MERI Blog
Updates, news, action alerts and events from Marriage Equality Rhode Island.
LET’S GET TO WORK ~ Base building meeting Nov. 10th
We know that the Maine news was hard to hear, but don’t despair. We are going to win here.
Working on the streets of Maine all day Tuesday taught us valuable lessons. Now we are home and continuing our smart, solid plan of moving our legislature to do the right thing for all Rhode Islanders.
JOIN US on Tuesday, November 10th, at 6:30p, at MERI headquarters: 17 Gordon Ave., Suite 205, Providence.
Our momentum in Rhode Island is strong and gaining speed. Now is the perfect time to get on board and be part of the history-making team that makes equality the law in our state. With your help, your commitment, we will get there. We have a place just for you.
We will win. The people we love and respect and don’t even know are depending on us.
See you on Tuesday. Questions? Call: 941-2727.
We’re not roommates or just hanging out. She is my longtime partner. Marriage legitimizes a relationship in a way that a piece of paper or going to an attorney doesn’t.“
—Portland, Ore., resident Becky Blumer, on the importance of marriage, as quoted by The Oregonian
Six Tests for Equality and Fairness
(via The New York Times)
Political battles this fall in six different parts of the country could have a profound impact on whether the United States will extend the promise of equal rights to those who are not allowed to marry simply because they are the same sex as their partner.
Three jurisdictions — New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia — seem tantalizingly close to securing legislative approval for measures ending the hurtful and unjustifiable exclusion of same-sex couples from civil marriage. But in Maine, Washington State and Kalamazoo, Mich., voters are being asked on Tuesday to strip away vital rights and protections.
The dominant Election Day battleground is Maine. Last fall, forces of the religious right backed a successful ballot measure that overruled California’s top court by banning same-sex marriage. Now those forces are trying for another mean-spirited victory with Maine’s Question 1, which, if approved, would block the legalization of same-sex marriage passed by the State Legislature and signed by Gov. John Baldacci in May. With the outcome likely to be close, a heavy turnout by voters committed to tolerance and justice is crucial.
Washington State has yet to approve same-sex marriage. But it took a positive step last May when Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a bill that granted gay and lesbian couples the state-provided benefits that married heterosexual couples have, like the right to use sick leave to care for a partner. Voters should affirm this progress by voting yes on Referendum 71.
A third initiative, in Kalamazoo, has the potential to overturn a measure unanimously approved by the City Commission barring discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in housing, employment and public accommodations. Fair-minded voters should respond by voting yes to uphold the antidiscrimination law.
Following the election, attention will shift to New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia, which stand a realistic chance of joining the jurisdictions where same-sex marriages are allowed.
The New York situation is particularly frustrating. Gov. David Paterson strongly supports granting same-sex couples the freedom to marry, and the State Assembly has twice passed a bill to do so. But the overdue measure has been in limbo because the Democrats who control the State Senate’s calendar keep dawdling over scheduling a recorded vote on the floor.
We do not have a precise head count. But we suspect that once the bill got to the floor, a majority of the Senate’s 62 members would recognize that same-sex marriage is a fundamental civil right. Continuing to delay a vote shows disrespect for New York citizens injured by the status quo. The time for a vote is right now.
In New Jersey, support has been building for a measure allowing same-sex marriages. Legislators should pass it during the upcoming lame-duck session. Gov. Jon Corzine has said he would sign the law.
In the District of Columbia, the City Council seems ready to approve a local law legalizing same-sex marriage in the shadow of the Capitol dome. That might prompt a Congressional attempt to tamper with home rule. But the fact that Congress has let stand a recent D.C. law recognizing same-sex marriages legally performed elsewhere gives hope that such meddling can be avoided.
Catie Curtis at Local 121 - November 11, 8pm
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Join MERI supporters for a fabulous night of song with
nationally acclaimed singer-songwriter
CATIE CURTIS
On: Wednesday, November 11th, 8pm
At: Local 121, 121 Washington Street in Providence
Tickets are only $25 each and can be purchased at the door.
Questions? Please call (401) 941-2727 during business hours.
Thanks for your support of marriage equality!
In Battle Over Gay Marriage, Timing May Be Key
(via The New York Times)
In a San Francisco courtroom two weeks ago, a prominent lawyer opposed to same-sex marriage made a concession that could mark a turning point in the legal wars over the purpose and meaning of marriage.
The lawyer, Charles J. Cooper, has studied the matter deeply, and his erudite briefs are steeped in history. He cannot have been blindsided by the question Judge Vaughn R. Walker asked him: What would be the harm of permitting gay men and lesbians to marry?
“Your honor, my answer is: I don’t know,” Mr. Cooper said. “I don’t know.”
A couple of hours later, Judge Walker denied Mr. Cooper’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to establish a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. The concession and the ruling that followed it have transformed a federal lawsuit that had been viewed with suspicion by many gay rights advocates into something with the scent of promise.
Free to Be: The Freedom Files on Marriage Equality, Oct. 28th
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The UUCSC is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the RI ACLU by hosting a film and discussion presentation of the series: The Freedom Files.
The 30-minute film on the freedom to marry will be followed by discussion on Wednesday, October 28th, at 7p.m. Three couples who are part of a lawsuit in Maryland take their fight for civil liberties to the public arena, seeking to change a system that unfairly harms same-sex couples and their families. MERI will lead the discussion following the film.
Join us at: Unitarian Universalist Church of South County, Lily Pads Professional Center, 27 North Road, Peace Dale.
PEAC Coalition Meeting, October 27, 7p.m.
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The Providence Equality Action Committee (PEAC) will meet on Tuesday, October 27th, at 7p.m., at Bell Street Chapel, 5 Bell Street, Providence.
Questions contact: .
Help Protect Maine Equality
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YOU can help Maine protect marriage equality.
There is nothing more important today, for Maine, and for equality in Rhode Island, than winning the Maine election on November 3rd for equality.
GET INVOLVED your way:
1. On November 3rd, buses will be leaving at 8a.m. sharp from the Massachusetts State House at Beacon and Park Streets in Boston. They will return after 11p.m. To make a reservation on the bus, go to MassEquality.
2. Take a short trip to make history: spend this weekend (Oct.31/Nov.1) in Maine, drive or rideshare. If you can work at least two volunteer shifts, Maine Equality can give you a FREE place to stay in a local hotel. Visit Drive for Equality to sign up.
3. Need to stay home, but you’ve got to do SOMETHING?? Join Call for Equality, a virtual phone bank program, and help contact voters from your home. All you need is a phone and an internet connection to make a difference.
You can help Maine get-out-the-vote and WIN marriage equality at the ballot box. We can win if we have enough volunteers to turn out all our voters.
Equality knows no borders. JOIN your Maine neighbors in making equality the law, then come home and DO IT HERE. We thank you all.
86 Year Old Vet on Marriage Equality: “What do you think I fought for in Omaha Beach?“
This is an amazing video of an 86 year old WWII veteran speaking in Maine about his support for marriage equality. Truly moving and inspiring.
(via BoingBoing)
National Equality March DC Update
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The Rhode Island bus heading to the march in DC on Oct.11th is FULL.
If you have a reservation on the bus:
The bus leaves from the Branch Ave. Stop & Shop in Providence at 11pm on Saturday, Oct. 10.
The bus will return to the same spot on Monday, Oct. 12, at approximately 3am.
For questions, call Josh at 401-418-1659.
Look for fellow Rhode Islanders on the mall and thank you to all the travelers for your representation.
Sideways at the Sidebar Fri., Oct 16, 6:30p
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Join us for Sideways at the Sidebar Friday, October 16 at 6:30p. Come after work!
Great women will gather on at the Sidebar Grille, 127 Dorrance Street in Providence. Supported generously by the Sidebar Grille, MERI hosts this event which is designed to bring lesbians of all ages together.
Enjoy free appetizers, cash bar, music and social networking from 6:30p - 10p. Admission $5pp. Tickets can be purchased online at http://donate.marriageequalityri.org/ or at the door. A full dinner menu is available at Sidebar.
Proceeds benefit Marriage Equality Rhode Island, an organization that demands recognition for same-sex couples in Rhode Island through civil marriage.
More information, call 401-941-2727.
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Join us at your STATE HOUSE for a MARRIAGE EQUALITY RALLY Wednesday, March 3rd, 4p
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event details
Date: November 10, 2009
Location: 17 Gordon Ave., #205, Providence