Please take a moment to fill out this form. Join the Impact Washington needs volunteers for a variety of ongoing projects including the Decline 2 Sign 71 campaign and Seattle Pride.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cjNvd3piVkJIaUUxT2NpQ0xTMjAwT0E6MA..

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Last year we saw two amazing things happen – the election of President Barack Obama and the passage of Proposition 8 and Amendment 2. Both changed the direction in which our country is going, both for the better and for the worse. After the passage of Proposition 8 and Amendment 2 we saw a huge number of people organize themselves very quickly and stage counter protests to voice their opposition to the legalization of bigotry and bias. Seattle saw a huge turnout at their No on Prop 8 rally last fall. These events made a statement that was heard nationwide: the legalization of hatred will not be tolerated.

PRIDE is coming up is on June 28th. What an amazing opportunity it can be to get your message out to the masses – whatever that message may be for you. This year is no different. The theme of this year’s PRIDE is Love, Peace and Equality. What better opportunity to continue to momentum that the passage of Proposition 8 and Amendment 2 started than by participating as a Repeal Proposition 8 contingent in the PRIDE celebration?

We all have a vested interest in winning our equal rights for a myriad of reasons. But we cannot win in spirit alone. It takes organization, visibility, vocalization and work to make a substantial change happen in the world. No one person can do it alone but in working together for a common purpose we can, and have, seen amazing change for the better. I hope that your enthusiasm from last year can continue into this year. The fight is far from over but victory is very near.

I am hosting an informative planning meeting on Wednesday, April 22nd at 7:30pm at Café Vita on Broadway (1005 East Pike Street, on Capitol Hill near the new location of the Cha Cha and one block up the hill from Neumos). Please let me know if you can attend. We can repeal Proposition 8 and Amendment 2. We can defeat bigotry. We can legalize love.

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An LGBT movement takes shape

AS ATTACKS on the Seattle lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community have escalated, young activists have begun making news with their energy and fresh ideas.

With a renewed sense of outrage and urgency, the possibility exists for the creation of a sizable grassroots organization of activists organizing around a range of issues affecting the LGBT community. Large questions remain, however, about the type of struggle that will most effectively combat homophobia in the wake of the passage of Proposition 8, California's anti-same sex marriage law.

Twenty-one-year-old Kyler Powell--a gay Mormon--had never organized or even attended a protest before spearheading the anti-Prop 8 march in Seattle. Due largely to Facebook and word of mouth, it drew nearly 10,000. The turnout was a testament not just to the fierce opposition to the second-class citizenship of gays and lesbians, but to the willingness of many outside the gay community to take action.

Unfortunately the event program itself--controlled by the Democratic Party-led Equal Rights Washington--silenced any militant response, refusing to address issues of homophobia because it might cause speakers, many of who were Democratic state and local officials, to think twice about appearing. And despite the large attendance, no grassroots organizing took place; instead, the crowd was told to wait on any action until the following March, for a lobbying day.

Less than one month later, the University of Washington's newspaper, the Daily, published a fiercely homophobic editorial in support of Prop 8, including a graphic of a man and a sheep. The author compared homosexuality to polygamy, incest and bestiality, and called it "a problem that needs to be dealt with."

Read the full article at http://socialistworker.org/2009/01/23/lgbt-movement-takes-shape

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December 20th at 5pm-6pm
Where:On the sidewalk near the Main Entrance at the Kitsap Mall in Silverdale-across from Target

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It's a prop in another state that doesn't effect our rights or benefits either here or there. Why create a public commotion that is only going to turn more people against us.

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Hi my name is Rhianna Day. I'm not quite sure how to go about adding a city to the above but I'm in the process of trying to gather up people to participate. At my school, I'm the president of our GSA club and a few of us are trying to do what we can to make it possible. So if anyone is in the Silverdale area and would like to participate, please let me know.

Thanks.

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we did indeed take to the streets in Bellingham, WA on Saturday to protest. I organized the event and was amazed at how many people showed up. We had by most estimates over 350 people. I encouraged everyone to bring a sign and also provided sign making materials and sticks so everyone could hold their sign up high. I passed out a list of chants and thanks to a borrowed megaphone led the group in chants and cheers. Also passed the megaphone around so that people could say who they were and why they were there. It was wonderful hearing from so many. One elderly gentleman in a wheel chair said that he had had the privilege of marrying his sweetheart and thought that everyone should have that opportunity. An acquaintance on her morning jog came past the intersection and said that she could here us over 3 blocks away (and that was before our numbers were as large as 350). Several times the fire trucks drove thru the intersection blasting their horn....not to mention what seemed like a constant stream of other horn honking motorists. I was impressed by everyone's participation and commitment to a non-violent protest. At noon we marched the three blocks over to the site of the Bellingham Farmers Market then wrapped up the event with several more chants and lots of cheering. From an organizers stand point the wonderful thing about the event was how many people stepped up to the plate to help. A freshman at the WWU created a facebook page for the event that got over 1300 invites (and the page didn't get made until Wed. night). As soon as I posted the location on the JointheImpact webiste offers of help started coming in. Someone else volunteered to alert the media and yet another group made signs on Friday and helped gather email addresses from the crowd. All in all it was a fabulous showing of community spirit and I sincerely hope that we can keep the energy going and move towards a stronger community here in Bellingham and across the nation.

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Here's a video from Saturday's amazing experience. So many beautiful moments in that day. I hope you are as inspired at the possibility of real change in the country as I am.

http://vimeo.com/2259354

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Just wanted to see how many of you in Seattle will be coming. Where/how do we spread the word?

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I could go to the Portland rally but I'd rather make a statement here if we can.

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