Nonviolence 4 Equality

TIME TO TAKE IT TO THE STREETS

An urgent national call for nonviolent direct action to achieve full equality.

March 30, 2009

* * * * *

Today, we issue a national call for social change through the ongoing use of nonviolent direct action ‐ including civil disobedience when necessary – until the federal government extends equal protection in all fifty states on matters governed by civil law.

Efforts to achieve full civil equality – such as the right to marry the person we love, the right to care for our families, the right to nondiscrimination in the workplace, and the right to serve openly in the military ‐ have awakened a sleeping giant within the soul of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) community. We are tired of agonizing political setbacks, token change, defending ourselves against charges of moral inferiority, and being told to “wait” in the land we love while liberation occurs in other countries. Martin Luther King, Jr. acknowledged that real change takes time; yet he also warned against the “tranquilizing drug of gradualism” and instructed the oppressed to demand equality now – not on the convenient time schedule of those doing the oppressing. Legislative efforts toward equality, while essential, have proven woefully inadequate under current circumstances.

Today, we affirm that nonviolent strategies such as marches, vigils, demonstrations, public protests, and civil disobedience, seek to create what Dr. King called “healthy tension”. This constructive tension forces those who perpetuate injustice, and society as a whole, to pause, reflect, and consider the ugliness of their prejudices and the indecency embodied in their discrimination. In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. King wrote: “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored.”

In addition to Dr. King’s legacy, we remember that the nonviolent legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Audre Lorde, Barbara Deming, Bayard Rustin, Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, Oscar Romero and countless others are deeply rooted in United States and world history. Nonviolent resistance continues to play a vital role in undermining the power of repressive political regimes.

We call on community organizers, activists, movement leaders, and all LGBTQ people across the nation to begin training the masses in nonviolent direct action. We have prepared a new online resource – www.nonviolence4equality.org – to assist in this vital task. As we resist injustice, we must avoid violence of the fist, tongue, and heart and remember that in truth we are challenging unjust systems, not people. In due course, we seek to be in community with those from whom we currently find ourselves divided.

We, the undersigned, call on LGBTQ and allied people everywhere to act with strength and integrity. Today, we reclaim nonviolent direct action as part of that process. Let’s understand that the vision of equality belongs to all of us and we are each responsible for taking action in pursuit of that dream. We all have the faculty to be powerful, influential, and prevailing. Let’s reinvest in our movement for social change and believe in our own capacity to effect that change. Let’s allow the boldness and hunger for justice to grow and contagiously spread to others.

Let’s take it to the streets.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Add your endorsement to this call to action today! [Note: Organizational affiliation listed for identification purposes only.]

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• Jeff Lutes, Soulforce
• Cleve Jones, UNITE HERE
• Willow Witte, Join the Impact
• Sara Beth Brooks, San Diego Equality Campaign
• David Comfort, Equality Network
• Kip Williams, One Struggle, One Fight
• Jeff Sheng, Fearless Campus Tour
• David Valk, UCLA Student
• Laura Kanter, Orange County Equality Coalition
• Christopher Hubble, Soulforce in Colorado
• Eric Daniel, Nichols Imaging
• Bill Carpenter, Soulforce
• Drew Wilson
• TJ Bowen, Regis University
• Angela Soule, S.A.M.E. - San Diego Alliance for Marriage Equality
• Wendy Sue Biegeleisen, S.A.M.E. - San Diego Alliance for Marriage Equality (Membership Coordinator)
• Jen Hubbell
• Phillip Minton, Unite the Fight
• Toby Adams, Marriage Equality USA
• Marilyn Van Dyke
• Joe Mirabella, Join the Impact WA
• Sarah Reddick
• Heather Reddick, Students for a Free Tibet
• Robin McGehee, Meet in the Middle
• Mario S.
• Meria Heller, The Meria Show (www.Meria.net)
• Meghan Baker, Impact Houston
• Patrick Graydon, University of Virginia Queer and Allied Activism
• Rev. Robyn Provis, All God’s Children Metropolitan Community Church
• MaryEllen Huber
• Marc Blakesley, Special Folk Ministries
• Carol Harr, Soulforce in Colorado
• Jason Dudley, Many
• Mike Wright-Chapman, United Methodist Clergy
• Christopher Jones
• Robert Wood
• John Nelson, Niantic Community Church (UCC/UMC)
• Rich & Jeff Hendricks Simpson, QC PRIDE, Inc.
• Priyanka Mitra
• Mary English Morrison, Soulforce Austin, Equality Texas
• Rev. Rich Hendricks, Metropolitan Community Church of the Quad Cities
• Shane Windmeyer, Campus Pride
• Fred Berg, snakemonkey law office.com
• Janice Dean, Gay Straight Concerns Group, St. Paul’s Memorial Church (Episcopal), Charlottesville, VA
• Rev. Christine Retherford, Affinity Celebrations
• Roy Smith Jr.
• Rev. Sandra Hulse
• Todd Cramer, Knoxville Human Rights Group
• Bram Wispelwey
• Donald Isenman
• Tim Hughs
• Jim Birkitt, Metropolitan Community Churches
• Coleman Wheeler, A Smart Gay List & Gay Arts Yahoo e-Groups
• Matthew Lavin
• James Wright
• Raja Bhattar
• Marianne DeLeon, Soulforce
• Michael Macocco, Diversity of Rockford
• Sandra Drescher
• Catia Confortini
• Al Hanna
• Joe Mendolia
• Mary Reeves
• Anthony Capobianco
• Morgan Ivie, Rite Aid
• Mende Snodgress, just a lesbian
• James Snodgrass, MCC
• Eugene Keuning, MCC
• Dawn Roginski, St. Francis Lutheran Church
• David Taylor
• Amy Siddon
• Frank Brown
• Jack Richter, Gay man / American Atheists, Minnesota Atheists, Freedom From Religion Foundation, Council for Secular Humanism
• Dan Lee
• Judith Ponder
• Laura Evers
• Roslyn Manley
• Deborah Jacobs
• Troy Tillman
• Caroline Christian
• Cora Holt, Kansas State University
• Diann Presley
• Kat Malinsky, Argosy University
• R. Zeke Fread, Pride Tampa Bay-Day of Decision
• Dave Bart
• Lance Gosnell, Bayard Rustin Social Justice Center
• Shane Morgan, TransOhio
• Larry Hubble
• Lisa P
• NurWasi Yossi, Sufi Muslim
• Ramona Silipo
• Barb Schade
• Thomas Mooney
• Dusty Jepkema, Calvin College
• Lydia Nowak
• Christopher Bolden-Newsome
• Deborah Danzeiser
• MacArthur Lundeen
• Clinton Kiambao
• Johnny Roberts
• Dustin Lance Black
• Alphonse Osinski
• Tony Graf
• Fr. Bernie Sheffield, Benedictine Order of St. John the Beloved
• Cynthia Lyons
• Robin Gray-Reed
• Megan Heeney, Catholic Action Network for Social Justice in St. Louis
• Peggy Meeker
• Rev. Carolyn Golojuch, PFLAG0-Oahu, ADA
• Mira Nagrani
• Hannah Miyamoto, Student Advocates for Marriage Equality (SAME)
• Sondra Ruth Wesseldyke
• Rev. John Brown II
• Diane Peterson
• Sharon Mann
• Joseph Whitney, HRC
• Adam Taylor, LGBTA Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party, and Project Light
• Elisabeth Thompson
• Archbishop Bruce Simpson, Benedictine Order of St. John the Beloved
• Jay Kroll
• Dennis Woodward, School of Hard Knocks (home school)
• Julie Graves, Colorado Queer Straight Alliance
• Chelsea Snyder
• Abbey DeSilva
• Raph Martin, Gaymoor
• Syd Stevens, SydVideo.com
• Eric Lunow
• Annette Cain, Friend of the Oppressed
• Adam Repicky
• Troy Carlyle, Project TAG
• Terrence Bachman
• Shanna Rudnick, None
• Marnie Singer
• Kelly Hutton, University of New Mexico
• One Struggle One Fight
• Barry Barnhill, Soulforce
• Thom Vernon, Love Exiles
• Debbie Betchelor
• Theresa Meyer
• Melissa Drinkman
• Liz Roisman
• Chris Fike
• Lincoln Davis
• Daniel Renberg
• Ramon Pratt, Harmonious Productions / Capital West Properties of CA
• Karen Schlegel
• Robert Van Etten
• Evelyn Marquez
• Erik Steel
• Denisea Fernandez
• D. Gregory Smith
• Isaac Ledesma
• Nathan Miller
• Rick Hunter
• Christopher Burdick
• Kenneth Cory
• Daniel Taylor
• Melanie Cohn
• Brandy Daniels, Student, Duke University Divinity School
• Christina Baldwin
• Rev. Pat Bumgardner, Metropolitan Community Churches
• Rev. Nancy Wilson, Metropolitan Community Churches
• Wendy Boyer, Soulforce
• Beverly Kirk Turner, Soulforce
• David Kincheloe
• Fay Clarity
• The Rev. Ellen Brauza, Buffalo Community of the Holy Spirit
• Naomi Zipperman
• Emily Kraus
• Andy MacDonald, Soulforce
• Mayra Huerta
• Lili Huerta
• Peterson Toscano, Beyond Ex-Gay
• Frank Timothy Elliott, ALSP
• Alice Cromwell, Reconciling Ministries Network, Soulforce, PFLAG
• Calli Orth
• Rachel Garcia
• Samantha Kemp
• Kimberly Esslinger, Long Beach Equality
• Greg Lawson, United Church of Christ
• Rachel Reed
• RJ Taylor, Desert No H8
• Rev. Chris Carpenter, Reformed Catholic Church
• Shelley Cohen
• Donald Dureau, Progressive Center of Dallas, standshout.blogspot.com
• Molly Beacham
• Robert Puskarich
• Dean Genth, Iowa Stonewall Democrats
• Joey Nelson, Queer Justice League
• Tony Carroll, LCSW, www.HoustonTherapist.com
• Lisa Petty
• Robin L. Greiner, Jr., CCA
• Martin Austin, Humanity
• Lauren Dunnaway
• Lorraine Corderio
• Kurt Hoffmann, University of Dayton
• Douglass Lee
• Judith Lee
• Jessica Smith
• Tim Miller
• John Perry
• Carol Lewis
• Ben Smith, Mass Equality, HRC
• Douglas Gibson Jr
• Hoa Long Tam,
• Kelly Hart, San Francisco LGBT Pride
• Trevor Ditzler, UCSB
• Mr. Derek B. Clark
• Urvashi “Urvi” Nagrani, United Random Visions
• David Koutroulis
• Cory Thall
• Tamandra Michaels
• Matthew Kinkel, Student
• Suzanne Dwillies, Victoria Bisexual Network
• Kenneth Corbin
• Mark Martin
• Blake Wilkinson, Queer Liberaction
• Brenda Davis, Faces of Us
• George Plagianos, AXIOS Eastern Orthodox LGBT Christians
• Stephen Zollman
• Daniel Logan, San Diego Equality Now
• Virginia Macy, NOW
• Anne Wright
• Joseph Soto
• Randy McMillan
• Kevin Riley, Soulforce
• James Combs
• Rev. Jane Newall, Rainbow Cathedral MCC
• Sheila Schroeder, University of Denver
• Holly Kukkonen
• Cris Kimbrough
• Harold Hughes, Under the Rainbow LGBT Radio
• Jessica Ungermann, Impact Houston
• Brittany Polin
• Morganne Madrone
• Amir Thomas
• Magenta Freeman
• Aselda Thompson, University of Houston Law Center
• Jon Landre, Unitarian Universalist
• Harvey Liss, Elections Committee of the County of Orange (ECCO)
• Deb Hillgartner, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Las Vegas - Interweave
• Bonnie Tinker, Love Makes A Family, Inc.
• Dave Ferguson, Church Relations Director, Seventh-Day Adventist Kinship International
• Robert Cooley
• Bill Seiber, United Methodist Church
• Rev. Andy Little, Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Spencer Wulwick, Several
• Sandy Farmer-Wiley, Soulforce & Hawaii resident
• Melissa Cardinet, One Struggle, One Fight
• David McEwan MD, Family Equality Coalition-Hawaii
• Nancy Freitchen Gibson
• Cris Elkins, Soulforce
• Norman Murphy, Dr. Murphy C. Murphy
• Erin Johnson
• Andrew Bell
• Stephen Herndon
• Scott Wirth, Ph.D.
• Guido Sanchez, CenterLink
• Margaret Collins, PFLAG-Denver
• Andrew Morton, Join The Impact
• Kate Burns, Soulforce in Colorado
• Carolyn Finken-Dove, PFLAG mom
• Mike Stevens
• Brendan Curran
• Rachel Bowman, Trans-e-motion
• Narda Beauchamp, Kalamazoo Alliance for Equality (KAFE)
• Becky Kizer
• Patti Boman
• Rebecca Depue
• Wendy Austin
• Danette Kong Poole
• Paul Diamond
• Robert Montes
• Judi Bailey
• Amy Kelly
• Thomas Reinhart-Marean, United Methodist Church
• Beth Kolpien, Redlands United Church of Christ Member
• Melissa Dramstad
• T J McGiffert, Soulforce Georgia
• Rachel M Hervey
• Charles Begley
• John Ferguson, PFLAG
• Ellen Lewis
• Simon Kittok
• Mary Gill
• Cory Pannier
• Janet Moradian
• Stephen Zollman
• Patsy Lynch
• Bob Crispen
• Jeff Coe
• Virginia Stephenson, Equality NM
• LaReina DelBarrio, LaReina.TV
• Gary Mitchener, Soulforce
• Ann Turner
• Becky Frankin
• Louis Hughes
• Rev. Rich Hendricks, Metropolitan Community Church of the Quad Cities
• Mark Kane
• Patrick Schiller-Nunes
• Carrie Harrington, Civil Rights Front
• Chuck Hoover
• Mike Tidmus
• Shari Wilkins, PFLAG Denver
• Jeffrey Mills
• Spencer Wulwick, Georgia Equality
• Rachel Reed, MCM
• Susanne Davis
• Howard Blount
• David McGuffie
• Lia Robb
• Ryan Linstrom
• Karen Tubbs
• Eva-Genevieve Scarborough
• Whitney Walton
• Brad Hudson Thomas
• Michelle Evans
• Jon Brooks Hudson Thomas, Married homosexual
• Rev. Sky Anderson, Metropolitan Community Church of San Jose
• Steve Purol
• Tim Wilkins, American Unitarian Conference
• Suzanne Martinez
• Sam Ledford, ASWF
• Sheryl Moeller
• Lisa Patterson
• Barbara Parot
• Leah Raddish
• Virginia Goggin
• Mandy Watts
• Julie Lucas
• Gina Patterson
• Carla Gilmore
• David Beverage
• Lisa Lett, TheShepherdsArms.org
• Justin Eldred
• Dale Therio
• Susanne Lee, Gay
• Sara McHale
• Chelsea Salem, OCEC, I have fingers in many other equality pies.
• Dianna Gewing-Mullins
• Jacob Firestien
• Deborah MacNair, PFLAG Denver
• Zachary Dryman
• Brian Di Leandro
• Butch Kelson
• Michael Dixon
• Antoinette Brown, Delano LGBTQ, Bakersfield LGBTQ
• Kristin Hurley
• Laurie Tidyman-Jones
• Barbara Kabbas
• Ian Clark
• Chad Walsh
• Flynn Gourley
• Sue Sadler-Pare’, SAME
• John Visser
• Roy Birchard, Fellowship of Reconciliation
• Angelo Campisi, Blue4Equality
• Dave Bart,
• Ellen Pontac, Marriage Equality USA
• Fred Walz, SE Colorado Counseling
• Maren DeGraff
• Davina Kotulski

Note to signers: Naming an organizational affiliation above only means that you wish to be more clearly identified, and should not be understood as an indicator that you are authorized to sign on behalf of said organization.