A DEMONSTRATION OF LOVE

Greetings Loved Ones,
I spoke with Ren today. he told me he just did a Holy Union Ceremony for a couple that has been together for 42 years. Against the odds, couples in our community continue to show us that love triumphs over fear and discrimination. We are planning an event to celebrate our loves and our lives. Here is what we are proposing.

We'd like to celebrate with couples and their friends and family at the Hibiscus House Downtown. We need you to get in touch with your friends who would like to join in the celebration. We are working on an invitation to send out and need names of couples (gay or straight, first name only if desired) and the number of years together. Opposite gender couples are of course welcome. We'll have a couple of speakers and we'll be signing up people for domestic partnership registry. We'll hear from local leaders and clergy in support of our community. After the Celebration, we will have a Candlelight Walk to City Place Fountain to hand out Valentines, signed by the couples involved.

Why are we doing this event? Well, we are doing this to celebrate our lives and loves and to educate the wider community. Many are sadly unaware the real harm that is caused by the injustice that remains law in Florida. This is an attempt to put a real face to that injustice. We will try to keep the event at the Hibiscus House brief for those who may have other plans for the evening. Wedding cupcakes and Champaign will be served.

Please have your friends (couples and singles) send an email to eqflpbc@yahoo.com and let us know they would like to participate. We'll have signs for the couples that simply state the couple?s names and the number of years together for the photo op. and Walk. We encourage them to make their own sign, with the numbers in really LARGE print. Up to the moment details will be at www.rightsforall.meetup.com/193

2008 will be a year of plenty of work, plenty of stones thrown at us and we will all need to be very supportive of each other. All Floridians need to understand that this proposed amendment will have consequences that will reach far beyond the GLBT community. The upside of this is of course, is that 2008 will be a great opportunity to win hearts and minds. From what I have seen thus far, Floridians are a good bit smarter that the opposition thinks they are.

Be well,
Much Love,
ALLAN, TAZ, CLEO & JAVIER