Date: Wed, 28 Jan 1998 11:10:42 -1000 From: Mia H H Lam Subject: Freedom To Marry Day (San Francisco) (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 28 Jan 1998 11:03:51 -1000 From: Susan Krauss Subject: Freedom To Marry Day (San Francisco) Please forward to anyone you think would be appropriate!!! Contact: Cheryl Deaner All Our Families Coalition (415) 681 1960 Cheryl@Allourfamilies.org San Francisco Celebrates National Freedom to Marry Day SAN FRANCISCO, January 26--On February 12, a host of local politicians, activists and community members will join in a national celebration of Freedom to Marry Day to call for the rights of same-sex couples to legally marry. Highlights include Supervisor Leslie Katz presenting a mayoral declaration of the day as "Freedom to Marry Day" for the City and County of San Francisco, an official City resolution commending the work of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund and the Freedom to Marry Coalition, and a reception and forum open to all supporters of the equal right to marry. Organized by All Our Families Coalition and other groups, the day's events are designed to bring greater support and awareness to equal marriage rights for all Americans. "The Hawaii Supreme Court ruling is just around the corner," said Cheryl Deaner, Executive Director of All Our Families. "We who support the freedom to marry need to educate those who do not understand that lesbian and gay families have the same needs for legal protection and respect as their families do." During the forum, both Deaner and National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) Executive Director Kate Kendall will discuss the ramifications of legalizing same-sex marriage for couples and families. "Having our relationships legally recognized is not about special rights or undermining the 'traditional' American family," said Kendall. "Allowing lesbians and gay men the same right to marry as every other couple promotes such core family values as stability and security for our children." Supervisor Katz's press conference at the Mayor's Press Office, City Hall, Room 207, begins at 3:00 p.m. The reception and forum will follow from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Metropolitan Community Church located at 150 Eureka Street in San Francisco. For more information regarding National Freedom to Marry Day and related issues in Northern California, contact Cheryl Deaner at All Our Families Coalition at (415) 681-1960. For information on other events being held nationwide, contact Chrism Calhoun at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center at (213) 860 7352. All Our Families Coalition is a non-profit Northern California civil rights organization in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender families and their concerns. Call (415) 681 1960 for more information.