Email Blast — February 6, 2010
Dear Friend,
There are three events this month that we would like you to know about.
On Tuesday, February 9, 2010, the Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee (BAYMEC) is hosting a District Attorney Election Forum for Santa Clara County at the Billy DeFrank Center, 938 The Alameda, San José. The current District Attorney, Dolores Carr, and her challenger, Jeff Rosen, will participate in a discussion, followed by an open question-and-answer session, where LGBT community members will be posing the hard questions, such as "Who will best serve the LGBT community?" and "How is same-sex domestic violence being treated by law enforcement?"
The event goes from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. in the Grand Ballroom. For more information, email BAYMEC@gmail.com or call (408) 486-9049.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Freedom to Marry Day is Friday, February 12, 2010, and the theme is "Get Engaged for Marriage Equality." Grab your same-sex partner and come down to the Clerk's Office at 70 West Hedding Street, San José, from 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 noon, and ask for a marriage license. You won't get one, but that doesn't mean you can't ask! This event will highlight the inequity that exists in our state as a result of Prop. 8's unequal treatment of California's citizens.
This event is sponsored by Marriage Equality USA (http://www.marriageequality.org). If you would like to attend, please send an email to ca-santaclara@marriageequality.org.
Download a flyer (Microsoft Word) here:
http://marriageequalitysiliconvalley.org/other_files/freedom_to_marry_valentines_day_2010.doc
* * * * * * * * * * *
Remembering Stuart Matis
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.
On the tenth anniversary of his death, the Foundation of Reconciliation (http://ldsapology.org) and several other organizations will hold a pre-dawn memorial ceremony on February 25, 2010, at 6:30 A.M. in Cuesta Park, Mountain View. At 6:50, participants will walk the 3/4 mile south on Grant Road to the LDS Church building in Los Altos, where Stuart's body was found. For those who are unable to attend the ceremony, the day-long vigil will continue at the church until 8:30 P.M., or as long as honor guards are present.
For more information, please visit Mormons for Marriage at http://mormonsformarriage.com.
You can read more details about Stuart's life, including his writings, on Affirmation's website at http://www.affirmation.org/suicides/stuart_matis.shtml.
* * * * * * * * * * *
We hope you will be able to participate in some or all of these events. Thank you for your continued interest in Marriage Equality Silicon Valley.
Marriage Equality Silicon Valley
http://marriageequalitysiliconvalley.org