Press Release
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marriage equality
Press Release
Civic Celebration of the Life of Del Martin Scheduled for October 1, 2008
Beloved civil rights leader to be honored at San Francisco City Hall; Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others to pay tribute (San Francisco, CA, September 24, 2008)—Family, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, elected officials, community leaders, and performers will honor the life of Del Martin, one of the nation’s first and most visible lesbian rights activists, on Wednesday, October 1 at 2:00 p.m. in the Rotunda of San Francisco City Hall. Martin’s many contributions shaped the modern lesbian, gay, bisexual, and...Press Release
Community Mourns The Loss of Beloved Civil Rights Leader Del Martin, 87
(San Francisco, CA, August 27, 2008)—Today, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community lost an iconic leader and a beloved friend. Del Martin, 87, passed away in San Francisco. Martin was one of the nation’s first and most visible lesbian rights activists who dedicated her life to combating homophobia, sexism, violence, and racism. Martin’s many contributions to the LGBTQ movement will resonate for decades to come. “Today the LGBTQ movement lost a real hero,” said Kate...Press Release
PG&E Announces $250,000 Contribution to Fight Prop. 8
Company Encourages Other Businesses to Join Business Council to Protect Freedom to Marry for All Californians (San Francisco, CA, July 29, 2008)—NO on 8—Equality California today received a significant contribution of $250,000 from Pacific Gas and Electric Company to help secure the freedom to marry for all Californians. PG&E is partnering with Equality California and the NO on 8 campaign to defeat Proposition 8, the November statewide ballot initiative that aims to treat same-gender...Press Release
National Center for Lesbian Rights Launches New Political Action Committee to Defeat Prop 8
(San Francisco, CA, July 29, 2008)—The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) today announced the launch of a new political action committee (PAC) to defeat Proposition 8, the marriage ban appearing on California’s November ballot. Through the No on 8 / NCLR Social Justice Fund, NCLR pledges to contribute significant dollars to the campaign to defeat Proposition 8. “Proposition 8 seeks to deny LGBTQ couples the right to marry, but the stakes go far beyond that critical issue. If the...Cases & Advocacy
Bennett v. Bowen
In June 2008, three California voters and Equality California, an organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of LGBTQ people, filed a lawsuit in the California Supreme Court to remove Proposition 8 from the November ballot. Proposition 8 was a measure to change the California Constitution to eliminate the right to marry for same-sex couples. The lawsuit argued that the proponents of Proposition 8 did not follow the appropriate rules for revising the California Constitution. The...Press Release
The National Center for Lesbian Rights Congratulates First Married Lesbian Couple in California
Iconic leaders Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin honored on their wedding day for five decades of historic leadership (San Francisco, CA, June 13, 2008)—Today, the National Center for Lesbian Rights congratulates iconic lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights leaders Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin on their upcoming marriage. The legendary couple, who have been together for 55 years and were the first to wed in February 2004, will marry with the full weight of the California...Press Release
Statement from NCLR Legal Director Shannon Price Minter on Petition for Stay
(San Francisco, CA, June 12, 2008)—The petition filed by the Campaign is frivolous and will have no effect. The California Supreme Court held that gay and lesbian couples have a fundamental right to marry and denied the Campaign’s petition for a stay. The court of appeal is bound by the California Supreme Court’s ruling and does not have authority to stay the decision. This is a non-event, and we are delighted that loving, committed gay and lesbian couples and their families will be...Press Release
LGBTQ Organizations Urge Couples Marrying in California to “Make Change, Not Lawsuits”
(New York, NY, June 10, 2008)—Four LGBTQ legal organizations and five other leading national LGBTQ groups have issued a statement entitled “Make Change, Not Lawsuits.” The statement explains that while couples who go to California to marry should ask friends, neighbors and institutions to honor their marriages, they generally shouldn’t sue. The statement says that ill-timed lawsuits are likely to set the fight for marriage back, and that there are other ways to fight which are more likely to...Press Release