Pride Foundation

BREAKING: WA Senate passes Marriage Equality bill!

The Big Vote: Pride Foundation's Kris Hermanns and Doug Exworthy surrounded by marriage equality supporters

Hundreds of marriage equality supporters, some driving for hours to get to Olympia, filled the Washington State Senate Gallery Wednesday night to witness the critical Senate vote that brings Washington closer to marriage equality. Supporters were not disappointed. The bill passed in the Senate 28-21.

“This is a huge win and historic day for all Washingtonians,” said Kris Hermanns, Pride Foundation’s Executive Director. “This has been a long-time coming and reflects decades of hard work and courageous leadership. Yet, we know that this is just the first step towards recognizing the full equality, humanity, and dignity of LGBTQ people and families in our state. We have much more work in the coming months to ensure that today’s vote creates permanent equality. ”

Waiting for equality to unfold

Though the bill is expected to pass in the House, and Governor Gregoire has committed to signing the bill, opponents of marriage equality – supported heavily by out of state organizations – are expected to collect enough signatures to force an anti-equality initiative for the November ballot that would seek to reverse the Marriage Equality bill.

Your support will be needed to ensure that Washington becomes the 7th state to allow loving and committed same-sex couples can marry. In the coming months, there will be lots of opportunities to get involved.

Making Change: (L-R) Kris Hermanns, Rep. Jamie Pedersen, Sen. Ed Murray, Doug Exworthy

Right now, you can make sure you and your friends are following Pride Foundation page on Facebook and Twitter. You can sign-up to the Washington United for Marriage Campaign to share your story on why you support marriage equality. You can also join us for Lobby Day on February 16 in Olympia. Lobby Day will be the chance to thank legislators for their ongoing support and to gain further allies for the equality movement. Contact Christina at [email protected] to get involved today.

Together we make make marriage equality magic!

Join Us: WA BIG Senate vote on marriage equality Wednesday

Join the Pride Foundation team and our partners at Washington United for Marriage in Olympia this Wednesday as we fill the Senate viewing gallery seats to cheer our legislators that believe in equality.

Senate Vote on Marriage Equality
Wednesday, February 1st
NEW TIME: Arrive at 4pm (to avoid traffic), Session starts 6pm
State Capitol Senate Gallery | Olympia
RSVP here.

The debate will take place at 6pm followed by the historic vote. The session will NOT take place in the morning as previously reported.

Please note: times are subject to change. Things are very fluid in this short legislative session. We will make sure to keep you up to date with any changes. Also, we will be posting updates on our Pride Foundation Facebook and Twitter accounts.

“My moms love each other so they should be able to get married”

(L-R) Ariana, Peg and Catherine at the House hearings on the Marriage Equality bill on January 23

Pride Foundation supporters Catherine Bachy, Peg Giffels and daughter Ariana started their Monday morning with a 6 a.m. drive from Seattle to Olympia to participate in hearings on SB 6239 – the Marriage Equality bill.

As those prepared to testify at the Senate and House hearings were called at random, they didn’t know if they would have the chance to speak and share why they believe in marriage equality. There were hundreds of people eagerly waiting to speak – both against and for the bill.

With the lunchtime announcement that bill had gained the one additional vote needed to pass in the Senate – an important next step – their testimony took on an even more joyous tone when Catherine, Peg and Ariana were called to testify in the afternoon House hearings.

Here is why they support marriage equality.

Catherine:

We are Catherine and Peg and this is our daughter Ariana. We have been residents of Washington State for almost 20 years. Our daughter was born here. Peg and I have been in a committed partnership for 26 years. We met while we were serving overseas in the Peace Corps. Over our years together we’ve celebrated our relationship many times, the first time was in a “commitment ceremony” in 1990 – that’s what we called them back then.

In 2004 we went to Portland to get married in Multonomah County. Although we had been together for 18 years by then, the act of getting officially married was profound for us. I remember everything about that day so clearly, from standing in line in the early morning hours before the county offices opened, to filling out the paperwork, to having a minister perform a short ceremony in which he “married” us. I remember shaking my head incredulously and thinking, “wow, this has been denied us all these years.” It was so clear to us that through the denial of marriage we were denied our full dignity as adult members of society and that we were, and still are, treated as second class citizens.

The story of this marriage continues. It turns out (miraculously) that on this very day, in March 2004, our daughter was born. Two days later we took her home from the hospital and became her parents through an open adoption.

Peg:

A year later we received a postcard announcing that our marriage license was revoked and our license fee refunded. By this time we were fully immersed in raising our infant daughter (you know that 24/7 joy and exhaustion of caring for an infant). Getting our marriage license revoked by postcard was a bizarre and hurtful experience. How would you feel? We were baffled and felt this gut level disappointment in the public officials that we expected to guarantee the rights of all citizens equally. We know we share this bizarre experience with thousands of other couples who went to Portland to get married in 2004.

Like all parents, we want the best for our child. Yet we live in a society that denies us a basic right (a social contract) that is a cornerstone of family life. We live with a nagging worry about the full protection of our child and ourselves in times of illness or crisis, even though we have put into place legal provisions to try to guarantee our protection. “Marriage” is the social contract that is fully recognized, yet we are denied this.

This also impacts what our daughter sees and hears from other people about the value of her family compared to other families.

Ariana (when asked how it makes her feel that her moms can’t get married, Ariana has said):

It makes me feel sad. It makes me feel like something is not complete, like there is a crater in my heart. I know my moms love each other so they should be able to get married. It’s not fair.

Join Pride Foundation and the Washington United for Marriage campaign today to help bring full marriage equality to Washington State.

Phone bank volunteers needed in Seattle – Jan 24

Call on Marriage Equality

The Washington United for Marriage campaign is in full swing. With the bill’s hearings taking place on Monday, Pride Foundation will be hosting a phone bank night on Tuesday, January 24 from 5:30-8:30 pm at UFCW Local 21. The phone bank is one way Pride Foundation is contributing to this historic movement.

Will you join us to make phone calls for marriage equality?

Volunteers are needed to make calls with training to be provided that night. If you are able to join the phone bank please RSVP to Christina at [email protected].

UFCW Local 21 is located at 5030 1st Ave S # 200, in the SODO area of Seattle. Street parking is available and the building is accessible by public transit.

We hope to see you there.

Making History Together: WA Marriage Equality legislation introduced

Contact your local legislator today.

Today Governor Gregoire introduced a historic bill that will allow members of our LGBTQ community to legally marry the person they love. With recent news that two Washington Republican legislators will support a marriage equality bill, the momentum is building to allow loving and committed same-sex couples to marry in Washington state. If marriage equality is important to you, your help will be needed now and in the coming months.

Writing to your local legislators and talking to your neighbors is a vital step in achieving a historical moment for the Northwest.

Pride Foundation is proud to play a leadership role in the Washington United for Marriage coalition. We know the issue of marriage equality is critical to many of our closest friends, family members and loved ones. It is incredible to be at the tipping point to make Washington state the first state on the west coast to recognize and maintain same-sex marriage.

To contact your local legislators and let them know why you support marriage equality visit the coalition’s website.

Phone Bank Volunteers Needed

Pride Foundation is hosting a phone bank night on Tuesday, January 24 from 5:30-8:30 pm at UFCW Local 21 (5030 1st Ave S # 200, Seattle, WA). If you are interested in volunteering for the phone bank please RSVP to [email protected].

The Coalition is also seeking volunteers to staff phone banks in Seattle and Tacoma. Volunteers will be calling fellow supporters, encouraging them to advocate for marriage equality by transferring them directly to their legislator’s office. For more information and to sign up for the following and future events, please email [email protected].

Mondays

SoDo Phone Bank, UFCW Local 21, 5:30-8:30pm
5030 1st Ave S # 200, Seattle, WA 98134

Tuesdays

SoDo Phone Bank, UFCW Local 21 in SoDo, 5:30-8:30pm
5030 1st Ave S # 200, Seattle, WA 98134

Tacoma Phone Bank, Pierce County Aids Foundation
3520 South Pine St, Tacoma 98409

Wednesdays

Downtown Phone Bank, Civic Space, 5:30-8:30pm

1402 3rd Ave, Suite 201, Seattle WA 98101

Tacoma Phone Bank, Pierce County Aids Foundation
3520 South Pine St, Tacoma 98409

Thursdays (starting January 19th)

Capitol Hill Phone Bank Washington Bus, 5:30-8:30
1100 E Union St #1E, Seattle, WA 98122

Want to help out but can’t make it into the office? Email [email protected] to join the ‘Phone from Home’ team!

At a Tipping Point: Marriage equality in Washington state

Governor Gregoire at her January 4 press conference announcing marriage equality legislation

On January 4, 2012, Washington Governor Christine Gregoire announced historic legislation for marriage equality in Washington state. If approved, Washington will become 7th state in nation to legalize same-sex marriage.

“It’s time, it’s the right thing to do, and I will introduce a bill to do it,” Gregoire said. “I say that as a wife, a mother, a student of the law, and above all as a Washingtonian with a lifelong commitment to equality and freedom. Some say domestic partnerships are the same as marriage. That’s a version of the discriminatory ‘separate but equal’ argument.”

One of the many reasons that I love working at Pride Foundation is commitment to our values of activism and leadership, and right now in Washington State, we as a community and as Pride Foundation are faced with the opportunity to live both of these values out in a BIG way.

You may have heard, a few weeks back, about the launch of a state-wide coalition called Washington United for Marriage. Washington United is a coalition of organizations,

congregations, unions, and business associations working together to secure civil marriage for loving, committed gay and lesbian couples. The coalition is being led by some of our state’s and country’s best and brightest human rights organizations including the ACLU of Washington, Equal Rights Washington, Faith Action Network, Freedom to Marry, GSBA, Human Rights Campaign, Legal Voice, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest, SEUI775 and UFCW21.

Do you support marriage equality?

Pride Foundation is extremely proud to be involved at a leadership level with these organizations and literally dozens of our own grantees from across the state. We know that the issue of marriage equality is critical to many of our closest friends, family members and loved ones, and it is incredible to be at a tipping point to make Washington State the first west coast state that recognizes same-sex marriages.

Over the coming months, Pride Foundation, along with the partners listed above and the growing list organization on both sides of the mountains to raise the awareness of why now is the time for our community to make a stand for equality. Marriage is about respect, dignity, love and commitment and we will work together to make sure that our family, friends, neighbors and elected officials understand that this issue matters to the LGBTQ community and our allies as well.

If you would like to get involved with the movement to make marriage equality a reality by telling your story, volunteering at a phone bank or writing to your legislator – please visit the Washington United website. Additionally, if you would like to get engaged with Pride Foundation to learn more about our advocacy efforts across all five of our northwest states please let us know.

Watch Gov. Gregoire’s January 4 press conference.

Washington Marriage Equality meetings in Pierce County

Are you ready to work for marriage equality in Washington?

Do you want to learn more about how to get involved?

Community meetings are being held throughout Washington including four meetings in Pierce County coming up in the next two weeks. Let’s come together to learn about how we can build support for marriage equality in Washington for 2012. Be a part of an exciting human rights movement!

Tacoma
Wednesday, November 9
6:30 – 8:00pm

First United Methodist
621 Tacoma Avenue South

Puyallup
Monday, November 14
6:30 – 8:00pm

First Christian Church of Puyallup
623 9th Avenue SW

Lakewood
Tuesday, November 15
6:30 – 8:00pm

Clover Park Tech College
Rotunda of Building 3
4500 Steilacoom Blvd SW

Gig Harbor
Thursday, November 17
6:30 – 8:00pm

United Methodist Church
7400 Pioneer Way

For more information about the Pierce County community meetings contact [email protected] or www.equalrightswashington.org.

Other community meetings taking place throughout Washington include:

Vancouver, WA
Thursday, November 17
6:00 – 8:00pm

YWCA Clark County
3609 Main Street

Seattle
Sunday, November 20
3:00 – 5:00pm

St. Marks Cathedral – Bloedel Hall
1245 10th Avenue East

Tri-Cities (Richland)
Monday, November 21
6:30 – 8:00pm

Shalom United Church of Christ
505 McMurray Street

Bellevue
Monday, November 21
7:00 – 9:00pm

East Shore UU Church
12700 Southeast 32nd Street

Spokane
Tuesday, November 22
6:30 – 8:00pm

Spokane Falls Community College
Building 24, Room 110
3410 W Fort George Wright Drive

The meetings are organized by a coalition of progressive organizations including Equal Right Washington, Pride Foundation, ACLU of Washington, Legal Voice, SEIU Healthcare 775NW, Freedom to Marry, Human Rights Campaign, YWCA, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and other organizations. Contact [email protected] for more info.

2011 Grant Writing Workshop Presentation

Thank you for your interest in Pride Foundation’s Grants Program. You can download the PDF version of our grant writing presentation here.

The deadline for submitting the online application (Letter of Inquiry) is August 19, 2011.

Should you have any questions, please contact [email protected] or call 1.800.735.7287. You can also explore our grants information pages on our website at www.pridefoundation.org/grants.

U of Alaska votes for anti-discrimination policy

University of Alaska Anchorage students Amada Arredondo and Alyse Mondok signed up to testify before the university's Board of Regents.

On February 18, the University of Alaska Board of Regents voted to include “sexual orientation” in their nondiscrimination policy by a vote of 8-2 – a critical step forward for LGBTQ rights in Alaska.

“It’s long overdue,” said Amada Arredondo, a senior in the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Department of Social Work. “LGBT people don’t feel safe in the university and this is the first step.”

With campuses all over the state of Alaska, this change in policy will protect approximately 33,000 students and 7,000 employees from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Tiffany McClain, Pride Foundation’s Regional Development Organizer in Alaska, was one of dozens of students, faculty, and community members to testify over the course of the two-day meeting. Read her testimony below to learn why Pride Foundation decided to add a voice to the conversation:

Good morning. My name is Tiffany McClain and I’m speaking to you today as an Alaskan resident and as the Regional Development Organizer for Pride Foundation urging you to vote in favor of amending University of Alaska’s nondiscrimination policies to include sexual orientation.

Most students and educators who have heard of Pride Foundation know us as the organization that gives grants and scholarships to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students, students raised by LGBT parents, and straight-ally students. But Pride Foundation’s vision is something greater than a scholarship program.

We envision an entire world that honors diversity, fosters mutual respect, and celebrates complete equality for all. So when we talk about supporting our scholars and other LGBT students, we don’t only mean ensuring that they have financial access to education.

To be consistent with our vision, we also have to find ways to advocate on their behalf by collaborating with and urging educational institutions like the University of Alaska to create a safe and supported environment in which all students—LGBT/gay and straight—can achieve academic success and personal growth.

The other day I was talking about this hearing with one of our scholars from Anchorage, Tonei Glavinic, who is currently a junior at American University—a school that includes both sexual orientation and gender identity in their nondiscrimination policy. He’s a Nicholas J. Begich Policy Fellow and someone who has been an advocate for the rights of LGBT students since he was in 8^th grade down the road at Stellar Secondary School.

When I asked him what he would say to you today if he could be here, he said that when a university publicly and explicitly states that it’s not going to tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of sexual orientation, it makes all students feel more comfortable bringing their entire selves to the school, talking about the issues that affect them, and therefore able to get more out of their classes and the college experience, producing better graduates, better scholars, better citizens and future leaders prepared to excel in an increasingly diverse and connected world.

In closing, I’ll just say that while a nondiscrimination policy in and of itself does not prevent discrimination, it is a crucial first step. The Board of Regents has this amazing opportunity to provide leadership and be the models for how you expect members of the university community to conduct themselves. And with this standard in place you’ll help create an environment in which students, faculty, and staff will feel safe enough to do the rest of the work necessary to make the University of Alaska a truly inclusive environment for everyone.

For all these reasons, I urge you to vote to amend University of Alaska’s nondiscrimination policy to include sexual orientation.

Montana’s Women’s Leadership Conference

Pride Foundation is proud to support the 5th Annual Women’s Policy Leadership Institute 2011 Conference taking place January 28 and 29 in Helena, Montana. You won’t want to miss this great gathering of women or the opportunities to practice some citizen advocacy at the 2011 Montana Legislature! Organized by Montana Women Vote, the conference is a great chance to network with others women who identify as LGBTQ and connect with many allies who support Pride Foundation’s mission in Montana.

“The conference gives women from a wide range of policy backgrounds the chance to come together and learn about a host of progressive issues including reproductive rights, economic justice, equality and the environment,” said Pride Foundation’s new Regional Development Organizer for Montana, Caitlin Copple.

“Participants will choose from breakout sessions covering topics like Making a Difference on the National Level: It’s not as Scary as it Sounds, Legislative 101, and LGBTQI: FYI led by Jamee Greer of the Montana Human Rights Network, a Pride Foundation grantee.

Pride Foundation’s own Caitlin Copple will present a workshop about how to best communicate your passion for progressive issues in the media.

Sponsoring: Women’s Policy Leadership Institute 2011 Conference

Date: January 28 – 29
Location: Helena, Montana
Registration information: Click here
Limited scholarships available – please email [email protected] for an application.
Registration Deadline – January 21