Join the Impact

On November 28th, 2008, we began the first annual LGBTQ Food Drive for Equality. Now, a week and a half later, we are on the way, but not quite there yet. We have about HALF of our cities from November 15th signed up to collect for the food drive and Light Up the Night for Equal Rights. WE NEED YOU’RE HELP.

The road to full equality is not going to be one that we drive through over night. Many of you know this. Some of you have been fighting for our equal rights for a lifetime. Many have been fighting for years. And a great deal of us felt the unavoidable spark to step up and fight the minute we saw the results for Prop 8. November 5th awoke a NATION and WORLD of activists! November 15th was our first display of visibility, but if it stops there, then we have accomplished nothing. If we are going to achieve full equality, then we need to unite again! And Again! And Again! We need to remain a united front until EVERY one of us is afforded the same protections under the law that 90% of our citizens enjoy. Since November 5th, some amazing organizations have gained and reignited their voices for equality. We are working with those organizations to ensure that our community has a constant avenue for action and outreach.

Our next two large events offer some great opportunities for our community to build bridges with those who do not understand us or our cause. We ask you to join us during the season of giving to provide food for those in need. Let us go above and beyond. Let us set aside our own struggles, our own needs, to demonstrate to the nation and the world the collective power of the LGBTQ community to be a force of betterment for all society. We will rise above the divisions to recognize that we are all human, we are all working to carve out a space for ourselves in the world, and we all want the same simple opportunities. We ask that you reach out to your local faith based organizations and work with them in this food drive. Reach out to voting districts that voted YES on Prop 8 and show them who we really are. ACTIONS speak LOUDER than WORDS.

Before Prop 8 passed, a great deal of propaganda swayed the movable middle. This propaganda played on people’s fears. It made people believe that we were asking for “special rights.” Take action now to assuage these fears and educate those who believe in these falsehoods. LET OUR ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN THEIR WORDS! This food drive has the opportunity to be hugely successful, but not without your help. Light Up the Night for Equal Rights gives us the chance to educate the nation about the supposed “special” rights we are fighting for: The right to keep a job regardless of sexual orientation, the right to fight for our country, the right to host our partner of years for US citizenship, the right to see our spouse in the hospital, the right to inherit the property of our spouse when they pass, the right to marriage, and so much more… We will make these BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS known on December 20th, and over and over again.

So LET’S STEP IT UP A NOTCH. Let’s get out there and collect food and get out the word for Light Up the Night. Here’s what you should do:

Step 1: Figure out who’s in charge or step up as the organizer–visit your city’s page
Step 2: Get a list of faith based food pantries in your area
Step 3: Figure out where you’re going to store the donations until 12/20
Step 4: Get a plan of action together for collecting/dropping off donations
Step 5: Track your success! Add your donation totals to this page

In a country founded on the separation of church and state, the fact that we are denied equal protections under the law based on a religious belief, is nothing short of hypocrisy. And with anything hypocritical, someone always sees a way to shed a little humor on the situation that keeps the conversation going at full force. Thank you Marc Shaiman and all of the amazing talent that went into this video.

View the Press Release Here.

There has been a great deal of talk on The Impact about Light Up the Night and whether or not we should have 2nd Class Citizen T-shirts. Many feel that they are a 1st Class Citizen with 2nd Class Rights, and I think we should be allowed to express who we are in a way we are comfortable with. When it comes down to it, few will argue that our lack of rights incorporates a feeling of 2nd Class in one way or another. On December 20th, we want to bring light to this lack of rights and want you to feel comfortable expressing the 2nd Class status in your own way.

So many people still don’t understand what we are fighting for. Here’s some examples of the “unequal protections under the law” that the LGBTQ community faces:

• We can not fight for our country without hiding who we are
• In many states (like the recent law in Arkansas) We can not adopt a displaced child in need of a home and safety
• In many states, we can still be fired because we are gay
• My rights in Washington do not stand when I cross the border to Idaho. Therefor, if my partner were to fall ill on a cross country trip, she would be alone in the hospital and I would be powerless.
• Partners cannot share insurance in many states
• In many states, people can be murdered because of their sexuality, but their murderer will not be tried for committing a hate crime
• A loving couple can share a home, but if one passes, that home can be taken from the other in states where shared property rights are not available.
• Finally, a couple can share their lives, share expenses, share good times and bad over many years, but they still cannot gain the equal protections and recognition that two strangers can in one drunken night in Vegas. 2 Strangers + 1 20 minute ceremony + $50 + 10 shots of tequila = Holy Matrimony and 1st Class Protections Under the Law… now who’s crazy?

There has been a great deal of talk on The Impact about Light Up the Night and whether or not we should have 2nd Class Citizen T-shirts. Many feel that they are a 1st Class Citizen with 2nd Class Rights, and I think we should be allowed to express who we are in a way we are comfortable with. When it comes down to it, few will argue that our lack of rights incorporates a feeling of 2nd Class in one way or another. On December 20th, we want to bring light to this lack of rights and want you to feel comfortable expressing the 2nd Class status in your own way.

So many people still don’t understand what we are fighting for. Here’s some examples of the “unequal protections under the law” that the LGBTQ community faces:

• We can not fight for our country without hiding who we are
• In many states (like the recent law in Arkansas) We can not adopt a displaced child in need of a home and safety
• In many states, we can still be fired because we are gay
• My rights in Washington do not stand when I cross the border to Idaho. Therefor, if my partner were to fall ill on a cross country trip, she would be alone in the hospital and I would be powerless.
• Partners cannot share insurance in many states
• In many states, people can be murdered because of their sexuality, but their murderer will not be tried for committing a hate crime
• A loving couple can share a home, but if one passes, that home can be taken from the other in states where shared property rights are not available.
• Finally, a couple can share their lives, share expenses, share good times and bad over many years, but they still cannot gain the equal protections and recognition that two strangers can in one drunken night in Vegas. 2 Strangers + 1 20 minute ceremony + $50 + 10 shots of tequila = Holy Matrimony and 1st Class Protections Under the Law… now who’s crazy?

Yesterday families across the country came together to give thanks for their many blessings. Unfortunately at a table in Syracuse, NY a seat went unfilled. A family is in pain and mourning this holiday season due to an unspeakable act, which unless you read lots of blogs, are from the Syracuse area or have a Google alert set up you probably haven’t heard about because it hasn’t been reported in the national media. Read the rest of this entry »

Our movement for full Civil Equality has been infused over the past 2 weeks with so many inspired and powerful voices! JoinTheImpact has been working nonstop with members from many other organizations to ensure that we keep our visibility strong. We must also never stop this conversation. I know that many of you are tired from all of the hard work we have done over the past two weeks, so don’t forget to take a moment and breathe. In just two short weeks, we have all come together to mobilize this nation and this debate. The JoinTheImpact team has been working incredibly hard to ensure that our voices do not go unheard. We wanted to announce to you our plans for the next 3 months and let you see how JoinTheImpact will be evolving: Read the rest of this entry »

On November 15th, we took to the streets and shouted for our rights and against the acts revoking rights on November 4th. We mobilized in ways this country has never seen and did so on the steps of City Halls and US Embassies throughout the world! On December 20th, we ask that you join us again for a demonstration that will make an impact on the private sector. Thanks to the great suggestion of one of our readers mixed with the brilliant ideas of the Civil Rights Front, we ask that you join us to Light Up the Night for Equal Rights. Please take to your local commercial district, be it a shopping mall, outdoor financial center, you name it and join your community and allies for one POWERFUL candlelight vigil for the rights of 18,000 same-sex couples who married and look forward to the day when those rights will be available again – for EVERYONE. This will be a peaceful demonstration in the spirit of the holidays. We will stay silent unless asked a question, we will not yell, instigate, or bare signs. Instead, we will let our shirts do the talking and our candles pay our respects. We ask that everyone joining wear a shirt that says “2nd Class Citizen” and our allies wear one saying “My Friend is a 2nd Class Citizen” , “My Mother…” , “My Son…” etc. JoinTheImpact will be working with LGBTQ and allied retailers and designers to bring you these shirts, and you are also welcome to make your own. Work with your local organizer to determine which shopping center(s) and work with us to ensure this statement remains peaceful and sincere. Visibility will keep this conversation going and during this important season of family and giving, we will continue to give you the opportunity to sit down and share your stories with those you love. Let’s all drive this important point home and work together so that one day, we can share the holidays with our legal spouse!

In the spirit of this holiday season, JoinTheImpact invites you to join us for the season of giving and come together under the banner of that which unites us all: Love. Let us go above and beyond. Let us set aside our own struggles, our own needs, to demonstrate to the nation and the world the collective power of the LGBTQ community to be a force of betterment for all society. We will rise above the divisions to recognize that we are all human, we are all working to carve out a space for ourselves in the world, and we all want the same simple opportunities. Beginning on November 28th, 2008 and going until we Light Up the Night for Equal Rights on December 20th, JoinTheImpact is launching the first national LGBTQ Food Drive for Equality! Through this event, we will work to reach out not only to those who have worked alongside us, but to organizations and individuals that fear us and oppose our cause. Our efforts to alleviate the hunger America is facing in this difficult time will be indiscriminate with regards to creed or political philosophy. These are gaps we can and must bridge if we are going to achieve equality in this country. So on Saturday, Dec. 20th, leading up to our LUTN vigil, each city will be organizing a massive charitable effort to demonstrate the positive impact the LGBT community can make. The effort has already begun in Cleveland, OH, so look to JoinTheImpact.com for a step by step model to maximize the impact in your city or region. Join us for this important event, and on Saturday, we will demonstrate the powerful impact the LGBT movement can have in the lives of ordinary Americans.

What we accomplished on Saturday was the first step of one amazing journey. Many people have asked me why Proposition 8 has caused such an uproar in our community. Honestly, this movement has been forging for many years, but Proposition 8 was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Many have called this Stonewall 2.0, and I won’t disagree. Stonewall awoke a wildfire in the gay rights movement and Saturday’s world-wide protests showed this work just how strong a wildfire can be!

As everyone knows, Saturday’s protests didn’t solve the problem overnight, but what they did was raise awareness across this world about the problem. Thanks to all of you, this conversation is no longer between “us and them.” This conversation is occuring all over the world in living rooms, coffee shops, airplanes, offices, college campuses, and even retirement communities. The worst thing we could do right now is let this conversation fizzel out! Help us keep this conversation going. Share your stories, your videos, and photos with us. Help us record Saturday’s history making initiative, help us spread the word, and work with us for full equality! We can never let people forget about what Proposition 8 did to 18,000 marriages. The word DOMA needs to be in everyone’s vocabulary. In a world where so many children need homes, people must know how a vote in Arkansas took the right of adoption away from unmarried and gay couples.
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Last week, some felt angry. Last week, some felt defeated. Last week, some felt hopeless.

Today we have shown the world that we will not be victims anymore! Today, our community has risen and shown our opponents that we are MUCH MORE THAN 1 MILLION STRONG! We brought the world’s attention to the outrage that is Proposition 8. We brought the conversation of equality into the living rooms of America and around the world! Today, we took a gigantic step into the next Civil Rights Movement. We have brought the conversation to a national stage. Now it’s time that we keep it going. Join us in a challenge over the next 10 months that will make an IMPACT. 10 months – 10 lives changed. Everyone in this movement must help keep the conversation going. We are asking each and every one of you to engage in 10 conversations with someone who does not understand our struggle and help them to see our point of view. We are not asking that you try to infringe on or disrespect their beliefs. Change can not occur with insult, it will only occur with respect. If all of us work hard to positively affect 10 lives, we can change this entire nation! To help keep the conversation going, we will work with you to launch (at least) 10 national demonstrations of equality outreach. We have already begun taking the steps toward our next big event: Day Without A Gay on December 10th. It is now time we work with our nation to help them see who we are: citizens of the USA who deserve equal protections under the law!
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