Asian Equality Launches New Initiative to Raise Profile of People of Color Who Support Marriage Equality Asian Equality, in partnership with Lambda Legal, National Black Justice Coalition, National Latina/o Coalition for Justice, and Freedom to Marry, has unveiled a new initiative to elevate the representation of communities of color who support marriage equality for same-sex couples. The initiative, launched in conjunction with Freedom to Marry Week, February 12-18, 2006, will feature African American, Latino/a, and API people, gay and non-gay, showing their direct support for ending discrimination in marriage. A further goal is to expose the myth perpetuated by the right-wing that people of color are uniformly against marriage equality for same-sex couples. The group has kicked off its campaign with a widespread web presence featuring online banner ads appearing on websites such as www.essence.com, www.AsianAvenue.com, www.MiGente.com, www.Yolk.com, and www.ChopBlock.com. The banner ads, which feature a diverse array of people of color wearing a t-shirt that reads “Marriage Equality Matter,” depict the wide ranging support marriage equality has among communities of color. To view the banner ad and mini poster, visit www.lambdalegal.org/mem. The group is also planning a photo exhibit appearing in venues across the country that will be in full swing during lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender Pride month in June 2006. For more information about the campaign, please contact Liz Accles at Lambda Legal. API LGBTs and Their Allies Organize Parade Contingents for Marriage Equality at Lunar New Year Celebrations in Los Angeles and San Francisco On February 4, 2006, API Equality LA organized a contingent with over fifty marchers in support of marriage equality at the Golden Dragon Parade in Los Angeles’ Chinatown! The contingent included representatives from API PFLAG, GAPSN, Satrang, Chinese Rainbow Association, Asian American Queer Women Activists, API Pride Council, South Asian Network, APALC, NAKASEC, San Gabriel High School Gay-Straight Alliance, and many other groups. The youngest participant was barely two years old, and the oldest was 82 years old. Reactions to the contingent were overwhelmingly positive at the parade. On February 11, 2006, the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA) organized a 200-person contingent and a float representing a “family tree” in support of marriage equality at the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco’s Chinatown. The contingent included API faith leaders, straight allies, and children of same-sex couples, and was supported by a wide variety of API faith-based, civil rights, and community organizations. Among them were the Network on Religion and Justice for API LGBTs spearheaded by the PANA Institute at the Pacific School of Religion, a new coalition of API faith leaders who support marriage equality. Combined, both the Los Angeles and San Francisco contingents were seen by well over 3 million spectators and television viewers throughout the U.S., Canada, and Asia with the help of both English and Chinese-language broadcasts of the parades. See more photos or watch the telecast of the San Francisco contingent. _ Asian Equality Signs Onto Amicus Briefs in Support of Marriage Lawsuits Nationwide California Asian Equality recently signed onto a groundbreaking amicus brief in support of California’s Woo v. Lockyer lawsuit for marriage equality. The brief relates the current struggle with marriage discrimination faced by California’s same-sex couples to the history of discrimination faced by APIs throughout the state’s history. It was signed by nearly 30 API organizations across the country, demonstrating the widespread community support for marriage equality. Authored by Victor Hwang at API Legal Outreach, the brief was first conceived as a project at a roundtable of API community leaders organized by Asian Equality and sponsored by the Asian Law Caucus, Chinese for Affirmative Action/Center for Asian American Advocacy, and Chinese Progressive Association in May 2005. Read more about the plaintiffs, including Lancy Woo and Cristy Chung with daughter, Olivia, pictured above, and background of the lawsuit led by the National Center for Lesbian Rights. New Jersey Asian Equality signed onto an amicus brief in support of New Jersey’s Lewis lawsuit for marriage equality. Read more about the background of the lawsuit and the couples in the case led by Lambda Legal. New York Asian Equality signed onto an amicus brief in support of New York’s Samuels lawsuit for marriage equality. Plaintiffs in the case include Francis Chen and Wade Nichols, a bi-national couple who cannot live together in the same country because of marriage discrimination and immigration restrictions. Asian Equality has also signed onto an amicus brief in support of New York’s Shields lawsuit. To learn more about John Shields and his lawsuit, check out Gay City News. Oregon Asian Equality signed onto an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit to win marriage equality in Oregon (Mary Li and Rebecca Kennedy v. State of Oregon). For more information about the legal struggle, check out the ACLU. To learn more about Mary Li and Rebecca Kennedy, read their story in the The Oregonian. Asian Equality Secures Amy Tan’s Support for Marriage Equality Highly acclaimed Asian American author, Amy Tan, recently endorsed support for marriage equality for same-sex couples. Pictured with Tan (middle) are Jeanne Fong, Jennifer Lin, John Lewis, and Stuart Gaffney (from left to right) at the SF International Asian American Film Festival’s Gala Reception at the Asian Art Museum. Tan’s best known works include The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen God’s Wife. Other high-profile APIs who support marriage equality include Margaret Cho, U.S. Congressman Mike Honda, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, Yoko Ono, George Takei, and Helen Zia. APIs Promote Marry Equality on Cross-Country Road Trip On October 4-11, 2004, API marriage activists embarked on a historic journey across the American heartland to promote marriage equality for same-sex couples. Read blogs by those who participated on the cross-country trip, including: Jeanne Fong and Jennifer Lin, Stuart Gaffney and John Lewis, and Nadine Jernewall. Check out media coverage of the National Marriage Equality Express and the National Rally for Marriage Equality in Washington, D.C. More coverage of the rally can also be seen on CSPAN! For more information about the organizers, check out Equality California and Marriage Equality California. Nation's First API Rally for Marriage Equality Held in San Francisco Thanks to all of you who were able to come out to the nation's first API-organized rally for marriage equality on August 8, 2004! It was a hugely successful event with groundbreaking media coverage, newly registered voters, and jazzed-up activists. There were so many highlights to the historic occasion, but perhaps the most memorable were when each of the couples spoke of their commitment to each other and to the struggle for marriage equality. For coverage of the event, check out San Francisco Chronicle, KQED Pacific Time, AsianWeek, SF Bay Area Independent Media Center, and Chinese-language press. Read Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Kuan's speech at the historic occasion. Friends at GAPA, APIQWTC, and EQCA/MECA are looking forward to sustaining the momentum that was generated from the event, so make sure to stay tuned for future opportunities to educate our API communities.