Become a card-carrying member of The GLBT Alliance of Santa Cruz County
and support our on-going fight for equality.
Click on the Contribute with ActBlue logo to join The GLBT Alliance right now. Note: you must become a current member of the Alliance by March 15, 2010 to vote in this year's GLBT Alliance's candidate endorsements.

My contribution: $

or use the join us link on the left.

 Keep Informed! 

Our latest legislative update (as of 2/25/10)

Our latest newsletter (as of 2/25/10). To view you need Adobe Acrobat Reader (typically already installed on most computers). File will usually open in your browser.

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

Since its inception in 2001, following Prop 22, The GLBT Alliance of Santa Cruz County has built coalition and educated progressive organizations about the importance of LGBT issues. That long-term work built the foundation for the local fight to defeat Prop 8 overwhelmingly in Santa Cruz County; The GLBT Alliance formed The Santa Cruz County No on Prop 8 campaign, which ran a grassroots effort targeted to our own County. After the election, The GLBT Alliance created a long-term project, The Equality Action Project, to continue that work as an affiliate of The Diversity Center.

Meanwhile, The GLBT Alliance of Santa Cruz County will continue keeping LGBT issues in the spotlight in electoral politics, will lobby for expanded rights, and will keep the LGBT community an active part of our local progressive coalitions. One of the most important tools in the movement for LGBT equality has been involvement in electoral politics. The GLBT Alliance sends questionnaires to candidates to ascertain where they stand on issues specific to the LGBT community. Our endorsement has come to really matter to candidates. In the beginning it was "the GLBT who?"; now candidates seek us out.

We also hold or co-sponsor forums at which candidates can be questioned about their knowledge of and stands on queer issues.

As a current member of The GLBT Alliance, you may participate in our candidate endorsements if you have been a member of The GLBT Alliance for 30 days. This year, endorsements will be made late in April; the deadline to join or renew is March 15, 2010.

If you're not sure whether your membership is current, send an email to info@homosexualagenda.org, or call 831-515-4101.

If you're a member of, or ally to, the Santa Cruz LGBT community, and you care about our rights and political future, The GLBT Alliance of Santa Cruz County is the place for you; we hope that you'll join us in our ongoing fight for the homosexual agenda: full equality.

° ° ° ° ° ° °

Events, legislation and direct actions can happen on short notice. Check back here for updates, or subscribe to the GLBT Alliance Yahoo Group to receive notices via email.

Subscribe to GLBT_Alliance

Powered by us.groups.yahoo.com

 ACTION ALERT

Got a few minutes to help pass GLBT friendly legislation?

--Go to http://www.hrc.org/repealdadt and participate in HRC's Virtual Lobby Day,
or visit http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=378559145096 8am-8pm on 3/4/10.

For a brief summary of pending legislation, including the Military Readiness Act which would ban DADT, click here:The GLBT Alliance legislative update.

° ° ° ° ° ° °

Help queer the census

Dear Friend,

The census is not necessarily the topic you've been waiting to hear about, I know, but bear with me for a moment. It's coming up in March or April, and while it's supposed to be an accurate count of everyone in the country, there's no question that asks if someone is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. This is a huge problem.

The data collected has a direct impact on issues that are critical to every American - issues like health care, economic stability, safety. And when LGBT people are not counted, individuals, families, and communities suffer.

The good news is that we can change this. Join me and sign the petition from CREDO Action and The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force urging the Census Bureau to make sure everyone is counted. http://act.credoaction.com/sticker/queerthecensus

 Marriage Equality Updates


To be kept informed, join The GLBT Alliance Yahoo Group

° ° ° ° ° ° °

As of early March 2010...

The Federal trial as to the constitutionality of Proposition 8 is on hold while Judge Walker studies the opening arguments, briefs, and testimony. Once he reviews the information, he will reconvene the trial to hear closing arguments.

Links to the Prop 8 trial in Federal Court are now on our Resources page.

° ° ° ° ° ° °

Same gender couples can now marry in:

  • Massachusetts
  • Iowa
  • Vermont
  • Connecticut
  • New Hampshire
  • Coquille Tribal Land (southern coastal Oregon)
  • Washington, D.C. beginning on 3/3/10
  • The Netherlands (Holland)
  • Belgium
  • South Africa
  • Canada
  • Spain
  • Norway
  • Sweden
  • Portugal
  • Mexico City (D.F.) as of 3/4/10

° ° ° ° ° ° °

At 10am on Tuesday, May 26, 2009, the California Supreme Court (6-1) upheld the constitutionality of Proposition 8. The Court also upheld the legality of the 18,000 marriages performed between June 16th and November 5, 2008.

For more historical information on marriage equality, visit our Resources page.

° ° ° ° ° ° °

 The Equality Action Project

In the wake of the passage of Proposition 8, the Santa Cruz LGBT community and allies find ourselves in a unique position: the campaign to defeat Proposition 8 formalized a coalition which had been years in the making, and the passage of the amendment energized advocates of LGBT equality in ways not heretofore seen.
This unique position is too important to allow to pass; therefore, we intend to take advantage of our local success to strengthen coalitions within the LGBT community and between the LGBT community and faith communities, communities of color, and progressive organizations such as labor, education, and civic organizations.
The Equality Action Project will find, strengthen and expand the resources in Santa Cruz County which serve - or can serve - the advancement of equality, with an initial emphasis on marriage equality;
it will work primarily on educating communities within and outside of the LGBT community about the importance of marriage equality and of grassroots organizing and coalition building;
it will take advantage of years of progressive grassroots community organizing, as well as years of queer grassroots community organizing, to strengthen ties to communities of color, faith communities, labor, education, business, etc, to broaden the understanding of the importance of marriage equality and, beyond that, broaden the level at which LGBT people are celebrated as important members of the community as a whole.
Building on the model of community-wide coalition building, the Equality Action Project will reach out to nearby counties (particularly Monterey, San Mateo, San Benito, and Santa Clara), helping LGBT communities find and develop their natural allies, and build bridges to communities not yet comfortable with LGBT issues.

° ° ° ° ° ° °

Join our coalition - formerly Santa Cruz County No on 8, now The Equality Action Project - and stand with us.
To get involved, leave us a message at (831) 515-4101, or
Email us at info@equalityactionproject.org

Donate to The Equality Action Project by sending your tax-deductible contribution via snail mail to:


The Equality Action Project
c/o The Diversity Center
PO Box 8280
Santa Cruz, CA 95061-8280

To keep abreast of news and organizing, subscribe to the Equality Action Project yahoogroup.

Subscribe to EqualityActionProject

Powered by us.groups.yahoo.com

° ° ° ° ° ° °

 View 2008 Elections Information on The GLBT Alliance's Resources webpage

° ° ° ° ° ° °

Register to vote online! Visit the California Secretary of State Online Voter Registration Page.

° ° ° ° ° ° °