Success with Alameda County Human Relations Commission!!!

Subject: success with Alameda County Human Relations Commission!!!
Date: 5/21/2004
From: gilgamesh_al [at] yahoo.com

MECAMail!© Marriage Equality California
http://www.marriageequalityca.org

"Marriage, Anything Less Is Less Than Equal"

Hey everyone!!!!

We had a great turnout for the second meeting with the Alameda County
Human Relations Commission. Thanks to everyone who came!!! The
commissioners said we were by far the biggest group who had come to
one of their meetings. Clearly, we've got a strong network, since we
had members of MECA, PFLAG, Lavendar Seniors, churches, other
organizations, and unaffiliated individuals; a good cross-section of
ages; a rainbow of races; GLB and straight allies; gay parents and
parents of gays; representatives of different religious beliefs,
including clergy; and people who had been directly harmed by our lack
of access to marriage in various concrete ways, including Belinda,
whose wife cannot sponsor her for immigration. Having such a good
cross-section of people added immeasurably to our argument. Five
opposition members attended, older folks who offered Christian
religious arguments. Between marriage equality supporters and
opposers, we offered two hours of testimony to the Comm!
ission.

Now for the good news: our proposition passed! Narrowly: 7-6-1
abstention. That means that now the Commissioners will take marriage
equality before the Board of Supervisors and attempt to come up with
a list of actionable items. Here is a list of how the Commissioners
voted:

District 1: Lalit Mathur vote N, David Melander(absent-sent letter N),
Ifran Shahab(out of state, but "attended" meeting via teleconference
call)--Y

District 2: Jerry Castleberry introduced resolution & vote Y, Karen
Norell vote Y, Georgia Santa Maria vote N

District 3: Nellie Trujillo abstained

District 4: Joan Van Brasch vote N, Mike Wallace Vote N, Jess Gonzales
vote Y

District 5: Jayson Landez vote Y, Johnnie Porter vote Y, Dana Taylor
vote Y

So everyone, good work and thanks for coming out. We're fighting for
equality at all government levels: national (especially by going to
D.C. this fall), state level, and the local level. There will be an
upcoming public meeting with the Board of Supervisors and we will
need lots of support for that, so stay tuned!