Marriage Equality (LGBTQ Rights):
Packet #2: The Movement
Many people did many things to make Marriage Equality happen. Below are 9 descriptions of specific people and actions that helped make gay marriage legal in California.
Directions: Read and annotate the below 10 articles. You may skip one article that you think is the least useful for your presentation. If you have a computer or ipad, use the below links to watch video or see pictures. When you finish reading, organize your ideas by filling out the notetaker.
#1: Celebrity Power: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie made waves when they put their star power behind gay marriage. The couple refuses to get married on principle, saying they won't consider it until everyone in the U.S. has the right to it.
The Movement for Marriage Equality
LGBTQ Rights Handout #3
Many people did many things to make Marriage Equality happen. Below are 9 descriptions of specific people and actions that helped make gay marriage legal in California.
Directions: Read and annotate the below 8 articles. You may skip one article that you think is the least useful for your presentation. If you have a computer or ipad, use the below links to watch video or see pictures. When you finish reading, organize your ideas by filling out the notetaker.
#1: Celebrity Power: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie made waves when they put their star power behind gay marriage. The couple refuses to get married on principle, saying they won't consider it until everyone in the U.S. has the right to it.
#2: Edie Windsor: Court Case
Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer shared their lives together as a couple in New York City for 44 years. After a 40 year engagement they were finally married in Canada in May 2007. Two years later, Thea passed away, after living for decades with multiple sclerosis, which led to progressive paralysis.
When Thea died, the federal government refused to recognize their marriage and taxed Edie's inheritance from Thea as though they were strangers. Under federal tax law, a spouse who dies can leave her assets, including the family home, to the other spouse without incurring estate taxes.
Ordinarily, whether a couple is married for federal purposes depends on whether they are considered married in their state. New York recognized Edie and Thea's marriage, but because of a federal law called the "Defense of Marriage Act," or DOMA, the federal government refuses to treat married same-sex couples, like Edie and Thea, the same way as other married couples.
Ms. Windsor challenged DOMA. She was helped by lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union and two other law firms. Their case was that DOMA was unfairly discriminating against her; they said the law should be repealed (taken away), and she should get back the money she had lost. On June 28th 2013, she won.
For video on Edie, go here:
https://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/windsor-v-united-states-thea-edie-doma
#3 President Barak Obama
In an interview with ABC News, President Obama said, “At a certain point I just conclude that for me, personally ... I think same sex couples should be able to get married. I had hesitated on gay marriage, because I thought civil unions would be enough. I was sentitive to the fact that for a lot of people the word marriage is something th provokes powerful traditions and religious beliefs. [But my ideas changed when I saw gay people in the military] not allowed to get married.
Click below for Obama’s statement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uGsvTrUpck
#4: Get Equal (Organization – confirmed for Gateway interview)
Get Equal is one of the organizations that organized protests, petitions, talked with senators and other leaders, and used other non-violent direct action strategies to get DOMA and Prop 8 repealed.
Website:
http://getequal.org/about/
Get Equal is bold in their actions – including sit-ins, massive protests, boycotts, and other disruptive actions. For example, when President Obama didn’t sign an anti-discrimination law, they went to the house he was visiting with air horns and balloon clusters. Some people ask, won’t these stunts make their allies angry?
GetEqual’s answer: “Our goal is to work towards building a critical mass of people who are unwilling to accept the delays of equality that we are experiencing. We do realize that direct action, as a tactic, is part of a broader organizing strategy that has the potential to upset and even anger some of our allies — but no social change has been gained without similar tensions. If we do not anger our allies, we are bound to continue receiving the minimal change we have currently accepted as “major” progress. Truthfully, we have more reasons to be angry than our occasional-allies do. When do we get to be angry that 92% of our transgender brothers and sisters are still facing job discrimination every day while our “friends” continue to pay lip-service to the passage of ENDA? When do we get to be angry that 1 in 3 youth suicides are youth that identify as LGBTQ? When do we get to be angry that gays and lesbians are still being discharged from the military and having to pay back training and other costs to the government, while that same government asks homophobic servicemembers their opinions on shower curtains? Let’s not forget this quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., as he sat thoughtfully contemplating his position in a Birmingham jail: “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks to so dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored.” We have found, with each action taken, we or other LGBTQ advocacy groups doing specific legislative work related to the action, have seen positive direct effects of our efforts.”
#5: Boycott of Chick-fil-A for Opposing Gay Marriage
American fast-food chain Chick-fil-A was the focus of controversy following a series of public comments made in June 2012 by chief operating officer Dan Cathy opposing same-sex marriage. This followed reports that Chick-fil-A's charitable endeavor, the S. Truett Cathy-family-operated WinShape Foundation, had made millions in donations to political organizations which oppose LGBT rights. LGBT rights activists called for protests and boycotts of the chain, while counter-protestors rallied in support by eating at the restaurants. National political figures both for and against the actions spoke out and some business partners severed ties with the chain.
Follow the below link to see images and details on the boycott:
http://boycottchickfila.com
#6: Starbucks CEO Supports Gay Marriage
Howard Schultz, the outspoken CEO of global coffee chain Starbucks, calmly but firmly defended his company’s support of same-sex marriage last week at a shareholder meeting.
In response to a challenge from a shareholder that the company’s support of same-sex marriage was hurting the company’s stock price, Schultz explained that it’s not about the bottom line but about “respecting diversity,” according to KPLU-FM, a local affiliate of NPR.
Last year, the Seattle-based company openly supported Washington state’s referendum that legalized same-sex marriage. As a result, the National Organization for Marriage launched a boycott of the coffee giant. During the company’s annual meeting in Seattle last week, shareholder Tom Strobhar spoke up, suggesting that the boycott was affecting the company’s stock value: “In the first full quarter after this boycott was announced, our sales and our earnings — shall we say politely — were a little disappointing,” he said.
Schultz shot back that Starbucks’ endorsement of marriage equality wasn’t bad for business:
“If you feel, respectfully, that you can get a higher return than the 38% you got last year, it’s a free country. You can sell your shares of Starbucks and buy shares in another company. Thank you very much,” Schultz said, to applause from the audience.
But Schultz was quick to underscore that it wasn’t even an economic decision to support gay rights. It was simply right for its people. “The lens in which we are making that decision is through the lens of our people. We employ over 200,000 people in this company, and we want to embrace diversity,” he retorted.
The heated exchange between Schultz and Strobhar came shortly after shareholders voted for the company’s board to make political contributions. Board members said they wanted the flexibility to promote the company’s policy agenda, the Daily Mail noted.
Starbucks, which last year boasted nearly 18,000 retail stores in 60 countries with plans to continue growing, endorsed the Washington state bill to legalize gay marriage, and released a statement at the time saying it was “deeply dedicated to embracing diversity,” the Huffington Post reported. The bill later became law.
In his five years as CEO, Schultz has taken on a unique role as a political activist, launching campaigns calling for political finance reform and corporate social responsibility.
Video of Starbucks CEO Howards Schultz supporting Gay Marriage
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/video/c1eDBjYTo4LXS3IoL7s_pSdNyONvOFwF?autoplay=1#ooid=c1eDBjYTo4LXS3IoL7s_pSdNyONvOFwF
#7: Shape an Image: Marriage Equality
What is the difference between calling the movement “Marriage Equality” and “Gay Marriage”?
Why might supporters prefer to use the term “Marriage Equality”?
How is this part of shaping their image?
#8: Teen Uses Bar Mitzvah Speech to Call for Marriage Equality
The case for marriage equality is so important to 13-year-old Duncan McAlpine Sennett that he used his Bar Mitzvah to deliver a persuasive argument to his guests. It's been such a success that more than 20,000 people have already watched his five-minute talk at the Congregation Beth Israel in Portland, Oregon. Voters there will soon consider whether to make same-sex marriage legal.
The speech even got the attention of out actor Alan Cumming, who shared it via Twitter with this note, "Duncan McAlpine Sennett! You are an inspiration to us all. And surely mostly Scottish with that name? Bravo." Sennett says those who disagree with him on marriage equality often claim "traditional marriage" is between only one man and one woman. But that's not what he found in his reading. "The definition of traditional marriage has changed a lot since the days of the Torah, so why can't it change just a little bit more so everybody can marry who they love?"
Watch the Video:
http://www.advocate.com/politics/religion/2013/11/30/watch-teen-uses-bar-mitzvah-speech-call-marriage-equality
A Bar Mitzvah is a important ceremony for young men who are Jewish. It is the ceremony they do when the are 13, to become an adult in the religion. Traditionally, the whole extended family and family friends will come together to listen to his speech, and watch the ceremony. The boy will study a part of a Jewish holy text, and then give a short speech about it. After the ceremony, there is often a party to celebrate. A Bar Mitzvah celebrates a Jewish boy becoming a man in a similar way to how a Quinceanera celebrates a Latina girl becoming a woman.
It is very, very rare for a boy who is doing a bar mitzvah to use that time to speak his opinion on a controversial issue. He would be speaking to his entire extended family, as well as people from his religion and his community.
Guiding Questions:
What do you think that Duncan was feeling when he decided to have marriage equality as the topic of his speech?
What do you think Duncan was feeling while he gave his speech?
How do you think his audience might have felt? Give 2+ different answers.
More than 20,000 have watched his speech online. Why do you think people like to watch his speech?
Do you think Duncan giving this speech was a good strategy to help Marriage Equality? Why or why not?
#9: High Schoolers Stage Massive Sit-In After Vice Principal Fired for Being Gay
http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/high-schoolers-staged-a-massive-sit-in-after-their-vice-prin
#10: Equality California
(Organization – confirmed for Gateway interview)
Equality California is the largest statewide LGBT advocacy organization in California working to secure full and lasting equality for and acceptance of LGBT people.
Over the past decade, Equality California has partnered with social justice advocates, businesses, and legislative leaders to move California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for LGBT people to a state with some of the most comprehensive human rights protections in the nation.
Equality California, together with our allies, has successfully sponsored more than 85 pieces of pro-equality legislation. Equality California was also the organization that sued the state of California for not allowing same-sex marriage through Prop 8, and eventually won that court case.
#11: Kristin Perry and Sandy Stier – Court Case
Article from Huffingtonpost.com
BERKELEY -- Inside Kristin Perry and Sandy Stier's cozy, hillside bungalow, the signs of a typical domestic life are everywhere: photos of vacations and their four sons on the mantel and walls; snacks of Naan for their hungry teenager in the kitchen; "Moms Rock!" and "You can't scare me -- I have children" magnets on the refrigerator.
But resting visibly on a coffee table are powerful reminders that this tableau of family life is unsettled, and that this same-sex couple of 13 years is set to make history next week as the legal battle over California's Proposition 8 heads to the U.S. Supreme Court.
There's a wedding album brimming with blissful pictures of their 2004 marriage at San Francisco City Hall -- a marriage voided when the courts quickly blocked then-Mayor Gavin Newsom's rebellious, short-lived move to issue marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. And next to the album is a bound legal brief filed earlier this year in the Supreme Court, signed by their famous lawyers, Theodore Olson and David Boies.
Getting married is unfinished business for Perry and Stier. And as the historic legal brief bearing their names suggests, they are now one of two couples at the center of the most contentious civil rights battle to reach the Supreme Court in decades, lead plaintiffs challenging California's right -- and any state's right -- to ban same-sex marriage.
As they prepare to jet to Washington, D.C., later this week for next Tuesday's arguments, Perry and Stier say they are ready to gain the right to marry and make another wedding album -- this time one that will stick.
"It is a historic, once-in-a-lifetime experience," Perry told this newspaper in an interview with Stier nestled by her side. "We're very fortunate to be there in person to witness it."
The Supreme Court will hear about an hour of arguments over Proposition 8, reviewing a federal appeals court's decision last year that found the state's 2008 voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.
Their role was no accident. Perry had known Hollywood actor and director Rob Reiner for many years, meeting him in the late 1990s while working as a children's advocate. He was a leading backer of the new organization and the decision to sue to overturn Proposition 8, along with political activist Chad Griffin.
Theodore Boutrous Jr., one of the lawyers in the case who interviewed couples with Griffin, said Perry and Stier provided the perfect story -- a devoted couple with four children who'd already been stripped of a marriage opportunity.
"They understood what it would mean," he said. "They were so natural at explaining how it was to be discriminated against."