Sunday marked the midpoint of our journey.  A week ago we were just beginning to grasp the importance of the next two weeks and now here we are living and fighting for our dream to finally have the right to marry.  At this point in our journey, morning alarms awaken me physically but also spirituality with a song in my heart.  “Our minds are stayed on Equality.”

One by one we take cold showers and dress preparing for our busy day.  As a person of faith I find myself extremely anxious about experiencing a worship style that is new and different but more than anything I am excited about worshipping God and being surrounded by the open arms of a loving community of faith. We are attending the morning worship at Amherst United Church of Christ. A congregation that is moving towards being a family open to all the diversity within the body of Christ. Our reception was warm and simply delightful. Pastor Scott was so kind in extending an invitation to Soulforce Q and publically welcoming us during his announcements. His sermon that followed served as a great reminder not to take life to seriously. Personally I was reminded that as human beings we will make mistakes but the trick is too wipe the dust off and keep on running towards the goal. Tomorrows isn’t promised so we must not live in the grief of our mistakes but learn from them and seize the day! We only have the now! Carpi Diem!

Once the service ended so many people came up too us and truly welcomed us in the same way Jesus would. I was so touched by the eagerness the congregants displayed. They were so excited too learn about us as individuals and the importance of Marriage Equality not only to us as individuals but society as a whole.  A couple of us stayed afterwards for the coffee hour while others went to access internet to begin preparing for the following day. The coffee hour was a wonderful time of fellowship and we made many new friends! One of our new friends June even invited the entire group over for dinner later on in the week!

Once the service was over we had the privilege of having lunch with one of our heroes. Madeline Davis and her partner Wendy. Madeline was the person to speak on lgbt issues at the democratic national convention many years ago. She serves her community as a passionate activist as well as maintaining the Buffalo LGBT Archives. Not only has she been essential too making history in the community she has also been wise enough to understand the importance of preserving that history as well.  Listening to her stories over lunch was an extremely powerful reminder of where we’ve been, how far we’ve came, and how far we must continue to go. She has truly paved the way and certainly shed so much light onto our path as we journey on. She inspired all of us so much and energized us all.

Following lunch we all had some personal time to prepare for the hectic week before us. Many of opted too do laundry while others spent the time resting, writing,  shopping, or even getting tattooed too serves as a memory of this experience in Buffalo. Notes were prepared and poetry was written in preparation for the evening event. We would all be attending an open mike spoken word event at Hardware café located in Allentown which serves as the lgbt capital of Buffalo. Alex and Jarrett prepared and performed a beautiful piece on Marriage Equality. The reception was so warm and they even got asked to be recorded for a internet radio show. Enjoy the pieces below:

Jarrett and Alex: http://www.thinktwiceradio.com/hardware/070722/soulforce.mp3

Totally awesome, right!

So, That’s the summary of a slow day in the life of a Soulforce Marriage Equality rider. Every step we take in love and truth in an effort too bring light to our dreams and hopes that our relationships will be seen and valued as equal too those of our heterosexual siblings. At the end of the day our message is Marriage is about love not gender. Our relationships mean just as much to us as many heterosexual relationships and we just ask that they be protected equally. A Buffalo local put it best when she said, “We are not forcing you to marry us in your church but asking for the rights too be married in our own.” Thanks so much too the community of Buffalo and Western New York for your love and support of equality for all as well as your amazing hospitality during our visit to your community.

http://verbotenmedia.net/contents/JM072607h1.mp3

or go to:

http://www.gaybc.com/jmarchive.html

Click on the orange link for July 26th next to the description:

Matthew Nelson, Director of SoulForce Q, re: NY State Equality Issues

For weeks leading up to the Campaign, the co-directors called all of the assemblypersons and senators with whom we wanted to have a conversation. While some offices were disorganized and in others personnel was lacking, which made it difficult to schedule a meeting with the legislator or the chief-of-staff, other offices were clear in their unwillingness to have a conversation with us about marriage equality. Two such representatives in NYC, representing districts where most oppose marriage equality, refused a conference with us.

Senator Huntley, an African American female, dodged our many attempts to schedule a conference. Consequently, we arrived at her office ready to have the discussion anyway. Her third in command decided to meet with us to stave off any controversy that would ensue had she continued to refuse us. We sat down at a conference table in the back of her office. After exchanging the necessary pleasantries, we began to talk about marriage for the BGLT community. Huntley’s representative informed us that the Senator did not support marriage equality, civil unions, or any approximations thereof.

First, Savannah and I contested that equal protection under the law promised under the Fourteenth Amendment compelled the Senator to vote in favor of marriage equality. Second, we tried to make analogies between the civil rights’ struggle for African Americans and the BGLT community’s struggle for marriage rights. Both of these attempts failed, and the reasoning that was given by the Huntley office as to why same-sex couples should not yet have the freedom to marry was utterly appalling. Huntley’s representative spoke of the substantial sacrifice that women and African Americans gave for equality and their freedoms: hundreds of years, deaths of leaders and activists, deaths of bystanders, and the deaths of children. Surely, as Savannah and I remembered these sacrifices, we felt sorrow that freedom had to be secured at such a high cost. And even though women and racial minorities are still fiercely contending for their rights to this very day, this redemptive suffering and death has delivered them countless victories for freedom and equality. Likewise, Soulforce Q is continuing the struggle for civil rights in American by advocating for marriage equality for same-sex couples. This is where Huntley’s representative took a caustic, insulting, hateful, and absurd turn. She claimed that the BGLT community had not suffered enough, and that we could not expect to have marriage rights so soon. We had to put in our dues. She claimed that more time must elapse, and that more BGLT people and their children must suffer and die. I could not believe that I was listening to such inflammatory messages out of this woman’s mouth. That people have to die for their freedom is deplorable, but that we have come to expect that there is a certain threshold of pain, suffering, and death that a certain minority must exceed – as if “earning their stripes” – in order to garner their freedom is downright ghastly. We could not stomach any more of the conversation, and politely excused ourselves.

The next day the South Bus traveled to the Bronx to meet with yet another Senator who refused us a hearing. Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz, an African American minister in the Pentecostal Christian tradition, vehemently denied us any opportunity to sit with him or his staff for a conversation about marriage equality. Therefore, because Soulforce believes in the inherent value of civic engagement and peaceful discourse, we traveled to Diaz’s office to give him an opportunity to rectify his undemocratic approach to this conversation. Upon our arrival we were met by hostility, and were refused a meeting. Upon hearing this, we staged a sit-in on the floor of Diaz’s office (for press coverage see: www.nypress.com/blogx/display_blog.cfm?bid=23356038). By force of police intervention, we were removed from the Diaz’s office, and with police support we protested and passed out literature outside.

Should we expect this attitude from our elected officials? Not only do some refuse to meet with us but are thoroughly dedicated to our persecution. How can women and racial minorities who know the scourge of discrimination and inequality contribute to the barbarism and brutality perpetuated on gays and lesbians? Why do Dr. King’s words that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” not apply? Can we not see that the civil rights advancement of one group, in this case the BGLT community, means the civil rights advancement of all groups? Certainly, African Americans and women have a long way to go in achieving full equality in our society, but do they honestly think that by impeding the civil rights progression of BGLT folk will give way to the acceleration of their own?
As I reflect on these experiences, I believe that what is at work in these racially mixed areas has very little to do with race. Such an attribution of blame would be too reductionistic. Rather, these legislators represent racially diverse districts that are economically disadvantaged and are very religiously conservative. Perhaps, as Soulforce has maintained since it was founded, that oppression of the BGLT community stems largely from conservative/fundamentalist religion than any other one determinant.

Nevertheless, there are always counter-examples that thwart stereotypes and broad brushstrokes of mischaracterization of any one ‘type’ of social grouping. For instance, among the many reassurances I had of democracy on the Right to Marry Campaign came on our last meeting – Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell, IV. Powell, from a Puerto Rican family who represents a Latino/a community was in full support of marriage equality. He informed me that he feels as if the issue is a matter of conscience; and must support equal rights for BGLT people. I was heartened by the fact that Powell and others in his community can make a distinction between religious views and civil rights in a democracy. In fact, Powell takes such a strong stance on the issue not in spite of religion but because of his Christian faith.

I concluded that while race, religion, socio-economic status, and other known and unknown characteristics may tend to lead a certain demographic to vote for or against marriage equality, America must see that extending rights and privileges to this particular minority group can only strengthen democracy, prosper community, strengthen marriage, and protect children.

www.gaycitynews.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18630308&BRD=2729&PAG=461&dept_id=568857&rfi=6

http://www.nypress.com/blogx/display_blog.cfm?bid=23356038

As my van traveled through the North Country, we documented our progress and the stories of some of those we met along the way. Some of the Right to Marry participants already shared their thoughts on why marriage is important (here and here) and soon we’ll have the stories of New York citizens and couples to share with you too.

For now, here’s a look at our time up north:

On the way to the meeting, as we watched miles and miles of fields and pastures roll by, I wondered how someone could make an informed decision about what’s right in such a remote locale where conversations about LGBT equality seldom happen. We’ve been visiting with gay and lesbian people all along our trip. Not surprisingly, it is in rural areas like the North Country where marriage inequality hits the hardest and its dire consequences become most self-evident. When you live in welcoming and affirming communities (which tend to be urban and politically more liberal), the brunt of legal discrimination is couched in sympathetic rhetoric and a sense of progress. In places with hostile faith environments and without supportive networks, however, it could be life-saving for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender families to fall back on the letter of the law. Unfortunately, the marriage laws work against them. One can argue that politicians representing areas such as Northern New York should be at the forefront of the movement for marriage equality since it would immediately and fully protect some of their most vulnerable constituents.

During our PFLAG/PRISM picnic in Canton we met a former classmate of the Assemblywoman Scozzafava who met with her prior to the vote to explain the significance of this bill and what it would mean for him to be granted the legal protections and responsibilities of marriage. He also helped clarify the inequity between civil unions and marriage. It turns out that conversation among old friends helped determine the Assemblywoman’s position on this issue. It only further goes to prove the importance of being out and proud in one’s community no matter how challenging it might be. It is easy to pass laws against “those people” but it is nearly impossible to discriminate against people you know, your neighbors and friends.

We looked forward to participating in another county fair later in the day, but since it had rained for several days and over the weekend, the fair was not yet open. So we took a moment to write thank you notes for our supporters who have donated to the Right to Marry campaign thus far. All financial contributions make our educational journey possible. So look for some North Country love coming your way! And if you have not yet had a chance to donate to this important effort, please, do so on our website. Tonight we go on to our next destination, Watertown, or H2O-town as we’ve come to call it amongst ourselves.

Onwards, Alexey Bulokhov