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

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.  Write to MCC Headquarters and let us know you will be participating. We will keep an archives of all persons who participated in this year's events. E-mails may be sent to info@MCCchurch.org. To get the widest coverage and support for your actions, also post your information at www.DontAmend.com and at www.FreedomToMarry.org.

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 on Valentine's Day, February 14, or anytime during Valentine's Week, February 12-19, 2005, 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 site of Freedom To Marry at http://www.freedomtomarry.org/pdf/Freedom_to_Marry_Resource_Kit_2005.pdf. 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.  Clergy: Consider holding a wedding on the steps of your courthouse, or on the courthouse lawn, to demonstrate that the civil government still rejects LGBT couples -- and to demonstrate how MCC churches provide spiritual services for our community.

13.  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


14. 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.

15. 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.

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 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 discrimination 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 LGBT 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 250 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. 12-19.

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-