LOS ANGELES – The inaugural Marriage Equality USA Los Angeles Awards Reception celebrates the diverse and determined advocates who have made the recent advancements in LGBT civil rights a reality, on Saturday, Aug. 10 at Traxx @ Union Station.
LBGT people and their supporters have had much to celebrate and plan since the June decisions of the SCOTUS that upheld that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional and that “Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional as a deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment.”
Marriage Equality USA looks to gather and acknowledge members of the LGBT community, their allies and “leaders who are going the distance to make sure the Constitution’s fundamental guarantees of freedom and fairness apply to all Americans,” Board President, Jane Wishon said. “It feels wonderful to celebrate knowing that loving, committed same-sex couples are once again getting legally married every day in all 58 counties of our Golden State.”
Locally, same-sex marriages have resumed in California, despite two attempts to from San Diego County to halt the issuance of marriage licenses. On a greater scale Uruguay, England and Wales are the latest countries to legalize nationwide marriage rights for same-sex couples. However, leaders acknowledge that their work is far from finished.
“We are coming together in Los Angeles at a historic moment in our journey, to celebrate the U.S. Supreme Court’s marriage rulings, and also to rededicate ourselves to our ongoing work to make marriage equality a reality in all 50 states,” Marriage Equality USA, Executive Director, Brian Silva said.
As a non-profit, Marriage Equality USA “recruits, empowers and trains local supporters throughout the country to get engaged and step up into leadership roles in their communities in support of the marriage equality movement.” That grass-roots model tends to occur naturally in local communities and appears to be the way of the future for large organizations wanting to engage patrons in a personal and inspiring way. On Aug. 5, The Hindustan Times reported that the local LGBT community in Mumbai took to the internet, and penned a letter the Archdiocese of Bombay after a priest gave an anti-gay sermon regarding England’s legalization of same-sex marriage.
Also on Aug. 5, the Human Rights Campaign’s Director of Online Strategy, Ann Crowley encouraged members to participate in a letter campaign asking the International Olympic Committee to demand that the Russian government abandon their anti-LGBT laws. “As somebody dedicated to advancing equality everywhere, you can help make a ruckus so large that the IOC will have no choice but to condemn Russia’s actions and ensure the safety of equality supporters at the 2014 Olympic Games,” Crowley said.
In addition to volunteer and activist opportunities, Marriage Equality USA also offers comprehensive information and resources for members of the LGBT community through its symbiotic relationships with other non-profits; further empowering LGBT people as they move forward in exercising their expanding rights.
“We are honored to be recognized by an organization such as Marriage Equality USA, which has been, for almost 20 years, at the forefront of the fight to bring equality and fairness to all loving and committed California couples,” Latino Equality Alliance’s Ari Gutierrez commented. “We are also celebrating many years of successful partnership between our organizations to advance LGBT equality.”
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