On Tuesday, March 25th in Jackson, Mississippi same-sex couples will apply for marriage licenses as part of the WE DO Campaign. Jessica and Amber are one of the those couples that will bravely walk into the Hinds County Courthouse and ask to be treated as full and equal citizens.
You can read about why they are taking this action as told by Jessica:
There are many things in this world that separate, divide, and hurt. Here in Mississippi, we see all kinds of pain and suffering on a daily basis. Poverty, illness, violence, helplessness… But there is one hope to which we can all cling, one lifeline that keeps us together, keeps us strong enough to make it through– Love. The power of Love is and has always been the common thread that holds the tapestry of humanity together, the only force strong enough to withstand the ferocity of fear. My sweetheart and I will celebrate seven years as a couple this July, and we have been truly blessed to experience this Love that weathers storms and grows gardens. That is why, as we have already done in the eyes of God, we wish to marry, this time under the law, with the same rights of marriage that other Mississippi married couples are provided. We’d like to know that when one of us has an emergency, there will be no questions about the other being by her side. We want to be confident that if ever one of us is unable to make decisions, no questions will arise about who else to turn to. And when asked if we are married, we pray for the day there will be no awkward hesitation, but a very firm and celebratory “Yes!” to anyone who asks! People who are in Love will continue look different, but the Love that carries them on is the same Love that has overcome fear since the beginning of time. May we, as proud Mississippians and children of the same God, cherish this Love not only in spirit, but in the freedom and letter of the law. Love is Love.
Following on the heels of the fight against SB 2681, an ant-gay “Religious Freedom” bill, the Campaign for Southern Equality is hosting a series of public events to advocate for equality in Mississippi:
- 3/21: Legal clinic at OUTLaw Conference at Ole Miss, Oxford;
- 3/23: WE DO Campaign training, Safe Harbor UCC Church, Flowood;
- 3/24: WE DO Campaign training, Millsaps College, Jackson;
- 3/25: Jackson WE DO action, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.;
- 3/25: Public lecture on LGBT rights at Milsaps College, 7 p.m.;
- 3/26: Rally for LGBT rights in downtown Jackson led by groups from across Mississippi at noon;
- 3/26: Family Dinner (community organizing event) Hattiesburg from 7 – 9 p.m.
