Campaign for Southern Equality

Faith Leaders Speak Out in North Carolina

jasmine — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:56:40 +0000

Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, surrounded by faith leaders, addresses the crowd in Asheville, N.C on May 20th.

On Monday, May 20th faith leaders in Buncombe County, North Carolina gathered outside the county courthouse to speak out against laws and proposed policies that negatively impact low-income and minority residents of the state. They were joined by approximately 100 local citizens.

WLOS, the ABC affiliate in Asheville reported on the rally:

“We find ourselves living in a state whose government has rejected the idea of living for the common good,” says Rev. Joyce Hollyday of Circle of Mercy.

According to CSE’s Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, lawmakers are creating “a climate in which basic rights and services from the voting booth to the classroom to the public health department are being stripped away from people. “

And the Asheville Citizen-Times also covered the rally, which included speaking by five faith leaders and the chair of the Asheville Chapter of the NAACP. The rally was held in support of the North Carolina NAACP actions at the General Assembly in Raleigh, which have been dubbed “Moral Mondays.”

The speakers at the rally included:

Rev. Joe Hoffman, First United Church of Christ

Jackie Sims, Ethical Society of Asheville

Rev. Joyve Hollyday, Circle of Mercy

Rev. Todd Donatelli, The Cathedral of All Souls

Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, Campaign for Southern Equality

John R. Hayes, NAACP

John R. Hayes, head of the Asheville chapter of the NAACP.

Anti-LGBT Language in North Carolina Senate Bill 132

jasmine — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:33:29 +0000

The North Carolina state Senate advanced Senate Bill 132, which includes anti-LGBT language and assertions, by a 41-5 vote yesterday. The bill would require North Carolina public schools to teach students a number of items including:

“Teaches that a mutually faithful monogamous heterosexual relationship in the context of marriage is the best lifelong means of avoiding sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.”

One Year Since Amendment 1: Fighting for LGBT Rights

jasmine — Wed, 08 May 2013 11:35:56 +0000

On May 8, 2012 Amendment One passed in North Carolina, enshrining discrimination into the North Carolina Constitution. But the story didn’t end there.

The Campaign for Southern Equality (CSE) has never wavered in calling for full equality for all LGBT people. When Amendment One passed, we promised to continue our push for equality across North Carolina and the South.

Starting the next morning, on May 9th CSE raced across 10 town and cities in North Carolina and stood with LGBT couples and their supporters, saying “WE DO.”

In 2012 and 2013, more than 40 LGBT couples applied for marriage licenses as part of the WE DO Campaign in their hometowns across North Carolina. In Wilson, Durham, Winston-Salem, Asheville, Charlotte, Asheboro, Bakersville and Marshall, brave LGBT couples and their allies have stood up and said we are fully equal and called for full equality under the law.

WATCH:

In June, CSE staffers Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara and Lindsey Simerly were invited to the White House and met President Obama. (See Jasmine below.) They spoke with White House staffers about the urgent need that LGBT individuals and families have for legal protections in North Carolina and across the South.

In response to community requests, CSE’s legal team held a series of free “What Amendment One Means for You and Your Family” legal workshops across North Carolina. We went to Asheville, Charlotte, Asheboro, Winston-Salem and Durham. A huge thank you to attorneys Meghann Burke, Diane Walton, Bradley J. Weidemann, Connie Vetter and Sharon Thompson who generously donated their time in leading these workshops and answering questions about how Amendment One does – and doesn’t – impact people in N.C.

Then, thanks to more than 30 volunteer members of our legal team, CSE helped more than 70 individuals complete Health Care Power Attorney Forms during Blue Ridge Pride.

In recognition of CSE’s work across N.C., Rev. Beach-Ferrara received a 2012 Bob Page Equality Champion Award from Equality NC.

We also continue to work with our good friends at Gender Benders on many different projects, including a March 2013 Community Law Workshop focused on the transgender rights in the workplace. Gender Benders is a group for transgender, gender variant, LGBTQQI, and allied individuals in the Upstate, S.C. area.

Through their “Change for Change” fundraising drive they donated nearly $2,000 to CSE, funding which went directly to the January 2013 stage of the WE DO Campaign, when we led actions across 7 Southern states!

In other words, the story didn’t end with Amendment One. One year later, we’re more fired up than ever. With your support, we’ll keep pushing hard to tell this new Southern story and advocate for federal equality.

Can you give a tax-deductible donation to support CSE’s work? http://www.southernequality.org/donate/

We’re committed to running a lean, nimble organization and your donation will go directly to our continued fight for full equality.

LGBT activists lead Rep. Scott to announce support for marriage equality

jasmine — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:55:25 +0000

Rob and Jens

Last week, WE DO couple Jens and Rob met with their Congressman, David Scott (D-GA), to talk about marriage equality. In 2004 and again in 2006 Rep. Scott voted for a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

Well guess what, Rep. Scott now publicly supports marriage equality thanks in part to Jens and Rob! You can read the details of their interaction with Rep. Scott at the Joe My God blog.

Two days ago JMG reader Rob sent me this note: “Dear Joe, My partner & I met with our congressman, Rep.David Scott, yesterday and he told us that he completely supports marriage equality. He stated that he was a guest at Barney Frank’s wedding. He said that he would be willing to look at the Respect for Marriage Act as a co-sponsor if it is reintroduced in this Congress.”

Rep. Scott joins a growing list of Democrats who have switched their position on equality issues during the first half of 2013.

During January of 2013, Jens and Rob were one of 35 couples to apply for a marriage license as part of the WE DO Campaign.

On the Scene with the Supremes

jasmine — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:32:42 +0000

By Katie Watson

The energy outside the Supreme Court Tuesday morning was electric, and – ignoring possible frostbite – I was happy. I felt so fortunate to have tuned in to the Prop 8 case back in 2009, and to have assisted in the CSE-related brief at the district level, then attended the trial in San Francisco, and now seeing familiar faces in Washington D.C.

U.S. Supreme Court

The line wound its way in to the courthouse, but I missed the cut-off for sitting in the courtroom and found myself in the lawyers’ lounge instead. Those in the lounge were clearly rooting for the queer couples. The bell tolled, the room fell silent, and we all leaned forward to listen to the arguments.

I perked up when Ginsburg slapped down Yes-on-8’s reliance on a lousy case and nearly danced when Sotomayor cornered that advocate around why LGBT folks deserve legal protections. A high point was Kennedy’s cite to a brief concerning kids with LGBT parents – a group to which I belong – and the importance of our voices.

Next, Ted Olson performed his craft, poetically capturing the essence of the case, standing his ground against Scalia, deftly distinguishing polygamy from same sex marriage when questioned, and concluding powerfully that the history of our Constitution is to extend to protect people once ignored and excluded.

Then, the Department of Justice argued their stance and my mood changed. The Administration took a decidedly “wait and see” approach which essentially ignores LGBT folks in states where there are few safeguards against unjust discrimination in home, job, or health. Breyer highlighted this, noting that federal legal protections seem more necessary in states that have zero LGBT protections than in California. A low point was Alito stating that same sex marriage is newer than cell phones, apparently advocating for states to be able to conduct the social experiment of permitting gays to marry. Committed same sex couples have been around since time immemorial. Scalia was simply wrong to say that studies are inconclusive about possible harm to kids being raised by LGBT parents. Olson and team did an incredible job loading up the record with conclusive and favorable studies. Including loving gay couples in the framework of marriage hurts no one.

As a gay person, an attorney, and a citizen, I want the Court to declare that sexual orientation is a protected class. Where’s the rocket science – or the constitutional gray area – in that? I appreciate how far this movement has come and yet I also feel impatient. What about granting protections in employment laws, housing laws, and other day-to-day concerns of bias? To settle these issues, we will have many more days in federal court. Perhaps one of these cases will come from a Southern state.

Kathryn Watson is an attorney in Washington DC, where she represents community health centers. She is on CSE’s board of directors, as well as our volunteer legal team.