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TASK FORCE FOR
SAME-SEX MARRIAGE 1. MINUTES: Meeting of MARCH 2, 1999 A meeting of the Task Force was held at 473 Plainfield Rd., Edison at 7:30PM, with the following members present: Ed Martone,
Political Advisor The following
were absent due to conflicting schedules: The following are unable to attend on a regular
basis: 2. ED MARTONE: Ed has been offered jobs with the NJ Corrections Coalition and with NJCRI (HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials, Social Services, and Public Polity) and is pleased with the possibility that he may be able to provide services to both groups. As we have said repeatedly, we are delighted that Ed is going to continue to work with us on the Task Force for SSM. Ed has checked on the items for the Task Force that were pending with ACLU-NJ and no action has been taken. Ed will follow up with the groups. 3. National Freedom to Marry Day, Friday, February 12, 1999. We made no special effort to celebrate the day but did pledge our continuing support to our mission. We felt a bit of pain that we did not win in Hawaii and Alaska but most of us knew this was going to be a long struggle. We are thankful that we have not had votes on the bills in the Assembly and Senate in New Jersey. Followings is a status report on SSM legislation as of March 1999:
4 EQALITY BEGINS AT HOME: There was a brief discussion about EBAH. NOW will have a table and will have post cards available. John Schoen will also be there with PFLAG and will have cards available. We will have the cards revised to include a reference to Domestic Partner Benefits before the event 5. RELIGIOUS CONCERNS: The letter to the NJ Unitarian Universalist Congregations, mentioned in the January 28th minutes, was mailed February 4th. A copy is attached. Our sincere thanks to John Schoen and Sean Cashin who joined John S. in this effort Promises: We have continued to meet with Promises North and keep them briefed on the Task Force effort. We also continue to pick up new names for the support list for SSM. Kathy O'Brien was referred and we are pleased to report she seems eager to support the SSM effort. Kathy is on the LAMBDA FAMILIES of NJ steering committee and actively involved in the Unitarian Church of Montclair. We look forward to working with her. 6. Future Events: 7. The Next Meeting of the Task Force for Same-Sex Marriage will be Thursday, 7:30PM, April 8th, 1999 at 473 Plainfield Road, Edison. 732 744-1367 Minutes by Richard J. Harrison & John C. Campbell NOTE: There are now 20 typed pages of people who have authorized the use of their names in support of Same-Sex Marriage, Check it out on the website: www.gaypasg.org under Contents, click on Alphabetical List.
Billy Jack Gaiter's Life and Death Only 40 miles from the freedom and
anonymity of Birmingham, Billy Jack Gaither chose to stay in Sylacauga, Ala.,
population 13,000 souls, none of them openly gay. He worked in a nearby factory
and lived at home with his parents, caring for them. In his bedroom Mr. Gaither
hung a picture of Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable in "Gone With the Wind: -
the classic image for Southerners of life lost that might have been. In the
living room, where he never troubled his devoutly Baptist parents with the
truth about his homosexuality, he hung renderings of Jesus and the Ten
Commandments. One of them seems especially his: "Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you." It didn't work. Three weeks ago Billy Jack
Gaither was beaten to death with an ax handle and burned like rubbish on a pile
of old tires. The sheriff's office says two men have confessed to doing it
because they knew that Mr. Gaither was gay. One has suggested he propositioned
them. Maybe so. Maybe not. The adult response to
an unwanted invitation is "No, thanks." Or just "No." But
there are other lessons to take from Billy Jack Gaither's selfless life and
monstrous death. He apparently kept the core of himself from his family and
straight friends and co-workers because he thought it would offend them. That has always been the code in the
South. But secrets confer guilt
on those who keep them - they make bigots think those people have
cause for shamed, and shame lures bigots to attack. Governments need to say, because citizens need to know, that it is illegal to discriminate against people just because of who they are. The state of Alabama should include sexual orientation in its hate-crime law. It is the right thing to do. -- 30 -- Editorial from The New York Times, Tuesday, March 9th. (Emphasis Added)
Sean
Cashin E-Mail:
GayPASG@att.net / Tel: 732-744-1370 / Fax:
732-744-1368 Unitarian
Universalist Congregation of Monmouth County Dear
Fellow Unitarians: I am a member of the Central
Unitarian Church of Paramus and its Welcoming Congregation Committee. My belief in equal civil rights for all, and
my understanding of the Unitarian Universalist point of view has prompted me to
ask your help in a matter of advocacy for the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender
community. I am a member of the Task Force for
Same-Sex Marriage, a group of New Jersey citizens, both straight and gay, who
believe that gays are treated as second-class citizens when they are denied the
basic rights, responsibilities, and commitment of civil marriage. The people who would deny these rights
believe that same-sex marriage will diminish the meaning of marriage and their
definition of family. Their arguments
are based on religion and tradition, but the anti-gay rhetoric betrays and
underlying homophobia. Their arguments
have never provided a valid reason to justify denying a whole class of citizens
the important benefits of civil marriage. There are presently bills in both
the New Jersey Senate and Assembly which would forbid same-sex marriage in the
state. To combat these unjust and
mean-spirited bills, the Task Force has made available a series of
pre-addressed, pre-messaged post cards to key legislators. The cards need only signing, stamping and
mailing. Thousands of the post cards
have already been mailed, including a good number from Central Unitarian! Cards in the number you need may be ordered
free of charge from the Task Force address above. The Task Force is also soliciting
endorsement of the Marriage Resolution, a declaration of support for same-sex
marriage. Resolutions are being
collected nationally for use in defeating anti-gay-marriage bills wherever they
occur. A copy of the Resolution is
enclosed, and may be returned to the Task Force. We Unitarians profess a belief in
the authority of reason and conscience, the never-ending search for Truth, the
worth and dignity of each human being, and in the ethical application of
religion. There can be no better way
then support of equal civil rights for the gay community to realize these
ideals. Sincerely, Home info: 395 Hickory Ave., Paramus, NJ 07652 /
201-262-0704 / ( uusean@aol.com) |
Send mail to
email@gaypasg.org with questions or comments about this web site.
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