20.10.08

Stopping the spread of hate...


On October 20, 2008, eight influential lesbian bloggers will launch 8 Against 8, an eight-day collaborative online fundraising drive to defeat Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that seeks to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in the State of California. See the project here.

The bloggers include Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend, Dorothy Snarker of Dorothy Surrenders, Grace Chu and Grace Rosen of Grace the Spot, Lori Hahn of Hahn at Home, Kelly Leszczynski of The Lesbian Lifestyle, Sinclair of Sugarbutch Chronicles, Riese of Marielyn Bernard, and Renee Gannon of Lesbiatopia.

The idea came about last Friday when Grace Chu of Grace the Spot logged onto Facebook and saw a few of her Facebook contacts openly campaigning for the passage of Proposition 8 via their status updates. “My initial reaction was to delete them from my Facebook contacts, because if you’re actively campaigning against my rights, you’re not my friend,” she said. “It totally ruined my morning.”

But instead of deleting her contacts, Chu decided to channel the power of the blogosphere to drive much-needed funds into the coffers of Equality California, the umbrella organization of the No on 8 campaign. Over the weekend, Chu assembled eight prominent lesbian bloggers to help get the word out and fundraise on behalf of Equality California’s No on 8 campaign. “Among the eight of us, we reach tens of thousands of eyes per day,” she said. “If we come together in a coordinated and unified effort, we could send a really powerful message, raise a ton of money, and make a real difference in the fight against Prop 8.”

Pam Spaulding of the highly influential and award-winning blog Pam's House Blend urges people to give to the No on Prop 8 campaign in the critical last days leading up to the election. Even if you have already given, it would greatly benefit the drive to defeat Prop 8 to give a little more. “We cannot allow an established civil right in the Golden State to be overturned at the ballot box. Every dollar you can give in these last in these last few days helps fight the dollars donated to enshrine discrimination into California's constitution,” said Spaulding.

Just last week, Equality California had released a bulletin that it was $10 million behind the opposition in fundraising. However, despite closing the gap this past week, there is still a ways to go. Furthermore, many current polls predict that Proposition 8 would pass if the election were held today. "There has never been a more important time for the queer community. This election will change our world for the better or put us back in the Dark Ages. It's not only critical we win for California, but for the rest of the country," said Sacramento resident Lori Hahn, owner of the popular lesbian family blog, Hahn at Home.


Like Sinclair said, In addition to California’s Proposition 8 on the ballot in just a few weeks, Florida has Amendment 2 and Arizona has Proposition 102, both of which would amend their state constitutions to define marriage as between one man and one woman - AND it would make all other unions equivalent to marriage null in the state of Florida (that means civil union, common law marriage, and even domestic partnerships!). Arkansas also has Act 1 on the ballot, which would forbid gay and lesbian parents - and any unmarried parents - from adopting children.

Florida is my home state and from what I have heard about the amendment, it seems like my fellow Floridians are going to pass it no questions asked because the wording is a little ambiguous. It goes like this:

"Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized."

Are you hearing what I'm hearing!!! This would mean that if you were married in another state or country, you could potentially be barred from seeing your beloved in the hospital! Think about this, people! It takes away health insurance rights from domestic partnership agreements which are ofttimes formed between elderly couples due to some other legal quagmire. Suze Orman, the First Lady of Finance has endorsed the Say No on 2 campaign, predicting financial disaster because of this amendment. See what one of my fellow Christians has to say about this.

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