Hey Folks,

Now that the election is over and the passage of Proposition 8 is sinking in, we want to let you know that we are not giving up the fight for marriage equality!

Despite last week’s loss, we have achieved great strides in the struggle for marriage equality.  We have made great inroads in building support in the API Community and have helped to amass a strong coalition of organizations and elected leaders who have stood out with us in the fight for full equality under the law.

It is time for us to regroup, evaluate our successes and challenges, and harness the energy and momentum amongst us to move strategically forward in this struggle.

To that end, we want to invite all members to join us for a API Equality Post Election Debrief.

Please RSVP to Tawal at Tawal [at] caasf [dot] org.

Other Upcoming Events include the following:

For a list of rallies around the nation, you can find them here:  http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/?t=anon

Show Your Support in AsianWeek

John and Belinda Dronkers-Lauretta of API Family Pride host a regular column in AsianWeek.com.  Their column last week, titled “After Proposition 8: The Path Forward” (http://www.asianweek.com/2008/11/06/lgbt-perspective-after-proposition-8/)  has attracted numerous comments on its page.  We are encouraging all members to read the article written by John and Belinda and offer your perspective on why you supported No on 8.

The defeat last week does not and will not stop us from moving forward to achieve marriage equality for all.  We will continue to fight for the day where every Californian is equal, where every person can marry the person of their choice!  Please make it a priority to attend our post-election debrief. In the interim, please come out to Saturday’s Rally against Prop 8 and show your support on AsianWeek.

Every day gay and lesbian Californians are denied the freedom to marry the person they love. Let California Ring is a public education campaign to open hearts and minds about the freedom to marry and the respect, support, protections, and responsibilities that come with marriage.

Comprising a coalition of more than 45 diverse local, state, and national organizations, including API Equality, Let California Ring is a project of Equality California Institute. It will forever change the way Californians feel about LGBT people and the freedom to marry.

Find out more at www.LetCaliforniaRing.org.

Dear Friends,

There is no other way to say it.

Sadly, fueled by misinformation, distortions and lies, millions of voters went to the polls yesterday and said YES to bigotry, YES to discrimination, YES to second-class status for same-sex couples.

And while the election was close, and millions of votes still remain uncounted, it has become apparent that we lost.

Take a moment, take a day, take the time to grieve this loss. But, do not doubt, this fight is far from over.

Particularly in the API community where we have seen tensions rise and tempers flare, where over the years thousands of APIs have fallen prey to the distortions and lies of the opposition to rally against their
LGBT brothers and sisters, where the ethnic media has shirked its responsibility to objectivity, we have nevertheless achieved great strides.

During this campaign, with our partner API Equality – LA, we secured the endorsements of the vast majority of API community-based, civil rights, and legal organizations across the state and just about every statewide API elected official. But, we must continue to do this work.  We must continue building bridges across our community and in coalition with other communities of color, we must continue sharing
our stories with each other and the world, and we must continue building this progressive and fair-minded movement that will one day lead us to full equality under the law.

Through all the trials and tribulations these long months and years leading up to this Election, we have persevered in the face of misinformation, unfounded allegations, and outright lies. And we are
stronger for it.

Remember how 8 years ago, we lost Prop 22 by a 23% majority. But, in that time, we were able to change the hearts and minds of millions, reaching a fifth of the electorate. Time is on our side.

Remember how just 4 weeks ago, we were down 10 million dollars in fundraising and down seven points in the polls. But, we did not give in or give up. Indeed, we have achieved what no other campaign of this
kind has ever achieved, raising more funds than any ballot measure campaign in history, mobilizing more volunteers to the field than ever before.

It is this indomitability, this faith in our selves, our friends, families, and allies that we will need to rely upon in the coming weeks, months, and years.

To all the couples who forsook their wedding celebrations and honeymoons to help raise funds for the campaign, to the many mothers and fathers who took those first steps out of their comfort zone to
stand by their children and take a stand for fairness and equality, and to the thousands of individuals who worked tirelessly night and day to heighten visibility and speak one-on-one with voters about the
true nature of discrimination, your work was not in vain. We will build upon this important foundation.

While victory is not ours today, we will emerge victorious in the end.

For Equality,

Tawal Panyacosit, Director
API Equality

Amos Lim, Community Organizer
API Equality