Same-Sex Couples Engage in National Request Marriage Actions

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Same-Sex Couples Engage in National Request Marriage Actions Con

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uploaded by Kati Garner

Article | Ken Pierce

Photo | Kati Garner

On Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2011, from noon to 2:00pm, Marriage Equality USA, Equality Action Now, GetEQUAL, and members of the Faith Community will request marriage licenses for local same-sex couples at the Downtown Sacramento County Clerk’s Office at 720 F Street (Cross-street 8th), Sacramento, CA 95814.

At local marriage counters in cities nationwide, same-sex couples will request marriage licenses at their local County Clerk’s Offices to raise awareness of the harms and impact the inability to marry causes on their families.

Since 2001, Marriage Equality USA chapters have engaged in these annual marriage counter actions to render visible the discrimination that is enforced every day. “It is an affront to the basic dignity of the LGBTQI Community as fellow human beings when same-sex couples are turned away from the marriage counter, but it gives us the opportunity to tell our stories and show that they live in every community and want to honor and protect our families like everyone else,” said Julie Tindall, Marriage Equality USA Sacramento County Chapter Leader and straight supporter. “Marriage discrimination is wrong and harms real-life families. All Americans deserve equal treatment under the law. The time has come.”

Tina Reynolds, co-founder of Equality Action Now issued this statement, “On Valentine’s Day we will be at the clerk’s office to show we are still unequal in the eyes of our fellow citizens - we will show up until there is equality for all, we will fight on the side of what is fair and equal... separate marriage laws are not fair or equal!”

Equality Action Now youth spokesperson, Joey O’shea, 22, stated that, “Marriage equality holds a high importance to me, because I believe everyone should have the possibility of happiness." EAN youth media intern, John Wells, 18, said, “Being around same-sex married couples gives me hope and is a visible sign that while I had a bad time being bullied at school and kicked out by my parents, things do get better. I want to have a committed relationship with my future husband and raise a family. I want my family to have all the legal protections any other family has today. For certain, marriage equality is important to the well-being of my generation of LGBTQ youth.”

Founded in 2000, Marriage Equality USA is a national grassroots organization whose mission is to secure legally recognized civil marriage equality for all, at the federal and state level, without regard to gender identity or sexual orientation. For more information go to www.marriageequality.org.

Equality Action Now is a local Sacramento grassroots civil rights organization founded in 2008. For more information go to www.EqualityActionNow.org .