Soulforce Email Update - August 8, 2007

Soulforce & Atticus Circle Announce Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights and Launch New Website to Galvanize Heterosexual Allies for Direct Action in October

Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights is a coordinated campaign of overnight vigils led by straight allies. It will sweep across cities and states throughout the nation during the week of October 7-13, 2007.

The vigils are led by families, individuals, or groups, and focus on their personal decision to speak out on behalf of LGBT equality. Depending on the state, the leaders will either offer thanks for the state's positive policy record or issue a call to action on pertinent issues such as hate crimes, employment discrimination, and marriage equality.

The Seven Straight Nights website launches with the personal statements of 10 state leaders and already several heterosexual allies from around the country have contacted us about the possibility of bringing Seven Straight Nights to their state. If you would like to be part of this campaign and organize a vigil in your state, please go to this online form.

With your help, Seven Straight Nights can empower hundreds of straight activists to take a public stand for LGBT equality -- some for the first time. Together, we can educate thousands of fair-minded Americans (the "educatable middle") about the inequality that exists for their LGBT neighbors and give them concrete ways to stay involved in grassroots efforts, long after this action is complete. Visit the website SevenStraightNights.org to sponsor the state of your choice, or make a general donation by clicking here.

Soulforce Q Concludes Right to Marry Campaign in New York

On Friday, July 28, thirty-two young adults completed a two-week tour to connect with New Yorkers and their legislators on the issue of marriage equality.

Using a variety of creative methods, the young adults division of Soulforce (Soulforce Q) communicated the moral necessity of marriage equality with four separate routes that criss-crossed the state. For instance, on a visit to the office of Senator Andrea Stuart-Cousins, the young adults brought the senator a cupcake to represent civil unions and an entire wedding cake to represent the 1,342 rights and responsibilities associated with civil marriage in New York State. Stuart-Cousins surprised the visitors by indicating that she had decided to become an official co-sponsor of the marriage equality bill in the state Senate.

However, in their quest to speak with citizens and decision makers, the young adults were not universally welcomed. When Senator Ruben Diaz refused to schedule a meeting or to allow his staff to discuss marriage equality, Right to Marry participants used a sit-in in his Bronx office as a means to extend peaceful civic discourse.

"The energy and tenacity of Soulforce's Right to Marry Riders are wonderful, and a true inspiration," said Evan Wolfson, Executive Director of the Freedom to Marry coalition. "I am grateful for the way these young people are reaching people heart to heart, helping them push past their discomfort and rise to fairness, through conversational engagement with people where they live."

In addition to Wolfson, Soulforce wishes to thank Jonathan Lewis; Andrew Stengel and People for the American Way; Judson Memorial Church; Vassar ActOut; Nyack Mayor, John Shields; Binghamton Mayor, Matthew Ryan; New Paltz Mayor, Terry Dungan; and so many others, including Andrew Brewer, Ed Poliandro, and the tireless support of Soulforce New York.

The young adults blogged about their experiences during the campaign. You can read those at www.soulforce.org/blogs

Vote for Soulforce's Mel White, Jacob Reitan, and Haven Herrin to be on the cover of The Advocate's 40th Anniversary Issue

For their 40th anniversary issue, The Advocate is honoring 40 LGBT heroes. The Advocate has prepared a list of 100 influential LGBT leaders from the past 40 years and Soulforce's Mel White, Jacob Reitan, and Haven Herrin are on that list.

To vote, you need to select at least 5 and no more than 40 from the list of people who have done something significant to improve the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender folks.

To cast your vote please go to www.advocate.com/takeSurvey.asp?surveyID=19

Soulforce Survivor's Initiative Visits Southern Baptists to Speak Out about the Dangers of "Ex-gay" Ministries: Video Online

On Monday, August 6, two survivors of "ex-gay" ministries and counseling -- Christine Bakke and Darlene Bogle -- traveled to the Southern Baptist Convention offices in Nashville, Tennessee to speak out about the emotional, financial, and spiritual harm caused by the message that lesbians and gays should change or suppress their sexual orientation. They told their stories in the shadow of a statue of Billy Graham and then walked to the church's Lifeway publishing arm to present framed collages depicting their experiences.

To see video of this action, go to: www.soulforce.org/article/1291

Bakke and Bogle's message was aimed at Bob Stith, the Texas pastor who was recently hired to serve as the Southern Baptists' "national strategist for gender issues." The new position is designed to promote "ex-gay" ministries -- programs that promise to help gays and lesbians change their sexual orientation -- within Southern Baptist congregations.

Monday's action was part of the Soulforce Survivor's Initiative, a national campaign to share the stories of "Ex-gay Survivors" -- men and women who feel that ex-gay messages and programs did them more harm than good. To date, similar actions have occurred in Los Angeles, Colorado Springs, Salt Lake City, and Memphis.

"Across the country, the voices of ex-gay survivors are having an impact," said Jeff Lutes, Soulforce Executive Director. "Their stories educate the public and help them understand the tremendous human costs of ex-gay ministries and therapies."