Momentum, momentum, momentum…

Last week, Iowa became the first state in the Midwest to legalize same-sex marriage. And, on Tuesday, Vermont has now become the fourth state in the nation to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples. To top it off, also on Tuesday, our nation’s capital has moved closer to full equality by choosing to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples from other states.

While we wait anxiously here in California for the Supreme Court to issue their decision, weeks like these remind us that we are in it for the long haul! And, in the end, we will be triumphant! No matter what the ultimate decision may be, time is on our side, momentum is on our side, and we must be prepared to launch full-sail once the decision comes down.

Here in California, the Day of Decision is quickly approaching. While no firm date is yet in place, most legal experts expect a decision to be rendered sometime between mid-April and mid-May.

API Equality is working with local groups to organize a media response and rally on D-Day. While we cannot be sure what the ultimate decision will be, many expect the CA Supreme Court to uphold Prop 8 while maintaining the validity of the 18,000 marriages that took place prior to Prop 8’s passage.

But, win or lose, when the decision comes down we need to ensure that we are ready to mobilize, speak out, and continue to build the necessary support for full equality both in the letter and the spirit of the law.

With that in mind, we need your help!

TAKE ACTION

We are looking for couples, families, advocates, single folks, youth, and others to join our Speaker’s Bureau and speak out on D-Day and after. If you are conversant in English or an API language, particularly in Mandarin/Cantonese, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese, please sign-up to join us. We will provide training and talking points to all potential speakers. (Please contact apiequality [at] caasf [dot] org with your name(s), phone number, who you are (i.e. couple, student, advocate, etc…), ethnicity, and languages spoken.)

Additionally, we want to organize a large API contingent to join us in a rally and march on Decision Day. We are also seeking volunteers to join us on Decision Day to help us recruit volunteers to join us in our outreach efforts in the Bay Area. Since, at most, we will have 24 hours to organize so please join our Facebook group and become a fan. We’ll be sending out an events link as we hear more. (Click here to join!)

Finally, as we move forward in the fight, regardless of the decision, we will need to be proactive and share our stories and let people into our lives wherever we can. Therefore, API Equality is compiling a list of any and all upcoming events (Membership meetings, Organizational Banquets, Festivals and Fairs, Conferences, etc…). If you know of any events, small or large, that we should target to get the word out and continue to build support, please let us know. (Event suggestions should be sent to Choon Chong, choonkiat [at] hotmail [dot] com )

Thanks again for all your help!

In solidarity,

Tawal

This is the week.

In preparation for Thursday’s arguments before the CA Supreme Court, the California Legislature today passed resolutions opposing the passage of Proposition 8, sending a clear message to the Courts that denying fundamental rights to minorities is just plain wrong.

API Equality is working closely with LGBT leaders to ensure that the voices of all LGBT people are heard as we move forward in this process. This week, we also want to make sure that the face of the LGBT community is one that represents us and to that end will be organizing an API contingent at Wednesday’s candlelight vigils and working to ensure that our stories are heard in both ethnic and “mainstream” press.

Please come out and join us this week!

UPCOMING EVENTS & ACTIONS

3/4/09 – SF Candlelight Vigil for Marriage Equality
Join us at a candlelight vigil on the night before the Supreme Court Hearing. All members are welcome to attend! API Equality’s contingent will be meeting in front of Orphan Andy’s on the corner of 17th and Castro. Look for the API Equality Banner.

From Market and Castro for a 5-6pm for pre-march rally, we’ll march down to the CA Supreme Court (Civic Center) at 6:30pm for short program

You can find out similar events being held across the state at Marriage Equality USA’s website, http://www.marriageequality.org

3/5/09 – Supreme Court Hearing on Validity of Proposition 8
Just like last year, you can watch it on TV/Online Webcast via the California Channel, view it via satellite broadcasts in the following locations (note: seating is limited and will be offered on a “first come, first served” basis):

• The Milton Marks Conference Center, Lower Level, Hiram Johnson State Office Building, 455 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, and
• Hastings College of the Law’s Auditorium, 198 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA.
• SF LGBT Center, 1800 Market Street, SF, CA

In Solidarity,
Tawal Panyacosit Jr., Director
API Equality | www.apiequality.org

Click here for more information.

On November 19, 2008, the California Supreme Court agreed to hear the legal challenges to Proposition 8 and set an expedited schedule. Briefing in the case was completed on January 21, 2009.

The California Supreme Court must issue its decisions within 90 days of oral argument.

On January 15, 2009, 43 friend-of-the-court briefs urging the Court to invalidate Prop 8 were filed, arguing that Proposition 8 drastically alters the equal protection guarantee in California’s Constitution and that the rights of a minority cannot be eliminated by a simple majority vote. The supporters represent the full gamut of California’s and the nation’s civil rights organizations and legal scholars, as well as California legislators, local governments, bar associations, business interests, labor unions, and religious groups.

In May of 2008, the California Supreme Court held that laws that treat people differently based on their sexual orientation violate the equal protection clause of the California Constitution and that same-sex couples have the same fundamental right to marry as other Californians. Proposition 8 eliminated this fundamental right only for same-sex couples. No other initiative has ever successfully changed the California Constitution to take away a right only from a targeted minority group. Proposition 8 passed by a bare majority of 52 percent on November 4.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal, and the ACLU filed this challenge on November 5, representing Equality California, whose members include many same-sex couples who married between June 16 and November 4, 2008, and six same-sex couples who want to marry in California.

The California Supreme Court has also agreed to hear two other challenges filed on the same day: one filed by the City and County of San Francisco (joined by Santa Clara County and the City of Los Angeles, and subsequently by Los Angeles County and other local governments); and another filed by a private attorney.

Serving as co-counsel on the case with NCLR, Lambda Legal, and the ACLU are the Law Office of David C. Codell, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP.

The case is Strauss et al. v. Horton et al. (#S168047).
Click here for more information.

This will be the fifth year that the API LGBT Community and our allies are marching in the Chinese New Year Parade.  Let’s continue to show the world that there are LGBT API people in our community and that we all support marriage equality.

Some of the participating organizations include API Family Pride, API Legal Outreach, Asian Law Caucus, API Queer Women & Transgender Coalition, API Wellness Center, Gay Asian Pacific Alliance, Network for Religion and Justice for API LGBT People, Our Family Coalition, PANA Institute and UC Berkeley Queer and Asian.

When:                      7^th February, 2009, Saturday

Meeting Time:   4.45pm

Meeting Location:   Market Street – Section V (cross street is Second Street)  Please meet on the south side of Market Street.

Contingent Number:   Vanguard Contingent 39

Attire:   We are asking everybody to wear RED or YELLOW top and dark pants.  Please wear layers as it will be cold.  We will be providing ponchos too to the marchers.  The weather forecast as of today shows that it will be rainy.

RSVP:   Please RSVP through Facebook (http://www.tinyurl.com/2009cny) or sent an email to Amos Lim at alim [at] caasf [dot] org.  We need a firm count to make sure we have enough ponchos for everyone.

Additional Notes:

Please arrive at 4.45pm so that you can be briefed on what the marchers will be doing as they march along the Parade Route.  Look out for a white banner that says “Asian Pacific Islander for Marriage Equality”.  If you are lost or cannot find our contingent, please contact Choon Kiat at 408.421.2481, Jen-Mei at 415.601.7972 on day of parade.

Our contingent will feature a Convertible decorated with flowers and garlands.  We will have a lesbian couple who have been together for 23 years wearing their traditional Hawaiian wedding dresses that was made by their moms and sisters.  They have worn the dress when they were married about 10 years ago, then in 2004 when San Francisco allowed gay marriage and one more time last year in 2008 when the state of California allowed gay marriage.  They will put on that dress again this year especially for the Chinese New Year Parade.

The parade is a lot of fun! You will be walking about 15 city blocks, and the entire route will take about 2 hours once we start moving. Since we are at the front of the parade and the parade will start moving at 5:15, we hope to be done marching by 7pm.  There will be TV cameras at Union Square (in front of MACY’s) for the live telecast,   Food and restrooms may not be readily available.

WHAT NOT TO BRING: please note that we do not have storage space to store your stuff.  You will have to carry what you bring.  So, do not bring purses, wallets valuables, or flashy jewelry. Be careful of your cell phones and cameras as well.

RULES & REGULATIONS: No materials may be distributed or handed out during the parade, no alcoholic beverages allowed anywhere near the float, and ABSOLUTELY no flags or political signs allowed.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS: Finally, if you have never marched in the Chinese New Year Parade, you are in for a real treat–and a very memorable night of fun, empowerment, and friendship. It’s an evening that you will always remember fondly.

Please e-mail Amos Lim, alim [at] caasf [dot] org if you have any questions or on the day of the parade call Choon Kiat at 408.421.2481 or Jen-Mei at 415.601.7972.

Regards,

Amos Lim, 林明利, Community Organizer

As 2007 draws to a close, API Equality is proud to reflect on its accomplishments this year. Among other things, 2007 marks the year that API Equality joined with Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), one of the nation’s oldest and most reputable API civil rights organization, and became a fully-funded, fully-staffed project. Prior to its merger, API Equality was an all-volunteer run organization.

Some of its proudest accomplishments this year include encouraging hundreds of API community members to take action in support of marriage equality legislation, generating sustained media coverage of marriage equality in the API and English language press, and organizing the first-ever coalition of API faith leaders to speak out in support of LGBT families.

For a recap of API Equality’s accomplishments in 2007, click here.

On December 8, 2007, over 250 API allies of marriage equality came out to support API Equality at HOLIDAY LOVE 2007, a fundraiser hosted by Emi Gusukuma, Emily Lam, Tina Lee, Steve Ngo, and Richard Pio Roda at Zebulon Bar and Cafe. Sponsored by the law firm Minami Tamaki, led by notable civil rights lawyer Dale Minami, the event raised critical funds to support API Equality’s important work. Many thanks to our hosts and sponsor for their generous support and to all of our allies for coming out to show their love.

Hey Folks,

The state legislature yesterday introduced a non-binding resolution supporting the repeal of Proposition 8 on the grounds that it was a revision of the state Constitution and not a simple amendment, similar to the basis for the current lawsuits under way. If passed, this will put the state’s lawmakers on record against Prop 8 and will be an important step in demonstrating widespread opposition to its recent passage.

You can read about it at SF Chronicle

SAVE THE DATE: Post-Election Debrief Part II – Monday, December 15^th, 2008

Our post-election debrief on Saturday, November 22^nd was a huge success. We had many new and old faces in attendance. Much of the discussion centered on how we could learn from the lessons of the recent campaign and devise new action plans to educate the API community on the importance of marriage equality. We are currently consolidating all the notes from our discussion and will be sending out a detailed summary next week. But, in the meanwhile, we wanted to notify you of a subsequent meeting planned for Monday, December 15^th to review our brainstorming from the first meeting and prioritize and finalize next steps. Your attendance at this meeting will be important in determining the future direction of API Equality.

Date:                December 15^th, 2008

Time:                7pm – 9pm

Location:          Community Room at Chinese for Affirmative Action.

17 Walter U Lum Place, San Francisco, CA

Light Dinner Provided

Agenda and notes will be send out next week prior to the meeting.

We know all of you are busy during this festive season but we hope that you will allocate some time to attend this important meeting.  Please RSVP to Amos at alim [at] caasf [dot] org and let us know if you need childcare to be provided.

After Prop 8:  Marriage Equality Community Forum

We also want to remind you that Marriage Equality is organizing a Community Forum tomorrow to discuss the next steps after Proposition 8.  We would encourage our members to attend and share your observation with the larger LGBT community.

Date: Thursday, December 4, 2008 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Location: Milton Marks Auditorium, 455 Golden Gate Ave. San Francisco

You can RSVP for the forum at http://activelyOUT.com/activeEvents/events/10534

GAPA Banquet

GAPA celebrates 20 years of A&PI LGBT History in the Bay Area with ‘Urban Jungle’, GAPA’s annual Banquet & Fundraiser on December 6^th, 2008 at the San Francisco Zoo at 7pm

API Equality, John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney are being honored by GAPA this year for their work on Marriage Equality & No on Prop 8 campaigns.  We would like to encourage members to attend the event and celebrate with GAPA on their 20th Anniversary.  Margaret Cho will be the keynote speaker and honorary guest.

Please contact Alex Baty at alex [at] gapa [dot] org to purchase your ticket to this event and support an important organization!

SAVE THE DATE: December 14, “What God Has Joined Together: Hope for All Families”

We would like to invite our members to join San Francisco + Oakland + Bay Area Faith Leaders for an evening of Healing, Affirmation & Hope for LGBT Families & Friends in the aftermath of the passage of Proposition 8

Come Join in an ecumenical celebration of LGBT families & learn about resources and organizations supporting and advocating for LGBT family needs

Date:                Sunday, December 14
Time:                4pm-7pm

Location:          Historic Sweets Ballroom
1933 Broadway Oakland

Spanish Translation will be available

Sponsors includes:

Rev. Dr. Yvette Flunder
Presiding Prelate, The Fellowship
Senior Pastor, City of Refuge United Church of Christ

Rev. Darlene Garner
Vice – Moderator, Metropolitan Community Churches
Elder, Southern Conference, MCC

Rev. Dr. G. Penny Nixon
Pastor, Congregational Church of San Mateo
United Church of Christ

Bishop Tonyia M. Rawls
Prelate, Southern Jurisdiction
Unity Fellowship Church Movement

Rev. Nancy Wilson
Moderator, Metropolitan Community Churches

And Marriage For All
www.andmarriage4all.org

Freedom to Marry

Religion and Faith Program,
Human Rights Campaign Foundation

Amos Lim, 林明利, Community Organizer

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.