Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, can not long retain it.
—Abraham Lincoln
Congressmembers Lofgren and Honda in San José
The first two Saturdays in August will see town-hall meetings held at the Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center by two members of the U.S. House of Representatives. On August 7, 2010, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, representing the 16th District, will appear in the upstairs conference room to answer your questions. The following week will be 15th District Congressman Mike Honda's turn.
Both meetings will take place in the morning, from 10:00 to 11:00. Don't miss this exciting chance to interact directly with your elected representatives in Congress, and to make sure they hear the concerns of the LGBT community. The meetings are free and open to all; donations to the DeFrank Center are appreciated. The DeFrank Center is located at 938 The Alameda, San José.
If you have any questions, please email Gloria Nieto.
Federal Court Decision Day
The federal trial of Proposition 8, also known as Perry v. Schwarzenegger, is now over. Vaughn Walker, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for Northern California, will decide the fate of the measure that ended same-sex marriage in California in 2008. Although the case is widely expected to make it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Walker's decision will be extremely well thought out, and will doubtless set an important precedent to lay the groundwork for any future legal proceedings involving same-sex marriage, not only in California but for the entire country.
We do not know for certain when Judge Walker's decision will be made, but we expect that it is imminent. For that reason, the community meeting that was scheduled for July 8 has now been canceled, and plans have been made for our local community reaction to the decision.
On the day that the decision is announced, a rally will be held at 6:00 P.M. at the Billy De Frank Community Center, 938 The Alameda, San José. Regardless of whether the decision is favorable or not, please plan to show up at the rally with your signs/costumes/messages in support of marriage equality. As we believe that the decision may come any day, please let your friends, family and supporters know about our planned rally too, so that we can have the biggest, most visible gathering possible.
If you haven't already done so, please sign up for our periodic Email Blasts. And for the very latest information, follow us on Twitter.
August 7, 2010: De Anza Flea Market
MESV's first-ever booth at the De Anza Flea Market, on July 3, was so fun and fabulous that we're doing it again next month! Stop by and say hello to our volunteers, talk about marriage equality, get your face painted, pick up a bumper sticker or a button, and make a donation to help our effort in changing hearts and minds for full equality. Be sure to get there early, as the market starts to wind down around mid-afternoon.
Thanks to a great turnout and lots of interest, MESV is planning on making the De Anza Flea Market, which takes place on the first Saturday of every month, a regular monthly event in order to establish and maintain a local visible presence.
You can volunteer to work the booth too! If you would like to help out, or have questions about volunteering, please email Dean and tell him what hours you would be available.
NOH8
From our friends at the NOH8 Campaign, here's a cool video celebrating the LOVE side of things. Feel free to paint your friends' faces with the logo!
Memorial Held for Stuart Matis
NEW! Why We Remember Stuart: A Personal Connection
By Rick Infantino
Henry Stuart Matis was just 32 years old when he took his life on the steps of the Stake Center at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Los Altos, California, on February 25, 2000. Stuart, as he was called, was a devout Mormon who also happened to be gay. At the time of his suicide, the battle over Proposition 22, the California bill that first put the "one-man, one-woman marriage" text into the books, was raging. Stuart tried to reconcile two opposites: the scorn from the Mormon community, including his own family, for gays and lesbians, and being true to his own identity. Sadly, he made the tragic decision to end his life just days before Prop. 22 was indeed passed by voters.
To remember his life, cut so short by divisiveness and vitriol, the Foundation of Reconciliation and several other organizations held a pre-dawn memorial ceremony on February 25, 2010, at 6:30 A.M. in Cuesta Park, Mountain View. At 6:50, participants walked the 3/4 mile south on Grant Road to the LDS Church building in Los Altos, where Stuart's body was found ten years ago. The day-long vigil continued at the church until sundown.
For more information, please visit Mormons for Marriage.
Mercury News Covering Prop 8 Trial
Although the federal trial on Proposition 8 will not be broadcast via YouTube, as originally hoped, the San José Mercury News has in depth coverage of the trial, as well as same-sex marriage in general, on a special, dedicated website. Go to mercurynews.com/samesexmarriage for all the latest information, including Howard Mintz' frequently updated blog, direct from the trial.
Here are a few other sites that are covering the trial:
- Firedoglake's blog
- Courage Campaign Institute's Prop 8 Trial Tracker (you've got to love their logo!)
- Commentary from UC Berkeley Law students
Brother Outsider Screening an Eye-Opener
On Friday, January 15, at the Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center, Rick Infantino, along with his husband Dean Harpster, presented a free screening of Brother Outsider, which features the life of Bayard Rustin (1912–1987), the unknown hero of the civil rights movement. A disciple of Gandhi, Rustin was a mentor and teacher to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., lived his life as an openly gay man, and was the architect of the historic 1963 March on Washington.
A group of about 25 showed up to see the movie, most of whom had never heard of Rustin before. Participants were moved by how much impact Rustin, who worked tirelessly from the 1930s up until his death, had had on the civil rights struggle. It is shocking that the legacy of such an important figure in our history has been suppressed and denied to both the African-American and LGBT communities; hopefully, it will only be a short time before his greatness is realized in our history books.
Here you can see a trailer of Brother Outsider. If you are interested in arranging a screening of this film for your church, school, or community center, please contact Rick Infantino.
MESV Merchandise Now Available from CafePress
You can now purchase Marriage Equality Silicon Valley merchandise at our new CafePress.com store. Browse items such as T-shirts for men, women and children, as well as gift ideas such as buttons, teddy bears and mousepads. Most items have the MESV logo; in addition, specially designed T-shirts are available with timely messages: "It's not IF, it's WHEN" (shown above), and "To change hearts and minds, you need to find them first." All profits from the sale of merchandise go directly to MESV to help fund its activities.
Please let your friends know about our store's URL: http://www.cafepress.com/MESV. It's the best way to show your local pride!
Donate to Marriage Equality Silicon Valley
Marriage Equality Silicon Valley has relied on contributions from its core group of volunteers for funding its activities to this point. Although we understand that these economic times are perhaps as bad as they have been for decades, we nevertheless must call on the community for donations to help support its activities. These include very basic, relatively inexpensive things such as printing flyers and supplies. If you would like to donate to our organization, your contribution of any amount would be most welcome. Please visit our donation page for details. Although we will happily issue a receipt for your contribution, any amount contributed will not be tax-deductible, as Marriage Equality Silicon Valley is not a registered nonprofit entity.
Marriage Equality Movie Night & Potluck
As part of our ongoing outreach, the religious outreach and youth movement subgroup of Marriage Equality Silicon Valley hosts a monthly movie night & potluck. Contact Ray Hixson at (650) 346-7557 or Joanne Loomba at (408) 921-0041 for more information.
Spread the word about Marriage Equality Silicon Valley!
Marriage Equality Silicon Valley has just a few volunteers who work tirelessly (well, okay, we do get tired now and then!) to make sure that our local community keeps marriage equality on the front burner. So that's why we're asking for your help. Here is a flyer (Adobe Acrobat format) that you can download, print out, and leave at places where people might be likely to pick them up — coffeehouses, community centers, libraries, etc. — and learn more about our organization. You can also save it on your computer, email it to your friends, and ask them to distribute it as well. "Grassroots" means we need to rely on each other to help spread the word.
Together we can make a difference!