Getting this Loudoun Independent article up after the fact – if you attended the program yesterday, please tell us how it went.
Nationwide ‘Standing on the Side of Love’ Day to Advocate for Equality for Everyone
February 10, 2010
By Jason JacksA month after Loudoun County banned discrimination against homosexuals within its government, two of the county’s elected leaders are scheduled to take part in an event on Valentine’s Day that is being organized by a group advocating for gay rights.
Loudoun County School Board Chairman John Stevens (Potomac) and Loudoun County Board of Supervisors member Stevens Miller (D-Dulles) will both be members of a panel discussion on what’s being billed as Standing on the Side of Love Day.
The Unitarian Universalists Church is behind the nationwide campaign that has a goal of ending discrimination and “acts of exclusion, oppression, or violence” on people based on race, religion, gender, immigrant status, political orientation, sexual orientation or any identity, as stated on the campaign’s Web site. The site also has a petition in support of same-sex marriages and full equality for homosexuals and transgender people.
More than 80 communities across the country are scheduled to hold similar events on Feb. 14.
Stevens, who is a Unitarian and supporter of same-sex marriages, said he hopes the discussion will bring some civility to a topic that is often heatedly debated.
I was there, I am a member of UU Sterling church which hosted the event. I thought it was an excellent discussion. The stories people told were very powerful and a good reminder of the insidiousness of discrimination that LGBT people face everyday.
Also being reminded of the privileges that heteros take for granted is something I will keep in my mind.