GLAAD JOINS CLAIMING THE BLESSING TO SPONSOR "IT¹S ABOUT LOVE,"5/2

For Immediate Release
April 22, 2004

Contact:
Warren Betts Communications Inc.
A ZoomWerks Media Company
CLAIMING THE BLESSING
Ph: 626/836-2080
Fx: 626/836-3040

Stephen Macias
Entertainment Media Director
GLAAD
Ph: 323.634.2012
macias [at] glaad.org

GLAAD JOINS CLAIMING THE BLESSING TO SPONSOR ³IT¹S ABOUT LOVE,² SUNDAY
MAY 2, 2004

Event honors the Right Reverend V. Gene Robinson, Bishop of New
Hampshire Features celebrities Brooke Adams, Dr. Maya Angelou, Jane
Kaczmarek, Norman Lear, Tony Shalhoub, Dionne Warwick, Bradley Whitford

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) joins Claiming The
Blessing, a national collaborative initiative of justice-seeking
Episcopalians, to sponsor ³It¹s About Love,² an evening celebrating same-sex
relationships and marriage. The event will be held at All Saints Church,
132 North Euclid Avenue, Pasadena, Calif., on Sunday May 2, 2004 at 7:00
p.m.

³It¹s About Love² is an evening of entertainment and inspiration honoring
the Reverend V. Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire, and featuring
entertainment luminaries Dionne Warwick, Norman Lear, Bradley Whitford, Jane
Kaczmarek, Tony Shalhoub, Brooke Adams, Dr. Maya Angelou, among others.
Dionne Warwick will sing one of her best-loved songs.

³We are honored and welcome GLAAD¹s support of this event,² said The
Reverend Susan Russell, who is executive director of Claiming The Blessing.
³GLAAD works tirelessly for civil rights for all Americans, and we are proud
they stand with us this evening.²

A benefit for Claiming The Blessing, a national collaborative initiative of
justice seeking Episcopalians, ³It¹s About Love² brings together voices from
both the sacred and secular community speaking in favor of love and justice
and against the proposed amendment that threatens to write discrimination
into our Constitution. The Southern California event will enable
supporters of same-sex marriage to voice their concerns over the current
opposition to stop the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United
States.

³We are proud to support the incredible work of Claiming The Blessing.
In a year where the enemies of equality want to define the American family
by how many people they can exclude from it, the stakes are high for all of
us," said GLAAD Executive Director Joan M. Garry. GLAAD recently launched a
national ³I Do² campaign, a competition to create a 30-second commercial
television spot to promote the rights of same-sex couples to marry.

Claiming The Blessing is a partnership of individuals and organizations in
the Episcopal Church working to abolish prejudice and oppression, to promote
wholeness in human relationships, and to heal the rift between sexuality and
spirituality. The organization was instrumental in the recent dramatic steps
forward taken by the Episcopal Church, including the election in New
Hampshire of Gene Robinson as the first openly gay bishop and the
recognition of blessings for same gender relationships by the national
church at its General Convention in July.

³The message we are sending about sexual morality is that the expectations
of fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and holy love are the same for all
ChristiansŠgay or straight, bisexual or transgender. We wholeheartedly
disagree with the argument that extending equal access to the constitutional
protections afforded heterosexual couples by civil marriage to same gender
couples will undermine families. To the contrary, our lived experience in
the Episcopal Church is that the blessing of gay and lesbian unions has been
a blessing not only to the couple but to the community - strengthening
straight marriages by their example and witness. Equal protection is
guaranteed by the Constitution as a civil right for all Americans ­ not just
a chosen percentage. We believe that this effort to write bias into the
Constitution is inherently unconstitutional. As Episcopal clergy stood in
solidarity with the Freedom Riders who challenged segregation in the 60¹s,
we stand in solidarity with those in San Francisco who today challenge
discrimination against gay and lesbian families,² said The Reverend Russell.

General admission tickets will be held at the door. Donor tickets will be
mailed. Doors open at 6:15 p.m.