Internat'l Human Rights Day Dec. 10: Don't Go To Work, Call in Gay

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By Meryl Ann Butler (about the author) Page 1 of 2 page(s)

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Gays, lesbians, and straight allies plan to call in “gay” on December 10, 2008 to protest the passage of anti-gay constitutional amendments in Arizona, Florida, and California.

December 10th is International Human Rights Day. Celebrated throughout the world, it honors the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption and proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on December 10th, 1948. This year’s date marks the 60th anniversary of the first global proclamation of human rights.

The UDHR holds the world’s record for the most translated document in the world, with over 360 language versions available.

The LGBTQ community and allies are being encouraged to volunteer for local gay and civil rights organizations across the country through a brand new national database at www.daywithoutagay.wetpaint.com In addition, a national one-day boycott of anti-gay companies will be in effect.

The LGBTQ community contributes $700 billion a year to the U.S. economy, the same amount as the economic bailout. Yet the community is not afforded the equal protections under the law to which every citizen should be entitled.

On December 10, the LGBTQ community and its supporters “will take a historic stance against hatred by donating love to a variety of different causes, including LGBT and/or human rights organizations”, according to the website, which also encourages, “Help change the hearts and minds of people who just need a little more love themselves, and our rights will get stronger!”

Gays and lesbians who live in one of the 30 states where individuals can still be fired simply for their sexual orientation are encouraged to lend a hand and a voice for gay equality in alternate ways, without missing work.

Humor and perspective helps. My top ten picks of favorite signs from recent Anti-Prop 8 rallies include:

10. Gay marriage boosts the economy
9. Marriage is a sacred institution between two unwilling teenagers
8. Don’t drink the H8TORADE
7. Toto, I don’t think we’re in America anymore.
6.(sign held by an adorable little girl) I love my moms, let them marry
5. Hate makes you fat, just look at Arkansas
4. No more Ms. Nice Gay
3. Jim Crow called, he wants his proposition back
2. I can see gay marriage from my house.

And a drumroll, please, for number one:
Jesus had two dads.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

If you are a non-profit in search of volunteers on December 10, you can post your request at http://www.daywithoutagay.org/

WHAT TO DO ON DECEMBER 10 (from the Day Without a Gay website):
1. Wake up for work on Wednesday December 10th... and call in GAY.
2. Go to the bank and take $80 out of your account... put it in your pocket and KEEP IT THERE.
3. Do not go get your morning latte
4. Do not purchase anything
5. Do not contribute to advertising revenue: Meaning, spend 24 hours of your life without TV & Internet
6. Do not use your cell phone, even if you have unlimited minutes
7. Instead, DO volunteer. Give to the community and reach out to those that don't understand our community. Check your state page for local volunteer opportunities.
8. If you must spend, only do so at an LGBTQ owned establishment with an LGBTQ clientele
9. Go grocery shopping now (before Dec. 10th).
10. VOLUNTEER. We are fighting for human rights, so let's take a day to fight for the rights of those in need. Check your state page for local volunteer opportunities. http://www.daywithoutagay.org/

One group in Pasadena posted a food and toy drive for the gay and lesbian familes who lost their homes in the recent California fires, just days after losing their rights on election day, noting that the Salvation Army does not help the LGBT community. The website of the Salvation Army, which was very visible assisting firefighters as well as victims, is currently soliciting donations, stating that “Your monetary gift will help The Salvation Army replenish its supplies and be ready to respond whenever the need arises.” But apparently this doesn’t apply to everyone. When I called their 800 number today to confirm this, a lovely lady answered the phone, which, after I asked my question, went mysteriously dead.

Thank Obama for his promises and send him a postcard to ask Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, a law which Obama labeled “abhorrent.” http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/page/Project+Postcard
In An answer to Proposition 8: Repealing DOMA , (salon.com, Nov. 6 2008) Robert Greenwald says, “Opposite-sex couples receive a whole slew of vital marriage-based benefits and entitlements from the Federal Government which DOMA expressly denies to same-sex couples. As but one particularly glaring example, if an American citizen marries a foreign national of the opposite sex (an increasingly common occurrence), then, under U.S. immigration law, the foreign spouse is entitled, more or less automatically, to receive a Green Card and, if desired, U.S. citizenship, so that American citizens can live in the U.S. together with their spouse.

But if an American citizen marries a foreign national of the same sex, then DOMA bars the INS from recognizing the marriage as a basis for granting immigration rights. As a result of DOMA, American citizens are put in the hideous predicament of having to choose either to (a) live apart from their spouse or (b) live outside their own country. The U.S. now stands virtually alone in the Western World in imposing such a cruel dilemma on its citizens.”

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www.merylannbutler.com

Meryl Ann Butler is an artist, author, and educator who has been actively engaged in utilizing the arts as stepping-stones toward joy-filled enlightenment for the past two decades. See her YouTube video, "Visionary Artist Meryl Ann Butler on (more...)

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