Going the distance with CSE - Campaign for Southern Equality

Amy Evans is a playwright from North Carolina who lives in New York City and is an incredible champion of CSE’s work as an ally. On Sunday, she’s literally going the extra mile – 26.2 in fact! – by running the New York City Marathon to raise funds for CSE. Amy’s already raised more than $1,700 and is nearing her goal of $2,620. Pushing for full LGBT equality in the South is its own kind of marathon and we’re so inspired by folks like Amy who are stepping up.Here’s more from Amy about why she’s running. Join us in cheering her on! – Jasmine

I got a really nice message from a friend who said that running a marathon is a brave thing to do. On my run this morning – an easy pace in Central Park, crisp blue sky, birds, squirrels, all that was missing was Bambi – itoccurred to me that there is nothing brave at all about marathoning. Vain, maybe. Self-indulgent by all means. But brave? About as brave as buying new lipstick.

Here’s brave: Walking into a county courthouse in the South with your life partner and requesting a marriage license, knowing the odds are stacked against you and that you’ll probably be denied. And then doing it again. And again. And again. That takes courage. But more than courage, it takes commitment, community, and a firm belief that we have the power to end injustice if we choose to. That’s what the Campaign for Southern Equality has been up to lately in the state of North Carolina. And at the same time they’re looking now for a local elected official in the South who openly shares the view that laws disenfranchising LGBT folks need to be stricken from the books once and for all.

Now the best thing about the NY marathon is having half a million loudmouth strangers line the streets and cheer you on until they’re hoarse. Please be that loudmouth stranger now on behalf of the CSE. It’s not just about the money: it sends a message that you’re out there cheering these couples on from afar when they walk into those courthouses, and that does mean an awful lot. For those of you who would like to support CSE, but are too broke at the moment (I know how it is, trust me), please consider this:

1) Are you an overachiever? I am. If I can’t donate $100,000, I just feel too lame to donate at all. But what if I told you that the CSE is fiscally airtight and a $10 donation actually makes a huge difference? It’s not like they’re giving away free tickets to see Alicia Keys or something.

2) OK, you really are too broke. So forward this donation link to your friends and pester them to donate. Blackmail them; guilt-trip them; or just let them know that this effort means a lot to you, and you’d like to be a part of it. They’re your friends – they’ll understand. – Amy Evans, New York City

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