Today at 12pm: Yuba City Needs You to Confront Bigots

In support of our LGBTI families in Yuba City, please read the
following:

Tue 3/22 @ 12pm Yuba City Rally
Against Anti-Gay Group Leader
Dear LGBTI Friends & Supporters,

Randy Thomasson, the founder and president of California‚s largest
anti-LGBTI organization Campaign for Children & Families (CCF), will be in
Yuba City Tuesday, March 22nd, 2005.

The meeting is at noon March 22nd at the Bonanza Inn Convention Center,
1001 Clark Ave., Yuba City 95991. Driving Directions are available
online at http://maps.yahoo.com/dd <http://maps.yahoo.com/dd> .

Cost for the buffet lunch is $10. This is a public event open to
everyone. As of today, no tickets will be sold in advance and will be
available at the door only. David Kugleman of the Church of Glad Tidings in
Yuba City is coordinating ticket sales.

This is Thomasson‚s first known visit to Yuba-Sutter since 2003, when
(on 06/23/03 in Yuba City) CCF launched a media tour against AB205 - a
California Assembly Bill that provides limited spousal rights and
responsibilities to registered gay and lesbian domestic partners. As you may
knowAB205, has since passed and went into effect in 2005.

On Tuesday, Thomasson will speak on „The Purpose Driven Citizen‰ at a
luncheon meeting of the Christian Business Alliance of Yuba-Sutter.
Organizers of the event do not know if Thomasson will be speaking out
against same sex marriages, yet they confirm that, it is a possibility,
considering Thomasson‚s role with CCF and last Monday‚s court ruling that
the state cannot discriminate against same sex couples in marriage.

Considering the group he works for, my guess is that Thomasson will
indeed more than likely speak out against same sex marriage and probably
speak against homosexuality altogether as well.

And it is a serious possibility that Thomasson will use this speaking
engagement to encourage community activism against the LGBTI community -
perhaps by encouraging the development of a Yuba-Sutter chapter of CCF
and by encouraging petition drives to collect signatures in support of
two bills pending before the state Legislature to put a constitutional
amendment banning same-sex marriage on the November ballot.

Yuba-Sutter area elected representatives such as Congressman Wally
Herger, state Rep. Rick Keene, and state Rep. Doug LaMalfa are just a few
known politicians who have actively opposed same sex marriage and other
pro-LGBTI law and also support the CCF‚s efforts against same sex
marriage legalization.

Yuba-Sutter is a hugely conservative area and would be a prime location
for CCF to solicit for membership and encourage ant-LGBTI efforts.

As of today, there is no rally nor demonstration planned by any
organization in response to Thomasson‚s visit to Yuba City.

As a group of fellowship, support, education and community involvement,
Yuba-Sutter Pride takes the position of promoting peace and
understanding. We encourage LGBTI folks to partake in opportunities of
fellowship, support, education and community involvement. And we encourage LGBTI
people and their supporters to educate themselves.

To learn more about Campaign for Children & Families (CCF), The
Christian Business Alliance of Yuba-Sutter and Glad Tidings Church of Yuba
City, you may visit the following web sites:

http://www.churchofgladtidings.com/
<http://www.churchofgladtidings.com/>

http://www.yscba.com/ <http://www.yscba.com/>

http://www.savecalifornia.com/ <http://www.savecalifornia.com/>

To learn more about LGBTI groups that do advocacy work in support of
the LGBTI community, you may visit the following web sites:

Lambda Letters Project
http://www.lambdaletters.org/ <http://www.lambdaletters.org/>

Marriage Equality California
http://www.marriageequalityca.org/home.php
<http://www.marriageequalityca.org/home.php>

In the spirit and intent of education, it is worth mentioning that all
people have the free will to choose to exercise their freedom to
peacefully assemble whether or not an organized group schedules a rally or
demonstration.

Although no organization, including Yuba-Sutter Pride, has yet to
schedule any really or demonstration in response to Thomasson‚s visit, a
turnout of LGBTI people (who became aware of Thomasson‚s visit to
Yuba-Sutter in an announcement in last Sunday‚s Appeal-Democrat) and their
loved ones is expected on Tuesday.

Before, during and after Thomasson‚s speaking presentation at noon,
LGBTI folks will probably assemble along the sidewalks from Colusa Avenue
(a very busy main road in Yuba City) to where the Bonanza Inn is
located at on Clark Avenue (behind the Cash & Go grocery store shopping
plaza).

Whatever (if any) course of action Yuba-Sutter Pride decides to take in
response to take in response to Thomasson‚s visit to Yuba-Sutter,
please understand and rest assured that as a 501(c) 3 non-profit
corporation, Yuba-Sutter Pride is a non-partisan group and therefore we cannot
partake in political advocacy. Anything Yuba-Sutter Pride does, will be
as a non-partisan, non-profit group of fellowship, support, education
and community involvement within the legal guidelines and boundaries of
our non-profit status and the intent expressed in our mission statement.