Immigration Equality Lesbian and Gay Immigration Rights Task Force/LA c/o L.A Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center/Legal Services Department 1625 North Schrader Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028-9998 (new vox) 213-526-2915 (fax) 213-993-7699 (email) LGIRTF@abacus.oxy.edu July 6, 1995 Hello! Thank you for your interest in the Immigration Equality: The Lesbian and Gay Immigration Rights Task Force/LA. We are now at an exciting point of the development of our organization. At last month's meeting a NAME as well as a MISSION/GOAL statement was adopted by the member- ship. Things have been proceeding rapidly since then. If you look at the top of this letter, you will see that we now have a new voicemail number (213-526-2915) where interested individuals can reach us and learn about our activities. Also, we have information pam-phlets [in both English and Spanish] which were distributed at the Christopher Street West Los Angelesd Gay and Lesbian Pride Celebration. There is some possibility they will be distributed at the San Diego Pride celebration also. The future activities of Immigration Equality will be decided at next week's meeting at 7pm Tuesday July 11. As usual, the first 30 minutes of the meeting will be a social gathering where we can chat and share stories about immigration haggles. At 7:30pm the business part of the meeting will begin. The minutes of last month's meeting are on the other side of this letter. Take a moment to read them and then make the decision to attend the next meeting next week. Immigration Equality is going to start being a much more active group now that we have a name and a mission, which is exciting. However it also means that we are going to have a greater need for MONEY. One of the main topics at the next meeting will be fundraising. If you can NOT attend then you should really consider making a donation to the group to support the work we are trying to do. It's the only way our fledgling group can grow stronger and develop into a group which raises its own funds and acts as a voice for equal immigration rights for lesbians and gay men. Any_amount__, from as little as $1-$5 from each of you will help! Our next meeting will be held Thursday, July 11, 7pm at The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center. The Center is located at 1625 North Schrader Boulevard in Hollywood, two blocks west of Cahuenga Boulevard and one-half block south of Holywood Boulevard. Parking is free in the back lot. Hope to see you there! If you have any questions about the upcoming meeting please contact the group at our new voicemail number (213-526-2915). Very truly yours, Ron Buckmire & Dean Elzinga Secretary MINUTES_of_the_Thursday_June_8_Meeting_of_Immigration_Equality_________________* *_________ (by Ron Buckmire) Business part of the meeting began at 7:31pm. 13 people attended. J. suggested we begin with introductions since atleast one-quarter of the atten* *dees were at their #rst meeting. Mylo arrived by the time introductions were complete and* * debate on the NAME of the organisation began. After much debate about what kind of name we wanted anmd how distinct we wanted to be from the New York chapter LGIRTF, Inc name. Reaching a deadlock, a strategic decision to try and hammer out a mi* *ssion statement was made. This met with success, because at 8:10pm concensus was reac* *hed on the following four goals: Mission_Statement/_Goals_ o To advocate equal immigration rights for lesbian and gay people. o To support marriage as a vehicle for lesbian and gay immigration o To build an immigration [legal] resource and [social] support network for * *the lesbian and gay community. o To empower lesbian and gay people with knowledge of immigration rights. Most of the debate had centered on whether/where marriage as a concept should b* *e in the #rst goal of the group. After much talk it was realized that by making it a sep* *arate goal everyone would be satis#ed. The next two were agreed upon with little changes f* *rom the drafts in last month's minutes. After that the idea of using Immigration Equali* *ty as the name of the group along with the sub-heading of LGIRTF/LA was accepted very qui* *ckly. In the #nal minutes of the meeting decisions were quickly delegated to Jeff to * *go ahead and print up the brochure in time to be distributed at the CSW Pride Festival, * *the next meeting was set for Tuesday July 11 at 7pm and it was agreed a member from our * *group should attend the next Freedom To Marry Coalition meeting on Tuesday July 18 at* * 6:30pm. Meeting ended at 8:43pm.