Marriage Equality Now Seattle

Lambda Legal has produced a voter education pamphlet for the upcoming primary elections. Please take a look and make sure you vote on September 19th, and that you support candidates who are for marriage equality!

Marriage Equality Now will not be meeting during September. We will resume meetings in October.

Thanks to everyone that came to last Sunday’s community gathering! There were about 100 people that showed up, and it was nice to sit on the grass at the park, listen to our speakers, and hear questions and comments from the public.

We have posted some photos from the event that you can see at our photo gallery.

Update: We also have some great video footage, courtesy of Breanna. Choose format: Windows Media Player, or RealMedia.

Also, we have a new donation and shop page where you can donate to Marriage Equality Now and buy our t-shirts and bumper stickers. We will use the money to organize more events like this one, and the 3rd Annual March for Marriage Equality next year. Thanks!

Marriage Equality Now is organizing a community gathering this Sunday at 2PM at Cal Anderson park in Capitol Hill.

In addition to being a second chance to attend a gathering for people who couldn’t make it to Wednesday’s event, this will be an opportunity to hear from LGBT organizations and elected officials (including State Rep and Senate candidate Ed Murray), and also to let your voice be heard if you have any questions or feelings about the Supreme Court decision. We will be taking questions after some brief remarks from our speakers. Come and join with the community as we resolve on what to do next and keep fighting for our rights!

Cal Anderson park is located in the heart of Capitol Hill, at 11th Ave E and E Olive St. We will be meeting in the grassy area just north of the ball field. There is very limited on-street parking available, but the park is accesible by Metro bus routes 8,9, 10, 11, 12, 43, 49, and 60, using the Broadway and Pine bus stop.

Also, feel free to download our poster (PDF, PNG) to put up, and the handbills (PDF, PNG) to give to friends, family and coworkers.

In a 5-4 decision, the WA State Supreme Court decision upheld the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act”, which bans same-sex couples from getting married in Washington State.

You can find the decisions on the Washington Courts website. It’s worth reading the dissents since they make great arguments in favor of marriage equality; unfortunately the Justices that stand for equal rights for all were in the minority.

The list of Frequently Asked Questions has been updated to reflect this decision.

We all learned today that the state Supreme Court will finally be issuing a ruling on their pending same-sex marriage decision on Wednesday morning.

There’s a bunch of events around the state that will be going on Wednesday and the rest of the week, including the day of decision rally. Also, Marriage Equality Now is planning an additional community gathering on Sunday, July 30th in the afternoon. Please stay tuned for more on that event, and on the decision!

ERW will keep an updated list of events on their decision page.

If you have questions about the ruling, before and after it’s issue, please read the Frequently Asked Questions.

The Working Group for Marriage Equality of Washington State has put together a list of frequently asked questions about the pending WA State Supreme Court Decision regarding the Defense of Marriage Act. This is a great resource that can hopefully help answer most of the questions you may have about this case. The same link will be used to post updated answers to questions once the Supreme Court decision actually comes down. Thank you LMA, Lambda Legal, and others for working on this FAQ! Link.

Equal Rights Washington is organizing a campaign to gather testimony from people in support of marriage equality, and deliver it to Washington State legislators. These personal stories can really make a big difference in the minds of legislators, and they may have some crucial decisions ahead once the WA State Supreme Court rules on the DOMA case.

To share your story, visit the ERW Online Testimony site and follow the “share your story” link.

You can also send a brief letter directly to your legislators by using this online email campaign.

Great news! The Seattle PI and KOMO TV report that Eyman did not enough signatures to challenge HB 2661, which passed in March, via a referendum. As of tomorrow, LGBT people in Washington State will be protected from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity!!

On June 3, Marriage Equality USA coordinated walks across Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and Brooklyn Bridge in New York as a statement of support for marriage equality and against the federal marriage amendment.

250 people in San Francisco and 600 people in New York participated, despite the rain. Jennifer Schumaker completed her 500 Mile Walk for Equality from San Diego to San Francisco at the event.
Links to articles covering the story:

Activists Walk Over Golden Gate to Support Gay Marriage
http://kcbs.com/pages/42602.php

Bridge walk for marriage
http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=883

Diversity awareness; Jennifer’s walk from San Diego to San Francisco
http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/05/1825046.php

Gay Marriage Supporters Walk In Wedding March
Hundreds Walk Across Brooklyn Bridge Calling For Equal Rights
http://www.wnbc.com/news/9317597/detail.html

GAY-WED MARCHERS BASH BUSH
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/66996.htm

Nevada County Participates in Marriage Equality Coast to Coast Bridge Walk
http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_36726.shtml

More information here.