Dear friends,

Thank you for all of your passion, dedication, and hard work in the fight against Amendment 2. Though the Amendment itself was able to pass, we succeeded in drawing attention to the diverse and principled opposition to this amendment by religious people throughout the state.

Florida Clergy for Fairness was coordinated and supported by staff at Americans United for Separation of Church and State. As you likely know, the state of Florida is subject to repeated attacks on religious liberty. Those who wish to undermine church-state separation continue to raise their voices loudly in an attempt to dominate the Florida legislature and stifle the religious pluralism that makes Florida great. In the past year alone, the Florida legislature introduced bills that would undermine the teaching of evolution in public school classrooms and open the door to the introduction of religious theories of creation, and a bill that would have created a state-approved license plate featuring the image of a cross and a stained-glass window.

You have eagerly and generously participated in a ground-breaking effort to bring together fair-minded religious leaders throughout the state of Florida. As our struggle for religious liberty continues, we need you to continue to speak up! For updates on pressing church-state issues, please join the Americans United action e-mail list. Please consider becoming a member of Americans United to lend your support to the defense of religious liberty in Florida. In addition, Americans United has chapters throughout the state that would welcome your participation.

Your continued commitment will help us ensure that the next time religious liberty is under attack in Florida, we will be able to prevail! On behalf of Americans United and our friends at the ACLU of Florida (whose Florida PAC, the Committee to Protect Employee Health Benefits, made this effort possible) and Equality Florida, we thank you for your work and look forward to working together in the future!

Head of Metropolitan Community Churches'

Denomination Decries California's Prop 8 Vote

"Sad Day for LGBT Families, Sad Day for Justice and

Fairness," says Rev. Nancy L. Wilson, Moderator of World's

Largest Predominantly LGBT Christian Denomination



STATEMENT:

Tuesday's vote on Proposition 8 marks a sad day for California's LGBT families, and a sad day for justice and fairness.

By a narrow majority, the citizens of California voted to take away the legal right to marriage from gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender persons – a constitutional right the California Supreme Court ruled was guaranteed in this state. That right, misrepresented by some of our opponents as forcing faith communities to abandon their commitments or traditions, or robbing heterosexual couples of the sanctity of their vows, in reality left unchallenged the separation of Church and State as guaranteed in this nation's Constitution, and perhaps more importantly, made good on the promise we hold dear: that human equality is self-evident.

Though we lost this particular vote, our hope for the future remains strong. The number of Californians who support anti-gay laws continues to decline and the percentage of citizens who support fairness and equality continues to rise.

Even as LGBT people across California and this nation are experiencing pain and loss, sadness, grief, and even anger, we are also in touch with our strength and the legacy of our history and our pioneers --- leaders such as Rev. Troy Perry and Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon --- who steadfastly held to the conviction that we shall, indeed, overcome.



I call on my LGBT brothers and sisters to honor that legacy and to do what we have always done in the face of every setback in our struggle for human rights: take our anger and grief and rage and channel it in ways that will advance equality for all people.


Our reality is this: the journey toward justice in this world is seldom an easy one; too often it moves too slowly. We may often encounter roadblocks and detours, but no permanent delays. We already know the heights of great achievement, including that pinnacle moment in May of this year when California's Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality, and we know the depths of disappointment with Tuesday's outcome. Our struggle, like all human rights struggles, has always involved steps forward and occasional steps backward. Through it all, we have prevailed and we will do so again, for we believe in the prophetic vision of justice rolling down like a mighty river and human equality prevailing.



As a religious leader, I have been heartened by the way many of our ecumenical partners engaged deeply held disagreements with great civility and respect, and equally dismayed by the vitriolic way some colleagues in the faith used religion as a wedge to divide us. Misleading claims and the use of fear only serve to inflame bigotry and bias between those of differing sexual orientations, and among people of racial and economic divergencies.

In my faith tradition, I find strength in these words from the Christian Scriptures:

"Let us not grow weary in well-doing
for in due season
we shall reap
if we faint not."
(Galatians 6:9)



We must not -- we will not -- faint or fail in our quest for equality!

Tuesday's vote is not the end of this story. Now, a new chapter opens. We will once again tell our stories. We will talk about this loss and what it means. We'll write letters; we'll talk to the media. We'll attend vigils. We'll renew our commitment to participate in political organizations and community groups, and we'll educate those who were swayed by a misleading campaign that promoted fear and hysteria at the expense of the truth. We will honor the legacy of leadership that brought us to this place in history, and "act up" and "fight back" in ways that promote justice and combat the strategies of division.

The English poet, John Dryden, wrote:

"I am wounded,
but I am not slain.
I shall lay me down
and bleed awhile.
Then I shall rise
and fight again."


Tuesday, we lost a battle.

Now, we grieve our loss.

Tomorrow, we will "rise and fight again" until justice and equality prevail for all of us.

Momentum, time, the arc of history and hope are in our favor.

/signed/

The Rev. Nancy L. Wilson
Moderator
Metropolitan Community Churches www.MCCchurch.org





For Additional Information, Contact:
Jim Birkitt
MCC Communications Director
Metropolitan Community Churches
Los Angeles, California
E-mail: info@MCCchurch.net



The statement prepared in conjunction with the Global Justice Team of Metropolitan Community Churches, Rev. Pat Bumgardner, chair, and the MCC Communications Department, Rev. Jim Birkitt, communications director.

Dear Friend,

We had hoped never to have to write this email.

Sadly, fueled by misinformation, distortions and lies, millions of voters went to the polls yesterday and said YES to bigotry, YES to discrimination, YES to second-class status for same-sex couples.

And while the election was close, and millions of votes still remain uncounted, it has become apparent that we lost.

There is no question this defeat is hard.

Thousands of people have poured their talents, their time, their resources and their hearts into this struggle for freedom and this fight to have their relationships treated equally. Much has been sacrificed in this struggle.

While we knew the odds for success were not with us, we believed Californians could be the first in the nation to defeat the injustice of discriminatory measures like Proposition 8.

And while victory is not ours this day, we know that because of the work done here, freedom, fairness and equality will be ours someday. Just look at how far we have come in a few decades.

Up until 1974 same-sex intimacy was a crime in California. There wasn't a single law recognizing the relationships of same-sex couples until 1984 -- passed by the Berkeley School District. San Francisco did not pass domestic-partner protections until 1990; the state of California followed in 2005. And in 2000, Proposition 22 passed with a 23% majority.

Today, we fought to retain our right to marry and millions of Californians stood with us. Over the course of this campaign everyday Californians and their friends, neighbors and families built a civil rights campaign unequalled in California history.

You raised more money than anyone believed possible for an LGBT civil rights campaign.

You reached out to family and friends in record numbers -- helping hundreds of thousands of Californians understand what the LGBT civil rights struggle is really about.

You built the largest grassroots and volunteer network that has ever been built -- a coalition that will continue to fight until all people are equal.

And you made the case to the people of California and to the rest of the world that discrimination -- in any form -- is unfair and wrong.

We are humbled by the courage, dignity and commitment displayed by all who fought this historic battle.

Victory was not ours today. But the struggle for equality is not over.

Because of the struggle fought here in California -- fought so incredibly well by the people in this state who love freedom and justice -- our fight for full civil rights will continue.

Activist and writer Anne Lamott writes, "Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up."

We stand together, knowing... our dawn will come.


Dr. Delores A. Jacobs
CEO
Center Advocacy Project

Lorri L. Jean
CEO
L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center

Kate Kendell
Executive Director
National Center for Lesbian Rights

Geoff Kors
Executive Director
Equality California

Dear Friend,


While we know the climb to still defeat Prop 8 is very steep, the magnitude of the issues at stake for every same-sex couple and LGBT person in the state of California requires that we have an accurate picture of the final outcome before calling the ultimate outcome.

With at least 3 million ballots still to be counted, from counties we have not yet seen identified, the race could, at a minimum narrow, with the margin becoming much closer.

The No on Prop 8 campaign has determined that, given the incredible gravity of the situation, we will not issue the ultimate call on this election until we have more information (24-48 hours).

Never before in California's history has a group, who currently enjoys a basic right, been singled out and then had those rights ripped from them by a vote of their fellow citizens. This decision is so radical and so egregious that every voice must first be heard, no matter how unlikely a changed outcome might be.

In this fight for fairness and justice, tens of thousands of Californians built a campaign that far surpassed any previous civil rights effort on any ballot measure -- not only in California, but anywhere in our entire country.

You poured your talents, time, resources and hearts into this struggle for freedom and this fight to have their relationships treated equally. Thank you for each and every sacrifice.

And yesterday, at least 5 million Californians voted with us to reject discrimination and we thank them for their support for equality. In 2000 2.9 million voted against discrimination in our loss over Proposition 22 -- we lost that fight by a 22% margin.

Together, we put together the largest volunteer and grassroots network of any campaign other than a presidential campaign. Together, we spoke to our families, our friends, our neighbors and co-workers. Together, we reached outside our community to build coalitions that will strengthen us all. Together, we raised more money for this fight, in a shorter time, than anyone believed possible.

And the struggle for equality is not over.

Because of the struggle fought here in California and fought so incredibly well by the people in this state that loves freedom and justice -- our fight for full civil rights will continue.

In solidarity,
Kate Kendell
Executive Director
National Center for Lesbian Rights

Geoff Kors
Executive Director
Equality California

PRESS STATEMENT
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, November 5, 2008


Denomination of Metropolitan Community
Churches Decries Florida Marriage Vote
Amendment 2 vote "angers community and gives new urgency
to the push for equality," says The Rev. Nancy L. Wilson,
Moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches

Sarasota, Florida -- The head of the world's largest predominantly gay Christian denomination decried Tuesday's passage of Florida's Amendment 2. "Florida law already prohibited the legal recognition of same-sex marriages," said The Rev. Nancy L. Wilson, moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC). "This latest effort is unnecessary overkill. It shows a lack of trust in the government established by our nation's Founders, who wisely provided for am independent judiciary that can intervene to right the wrongs of inequality and injustice."

"Opponents of equality sought to use fear and division to convince Floridians that they needed to be 'doubly protected' from a non-existent threat," Wilson added. "Equality under the law, which we have yet to achieve and which is now farther from our grasp with the passage of Amendment 2, demotes no person and devalues no relationship. On the contrary, the equality we have sought and will continue to seek through the legal recognition of all marriages, elevates all of our lives and all of our relationships to the status I believe God intended and which is mandated by a Biblically-based faith, such as my own."

"The passage of Amendment 2 in Florida must serve to reignite our passion and drive for justice and the pursuit of legal recognition of our relationships, not only in Florida," said The Rev. Jim Merritt, Marriage Equality Coordinator for MCC's Global Justice Ministry, "but also in every place where lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people have yet to achieve full equality."

"Metropolitan Community Churches began the struggle for marriage equality 40 years ago when our Founder, The Rev. Troy D. Perry, performed the first public same-sex wedding in this country," added The Rev. Wilson, "and we will see it through to ultimate victory. We are people of faith and conviction; we believe the words of the spiritual we often sing: God did not bring us this far to leave us."

"Tonight I want to thank all the people and organizations who worked together for justice, and to encourage all of us --- from Equality Florida and Florida Red and Blue to the ACLU and the NAACP, from the Florida League of Women Voters to Fairness for All Families, and from the congregations of Metropolitan Community Churches to the individual rabbis and people of faith --- to continue to work together until bigotry, division and fear finally fail, and equality, unity and mutual support prevail."

/signed/

The Rev. Nancy L. Wilson
Moderator
Metropolitan Community Churches
www.MCCchurch.org



For Additional Information, Contact:
Jim Birkitt
MCC Communications Director
Metropolitan Community Churches
Los Angeles, California
E-mail: info@MCCchurch.net

Same-sex marriage ban leads, opponents don't concede
Bee staff, news services
Published: Wednesday, Nov. 05, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- Though some observers say voters have decided the issue, opponents of Proposition 8, the same-sex marriage ban, refuse to concede, pointing to uncounted ballots that could still defeat the measure.

The Associated Press this morning reported that Californians adopted the measure calling for a constitutional amendment outlawing same-sex marriage and overturning the state Supreme Court decision that gave gay couples the right to wed just months ago.

But opponents of the measure say they would not concede the outcome, despite vote totals showing supporters of Proposition 8 with a 400,000-vote advantage. Kate Kendall, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said 3 million to 4 million ballots remain uncounted statewide.

"The fact is depending on the turnout model we are looking at millions of votes yet to be counted," Kendall said. The race is too close to call. People's fundamental rights hang in the balance."

Passage of Proposition 8 could represent a crushing political defeat for gay rights activists, who had hoped public opinion on the contentious issue had shifted enough to help them defeat the measure.

It also could represent a personal loss for the thousands of couples from California and others states who got married in the brief window when they could. Legal experts have said it will have to be resolved in court whether their unions remain valid if Proosition 8 is approved.

Secretary of State Debra Bowen was expected to issue an estimate of the number of uncounted ballots late today or Thursday. It could take days to process all of them. Proposition 8 supporters declared victory early today, saying their model shows them with an insurmountable lead.

Frank Schubert, manager of the Yes on 8 campaign, declared victory shortly after midnight -- but opponents called that declaration "presumptuous."

"We had more than 100,000 (supporters) walk precincts for us, and they have delivered a great victory," Schubert told supporters.

But Dennis Mangers, co-chairman of No on 8 Northern California Committee, said the outcome of the measure was still in doubt.

"We're absolutely astounded they would be so presumptuous," Mangers said. "I firmly believe that when I wake up in the morning I will find the voters of California said 'no' to discrimination."

While supporters of the measure cited strong voter support in the Central Valley and in pockets of urban areas, opponents noted that half the vote not been tallied.

They pointed out that Alameda County, for example, had yet to report any of its votes, while a third of the precincts in Los Angeles County were still uncounted.

Mangers said that even if opponents lose, they will pursue legal action to challenge the measure.

"We will never surrender our constitutional right to marriage," Mangers said, adding that supporters of gay marriage are prepared to go to the ballot again.

Tuesday's vote on the constitutional amendment came eight years after voters approved a referendum with the same 14 words: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California."

That measure, Proposition 22, won resoundingly, 61 percent to 39 percent. But in May, the state Supreme Court ruled that it violated the state constitution's equal protection clause.

Since then, an estimated 17,000 same-sex couples have been married in California, the only state besides Massachusetts and Connecticut to recognize gay unions.

Religious conservatives argued gay marriage is contrary to biblical teachings and cast Proposition 8 as the decisive last stand for traditional marriage.

In television ads blanketing California, the Yes on 8 campaign expanded its argument beyond the question of whether gay couples should be allowed to marry.

Rejection of the measure, they charged, would ultimately lead schools to incorporate same-sex marriage into lesson plans. They said churches refusing to marry same-sex couples would lose their tax-exempt status.

Opponents of the marriage ban dismissed those claims as scare tactics.

Unmarried same-sex couples in California are accorded most of the civil rights heterosexual couples enjoy. But No on 8 forces said banning same-sex marriage would be tantamount to resurrecting long- discredited "separate but equal" policies and laws that barred African Americans and others from marrying whites.

The campaign generated more than $73 million in contributions from every state and more than 20 foreign countries. It set a national record for a spending on a state ballot initiative based on a social issue, according to the Associated Press.

The Yes on 8 campaign – whose chief contributors were members of the Mormon and Catholic churches – raised more than $28 million.

Opponents, led by gay rights groups and labor unions, including the California Teachers Association, raised more than $32 million.

Democratic Attorney General Jerry Brown, in a move initiative supporters called prejudicial, changed the ballot title after the state Supreme Court overturned the gay marriage ban.

In a setback for opponents of gay marriage, a Sacramento judge left intact the ballot title and summary stating that Proposition 8 "eliminates the right of same-sex couples to marry."

Political analysts predicted the new language would make passage of the measure more difficult because voters are generally reluctant to take away existing rights.

After trailing by wide margins in early polls, the Yes on 8 campaign narrowed the gap with TV ads that argued schools would promote gay marriage if the measure failed.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who in 2004 gained national attention when he issued a directive to city officials to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, became the face of the marriage ban campaign in mocking ads.

During the campaign, Newsom, a potential Democratic candidate for governor in 2010, officiated at the marriage of a lesbian teacher and her partner.

November 5, 2008

Legal Groups File Lawsuit Challenging Proposition 8, Should It Pass Legal Papers Claim Initiative Procedure Cannot Be Used To Undermine the Constitution's Core Commitment To Equality For Everyone

SAN FRANCISCO – The American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal and the National Center for Lesbian Rights filed a writ petition before the California Supreme Court today urging the court to invalidate Proposition 8 if it passes. The petition charges that Proposition 8 is invalid because the initiative process was improperly used in an attempt to undo the constitution's core commitment to equality for everyone by eliminating a fundamental right from just one group – lesbian and gay Californians.
Proposition 8 also improperly attempts to prevent the courts from exercising their essential constitutional role of protecting the equal protection rights of minorities. According to the California Constitution, such radical changes to the organizing principles of state government cannot be made by simple majority vote through the initiative process, but instead must, at a minimum, go through the state legislature first.

The California Constitution itself sets out two ways to alter the document that sets the most basic rules about how state government works. Through the initiative process, voters can make relatively small changes to the constitution. But any measure that would change the underlying principles of the constitution must first be approved by the legislature before being submitted to the voters. That didn't happen with Proposition 8, and that's why it's invalid.

"If the voters approved an initiative that took the right to free speech away from women, but not from men, everyone would agree that such a measure conflicts with the basic ideals of equality enshrined in our constitution.
Proposition 8 suffers from the same flaw – it removes a protected constitutional right – here, the right to marry – not from all Californians, but just from one group of us," said Jenny Pizer, a staff attorney with
Lambda Legal. "That's too big a change in the principles of our
constitution to be made just by a bare majority of voters."

"A major purpose of the constitution is to protect minorities from majorities. Because changing that principle is a fundamental change to the organizing principles of the constitution itself, only the legislature can initiate such revisions to the constitution," added Elizabeth Gill, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Northern California.

The lawsuit was filed today in the California Supreme Court on behalf of Equality California and 6 same-sex couples who did not marry before Tuesday's election but would like to be able to marry now.

The groups filed a writ petition in the California Supreme Court before the elections presenting similar arguments because they believed the initiative should not have appeared on the ballot, but the court dismissed that petition without addressing its merits. That earlier order is not precedent here.

"Historically, courts are reluctant to get involved in disputes if they can avoid doing so," said Shannon Minter, Legal Director of NCLR. "It is not uncommon for the court to wait to see what happens at the polls before considering these legal arguments. However, now that Prop 8 may pass, the courts will have to weigh in and we believe they will agree that Prop 8 should never have been on the ballot in the first place."

This would not be the first time the court has struck down an improper voter initiative. In 1990, the court stuck down an initiative that would have added a provision to the California Constitution stating that the "Constitution shall not be construed by the courts to afford greater rights to criminal defendants than those afforded by the Constitution of the United States." That measure was invalid because it improperly attempted to strip California's courts of their role as independent interpreters of the state's constitution.

In a statement issued earlier today, the groups stated their conviction, which is shared by the California Attorney General, that the state will continue to honor the marriages of the 18,000 lesbian and gay couples who
have already married in California. A copy of the statement as well as the
writ petition filed today is available a www.aclu.org/lgbt, www.lambdalegal.org, and www.nclrights.org.

In addition to the ACLU, Lambda Legal and NCLR, the legal team bringing the writ also includes the Law Office of David C. Codell; Munger Tolles & Olson, LLP; and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education. www.nclrights.org

Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work. www.lambdalegal.org

The American Civil Liberties Union is America's foremost advocate of individual rights. It fights discrimination and moves public opinion on LGBT rights through the courts, legislatures and public education. www.aclu.org

Founded in 1998, Equality California celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2008, commemorating a decade of building a state of equality in California.
EQCA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots-based, statewide advocacy organization whose mission is to achieve equality and civil rights of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Californians. www.eqca.org

A Pastoral Letter
To our same-gender-loving brothers and sisters, their families, friends and allies
Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Grace to you and peace on this day after the General Election and in the days ahead.

We have come through an historic election and many of us were involved in important ways, working for the candidates and issues that we care about. Regardless of how one feels about the Presidential results, the votes on ballot measures addressing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) concerns were disappointing. While these ballot measures were only in a handful of states, the results affect us all. We write to express our solidarity, the assurance that we are not alone, acknowledge the significant progress made in spite of the results, and the good news of God's presence with us, especially as we seek to move forward from this place.

First and foremost, we praise God and lift up with deep gratitude all who gave so much to the cause of equality and justice in this election as volunteers or staff to campaigns, with donations and through their prayers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

As in 2004, the year leading to this election was marked by significant events giving marriage rights to same sex couples, namely, the California Supreme Court decision last May and the Connecticut Supreme Court decision in October. To preserve the court's decision in California, we witnessed an unprecedented effort to defeat a discriminatory constitutional amendment, Proposition 8. People of faith provided significant leadership and support to this effort, joining with others to raise millions of dollars and log hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours in phone banks, canvassing neighborhoods and getting out the vote. Similar efforts were waged to defeat similar ballot measures in Arizona and Florida, as well as to defeat an anti-gay measure in Arkansas affecting adoption rights.

Through these political processes, we once again endured an onslaught of homophobic lies and deceit which drove a wedge in many of our communities, demeaned our lives, and devalued our relationships and families in order to enshrine heterosexist bigotry into the core documents of more state governments.

How could we not be disappointed and angry? How could we not carry a deep sense of righteous indignation at this injustice? The votes on our lives and our equality are unfair, unjust and wrong. They violate the core promise of our faith to treat others as we want to be treated and the promise that every American citizen makes, no matter their religious belief, to uphold the values of liberty and justice for all.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said that the moral arc of the universe bends toward justice. Old Testament Theologian Walter Brueggemann adds, "the moral arc of the gospel bends toward inclusion." The testament of the Open and Affirming movement within the United Church of Christ and beyond is that we are making progress, mostly in small steps and sometimes in leaps and bounds. Although the progress of equality and justice may have been slowed, we continue forward.

Even in disappointment, there are many things about which we can be proud and hopeful. The election results may not feel like progress now, but as Evan Wolfson of Freedom to Marry says, "If we lose, we must lose forward." That is, we must continue to learn and grow from all of our efforts, the relationships that have been built and the amazing organizing networks that have been created.

Let us be present to each other, especially now, as we cope with these disappointing results, learn from them and move on. So, let us attend to one another with love and compassion, being vessels for one another of God's gracious, loving and healing presence. May the solidarity we share strengthen us and our resolve for the challenging journey that lies ahead.

The struggle is far from over and one day our "yes" will come. This is a confident hope, rooted in the gospel promise of love, justice and abundant life. "God is turning the page!" as our sister, The Rev. Dr. Yvette Flunder says, "And, if it is God's will, then there is nothing in heaven or earth that can stop it." So, let us continue to be vigilant, creative in our efforts, just in our actions and loving in all we do.

May God bless you, each and every one, and may God bring you the peace that surpasses understanding—the peace that only God can give.

Yours in the struggle.

Rev. Mike Schuenemeyer Executive,
Health and Wholeness Advocacy,
UCC Wider Church Ministries

Rev. Ruth Garwood,
Executive Director
UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns

We wish the news were better.

The results are in and, although the race is very close, it appears certain that Amendment 2 has passed.

While 62.2% of Floridians voted to add this language to the constitution, there is a silver lining to this fight.

There has never been stronger support for Domestic Partnership and Civil Unions than today in Florida. Every single poll has shown a broad and growing majority of Floridians believe in providing vital protections to unmarried couples.

We have built a strong coalition like never before. Our allies not only said NO to Amendment 2, they rallied and canvassed and phone banked and stood shoulder to shoulder in the field with us.

Thank you for your incredible commitment to the Fairness For All Families' Vote No On 2 Campaign. We may have lost this battle, but our state is moving toward fairness.

The extremists behind amendment 2 insisted over-and-over that it would have no effect on protections for unmarried couples. We'll hold them to their word and fight tooth-and-nail to ensure not one single person loses their health care or other vital protections because of this discriminatory amendment.

Over the past three years, the Fairness for All Families / Vote No On 2 Campaign has forged a powerful coalition of over 260 organizations representing millions of Floridians. And the most important part of our coalition is you. Especially now, we're going to need your continued participation in the struggle for justice and equality in Florida.

We are deeply disappointed tonight, but we will never give up. We'll keep fighting until every family in our state has the same benefits and protections. Thank you for standing with us.

Sincerely,





Nadine Smith
Executive Director, Equality Florida
Co-Chair, Fairness for All Families' Vote No On 2 Campaign

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." - Martin Luther King Jr.

Today is Election Day in the United States. I find myself in Cambridge, Massachusetts today, rather than in my home state of Florida, where I would like to be helping out with GOTV and information sharing at the polls. I'd also like to attend many parties tonight with my friends. And at the same time, while thinking about the parties I still entertain the idea that tonight could be a repeat of the night years ago when the Florida election was stolen from Al Gore, and thereby from the nation. I was hosting a wonderful Victory Party for Sarasota County (Florida) Democrats and the Vice-President had been named the winner. We were elated. Then suddenly the news changed. Had there been some mistake? Had Florida NOT gone for Gore? What was going on there? And within just a few minutes our grande party went from a wonderful and exciting celebration to complete and utter sadness. The woman who ran the club where the party was being held came and found me, took me by the arm and said, "Rev. Merritt, let me buy you a drink...you need it," and she was right.

Many of us around the country have worked so hard for change over the past many months. I'm not in the closet about the fact that I am a HUGE fan of Hillary Clinton. I 've loved and supported her since the first time I ever heard her speak. I will always admire her and stand ready to support her. However, when it became clear that Obama would be our Democratic nominee, I threw my support behind him. I've done it all from giving money, to writing emails, to calling people, to wearing Obama-wear, shirts, pins, etc., to using my Facebook account as a campaign tool. And even today I'm doing what I can to support the GOTV effort around the country.

So what will it mean? We could be in for the time of our lives as we see positive changes that will make our world a better and more peaceful place. We could be in for four or eight years of more of the same (or worse). We could see people in Florida and California vote for equality and justice for all people by rejecting Florida Amendment 2 and California Proposition 8. Or we could see discrimination against a specific class of people written into the constitutions of two of the larges states in our country. We could experience the celebration of our lives or a time of deep mourning.

I'm praying today for the big celebration. I'm also concered with the potential aftermath of significant losses. With that in mind, I offer these suggestions;

1. VOTE - Whatever it takes, VOTE. Your vote is important, down to the very last single vote. VOTE. I'm reminded of a song that says, "Get there if you can." If you can't, ask for help. Contact me and I'll do my best to get you help. VOTE.

2. Recruit 5 voters who will vote the way we do and take them to the polls with you. Make sure they VOTE.

3. Call your friends and family and make sure they understand the issues and that they VOTE.

4. Pray. It is God's will that all of creation experience equality and justice. I have no doubt about that whatsoever. Pray for divine intervention in the hearts of all people on this day, that the Spirit will guide each voter in the ways of love, in the ways of God who loves all, in the ways of a people that truly loves all its sisters and brothers.

5. Hold on to peace. Whatever happens, breathe in peace and love. Breathe out any resentment and anger and let it go. Breathe in the love of God, breathe out love for all people. Respond strongly AND peacefully. Maintain the commitment to non-violent civil expression.

6. Let us do all that we can do, and keep on doing it, for the good of all the world, and in the names of all that is holy, keep sharing the love.

Peace to you, my sisters and my brothers. I anxiously wait with you for tonight's results. I am blessed to share this day with you.

Rev. Jim Merritt
The Community Activist

http://www.eds.edu/CURRENT/PDF/Sermons/KwokReligionPolitics.pdf

Good morning Friends and Family:

Sometimes things happened that are too good to be kept to oneself. This is one of those days. I’ve received a few emails and had a few chats with friends and family all over Florida who are voting early either in person or via absentee. The wonderful news is that they are voting NO on 2. These people come from all walks of life, young, old, queer, straight, middle aged, religious, not, etc. These people have come to understand that “I love you” AND “I support the government’s right to discriminate against you,” simply cannot be resolved. They are answering the question, “Would Jesus discriminate?”

I’m not going to give you a theological dissertation here, but would be more than willing (as you know) if you need one. I simply ask you to vote NO and to make sure your friends and family, as much as possible, do the same.

This is NOT about LGBT people. Gay marriage is already illegal in Florida and this discriminatory amendment would not change that. This is a proposal that writes hatefulness, discrimination and outright oppression of all but an very specific group of people into the constitution of our State. I don’t want that and I can’t imagine that you do either.

We can’t afford to miss even ONE vote against this amendment. Please vote through whatever legal means you need to use. Take like-minded people with you to the polls.

Finally, the personal part. This issue is so important to me that I ask you, if for no other reason, VOTE NO on 2 because of your relationship with me.

Blessings and love to you and yours.

Rev. Jim Merritt
The Community Activist

A CAREGIVER'S TWENTY-THIRD PSALM

God is our shepherd as we travel together; we shall not want;
God allows us to lie down in green pastures; safe places,
And leads us beside quiet waters.

God restores our hearts, our minds and our souls.
God leads us along right paths for the sake of God who lives in us.

Even though we walk through difficult places; through the valleys of
Abuse, oppression, discrimination, illness and hopelessess, we do not fear.
God is with us. God comforts us and gives us everything that we need.
God allows us to sit down in the presence of our enemies,
in the presence of those who have attempted to do us harm.
God heals every wound.
We are filled to overflowing.

Surely goodness, kindness, mindfulness, mercifulness and all that is good
Will grow in us all the days of our lives; and we will dwell in the goodness of God
Forever.

Dear Friends:

Thanks for coming back to visit us. I’m very excited to share with you video from the LEGAL wedding of my two friends Booth Iburg and Denise Williams. Since I’m living about ½ time in Cambridge, MA I was able, through the assistance of Metropolitan Community Church of Boston, to register as a clergy person to perform weddings. Thank God for Massachusetts where the right to marry is available to everybody.

Booth and Denise have been a faithful couple for almost 20 years. They had a Holy Union about 7 years ago in Florida. However, Florida continues to discriminate against our people, so the legal aspect of their wedding was missing. Massachusetts gave us the opportunity to remedy that, and after thorough preparation, we did.

I hope you will be blessed by the presence of God at this wedding. I was so honored to serve as their clergy person and as you will see on my face and hear in my words, I loved the opportunity after so many years of community activism around marriage to officiate for them.

Pray for Florida. Pray for all our queer sisters and brothers around the world who still experience oppression, discrimination, and even risk their lives just to live the way God created them. Remember God’s own words at the end of creation, “It is VERY good.”

Blessings on you and yours.

Rev. Jim Merritt

Greetings to all of you and thank you for visiting our online community at The Community Activist. I am excited to present this video today because it fulfills one of my original goals for our ministry together; to offer multilingual sermons online.

My very good friend and colleague Rev. Axel Schwaigert is Pastor of MCC in Stuttgart, Germany. Axel and I met at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, MA, where both of us are candidates for the Doctor of Ministry degree. I will allow Axel to tell you all about his ministry in Germany, but I want you to know that I believe in what he is doing.

This week we present Axel in English as he preaches at MCC Boston. In the weeks to come we will offer his sermons in German. In the beginning we will only be able to present audio and perhaps some pictures. Soon we hope to add video.

So, watch this first installment of our German sermons. You will love Axel as much as I do, and you will be blessed by the language of God’s inclusive love in ANY language.

God Bless you as you join us.

Rev. Jim Merritt
The Community Activist.