WMC: Can you Harvey Milk me, Focker?

Wednesday Mail Call!

When Cleve Jones woke up this morning, he had no idea he'd be penning a guest spot on the DIP. And he still doesn't know. I plucked this little dumpling as a repost from the mail bag for empowerments and edumacations.

Dear Catherine --


It has been over 30 years since my friend and teacher, gay rights activist Harvey Milk, was assassinated. Today, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people have won limited rights in a handful of states, but we are still second class citizens throughout the United States.

Harvey once said, "It takes no compromising to give people their rights."

This morning, Representative Jerrold Nadler, (D-NY) introduced a bill in Congress to repeal the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act" that bans same-sex marriages from being recognized in other states.

If passed by the Congress, the Respect Marriage Act would be a significant step forward in the march for full equality.

Join the Courage Campaign and Equality Across America and send a message to your Congressmember urging them to co-sponsor the Respect Marriage Act and to keep marching forward towards full equality for LGBTs.


Equal rights are not a "gay" issue. They are about our shared human rights: safety in our schools and jobs, equitable healthcare and housing, and protection for our families, to name a few.

Like all other Americans, LGBT people are guaranteed equal protection, but are currently denied it by Congress. Repealing DOMA is just a first step. Free and equal people do not compromise. That's why Equality Across America, the organization I founded, is marching on Washington October 11-12 with one simple demand: Equal protection for LGBT people in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states. Now.

Please ask your Congressmember to co-sponsor the Respect Marriage Act as an important first step, and remind them that there are no fractions of equality.

When Harvey spoke at Gay Freedom Day at San Francisco City Hall in 1978, he invoked the words of the Declaration of Independence: "All [people] are created equal. No matter how hard you try, you can never erase those words."

No more compromises. We are equal.

Cleve Jones
Senior Advisor, Courage Campaign

P.S.: I am proud to announce that the Courage Campaign will be running a Camp Courage for hundreds of participants during the March on Washington. The only way we win full equality is by organizing in our own communities and Camp Courage will send the marchers home as empowered organizers who will continue to fight for full equality.
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The Courage Campaign is an online organizing network that empowers more than 700,000 grassroots and netroots supporters to push for progressive change and full equality in California.