-immigrant activists staged rallies in Texas and Arizona, with some holding up Confederate flags, and Nazi swastikas. A nondenominational church in Gainesville, Fla. is hosting an “International Burn a Quran Day” on the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Protests are happening nationwide against the proposed expansion of a Muslim cultural center that has been in downtown Manhattan for 27 years, but has outgrown its present location.
On the heels of increasing anti-immigrant rhetoric, the prevalence of Muslim-bashing is even more alarming. I believe we must take action.
Please let the President know that you support love over fear, and that you agree with him when he says that Muslims “have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in the country.” Email him today expressing your desire for all Americans – including Muslims – to feel welcome in the communities they live in, and free to worship as they choose.
When we stand on the side of love, we agree to not turn a blind eye to bigotry, oppression and discrimination. We share our highest ideals and allow ourselves to be inspired by others in our community. We take action to make life better for those who are marginalized. And we speak as people of faith who value acceptance, equality, and above all else, love.
In partnership and equality,
Dan Furmansky
Campaign Manager
What it means to be Standing on the Side of Love
Recently, I was called to bear witness to my faith’s ideals of compassion and the inherent worth and dignity of all people in Phoenix, AZ.
Wearing a bright yellow Standing on the Side of Love t-shirt, I prayed, walked, marched, and was even arrested with many Unitarian Universalists and other individuals who share our values. They, too, were called and compelled to stand with people of color in Phoenix who are targeted and terrorized by local police everyday.
Upon my release and return to my faith community, I feel more energized than ever about our Standing on the Side of Love work. I was overwhelmed with a feeling of fellowship, compassion, and connectedness with all who share our values. Watch this short video that really captures that feeling of what it truly means to be Standing on the Side of Love:
Our Standing on the Side of Love work has just begun and I call on you now to stand with us for justice, equality, and peace. You can do this by making a generous gift today. Your gift will help us support local congregations that call on us to organize, mobilize, and energize local Unitarian Universalists to raise our moral voices on the most pressing social justice issues of our time including human rights, environmental justice, and full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
We must be tireless practitioners of hope, knowledge, and love. Together, we can help create a new reality where the law of our land reflects the highest moral ideals of our people.
Stand with us. Donate today. Thank you.
In faith,
Reverend Peter Morales
President of the UUA
SSL joins rally for marriage equality in Washington, D.C.
Aug 16, 2010
With the National Organization for Marriage, an anti-LGBT group, headed to our nation’s capitol, the Standing on the Side of Love campaign joined a rally this past Sunday in support of marriage equality in the District of Columbia and across the country. The event was a big success from the point of view of media and organizers alike. Supporters from the Washington Ethical Society and All Souls Unitarian Church held the big yellow “Standing on the Side of Love Banner” at the front of the protest. “We were proud to stand up and speak out for marriage equality and against all forms of discrimination,” said organizer Orelia Busch.
All of the LGBTQ and allied counter-protesters, whether they gathered at the Capitol or Freedom Plaza, showed the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) that its message is wrong and hurtful.
“We sent the strong message that our community, its faith leaders, and our supporters from all over the nation will stand with us on the side of love,” Busch said.
The biggest hit of the day was 10-year-old Will Phillips, whose family attends a Unitarian Universalist church in their hometown in Arkansas. Will spoke to nearly 300 people gathered in Freedom Plaza in Washington D.C. and warned the National Organization for Marriage that the change they feared was indeed coming with his generation of young and dedicated equality activists.
To read more about this, visit: http://prop8trialtracker.com/category/nom-tour-tracker/
More >Celebrate a tremendous victory for love
Aug 13, 2010
What a tremendous week! On the heels of last week’s groundbreaking federal court ruling overturning Prop. 8, Judge Vaughn Walker has ruled that “defendants and all persons under their control or supervision shall cease to apply or enforce Proposition 8″ on 18 August at 1700 local time.”
There is a very real possibility that next Wednesday, same-sex couples will again have the freedom to marry in California!
Whether or not an appeals court intervenes before next Wednesday, a serious blow has been dealt to Prop. 8. But we must maintain this momentum and work towards marriage equality in all 50 states.
Just this week:
- Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that all 31 states must honor Mexico City’s marriages.
- Costa Rica’s top court blocked a public referendum on the issue of same-sex civil unions that was promoted by a Catholic Church-backed organization.
- The American Bar Association, with 400,000+ members, passed a resolution supporting the freedom to marry in all 50 states.
And this is just the beginning. Our rapid trajectory towards a more loving society cannot be stopped. People everywhere are realizing that the freedom to marry is a beautiful thing — a celebration of commitment, family, fairness, and above all, love.
After you send your message to Congress, keep spreading our message of love so that all couples can have the freedom to marry:
Together, we can tear down the walls of misconceptions, intolerance, and exclusion…and spark a love revolution that will reverberate across the land!
In partnership and equality,
Dan Furmansky
Campaign Manager
Standing on the Side of Love
Lessons from my time in Maricopa County Jail
Aug 09, 2010
Dear Friends,
Last week, as I blocked the entrance to the Maricopa County jail awaiting inevitable arrest, I was reminded what my mother would tell me as a little girl when I asked her about God. Quoting the Gospel of John, she said, “God is Love.” And as those who were arrested by the Sheriff’s Department witnessed the brutality inside the jail and the firsthand accounts of neighborhood raids, I remembered the admonitions of Paul Tillich and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that we not separate love from power-for love without power is sentimental and anemic, and power without love is reckless and abusive.
On the days leading up to and following July 29th, the National Day of Non-Compliance with SB 1070, we stood powerfully and courageously on the side of love. Despite the heat and tension of the day, there was a spirit of peace among us protestors. When I, and 28 other Unitarian Universalist clergy and laypeople — including UUA President Rev. Peter Morales — joined scores of others in being arrested for acts of peaceful civil disobedience, we expressed a love grounded in power, compassion and courage. As a result, Sherriff Joe Arpaio and his county police faced tremendous resistance to their ongoing campaign of sweeps and raids, as well as worldwide scrutiny.
Will you please help me continue our important work of standing on the side of love with immigrant families? Please ask President Obama to halt all Immigration Custom Enforcement (ICE) ACCESS programs that enlist localities and states in the enforcement of federal immigration law.
Click here to tell President Obama to stand with immigrant families.
By enlisting our local police to enforce federal immigration laws, we threaten our wholeness as a nation by criminalizing immigrant communities; separating families; fostering the profiling of immigrant, Latino, and indigenous communities; and contributing to vigilantism that threatens the safety of everyone.
To send your message to President Obama now, click here.
To all of you who heeded the call to stand on the side of love — whether that meant joining us in Arizona, supporting a local vigil, or donating your time or resources to our efforts — I cannot put into words the depth of my appreciation.
Together with Puente, the National Day Laborer’s Organizing Network, and Somos America, we made it clear that what is happening in Arizona in not just about Arizona. It is not just about immigration. It is about the future of the United States, and whether we will approach that future with fear and division, or with love and unity.
As fear of our neighbors grows in our community, we — as people of faith — must continue to bring the strength and hope that is only found in love to offer a new vision, a hopeful vision of how we might live together in peace, in solidarity, and in a multicultural America. With your help, I know that we will overcome.
Yours in love,
Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray
Minister, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix
