Adios, Don't Ask Don't Tell. Don't let the door hit you in your discriminatory policy on the way out!In honor of the efforts and successes of LGBT advocates around the country today, I present one of my fave organizations, Swish, the most fabulous gay-straight alliance ever that's run by a passionate and dedicated group of volunteers and allies. Another great friend of ours, Sue, is the co-founder and President of this sassy little non-profit that Matt and I are proud to be a part of. Read this beautiful piece my adorable and compassionate husband wrote for Swish about why we support gay marriage.
These guys have done a lot to mobilize straight allies around the country, and they can use help to keep up their hard work. DADT is d-e-a-d, but there is still much work to be done. Make a donation and help support their operations, public awareness, and coalition-building initiatives—including campaigns to engage members, activists, and volunteers around the world. And check them out on Facebook and Twitter.
An additional comment from the husband:
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, in spite of my heterosexuality, I was actually there eight years ago when our friend Sue was kicking around the idea for the organization that was to become Swish. I even offered a much dumber suggestion for the name, which I no longer remember, and which they obviously didn't take - the first of many Swish decisions which I wholeheartedly support.
Oprallison and I were very pleased this morning to see the Senate get past the last procedural hurdle before they vote to repeal DADT. There's still plenty of work to do before our government recognizes that everyone is equal, but today was a good start.
The bigger fight is marriage equality, and it's a shame that a few hundred wrong-thinking legislators are empowered to act as an obstacle to the rights of millions of others. The important thing to remember is that this is not a "gay" issue. A deprivation of rights to anyone is an issue for everyone. The gay and straight communities need to come together to protect all of us from this sort of injustice and institutionalized bigotry, and Swish is right there on the frontlines, fighting the fight that needs fighting.
Swish has partnered with iGive.com to make both holiday shopping and achieving equality easy! iGive.com gives a percentage donation to Swish for every dollar spent at retailers like Best Buy, GAP, Macy's, Amazon, and over 900 other stores. It's that easy and doesn't cost you a cent.
ReplyDeleteIn 3 easy steps you will be shopping and earning money for equality: Register and click "Join Today," choose "Swish" as your charity, log in and start shopping!
In addition, Swish earns $5 for each person who joins and installs the iGive button in their browser, PLUS another $5 after your first purchase within 45 days - that's $10 FREE! Before you shop online, just log in to your iGive account so that a portion of all of your purchases goes towards achieving full, unwavering equality for the LGBT community.