For Same-Sex Marriage Rights
Prepared By Metropolitan Community Churches
MCC's "Freedom To Marry" Action Kit
For Use During Valentine's Week 2004
February 9-15, 2004
INDEX:
1. Introduction By Rev. Troy Perry of MCC
2. Action Ideas For Same-Sex Marriage
3. Sample Press Release For Your Use
4. Additional Resources and Websites
5.
Click here to Register
Your Participation
1. Introduction By Rev. Troy Perry Of MCC
Dear Friend:
For more than 35 years, the predominantly GLBT Metropolitan Community Churches have worked to make legal marriage rights available to all people, including gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender persons.
Every year, MCC churches perform more than 6000 same-sex weddings -- weddings that are recognized by God and by our GLBT communities, but not by the civil authorities.
The reality is that many nations of the world -- including Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, France, and the Netherlands -- have moved far beyond the United States by providing legal marriage benefits to same-sex couples. And this past year, U.S. citizens scored a major victory when the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage in that state.
Part of my interest in this cause grows out of 35 years of activism on behalf of human rights: I want to see all people receive equality under the law, including the marriage laws.
That's why I'm inviting GLBT couples to advance the cause of same-sex marriage rights by taking part in same-sex marriage actions during Valentine's Week, Feb. 9-15, 2004. This year, a wide array of GLBT and GLBT-friendly organizations, including DontAmend.com, HRC, PFLAG, NGLTF, ACLU, LLEGO, Marriage Equality, Freedom To Marry, Lambda Legal and many others are promoting special marriage events throughout Valentine's Week.
One of the most effective things you can do is to go to municipal offices and courthouses during Valentine's Week to apply for marriage licenses -- and to call attention to the discrimination inherent in the current marriage laws.
How can you participate? Simply follow the action steps below to join me in this important annual GLBT event -- and make a difference in your own community.
Troy Perry
Rev. Troy D. Perry
MCC Founder and Moderator
2. Eighteen Action Ideas For Same-Sex Marriage
EDITOR'S NOTE: While these materials have been designed in a U.S. context, GLBT people and organizations in all countries are encouraged to adapt these materials for use as appropriate in your culture.
1. Post information on your participation, city, couples' names, etc. for the historical archive of this year's event.
Click here to Register
Your Participation.
2. Call your municipal office or courthouse to find the hours of operation and procedures to obtain a marriage license in your area.
3. Send a press release to both gay and mainline media one week before your event. (See sample below.) Call, fax or email local TV stations and newspapers. Tell them that you are joining thousands of same-sex couples in hundreds of cities in applying for marriage licenses on Valentine's Day. Invite them to join you at the courthouse or municipal office. Tell them what time you'll arrive. Tell them how to contact you in advance should they have questions. Tell them you will speak to the press as soon as you have applied for your license.
4. If you need help with press lists, write to info@MCCchurch.org and request the free MCC document "How To Build A Press & Media Contact List."
5. By setting your event between 9 AM and 12 noon, you insure the best possible press coverage.
6. Invite your friends and members of other GLBT organizations and affirming religious groups to participate in this community event.
7. Go to your municipal office or court house during Valentine's Week, February 9-15, 2004, and apply for a marriage license.
8. If your request is rejected, be polite. Thank the official. Tell them you believe in equality for all people under the law and that you will be back next year on Valentine's Day to apply again.
9. Visit websites dedicated to marriage equality for resources and help in planning your event. Especially helpful is the Freedom To Marry Coalition site http://www.freedomtomarry.org/ftm_day.asp?doc_id=1008. There you will find additional resources, and downloadable posters and banners.
10. Forward this action alert to friends, activists, GLBT groups, progressive organizations, affirming religious groups, etc.
11. Take part in statehouse rallies being organized in numerous cities, or in public rallies in your town sponsored by Dontamend.com. These rallies are designed to raise awareness and call gay and non-gay allies to action on Valentine's Day. Register your rally at
www.dontamend.com
12. Excellent quotes and statements for press conferences and letters to the editor can be found at the following sites:
http://www.qrd.org/qrd/family/marriage/FORM.arguments.and.letters.to.editors
http://www.angelfire.lycos.com/doc/general/insite.html?search_string=gay+marriage&member_url=http://www.angelfire.com/home/leah/
http://www.lambdalegal.org/cgi-bin/iowa/documents/record?record=47
13. Write a letter to the editor or an op-ed. Sign the letter as a family, or have several families sign-on to the letter. See Sample Letter to the Editor in Support of National Freedom to Marry Day and Sample Op-Ed piece in Support of National Freedom To Marry Day.
14. Consider writing and distributing a follow-up news release. Tell the press what steps you took and why and let them know you are available for post-event interviews.
15. Make a church-wide or community-wide project by signing and sending "Freedom to Marry" Valentines to your congressional respresentatives and state legislators. In your cards, ask them to support legal equality under the marriage laws for GLBT couples and families.
16. Sponsor house parties hosted by lesbian and gay families. Invite local officials and state legislators from your area. During the party, have couples share their stories.
17. Write a petition to your state legislators and have congregants sign the petition as a part of public services during Valentines Weekend.
18. Sign the Marriage Pledge on-line at
www.dontamend.com
3. Sample Press Release For Use In Your Community
Local Same-Sex Couples Support Freedom to Marry
[Insert City/Town Name Here] Same-Sex Couples To Apply For Marriage Licenses
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[Insert Date Here]
(YOUR TOWN) -- When the marriage bureau opens on [Insert Date] during Valentine's Week, [Insert Name Here] will be waiting in line for a marriage license.
She/he will be standing in line with her/his same-sex partner [Insert Name Here].
[Insert Both First Names] are among thousands of gay, lesbian, and bisexual couples around the world who believe there should be equality under the marriage laws.
"We're asking for equal rights. We're simply asking for equality under the law and for an end to discrimination in marriage," said [Insert Name].
[Insert First Names Here] are part of a world-wide movement working to end descrimination in the marriage laws. According to officials at the Freedom To Marry Collaborative, "Only with civil marriage does a person have the right to medical decision-making for a loved one, parenting rights, access to insurance, inheritance protections, and immigration rights. The act of getting married is invested with public, historical, and spiritual significance, and is emotionally charged for the individuals involved, as well as society. Until lesbian and gay couples have the freedom to marry, discrimination in civil marriage will remain a profound barrier to achieving complete equality for lesbians and gay men."
"It's time for the [Insert Name of Your Country Here] to catch up with progressive nations such as Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, France and the Netherlands which already provide for same-sex marriages," [Insert Your Name Here].
[Insert First Names Here] are following the example of Rev. Troy D. Perry, founder of the predominantly GLBT Metropolitan Community Churches, which have more than 43,000 members and adherents in 22 countries. Perry is a former member of the Los Angeles Human Rights Commission and a past delegate to the White House Conference on Hate Crimes whose 300 Metropolitan Community Churches perform more than 6000 same-sex weddings every year.
Perry is encouraging gays, lesbians and bisexuals to call attention to discrimination in the marriage laws by applying for marriage licenses during Valentine's Week, Feb. 9-15.
What if their application for a marriage license is turned down? "We are hope-filled people," said [Insert Your Name Here]. "If we are turned down this year, we plan to come back next year and we'll continue calling attention to the discrimination that exists against lesbians and gays. And we'll continue to share our love and commitment without the benefits provided to most citizens." -END-
To Arrange Local Interviews Or For More Information, Contact:
[Insert Name of Local Participants]
(Insert Mailing Address]
Insert Phone Numbers]
Insert E-Mail Address]
For Interviews With Rev. Troy D. Perry, Contact:
MCC Communications Department
8704 Santa Monica Boulevard, 2nd Floor
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Tel. 310-360-8640, Ext. 226
E-Mail: info@MCCchurch.org
Website: www.MCCchurch.org
4. Additional Resources and Websites
Freedom To Marry
http://www.freedomtomarry.org/ftm_day.asp?doc_id=1008
DontAmend.com/The Equality Campaign
www.DontAmend.com
Equal Marriage
http://www.samesexmarriage.ca/
Human Rights Campaign
http://www.hrc.org/issues/marriage/index.asp
In Defense of Gay Marriage
http://www.angelfire.lycos.com/doc/general/insite.html?search_string=gay+marriage&member_url=http://www.angelfire.com/home/leah/
Lambda Legal Marriage Project
http://www.lambdalegal.org/cgi-bin/iowa/issues/record?record=9
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
http://www.ngltf.org/issues/issue.cfm?issueID=10
Queer Resource Directory
http://www.qrd.org/qrd/family/marriage/
Religious Coalition For the Freedom To Marry
http://www.ftmmass.org/rcfm/
Religious Tolerance
http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_marr.htm
Right To Marry Resource Group
http://www.grasshopperdesign.com/gay_marriage/
For Additional Information, Contact:
Jim Birkitt
MCC Communications Director
8704 Santa Monica Boulevard, Second Floor
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Tel. (310) 360-8640, Ext. 226
E-Mail: info@MCCchurch.org
Website: www.MCCchurch.org