Friday February 17, 2006 SGN.org |
 |
Volume 34 Issue 07 |
 |
|
Saturday, Nov 21, 2009
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
What you can do to support equality |
||
 |
||
| What you can do to support equality | ||
| by Lee Frankl
- ERW Associate Director
Equal Rights Washington is in a significant growth phase. As we come off the excitement of Equality Day last month and the historic passage of an anti-discrimination law in our state, we're gearing up to help lead the effort to protect this law from any initiative or referendum attempt. At the same time, we continue to prepare for the marriage equality decision from the state Supreme Court, work to elect fair-minded legislators, and address other LGBT equality issues statewide. Just a short three months ago, ERW's office was in the basement of the LGBT community center, and Executive Director Fran Dunaway was our only staff member. We've moved to 209 Harvard Avenue, and we've grown to a staff of three, including Office Manager Matthew Lee and Associate Director Lee Frankl. Our contract lobbyists, Kim Clausen and Vicki Austin, worked tirelessly to see HB 2661 succeed. And soon we'll be hiring a Political Director to help us work even more effectively. This is an exciting time to join ERW. We need a large membership base in order to be a strong voice for the community in Olympia. More members means more communication with lawmakers. Our goal is to generate more advocacy from our membership, our community and allies, than the right-wing does to oppose us. Membership growth, staff growth, and powerful political advocacy all have a common denominator for a group like ours: MONEY. In politics, unfortunately, you just cannot succeed without it. Progressives are never entirely comfortable around fundraising, which is probably why the other side does it so well! But as a membership organization, Equal Rights Washington relies on supporters to fund our work. You can join ERW on our web site at www.equalrightswashington.org. Or, to discuss making a donation, hosting a house party, or helping with a fundraising event, please call Lee Frankl, Associate Director, at 206-324-2570. Here's a taste of what's going on at ERW. Please remember to check our web site regularly at www.equalrightswashington.org for updates: o A new campaign, called Washington Won't Discriminate, has been organized to defeat the referendum and the initiative. ERW will have an active and visible role in the campaign. The campaign includes the LGBT community across the state as well as a broad-based coalition with communities of color, the religious community, business leaders, the women's community, labor, the disability community and a wide range of fair-minded people who do not believe in discrimination of any kind. o We've formed Equality Teams across the state. Equal Rights Washington Equality Teams help coordinate and direct our efforts for equality by providing essential visibility, political activism, and fundraising in communities across Washington. Equality Team members are more than volunteers: they use their understanding of their community to develop appropriate, effective educational strategies - a community forum in one town, a reading group in another, or a letter-writing campaign in a third. Additionally, because ERW can't have offices in every county in the state, we rely on Equality Teams to provide input on statewide strategies, and to keep our staff aware of issues that affect local LGBT communities. More information about joining an Equality Team is available on our web site. o With an eye toward the upcoming marriage decision, we've brought Josh Friedes from Massachusetts to help us craft strategies for marriage equality. Josh has worked on marriage equality since 1997. He is among the founders of MassEquality, the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry, and the Freedom to Marry PAC. He will be a major asset to our organization and the movement in Washington state. o On February 14, Equal Rights Washington launched an online campaign to thank the elected officials who supported HB 2661. We are generating thousands of thank you letters to Governor Gregoire and the legislators who stood up for equality in Olympia. We want our state leaders to know that we will stand with them to defeat any attempt to undo the anti-discrimination law through a referendum or initiative. Please participate in the campaign today and forward it to friends and family! Check it out at www.equalrightswashington.org. o Sunday, February 26th at 6:30 and 9:00 pm "Inlaws & Outlaws" will play at the Broadway Performance Hall, 1625 Broadway at Pine, Capitol Hill in Seattle. By weaving together true stories from local couples and singles, both Gay and straight, "Inlaws & Outlaws" is a moving, authentic and thoroughly entertaining film. Equal Rights Washington (ERW) works to ensure and promote dignity, safety, and equality for all Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Washingtonians. We thank you for your support. |
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
International Readers |
  It's new!A blog created by the SGN staff so you can be heard |
|
 |
DigitalTeamWorks presents  websites for Artists looking for a great email us for more information
|
 |
Get Your Tickets |
 |
 |
copyright Seattle Gay News - DigitalTeamWorks 2006