February is COMMITMENT month - Get Engaged in the Fight for Equality

EQUALITY CALIFORNIA

February 9, 2006

With Valentine's Day less than a week away, many of you may be thinking of ways to show your commitment to the loved ones in your life.

While how you choose to honor your commitment to a loved one is a personal decision, the value of commitment also has a larger meaning. LGBT people in California are severely restricted in the range of actions we can take to demonstrate commitment to another person of the same sex, because marriage is still denied to LGBT people in California.

This month, Equality California (EQCA) has launched a month-long campaign to galvanize millions of people around the cause of ending marriage discrimination against same-sex couples. As you read these words, EQCA's Get Engaged Tour is hitting the road, carrying the message of marriage equality to virtually all 58 counties in California. You can learn more about the Get Engaged Tour by visiting http://www.eqca.org/get_engaged2006, and by bookmarking the page, you can stay informed of Get Engaged activities.

A highlight of the Get Engaged Tour will take place on Valentine's Day, when thousands of LGBT Californians have an opportunity to truly put their hearts into the marriage equality cause. In each county, we are mobilizing same-sex couples to go to their county clerk's office and request a marriage license. The purpose of this action is to highlight the government's discrimination against same-sex couples, and to give a face to the part of the population that is negatively impacted by the inability to marry. You can join this powerful action and help show all of California why marriage equality is necessary. Take action on February 14 by going to the Marriage Counter demonstration nearest you! Visit your local chapter at http://www.eqca.org/chapters for more information.


We also are proud to present a guest commentary by Debra A. Wilson, an acclaimed African-American filmmaker whose film "Jumpin' the Broom: The New Covenant" is airing this month on Showtime Showcase and Showtime Too. In the piece, Ms. Wilson explains how commitment and the centuries-old tradition of "jumping the broom" remain relevant today. Read her commentary by visiting http://www.eqca.org/site/lookup.asp?c=9oINKWMCF&b=1417253.

In addition to the Get Engaged Tour, Equality California will be highlighting commitment in other ways throughout February. We value your commitment to our cause, and ask you to stay committed to our goal of achieving full LGBT equality.