We’re rolling out the next phase of the WE DO Campaign, using a new strategy. We are actively seeking a local elected official in the South who will grant a marriage license to a LGBT couple because it’s the right thing to do.
WATCH:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jQxNB5FsPc[/youtube]
We’re starting our tour in North Carolina, standing with LGBT couples as they request marriage licenses and ask their local Register of Deeds to join them on the side of equality. The first action will be in Madison County next Wednesday, August 21, as we stand with Amanda and Loraine. Together for 13 years, this will be their third time requesting a marriage license as part of the WE DO Campaign. Maybe this time, the answer will be yes. But even if they’re denied again, their action will signal a new chapter in this Southern equality movement we’re building together. From Madison County, we’ll be barnstorming North Carolina (details to come soon).
History has shown that discriminatory laws fall when enough pressure is applied to them. Part of the strength of the LGBT movement is the array of tactics we have available to us to apply such pressure – from making legal arguments in federal courtrooms to making moral arguments in the public square.
Discriminatory laws hurt all of us, including those tasked with enforcing them. A discriminatory law asks the enforcer to deny the humanity of another person. In this way, it is immoral. There comes a time in every civil rights movement when those tasked with enforcing discriminatory laws simply cannot do it any longer. It starts with one person, then two, and grows from there.
That’s what is happening right now in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, another state with a ban on same-sex marriage. Recently, Register of Wills Mr. Bruce Hanes started issuing marriage licenses to local same-sex couples. His reason was simple: he believes they have a right to marry under the U.S. Constitution, which he took an oath to uphold. Now, two mayors in other parts of Pennsylvania are performing marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples to whom Mr. Hanes issued licenses.
We believe there is an elected official somewhere in the South who is ready to do this. Here’s how you can join us as we try to find this person:
1) Send a message of support to Amanda and Loraine and other couples who will be taking action; and
2) If you are an unmarried LGBT couple in any Southern state, write to the elected official who is responsible for issuing marriage licenses in your community and ask a simple question: if my partner and I request a license, will you grant it? If you’d like sample language, email Lindsey Simerly, WE DO Campaign Manager, at lindsey@southernequality.org.
UPDATE: Rachel Maddow blog writes about the new video and our strategy. Read it here.
