Never has the words of a song been more powerful as we head into a second day of Supreme Court hearing. No matter what the outcome in June we will not rest until full equality and full freedom.
"Then join in the fight that will give you the right to be free. It is the music of people who will not be slaves again"
Enjoy this video and let it bring a smile to your face.
Facebook was a sea of red yesterday with red equal signs dominating the site. The outpouring of excitement was enough to literally take your breath away. Never in my wildest dreams did I envision a day where the entire nation would be focused on marriage equality before the United States Supreme Court.
Just the moment itself was historical no matter the outcome. Huge lines of people waiting to get inside the edifice, two of the nation's best lawyers representing the LGBT community, thousands outside the court standing up to be counted and all over the country people marching, holding candles, praying and singing for full equality
What a day.
No one can ever take this moment away from us.
Where we do have to focus is what constitutes a victory?
LGBT Americans and our allies shouldn't get carried away with expectations that can't possibly be met and then lose our 'victory' in the process.
There is no question that the greatest victory would be for the United States Supreme Court to proclaim without hesitation that marriage equality is a Constitutional Right. For those inside and outside the court who are cautioning a 'more gradual approach', they forget one basic fact. The Court's role is not to sample public opinion polls to see if their rulings are popular. They are supposed to rule on the Constitution and in that case full equality under that document is demanded by all decent people.
Nevertheless, there seems to be some movement in the court for a more gradual process. There are profound victories for the community even in that case. If California is suddenly a marriage equality state, then that is a huge victory. Anything more than that would be just more topping on the ice cream sundae!
If along with California, DOMA is appealed we should be shouting our joy from the roof tops. Even though the Court's courage might fall short at this moment it is important for each and everyone of us to understand there are real victories for us on a number of fronts.
Finally, even with a full fledged victory there is much work to still be done. States will have to be brought into compliance and resistance to the decision broken down. If it is a partial victory, states like Illinois, Delaware, Rhode Island, Minnesota and New Jersey need our help and resources.
Enjoy this moment since the are rare. Just remember there are a number of victories possible and there is a lot more work to be done!
Ted Olson and David Bois - Our Lawyers
Without question one of my top five favorite songs is Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come'. There was been great version. Never will forget at one LGBT fundraiser for "Fight Back New York" when Cheyenne Jackson brought the house down singing this song.
Today we have two of the best lawyers in the nation presenting our case for freedom before the Supreme Court of the United States. No matter what happens today or at the end of June we will be closer to freedom and full equality. A change is definiately gonna come!
What a perfect way to start this historic day with our brother Cheyenne Jackson singing this amazing song.
Here are the lyrics:
I was born by the river in a little tent
Oh and just like the river I've been running ever since
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
It's been too hard living but I'm afraid to die
Cause I don't know what's up there beyond the sky
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
I go to the movie and I go downtown somebody keep telling me don't hang around
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
Then I go to my brother
And I say brother help me please
But he winds up knockin' me
Back down on my knees
There been times that I thought I couldn't last for long
But now I think I'm able to carry on
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
The week of March 24 will be a historic week for the LGBT community, family and friends. For two days on that week, the United States Supreme Court is hearing arguments on both the DOMA and Proposition 8 cases. Rarely has a time called for dignified reflections and 'giving witness' to the moment.
Not acknowledging the importance of those hearings in our lives is unacceptable. All over America at sunset either on Sunday March 24 or Monday, March 25 there will be vigils, visits to Congressional offices and editorial boards, LGBT couples seeking marriage licenses and even some getting arrested.
Show up and be counted somewhere in America. Just do it.
On Sunday evening (March 24) at 7:00PM, I will be taking a candle to Times Square - the window to the world and standing silently for one hour to give witness. I will be standing behind the half price ticket booth. There will be no speeches (although music is always welcomed) and no anger.
Have zero idea if it will be just me standing alone with my candle or just me and a few friends.
However, I am inviting you to come and stand with me to give witness to the nation and the world how important that week will be for LGBT American obtaining freedom and equality.
If the spirit moves you and you in New York City come on down to Times Square with your candle, your determination to fully equal and spend an hour with me.
Much love and peace.
President Obama took a strong stance today at his press conference on supporting the repeal of Proposition 8. This is yet another historic statement from the President on marriage equality. Thank you Mr. President.
The recent events unfolding with the Supreme Court Cases around marriage equality demands reflection on the LGBT community's 'long day's journey into the light'. No one knows with certainty what will happen with the cases because the inner workings of the United States Supreme Court can be baffling and complex. My personal instincts (and it is just instinct) is that we will win by a vote of 6-3. However that might just be wishful thinking on my part.
What is already a clear and historic victory is the tsunami of support that surfaced with the cases as person after person and group after group filed amicus briefs in support of our epic struggle for full equality. The response has been overwhelming.
The highlight is that the President of the States who asked the Supreme Court of the United States to overturn Proposition 8 and repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.
Then there were over a 100 major Republicans who asked the Court to do the same. Add to the equation hundreds of major corporations demanding justice for LGBT Americans. Let's not forget the civil rights organizations, associations, labor groups and so many others who lined up to file amicus briefs for justice. The list seems to be endless
Reflecting back just three decades ago when it was impossible to find hardly anyone to stand with us and the loneliness of the battle, it is hard to not emotional over the turn of events. Back then even liberal Democrats kept us at arm's length and candidates refused to take our money. A strange disease was beginning to ravage the community and no one came to our aid. Society insisted we stay in the closet and families fled if we came out.
It was a difficult, painful and struggling time. Even many in the LGBT community wanted activists to remain quiet and not rock the boat. Those of us who insisted on freedom were shunned by many in the closet for fear that mere association would tarnish them. Only 10% of the LGBT community felt we should have the right to marry. Nevertheless, those of us involved were determined that we should be free - full freedom and not seperate but equal!
The answer to 'did you ever think you would see the day?" is 'no'.
This week has been simply amazing. Savior it. Enjoy it. No matter what happens in June we are already winning.
Don't let these victories pass without three loud cheers, having a victory dance and offer many, many thanks to our President, our allies and all those who love equality.
In a major historic moment, over 75 prominent Republicans from the administrations of Presidents Reagan, George H.Bush and George W Bush have signed on an 'amicus brief' to support marriage equality and overturn Proposition 8. They will submit the brief to the United States Supreme Court this Thursday. This is an unprecedented move by national Republicans.
The New York Times reports:
Dozens of prominent Republicans — including top advisers to former President George W. Bush, four former governors and two members of Congress — have signed a legal brief arguing that gay people have a constitutional right to marry, a position that amounts to a direct challenge to Speaker John A. Boehner and reflects the civil war in the party since the November election.
The document will be submitted this week to the Supreme Court in support of a suit seeking to strike down Proposition 8, a California ballot initiative barring same-sex marriage, and all similar bans. The court will hear back-to-back arguments next month in that case and another pivotal gay rights case that challenges the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act.
The Proposition 8 case already has a powerful conservative supporter: Theodore B. Olson, the former solicitor general under Mr. Bush and one of the suit’s two lead lawyers. The amicus, or friend-of-the-court, brief is being filed with Mr. Olson’s blessing. It argues, as he does, that same-sex marriage promotes family values by allowing children of gay couples to grow up in two-parent homes, and that it advances conservative values of “limited government and maximizing individual freedom.”
Legal analysts said the brief had the potential to sway conservative justices as much for the prominent names attached to it as for its legal arguments. The list of signers includes a string of Republican officials and influential thinkers — 75 as of Monday evening — who are not ordinarily associated with gay rights advocacy, including some who are speaking out for the first time and others who have changed their previous positions.
Among them are Meg Whitman, who supported Proposition 8 when she ran for California governor; Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida and Richard Hanna of New York; Stephen J. Hadley, a Bush national security adviser; Carlos Gutierrez, a commerce secretary to Mr. Bush; James B. Comey, a top Bush Justice Department official; David A. Stockman, President Ronald Reagan’s first budget director; and Deborah Pryce, a former member of the House Republican leadership from Ohio who is retired from Congress.
Ms. Pryce said Monday: “Like a lot of the country, my views have evolved on this from the first day I set foot in Congress. I think it’s just the right thing, and I think it’s on solid legal footing, too.”
Jon M. Huntsman Jr., the former Utah governor, who favored civil unions but opposed same-sex marriage during his 2012 presidential bid, also signed. Last week, Mr. Huntsman announced his new position in an article titled “Marriage Equality Is a Conservative Cause,” a sign that the 2016 Republican presidential candidates could be divided on the issue for the first time.
“The ground on this is obviously changing, but it is changing more rapidly than people think,” said John Feehery, a Republican strategist and former House leadership aide who did not sign the brief. “I think that Republicans in the future are going to be a little bit more careful about focusing on these issues that tend to divide the party.”
Some high-profile Republicans who support same-sex marriage — including Laura Bush, the former first lady; Dick Cheney, the former vice president; and Colin L. Powell, a former secretary of state — were not on the list as of Monday.
But the presence of so many well-known former officials — including Christine Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey, and William Weld and Jane Swift, both former governors of Massachusetts — suggests that once Republicans are out of public life they feel freer to speak out against the party’s official platform, which calls for amending the Constitution to define marriage as “the union of one man and one woman.”
By contrast, the brief, shared with The New York Times by its drafters, cites past Supreme Court rulings dear to conservatives, including the Citizens United decision lifting restrictions on campaign financing, and a Washington, D.C., Second Amendment case that overturned a law barring handgun ownership.
“We are trying to say to the court that we are judicial and political conservatives, and it is consistent with our values and philosophy for you to overturn Proposition 8,” said Ken Mehlman, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, who came out as gay several years ago. He is on the board of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which brought the California suit, and has spent months in quiet conversations with fellow Republicans to gather signatures for the brief."
What have you done to be visible LGBT Americans when the Supreme Court meets in March?
Groups all over the country...some bigger and some smaller ....are planning candle light vigils, rallies, visiting Congress members offices, teach-in's at universities and other activities. The two days before the Supreme Court hearings.
At Sunset March 24 and March 25, LGBT Americans are gathering together to be visible to the Court, to our neighbors and to our communities. Don't wait for someone to send you an invite. Plan a thoughtful, non-violent and comfortable for all people event. The marriage equality battle needs you to act, to be visible and to be passionate without anger.
Get busy. Sean Chapin's video says it all.
" Organize peaceful demonstrations for LGBT equality in every city and town across our country at sunset on Monday, March 25....."
“How long? Not long, because no lie can live forever.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke these words in Montgomery, Alabama on March 25, 1965 when the freedom marchers from Selma arrived at the State Capitol. They inspired us in our youth as they inspired the nation.
Between us, we have over 80 years of experience in the movement for peace and social justice. In particular, as gay men, we have fought for the rights and dignity of our own community, known today as LGBT. We do not claim that age necessarily brings wisdom, but it does bring memories and we have many.
In the past five decades we have seen slow but sustained progress towards acceptance and equality. That progress was the reward gained from the extraordinary courage and hard work of hundreds of thousands of ordinary men and women who made this cause the center of their lives, generation after generation. All of us stand on the shoulders of those who gave so much in the past.
In the past five decades, we have never seen anything like the progress we have witnessed over the past four years. In the months and years since Election Day of November, 2008 our movement has advanced immeasurably. We are indeed on the cusp of equality.
Now is the time, once again, to recognize the unique moment before us and to act with the greatest power and intelligence possible.
The United States Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the two marriage equality cases on March 26 and 27. Many people have asked us what the community should do as we approach this remarkable milestone in history. Some have suggested a march on Washington. Others have called for local vigils. Some are already engaging in nonviolent civil disobedience.
We have discussed this with some of the smartest and most dedicated activists we know and, based on those conversations, we offer the following recommendations for action as the Court considers our aspirations for equality:
We do not believe it makes sense to attempt a mass march on Washington at this moment, given the short amount of time remaining, the cost, as well as the uncertainty of weather in Washington, DC in March. We do believe it makes sense to push hard on many fronts in the weeks and months ahead.
As we are on the verge of victory, our tone and actions are critical.
President Obama himself set the tone for this effort in his Inaugural Address when he spoke so movingly of Seneca Falls, Selma and Stonewall, linking forever the struggles for women’s rights, civil rights and LGBT rights. We encourage all LGBT advocates and all fair-minded Americans who believe in equality and justice to take part in public actions on during the last week of March.
-If you can be in Washington DC, there will be peaceful and civil demonstrations of support for the cases at the Supreme Court on March 26 and 27. While there you can also visit your members of Congress to lobby for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and Uniting American Families Act as well as marriage equality. Our opponents will also be marching - ignore them.
-For those who cannot travel, there will be local organizing opportunities and plans underway in all 50 states that will mirror the events before the Supreme Court. Stay tuned. Visit your Representative's local district offices. Hold teach-ins, campus rallies and town halls. Involve our allies in women’s organizations, the labor movement, racial and ethnic minorities and immigrant communities.
-Like, share, post and retweet images and infographics you will see designed to gain broad support for the cases. Post your support for marriage equality in the week leading up to the court cases. Remember that positive portrayals of LGBT Americans go a lot farther and are more effective than efforts to tear down our opponents.
-Visit the editorial boards of your local newspapers and request editorials in support of equality to run during the last week of March. Submit letters to the editor in support of marriage equality.
-Reach out to our many allies within faith communities and organize inter-faith events on Saturday and Sunday, March 23 and 24.
-Speak to the larger issue of equality, not limited to marriage. We seek equal protection under the law, in all matters governed by civil law, in all fifty states.
-Organize peaceful demonstrations for LGBT equality in every city and town across our country at sunset on Monday, March 25 - the anniversary of the Selma march - to put action to the President's words:
"We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths -- that all of us are created equal -- is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears." - President Obama
Let the last week of March 2013 be remembered as a time when all of us contributed: LGBT and straight, young and old, Stonewall Democrats and Log Cabin Republicans, socialists and libertarians, people from cities and rural communities, the Human Rights Campaign and GetEqual, equality supporters of all races, faiths and backgrounds. Regardless of our differences, let us come together once again in a united call for equality, community and justice.
Let us remember what Dr. King proclaimed in Montgomery, almost half a century ago: “How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”
(Facebook Page: National Equality Action)
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