Posts Tagged ‘marriage amendment’

Speak, Act, Vote with Love

1 Comment | Share On Facebook| Speak, Act, Vote with Love Share/Save/Bookmark Nov 02, 2012

With just a few days remaining until Election Day, we’re all at the breaking point–waiting has become excruciating, our patience is flagging, and we’re moments away from throwing the television out the window to avoid another campaign ad. Amid this climate of dual frustration and anticipation, it is easy to lose sight of what truly matters.

This inspiring video, created by Elliott Cennamo, reminds us that LOVE is the true antidote for the fear and hate that is so widespread during this election season:

Please help us spread this message of love before the election on Tuesday. Simply click here to share the video with your friends on Facebook, or click here to share via Twitter.

Many of us care about the same things. Who will be elected President? Who will hold majorities in Congress? Will Wisconsin Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin become the first openly gay individual to be elected to the U.S. Senate? Will various ballot initiatives across the country—on marriage equality, voter ID, animal welfare, reproductive justice, health care, the death penalty, and so much more—become law or be rejected?

No matter the outcome of these social justice issues that we care so deeply about, what gives us hope is that people like you all over the country will never stop working to make our society a more compassionate, loving, just place. Of all the things people in the world choose to worship, LOVE is right there at the top for all of you.

Thank you for all you do to promote justice in the world. And as Elliott’s video reminds us, may we all remember during this trying time to speak, act, and vote with love.

In faith & justice,

The Standing on the Side of Love Team

The message above went out on Friday, November 2, 2012 to Standing on the Side of Love supporters. You can sign-up for these emails here.

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Take Action for Marriage Equality

No Comments | Share On Facebook| Take Action for Marriage Equality Share/Save/Bookmark Oct 23, 2012

When my wife and I were married in the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Richmond, VA, two years ago next month, we celebrated our love and our commitment openly with our family and friends in our spiritual home. At the same time, we knew that we would not be receiving any of the benefits and protections from the state and federal government we would have received had we been a man and a woman. So in lieu of gifts, we asked our guests to make donations to support Equality Virginia.

With just two weeks left until Election Day, there is great hope that 2012 could be a tipping point for LGBTQ equality at the ballot box. Voters in Washington, Maine, and Maryland have the opportunity to approve marriage equality laws, while Minnesota voters will hopefully vote “no” to writing discrimination into their state constitution.

No matter where you live, you can take action to support marriage equality. Click here to get involved.

There are several innovative programs that allow marriage equality supporters across the country to take action. The Human Rights Campaign has developed a revolutionary “Call4Equality” tool that harnesses the power of Facebook to connect you with people you know in these states. The tool automatically creates personalized call lists and scripts for you to drum up votes and volunteers. For the more travel-inclined, you can work on one of the equality campaigns through United for Marriage’s “Volunteer Vacation” program.

Please join me in standing on the side of love this election season. Click here to find out how you can speak out for marriage equality no matter where you live.

Two years ago, my wife and I knew that Virginia was, and still is, a long way from voting to approve marriage equality. But this year in Washington, Maine, and Maryland, we have a real chance – a chance to make it clear that attitudes have changed – that the majority of Americans now support the right of everyone to marry the person they love. And, in Minnesota, we have a shot at saying “no” to defining marriage according to a few people’s view of what love should be. Help us seize this opportunity. Please take action for marriage equality today.

In faith,

annette_marquis

Annette Marquis
LGBTQ & Multicultural Ministries Program Manager
Unitarian Universalist Association

The message above went out on Tuesday, October 23, 2012 to Standing on the Side of Love supporters. You can sign-up for these emails here.

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A Hero in North Carolina

1 Comment | Share On Facebook| A Hero in North Carolina Share/Save/Bookmark May 10, 2012
tracy_speaking

Tracy Hollister speaks at a Wake County Board of Commissioners' meeting, urging members not to support the amendment. (Credit: News Observer)

The Southeast District of the Unitarian Universalist Association presented Tracy Hollister with a 2012 Congregational Excellence Award from the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh last weekend in recognition of her tireless efforts to defeat Amendment One.  The amendment bans marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships for same-sex couples in the North Carolina state constitution.

As stated in the letter nominating her for the award:

Through her work to defeat the proposed Amendment, Tracy holds up many of our UU principles – the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equity and compassion in human relations; acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations; the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large; and the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all…

Tracy’s personal commitment is evident. She reaches out to fellow congregants, and responds quickly to questions about this issue, or how best to show support… She most recently made the difficult decision to leave her job as to leave her job [as a manager of research on corporate training] to dedicate herself full-time to defeating the Amendment…Her energy, talent, commitment, passion, and compassion are amazing.

co-chairs the UUFR Task Force to Protect All NC Families, which held forums at the
congregation and proposed a statement of conscience opposing the amendment,

Tracy’s advocacy against Amendment One is multifaceted. She co-chaired the UU Fellowship of Raleigh Task Force to Protect All North Carolina Families, which held forums at the congregation and proposed a statement of conscience opposing the amendment; co-organized a successful fundraising concert; wrote and directed two videos for the Coalition to Protect All North Carolina Families; and organized 33 phone banks at the Fellowship to identify like-minded voters and get out the vote. Tracy recruited about seven volunteer “staff” to run these phone banks, including Tracy’s best friend and chief phone bank captain Maddy Goss, who was largely responsible for making the phone bank the success that it was. Tracy feels Maddy is equally deserving of this award.

Though Amendment One passed earlier this week, enshrining discrimination into the North Carolina state constitution, Tracy’s work has had an enormous impact on the Raleigh community and is an inspiration to us all. Thank you, Tracy–you are truly a hero.

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Rev. Kent Hemmen Saleska: “Homosexuality & Hospitality”

No Comments | Share On Facebook| Rev. Kent Hemmen Saleska: “Homosexuality & Hospitality” Share/Save/Bookmark May 05, 2012

This fall, a proposed amendment to the Minnesota state constitution, which bans marriage except between one man and one woman, will go to referendum. Many of the amendment’s fundamentalist proponents justify their views by quoting Biblical passages. In response, Rev. Kent Hemmen Saleska, the minister of the UU Church of Minnetonka in Wayzata, Minnesota, made a video series entitled “Homosexuality and Hospitality” that offers a more welcoming interpretation of these oft-cited verses.

Rev. Saleska says of this project, “I do not believe that anyone needs the Bible to support the rights of people who are BGLT, but with so many conservatives and fundamentalists out there who misuse and misunderstand Biblical passages in order to condemn same-sex marriage and homosexuality, I wanted to offer a faith-based, theologically and Biblically sound response. So in this video, I use many of the same Biblical passages that fundamentalists do, but I offer a different view, a view of welcome and hospitality.”

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Speaking Out for LGBT Families in North Carolina

No Comments | Share On Facebook| Speaking Out for LGBT Families in North Carolina Share/Save/Bookmark Apr 05, 2012

The Coalition to Protect All North Carolina Families just released a new video to motivate fair-minded, compassionate and reasonable NC citizens to take specific action to help defeat the discriminatory, anti-gay, and anti-family Amendment One. The amendment will be on the May ballot and, if passed, would ban marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships between same-gender couples.

and encourage others to do so by following instructions on this page:
http://uufrprotectsncfamilies.blogspot.com/p/epledge.html
2) Donate to get our message out: https://protectallncfamilies.ngpvanhost.com/crmapi/contribute
3) Sign up for easy “get out the vote” (GOTV) reminder calls to those who pledged to vote against between April 19 and May 5th: http://www.protectncfamilies.org/volunteer
For those in the Raleigh area, we have free food at our “happening” phone banks from 6-9pm:
http://uufrprotectsncfamilies.blogspot.com/p/phone-bank.html
THANKS in advance for protecting the rights of NC”s unmarried couples and their children!
_______________
About this Video: This video was written and directed by Tracy Hollister, Leader of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh’s Task Force to Protect All Families, which is a member of the Coalition to Protect All NC Families. It was filmed at UUFR on March 24th, 2012 with the video assistance of Eric Preston, Art Lieberman and Karl Ulrich, who did the editing.

If you live in North Carolina, here’s what you can do to make a difference:

1) Take the pledge to vote agains Amendment One and encourage others to do so by following these instructions.

2) Donate to help get the message out.

3) Sign up for easy “get out the vote” (GOTV) reminder calls to those who pledged to vote against Amendement One.

This video was written and directed by Tracy Hollister, leader of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh’s Task Force to Protect All Families, which is a member of the Coalition to Protect All NC Families. It was filmed at UUFR with assistance from Eric Preston, Art Lieberman and Karl Ulrich. Tracy has a phenomenal commitment to the work for justice for LGBT families in North Carolina. She even resigned from her job in order to dedicate herself to working full-time against the amendment. Bravo, Tracy!

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