State Domestic Partner Bill Vote Coming: Act Now
By Josh Friedes
On Monday February 26th a crowd estimated at 2,000 gathered on the steps of the State Capitol to rally in support of LGBT civil rights. This rally was co-organized by the Religious Coalition for Equality (RCE) and Equal Rights Washington (ERW) who are jointly leading the fight to help legislators understand that people of faith, straight and gay, support civil rights for LGBT individuals and families, including marriage equality.
The RCE and ERW were joined by the 83 congregations and organizations that co-sponsored Equality Day called on the legislature to immediately pass the Domestic Partnership bill.ÿ This bill would provide immediate protections for LGBT couples while we continue the struggle for marriage equality.
The Domestic Partnership bill passed out of committee in advance of the cutoff, the date on which bills must pass out of committee if they are to be acted upon during the current session. The House and Senate bills are now in the rules committee. The bills could come to a floor vote very shortly-almost any day.
The most important thing that persons can do at the moment is contact their legislators and let them know you support immediate passage of the DP bill. Equally important is asking your friends and family to do the same. The easiest way of doing this is on line using the ERW GET ACTIVE system.
To contact your legislators in support of the DP bill use the link below
http://eqfed.org/campaign/pleasesupportthedpbill
To learn more about the DP bill go to the link below.
http://www.equalrightswashington.org/news/DPsummary.html
Thank you everyone who made equality day such a success and thank you to everyone who is contacting their legislators in support of the DP bill and getting their friends to do the same thing.
If you have already contacted your legislators in support of the DP bill consider writing a letter to the editor of your local or regional paper. If you do this please send a copy to info@equalrightswashington.org. ERW is also happy to help people draft letters.
Josh Friedes is the Advocacy Director for Equal Rights Washington, and he can be reached at jfriedes@equalrightswashington.org or by calling 206.324.2570 (w)
Queers for Economic Justice
The Immigrant Rights Project at Queers for Economic Justice (QEJ). QEJ is an organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender-nonconforming (LGBTQ) people committed to promoting economic justice in a context of sexual and gender liberation. QUJ is in the process of contacting LGBTQ groups across the United States to raise awareness of issues facing LGBTQ immigrants. QEJ recognizes that there is a marked lack of LGBTQ voices in the current immigration debate. Congress and the nation are presently looking toward measures of immigration reform and we recognize that several agencies are working organizationally to influence the outcome of these reforms.
We are taking this opportunity to insert LGBTQ perspectives into the national debate over immigration. LGBTQ immigrants face their own specific concerns and obstacles within the immigration process for a number of complex legal and social reasons. Attached you will find a queer and transgender vision statement on immigration outlining some of these concerns, as well as certain demands for reform which we believe to be inclusive and fair for all immigrants to the United States.
We are contacting LGBTQ organizations in particular because we believe that LGBTQ community centers are often the sites accesed by queer immigrants as safe spaces. We therefore eagerly invite you to join us as allies in our struggle. If you are affiliated with an LGBTQ group that would join us by signing on to our vision statement please respond with your support statement no later than March 1, 2007.
Debanuj Dasgupta
Immigration Policy Analyst
Queers for Economic Justice
16 W. 32nd St., #10H
New York, NY 10001
Phone: (212) 564-3608
Fax: (212) 564-0590
www.queersforeconomicjustice.org