MARRIAGE EQUALITY USA FILES AMICUS BRIEF URGING THE CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT TO OVERTURN PROP 8

San Francisco, CA: In briefs filed yesterday with the California Supreme Court, Marriage Equality USA submitted an amicus brief detailing how anti-gay organizations have abused the ballot initiative process to promote their anti-gay platform with out-of-state funds and deceptive ads. “After thorough consideration, our California Legislature twice passed marriage equality bills and our California Supreme Court ended the ban on marriage for same-sex couples, but fear tactics promoted through deceptive 30 second ads were used to strip same-sex couples of their right to marry and to enshrine discrimination in our Constitution,” states Molly McKay, Marriage Equality USA Media Director. “It can’t be that easy strip fundamental rights away from a minority group, the Court must do the right thing and overturn Prop 8.”

“Preparing this brief was an eye-opening experience,” said Shay Gilmore, attorney for amicus curiae of Marriage Equality USA. “While I had always been generally aware of how gays and lesbians have been mistreated historically, I really had no idea how extensively anti-gay forces had used the initiative and referendum processes against gay men and lesbians since the 1970s.”

Jo Hoenninger, attorney for Marriage Equality USA, continues, "The initiative process was originally intended to fight corruption in government and provide the people with the means to protect themselves. By airing advertising that was flatly false, the proponents of Proposition 8 manipulated the majority and the initiative process in order to deny a basic civil right to a minority. In so doing, they did a disservice to the LGBT community, to the fair-minded Californians who make up the majority, and - even though they do not yet realize it - they did a disservice to themselves."

“The harm of anti-gay initiatives extends well beyond the ballot box,” said Pamela Brown, Marriage Equality USA Policy Director. “With California’s Prop 8 campaign, not only did LGBTI people lose their right to marry, but they were verbally assaulted, had property vandalized, received death threats, and some even lost their jobs because they were gay. Yes on 8 ads disseminated lies and promoted homophobia as illustrated in the hundreds of stories we received through community forums and our on-line survey detailing the harm LGBTI people, their children and straight allies experienced directly resulting from this campaign.”

Earlier this week, Marriage Equality USA released a report entitled “Prop 8 Hurt My Family – Ask Me How” which provides cross-section of these stories. This report, cited in Marriage Equality USA’s amicus brief, is available for download via the web at www.marriageequality.org.

“In reading these stories and getting to know our families, we believe Californians, including those who voted Yes on 8, will conclude that no individual or family should ever have to endure the pain of having their constitutional rights up to a popular vote,” concludes McKay. “To promote that end, Marriage Equality USA is supporting Get To Know Us First, a grassroots organization that has produced five ads sharing real stories of same-sex couples and their children and is seeking funds to place these TV ads in 42 California counties to follow Pastor Rick Warren’s invocation prayer.” To see these ads and donate, go to http://www.gettoknowusfirst.org.

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Direct Shortcut: Click here to download the Marriage Equality USA’s amicus brief.

MARRIAGE EQUALITY USA RELEASES REPORT: “PROP 8 HURT MY FAMILY, ASK ME HOW” – A COMPILATION OF REAL STORIES FROM THE CAMPAIGN

"Marriage Equality USA® received hundreds of gut wrenching stories, particularly from children of same-sex couples and LGBTI youth, that describe harm and even threats and violence that resulted from California's Prop 8 campaign," said Molly McKay, Marriage Equality USA® Media Director. "These stories mirror research released this month from the American Psychological Association that anti-gay initiatives create psychological stress 'as a direct result of negative images and messages associated with the ballot campaign and the passage of the amendment.'"

"From our community forums hosted across California and our on-line survey, over 1,200 people shared specific instances of the harms they experienced as a result of these anti-gay initiative campaigns," stated Pamela Brown, Marriage Equality USA Policy Director. "In our second report summarizing grassroots input, ‘Prop 8 Hurt My Family – Ask Me How,’ we share a cross-section of these personal stories to illustrate how Prop 8 hurt real people, frightened children of same-sex couples, promoted bullying in schools, caused straight allies to experience homophobia, tore apart families and destroyed neighborhoods.”

A copy of this report can be found on our home page (http://www.marriageequality.org) or directly at http://www.marriageequality.org/uploads/library/REPORT%20TWO_PROP_8_HURT_MY_FAMILY_FINAL_VERSION.pdf
Our report also includes a list of counseling and community resources to provide additional support to those harmed by Prop 8’s campaign.

A sampling of the stories in the report include:

• "It is frustrating and exhausting to go through the course of each day feeling like we somehow have to defend our marriage," a perspective from one same-sex couple;
• "My six-year old, the day after we lost Prop 8, asked me, with tears running down his face, if we were still a family" a story from a lesbian parent;
• "I work in a high school and the students have begun gay bashing openly now. They feel the majority has voted that being gay is not ok, thus they can make fun of them," a California school administrator;
• "My gay son and I started rallying on visible corners…. I was told I was going to hell… My son was spit on, called names, told he was a demon and a pedophile. It was hard for me, but all I could see was the pain on my son’s face," one mother’s story;
• "My father and brother voted Yes on 8. It was a stab wound to my heart," a story from one gay daughter; and
• "The large presence of Yes on 8 lawn signs in my neighborhood…left me with a hostile feeling and I’m not gay. I can’t imagine how unwelcoming that atmosphere must have felt on any gay neighbors," Placer County perspective.
  

"These stories reveal the real-life impact that these divisive and hateful ballot measures have had on people," said McKay. "We are hopeful that in sharing these stories, fair-minded Americans will reflect on these harms and help us stop any future ballot campaign aimed at stripping people of their fundamental rights. Voting down the basic family protections and dignity of your neighbors, family and friends violates the most basic tenets of the Golden Rule which instructs 'Do unto others as you would have done unto you.’”

Despite all these harms, same-sex couples, their children and other supporters have made it clear that we will continue to fight for the same dignity, respect and security that only marriage provides. The report concludes with stories that describe why the California Supreme Court needs to overturn Prop 8. Our hope in sharing these stories is that Californians, including those who voted Yes on 8, we will, upon careful reflection, come to the conclusion that no individual and no family should ever have to go through these experiences.

This report is the second of three to be issued by Marriage Equality USA summarizing grassroots input. Our third report to be issued later in January will provide Marriage Equality USA's road map for the future on how to best harness the energy of grassroots supporters to engage in outreach and education in support of marriage equality in all 50 states and at the federal level.

All three reports will be posted and available for download on Marriage Equality USA's home page (www.marriageequality.org).

MARRIAGE EQUALITY USA RELEASES REPORT SUMMARIZING POST-PROP 8 COMMUNITY FORUMS AND ON-LINE SURVEY RESULTS

San Francisco, CA - "Our grassroots community is comprised of dedicated, insightful and passionate leaders and individuals who deeply care about marriage equality and our movement," said Molly McKay, Marriage Equality USA (MEUSA) Media Director. "Today, we share their viewpoints and voices through our summary of community forum and survey input on California's No on Prop 8 campaign." A copy of this report can be found on our Marriage Equality USA home page (http://www.marriageequality.org) or directly at http://www.marriageequality.org/uploads/library/Report_One_-_Community_Input_on_Prop_8_Campaign.pdf.

"We received input from community forums hosted across California and over 3,100 individuals across the United States and in 13 foreign countries," continued Pamela Brown, MEUSA Policy Director. "This report is the first of three to be issued in the month of January that will share the 'collective wisdom' gathered by summarizing from this grassroots input."

MEUSA's report entitled "We Will Never Go Back – Grassroots Input on California's No on Proposition 8 Campaign" identified many positive outcomes from the official No on 8 campaign, but also cited the following major concerns and future opportunities:

• Clergy leaders, identified as the most effective messengers for marriage equality, were underutilized in the No on 8 campaign,
  
• People of color are part of our LGBTI family and we must promote their leadership and inclusion to inform and direct outreach to these communities,
  
• The official No on 8 campaign ads lacked heart and inexcusably excluded same-sex couples and their families,
  
• The official No on 8 field plan lacked visibility and ignored potential volunteers,
  
• The official No on 8 campaign abandoned our LGBTI community and supporters in the Central Valley, and
  
• Empowering our grassroots community will help advance our national marriage equality movement.

Under each item of concern or future opportunity, we have also identified a Call to Action that allows us a way to move ahead in addressing these issues. For example, under the section related to the role of clergy, we have asked clergy leaders to take the opportunity of President-Elect Obama's selection of Pastor Rick Warren as the invocation speaker to share with their local congregations and/or communities, reasons why they believe marriage equality is important and begin the slow process of healing and outreach to continue the dialogue with persuadable people of faith. MEUSA ends the report with our New Year's resolutions that highlight how we plan to move ahead as an organization, using the feedback we have received from the community we work to represent.

Marriage Equality USA will issue our second report next Monday, January 12th that will share stories of discrimination and harm that resulted from California's Prop 8 campaign and mirror similar experiences of our LGBTI community and straight allies who have faced similar ballot initiative campaigns. Finally, our third report to be issued later in January will provide MEUSA's plan for the future on how to win support for marriage equality in all 50 states.

Again, all three reports will be posted and available for download on MEUSA's home page (www.marriageequality.org).