All events begin Feburary 26th in Philadelphia and end with our 2012 Launch Event and Sending Service!

Click here for the full list of events!

Photo by Yonathan Arava

By Equality Rider J.D. Melendez

Do I have what it takes? Why am I getting on a bus for two months with people I don’t know, going to places where I may not be welcomed, and having discussions with people who don’t agree with me?

I have had to answer these questions from my loved ones countless times over the past few months. But, even more so, I have asked myself those same questions. Will I be able to meet hate with love? Can I follow in the footsteps of past Riders who have worked so tirelessly towards the world that we all want to see –   a world where our young people aren’t bullied into taking their own lives; a world where we can walk down the streets without having to fear for our safety; a world where a student can educate themselves without having to hide who they are in order to stay in school; a world where a child never has to hear hate being preached from the pulpit of their church? There is a lot at stake here.

For many years, I have avoided the conversation about faith and sexual/gender identity like the plague. I was raised in a fundamentalist Christian church and I grew tired of having to defend my right to be who I am. So, I walked away from the church. I believed it was a lost cause, and since I couldn’t justify being Queer and Christian to the people in my church, I decided that I would rather give up the Christian part of me than the Queer part of me. Although I always held on to my faith in God, it was always the most hidden part of me; it was the part of my identity that I never shared with anyone. However, there was always something nagging me in the back of my mind about my silence about my faith. I had grown pretty comfortable with not acknowledging my spiritual identity as long as it meant I didn’t have to argue with people about it. That comfort changed with the epidemic of Queer youth suicides the past few years. I knew the Queer community was missing something. We were living our lives as Queer adults while our young people were suffering in silence. So what could I do about it? How could I reach these young people?

At some point, it clicked. I have to be willing to have the hard conversations – the conversations that make me uncomfortable, but desperately need to happen. I realized that I was never going to reach these young people by staying in my comfort zone. I couldn’t help them by creating something that works for me, but leaves them behind. Rather, I have to work to change the system they are living in.

So, do I have what it takes? I hope so, but I’m still not sure. But I do know this: by having these conversations, by sharing our stories and breaking bread with the folks who disagree with us, we could plant a seed – a seed that one day could blossom into the world we all want to see.

About the Blogger:

J.D.Melendez is an activist and had worked with the homeless LGBT youth population in NYC for 13+ years.  J.D. is also an aspiring documentary filmmaker and zombie expert.

Connect with J.D.:

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Support J.D. by donating to Equality Ride »

Minneapolis Area Synod of the ELCA Speaks Out In Opposition to Anti-gay Marriage Amendment

Today, Friday, in a sea of green voting cards which said “yes,” the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) spoke out in opposition to the proposed amendment to the state constitution that would deprive the right to a civil marriage to same-gender partners.

Met in assembly, the largest synod of the ELCA, one of 6 in Minnesota and 65 in the ELCA, voted in favor of the resolution that opposed the amendment on the November ballot that would “prevent one group of committed couples and their families from pursuing ordinary legislative or legal means to gain the support and protections afforded to all others.”

The Minneapolis synod is the first synod meeting this year. Other ELCA synods in Minnesota and throughout the United States will meet between April and June 2012.

Emily Eastwood, Executive Director, Lutherans Concerned/North America, headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, said, “The very idea that the civil rights of a minority in our society can be put to a popular vote is a tremendously important issue for America, our society, and every citizen in Minnesota. It is right that the church voice an opinion based on its social statement and bound conscience to support civil rights, to support and care for same-gender couples and their families, and to advocate for their legal protection. The proposed constitutional amendment does none of that. In fact, the amendment would limit our families to a second class status. We thank the members of the Minneapolis Synod for saying “no” to discrimination, and “yes” to equality. Once again, today, I am proud to be a Lutheran.”

About Lutherans Concerned:
Working at the intersection of oppressions, Lutherans Concerned/North America (LC/NA) embodies, inspires, advocates and organizes for the acceptance and full participation of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities within the Lutheran communion and its ecumenical and global partners. LC/NA is based in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Phil Soucy
Director Communications LC/NA
communications@lcna.org

RELEASED:  17 February 2012 – 5:45pm

Just moments ago, the Maryland House of Delegates passed an historic marriage equality bill, bringing us one giant step closer to making Maryland the next state to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed.

What makes this win so sweet is that it comes on the heels of three huge victories in the past two weeks: a court decision that ruled Prop. 8 unconstitutional, as well as major progress for marriage equality in Washington and New Jersey.

This latest win was made possible through years of tireless efforts by equality advocates like you.

From here, all eyes turn to the state Senate, then to Governor Martin O’Malley, a remarkable champion who has driven the effort to get this law through.

But momentum is everything as this bill advances and we need to be out front and visible with the case for marriage equality in Maryland. Share the image below on Facebook to show you stand on the right side of history with Governor O’Malley.

Share the image on Facebook to show you stand on the right side of history with Gov. O’Malley.

It’s been a tough road filled with plenty of setbacks – and we’re not done yet. But our perseverance has led to this major breakthrough. Here’s how your passion for change helped get us here:

• Thanks to broad support from HRC’s more than one million members and supporters, we helped organize an impressive pro-marriage coalition including 1199 SEIU, the Baltimore Branch of the NAACP, Equality Maryland, the Maryland ACLU, Progressive Maryland and Marylanders for Marriage Equality.
• Support from activists and members enabled us to place five senior staff members at the helm of the campaign.
• Together, we generated 18,000 emails, 16,000 phone calls, and 15,000 postcards to Maryland lawmakers.
• We launched an unprecedented outreach campaign in the press, online, and in church communities to build support across Maryland.
• With your support, we successfully brought together clergy members of all faiths to boldly demonstrate support for marriage equality from across the state.
• On behalf of the coalition, HRC produced 15 web ads featuring prominent Marylanders like Governor O’Malley to keep the issue visible.

It’s clear that our nationwide campaign for equality is working, and – one day soon – loving, committed, same-sex couples will be able to marry – no matter which state they call home.

Share the image above on Facebook to show you stand with Governor O’Malley, Speaker Michael Busch, our legislative allies, and all fair-minded, pro-marriage Marylanders as this legislation makes its final rounds through the capitol.

The Maryland campaign continues and we won’t back down until marriage equality is legal in every state. But we are making incredible progress and we wouldn’t be here without you.

Proud and grateful,

Joe Solmonese
President

(Photo: AP Images / The Press Democrat, Christopher Chung)

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The highest court of the U.S. Presbyterian Church will convene in Texas on Friday to consider whether a lesbian minister violated ecclesiastical law when she blessed the weddings of same-sex couples in California.

The case surrounding the Rev. Jane Spahr, a 69-year-old grandmother, highlights deep divisions within the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. and its 2 million members, as well as other mainline Protestant denominations over gay and lesbian marriage.

Spahr, who has battled for greater acceptance of homosexuality in the life of the Kentucky-based church for decades, was the first openly gay Presbyterian pastor asked to preside over a local ministry, though she was barred from accepting the post because of her sexual orientation.

This fair housing rule expands protections for LGBT people seeking housing that is financed or insured by HUD. The rule also prohibits owners and operators of HUD-funded housing or housing that HUD insures from inquiring about an applicant’s sexual orientation or gender identity, or denying housing based on an applicant’s LGBT status. The new rule also makes clear that the term “family” includes LGBT individuals and couples as eligible for HUD’s public housing and voucher programs – programs that collectively serve 5.5 million people.

by Sabrina Rubin Erdely

Every morning, Brittany Geldert stepped off the bus and bolted through the double doors of Fred Moore Middle School, her nerves already on high alert, bracing for the inevitable.

“Dyke.”
Pretending not to hear, Brittany would walk briskly to her locker, past the sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders who loitered in menacing packs.

“Whore.”
Like many 13-year-olds, Brittany knew seventh grade was a living hell.

Michael Cole-Schwartz | michael.cole-schwartz@hrc.org | (202) 216-1553

Federal Appeals Court Agrees: California’s Proposition 8 Is Unconstitutional
Ninth Circuit Strikes Down Discriminatory Amendment

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign – the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization – today praised the historic decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirming the August 2010 conclusion of U.S. Chief Judge Vaughn Walker of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Perry v. Schwarzenegger (now Perry v. Brown) that the amendment to the California Constitution barring marriage for same-sex couples, adopted in November 2008 as Proposition 8, violates the U.S. Constitution. In a 2-1 decision authored by Judge Reinhardt, the court agreed that Proposition 8’s only purpose in denying gay and lesbian Californians the freedom to marry was anti-gay animus, something the Constitution does not permit.

“Today’s decision affirms what we all know to be true – our Constitution protects the basic civil rights of all Americans, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “Proposition 8 does nothing to strengthen or protect any marriage. Instead, it singles out thousands of loving California families for different treatment, simply because they are gay and lesbian couples. We applaud the Ninth Circuit for recognizing that our Constitution cannot tolerate such egregious discrimination.”

“We thank the courageous plaintiff couples, the American Foundation for Equal Rights, and attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies for their years of work leading to today’s decision. This is not the end of the road, for this case or for the larger struggle for marriage equality. We must all continue our work – in courthouses and statehouses, in church pews and living rooms – until equality is reality for LGBT people and our families everywhere.”

In response to a 2008 decision by the California Supreme Court ending marriage discrimination in the state, anti-equality forces succeeded in placing a constitutional amendment on the November ballot. Despite over 18,000 same-sex couples having married, California voters adopted the amendment, known as Proposition 8. After the California Supreme Court determined in 2009 that the adoption of Prop 8 did not itself violate the California Constitution, two plaintiff couples — Kris Perry and Sandy Stier and Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo – filed suit against the State of California in federal court, represented by attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies and supported by the American Foundation for Equal Rights. The proponents of Prop 8 intervened in the case to defend the constitutionality of the amendment. Judge Walker held a historic trial in January, in which the plaintiffs presented substantial testimony and evidence to show that Prop 8’s only purpose is to discriminate against same-sex couples. His historic decision in August 2010 was appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

The proponents of Prop 8 are now likely to appeal this decision, either to be considered by a larger panel of the Ninth Circuit (referred to as an en banc rehearing) or for review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

The proponents of Prop 8 are now likely to appeal this decision, either to be considered by a larger panel of the Ninth Circuit (referred to as an en banc rehearing) or for review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Photo Credit: Patrick Lanigan

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time
                                         -T.S. Eliot

When I was a kid, I had two problems: I didn’t want to be like anyone – especially my parents – and I was always worried about the future. My life was punctuated by these moments of worry and the desire to be different. When I was 10, I was worried about becoming like my dad. When I was 12, I was uncharacteristically worried about breaking rules. When I was 16, I was worried about college – so much so that I attended the first school that accepted me. Mostly though, when I was 21, I was worried about what people would think of me when I became authentic to my identity and “came out.”

This uncertainty – the unknown – was a scary and stressful eclipse over the stereotypical, childish trepidation about life.

I mentioned that, when I was a child, I was worried that I would become like my dad. One example is how he used to do this thing when he watched TV – he would lay with one leg propped up on the back of the couch with his arm over his head changing the channels. One time in college, I was flipping through channels (after studying profusely, of course!) when I noticed I had contorted in that exact, genetically prescribed position. After many similar moments, I realized that I had been so wrapped up in worrying about my own uniqueness that I neglected to actually become the person I was always meant to be. I became an inauthentic shadow of my true self.

I wanted so badly to be my own person. The realization that I was employing my father’s pose showed me that I was not different and needed to work harder to be original. However, in the midst of this discovery, I failed to see that I carry a piece of everyone I’ve ever known within me. And that makes me authentic. It’s what makes each of us authentic.

After I came out in 2007, I felt like I had stripped off the wet clothes I had been swimming in for the previous 21 years. I was relieved of carrying the fake identities. So, it has been a journey over the last 5 years as I have come to understand that, though we may share certain identities of our own with others, we are all originals. Eventually, I even came to be proud to have acquired some of the quirky traits of my parents!

Most importantly, I am now 26 and the only thing I currently spend my time worrying about is how much time I wasted in the past worrying. Today, I can declare my happiness, health, and holistic pursuit of authenticity! I never could have found myself being a part of anything as powerful as the Equality Ride had I not stopped worrying and been more true to myself. Now, I have come to appreciate life’s uncertainty, and I believe I thrive in its presence. I like to think about the words of Coco Chanel: “Uncertain times arouse an instinctive desire for authenticity.” This trip may be a lot of things, but it is not anything short of uncertain – and that uncertainty is a beautiful thing.

About the Blogger:

Zachary Pullin pulls his beliefs about humanity from his Native American roots. He believes that the conversation must begin with compelling our brothers and sisters in faith communities to believe with their hearts and not their minds.

Connect with Zachary:

Facebook | Twitter (@zacharybob)

Support Zachary by donating to Equality Ride »