Creating Change Conference Opens in Dallas This Week

From the possible end of the "don't ask, don't tell" law that bans gays from serving openly in the armed forces to the expansion of gay marriage, there will be plenty of chatter among the 2,000 gay and lesbian activists gathering in Dallas this week. The National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change, organized by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, kicks off today, with events planned through the weekend.

"There's buzz about everything," said Sue Hyde, the conference director. "People are going to be buzzing about 'don't ask, don't tell.' ... We have some really tough issues on the agenda, and we're making some progress on the local level and the state level and even the federal level on a whole range of issues."

Task Force officials welcomed President Barack Obama's remarks on overturning "don't ask, don't tell" last month in his State of the Union address. But they're disappointed he didn't offer a detailed plan, which allows for "foot-dragging," Hyde said.

Full Story from Dallas News
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TX: Gay Couple to Apply for Marriage License in Texas on Freedom to Marry Day

A same-sex wedding ceremony and protest for the rights that are denied to Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, and Transgender (LGBT) couples will take place on Friday before Valentines Day, February 12 beginning at noon. The ceremony will begin in the Historical Plaza, outside the Records Building at 509 Main St. in downtown Dallas followed by the newlyweds proceeding to the marriage license office with the crowd in tow to demand a license that recognizes their union. Flowers, tuxedos, and a pastor will make this a celebratory affirmation of the couple’s marriage while at the same time demanding an end to marriage segregation. Freedom to Marry Day is being co-sponsored by Equality March Texas.

Federal and state legislation, along with a state constitutional amendment, deny some 1300 rights and obligations that accompany marriage to LGBT couples. Due to dim prospects on repealing Texas’s anti-gay constitutional amendment and legislation activists with Queer LiberAction and Equality March Texas argue that the only way for all LGBT Americans to be treated with dignity and fairly is for marriage equality to become federal law.

“The rights of LGBT couples are being used as political fodder across the country. In recent months, equality and justice have won out through the legalization of marriage equality in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Washington D.C., but defeats in Maine and New Jersey are discouraging. Obama’s inaction on advancing the LGBT struggle for equality is not only deeply disappointing but with his firm understanding in constitutional law it’s utterly intolerable as well,” says Blake Wilkinson of Queer LiberAction.

Full Story from Pegasus News
Click here for gay marriage resources.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook - just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you'll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We're also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.