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Kickballers for Equality
There are endless ways to make a difference in the work for full queer equality. Some of them can actually be a lot of fun – students at Hofstra have taken this to a new level. HRC field organizers have been on Long Island and working for New York marriage equality with The Pride Network at Hofstra by tabling on campus and collecting messages to State Senators. This work was taken literally into the field as Hofstra students took to the soccer stadium for a "Kick Out the Hate" Kickball Tournament. More than 70 students participated and when they weren't playing they were filling out postcards and hand-writing letters. Contact field@hrc.org If you'd like to host a similar event on your campus or want to know more about the work of HRC's field department. If you live in the Empire State become a New Yorker for Marriage Equality and if you live elsewhere join HRC's Million for Marriage campaign. Resources The American Bar Association is Listening and Taking Action
The ABA, American Bar Association, has long been an ally of the LGBT community in many ways, including passing a resolution in support of marriage equality. What you might not know about is their advocacy on behalf of LGBT youth in foster care. The ABA Opening Doors Project works to Increase the legal community's awareness of LGBTQ youth in foster care and the unique issues they face, and provide the legal community with advocacy tools to successfully represent these youth. Opening Doors also offers two publications and websites: A Guide for Judges and Lawyers and "It's Your Life" to assist LGBTQ youth in navigating the child welfare system. You can follow the project and find out more about the "The Kids Are Listening" campaign via their Facebook page. And don't forget All Children, All Families the great adoption and foster parenting resource provided by HRC's Family Project. EQ News National Organization for Marriage (NOM) Loses Key Strategist and 290K Facebook Followers
Can anyone else hear Nelson from the Simpson's saying "hah hah"? Louis Marinelli, a key strategist for the National Organization for Marriage, has undergone what he calls a "transition" from being an opponent of marriage equality to now being a supportor of civil marriage between same-sex couples. Marinelli oversaw NOM's online social media properties and actually drove the bus during NOM's Summer 2010 bus tour. On the bus tour he actually met real (!) gays & lesbians and they became "real people" for him. (the power of coming out, anyone?) With Marinelli's departure from NOM, the group lost 290,000 followers on Facebook. Their new page has about 50 fans. For the latest on Marinelli's jump and more on NOM's questionable tactics and shady financial connections, visit NOMExposed.org. Texas House Votes for Campus "Family and Traditional Values Centers"
You read that correctly. It seems that some members of the Texas legislature aren't big fans of the gender/sexuality centers at the University of Texas-Austin, the University of Houston-Clear Lake or Texas A&M. Rep. Wayne Christian, R-Center, proposed the amendment as a budgetary provision to HB 1 and stated he is "not treading on their rights to teach alternative sexual behavior." The actual text of the bill says that any institution of higher education that has a "gender and sexuality center or other center for students focused on gay, lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, transsexual, transgender, gender questioning, or other gender identity issues" must use the same amount of state funding for a center "advocating heterosexual, traditional values". Sadly the amendment passed 110-24 and became part of the overall bill. With luck and a little sanity the Senate won't follow their lead.
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