Dear Members,

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

Come join API Equality and a whole host of organizations for a Community Building Town Hall Meeting in San Francisco on the No on 8 campaign at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Thursday, February 26, 2009 – 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Click here for more information.

Hi Everybody,

I just want to take this opportunity to all of you bringing your members to march at the parade. An estimated count has us with about 75 marchers. I hope you all enjoyed yourselves that evening and I thank you all for praying for nice weather!

We did so much with so little time! I was busy getting things ready and did not have any time to speak with all of you, so I just want to use this opportunity to express my appreciation!

Thanks goes to Arthur and Tee for helping me fix the convertible into a wedding sedan.

Thanks also goes to Jen-Mei and Choon for gathering the marchers and getting Trinity and Desiree to throw the bouquet.

Thanks to Trinity and Desiree for putting on the Hawaiian Wedding Dresses beautifully and loving tailored by Trinity’s mom for the 4th time for the parade.

Thanks for Jen-Mei for providing the sound system and to Deborah for the red wagon.

Thanks goes to API Family Pride for the ponchos and the cowbells.

Thanks goes to Michelle, Jen-Mei, Tee, Choon for inflating the balloons and bringing them to the meeting area.

Thanks to Stuart and John for providing the double happiness sign.

Thanks to Elizabeth for getting the red costumes for NRJ’ers and securing Rev Oda for the parade.

Thanks to Kevin for putting on a suit and driving the convertible.

Thanks to all the organizations who turned out their members in force!

Finally, thanks to all the committee members from participating organizations who came together 6 weeks ago to start planning this. Without all of you contributing, we would not have a contingent marching at all.

You can view some of the pictures here:

Lastly though, I apologized for the change in meeting area. We were supposed to be on market street but the parade monitor directed us to second street. I found out later after the march that we were not supposed to be on second street and the monitor gave us the wrong information.

It has been a real pleasure working with all of you!

Yours sincerely,
Amos Lim, 林明利, Community Organizer

The California Supreme Court announced today that it will hear oral arguments on Thursday, March 5, 2009 in the Proposition 8 legal challenge.

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.

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.

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.

View more videos at API Equality’s YouTube Channel

Dear Friends,

In less than 35 days, 12 million Californians will go to the polls to elect a new President and weigh in on Proposition 8 – the ballot measure that would eliminate the right to marry for same-sex couples.

A number of public polls have shown that our side – the NO side – is ahead. This is much better than being behind, but the devil is in the details. An in-depth analysis of the polling reveals that fully 20% of the voters are still undecided.

We’ve learned from losses on other anti-gay ballot initiatives, here and in other states (Wisconsin, Colorado, etc.), that people lie to pollsters about their prejudices. There is typically a 7-10 point difference between what people tell the pollster about their views on LGBT rights and how they really vote. In other words 7-10% say they believe in equality but actually vote against us.

When you consider all of these factors, we’re in a dead heat on Prop 8.

So, we cannot rest easy! We must do everything we can to match the efforts of our opponents. Please join our campaign to identify 888 voters who pledge to defeat Prop 8 on Election Day.

Click here to join the 888 Campaign to defeat Prop 8!

Once you’ve taken the pledge. Please forward this on to eight of your own friends and family and get them to take this pledge and defeat Prop 8 on Election Day.

Sincerely,

Amos Lim, Community Organizer