On Wednesday, the evening before the so-called “Marriage Affirmation Act”, HB 751, went into effect, the statewide Virginians Stand Up for Equality coalition held seven simultaneous events to kick-off a concerted grassroots effort to overturn HB 751 and to educate the hundreds of thousands of fair-minded Virginians and encourage them to join our fight for equality.
Over 120 organizations, churches, businesses and associations had co-sponsored these actions, including Equality Virginia. In the coming days, statements from many of the speakers will be posted on the Equality Virginia website and the Virginians Stand up for Equality website. To stay tuned, and catch the latest updates go to www.standupforequality.org.
The events enjoyed an historic turnout for the gay community and our friends with thousands of Virginians, gay and straight, participating and attending the events in Charlottesville (300 people), Fairfax County (over 1000!), Fredericksburg (150), Hampton Roads (over 600), Richmond (over 500), Roanoke (300) and the Shenandoah Valley (200 in a packed Staunton City Council chambers!). A special thank you goes out to everyone who attended an event!
Media Coverage was substantial, with most local TV news stations and newspapers covering the event. The rallies even earned coverage on CNN.com!
However, the fight is just beginning. In the coming weeks and months, the groups that make up Virginians Stand Up for Equality, and Equality Virginia, will continue to work to bring these issues to your community to educate and mobilize our friends, our communities and our allies for change.
We need your help! Get involved in the fight for equality today! Follow the links below, sign up, join, get active, volunteer and have your voice heard!
Equality Virginia www.EqualityVirginia.org
Virginians Stand Up for Equality www.StandUpforEquality.org
News Clips from the rallies: http://www.standupforequality.org/news.html
Read HB 751 as passed by the General Assembly and to see vote counts:
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?ses=041&typ=bil&val=hb751
See who your legislator is: http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy/constinput.asp
Contact U.S. Senators Warner and Allen and urge them to oppose the Federal Marriage Amendment: www.EqualityVirginia.org/action.
And don’t miss Equality Virginia’s annual meeting and activist workshops to be held at the University of Richmond Saturday, July 24. Come learn about Equality Virginia’s plans for the coming year, and learn how to be an effective advocate for equality! This event is hosted by UR Safe Zone. To reserve your spot, or for more information, write info@equalityvirginia.org.