From: UfmccHq@aol.com Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 14:29:29 EST Subject: An Update On The Millennium March on Washington (April 30, 2000) An Update On The Millennium March On Washington For Equality A Statement From The Rev. Troy D. Perry of The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches Dear Friends: As I write these words, we are in the midst of the historic Equality Begins at Home state actions -- the first coordinated GLBT actions to take place in all 50 US states. Thirty years of activism on behalf of the GLBT communities convince me that we are now in the midst of a powerful three-pronged strategy to make our voices heard and to assure full equality under the law for all gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons. This three-pronged strategy will take us to state capitals this month... to our nation's capital in April of 2000... and to the ballot box in November of 2000. Each step is needed. Each step is important to protecting our future. But I'm writing today for a very specific purpose. You see, of the hundreds of letters that have crossed my desk in the last couple of weeks, two have made a powerful and lasting impression upon me. Each came from America's "heartland" and each carried the authentic grassroots voice of the courageous women and men who are making a difference in local communities across this country. The first comes from the founder and director of Coastal Pride, a local Pride organization serving the GLBT communities in Florida; the second from a couple in rural Tennessee. The writers have given me permission to share their letters and their names with you. I encourage you to take a moment and be inspired by their stories. You may even wish to reproduce and redistribute their stories; you are certainly encouraged to do so. Yours, The Rev. Troy D. Perry, Moderator of UFMCC LETTER FROM BUTCH McKAY, DIRECTOR OF COASTAL PRIDE: Just a note of endorsement for the Millennium March on Washington scheduled for April 30, 2000. Growing up in conservative Alabama, I never felt that I had a right to be open about my sexuality......I felt I was doing the responsible thing by leading a double life. It was a lot of pressure and strain to try and please myself and society both, but I managed to do so for many years. Being a gay man and losing hundreds of friends to AIDS in the eighties and early nineties and witnessing the discrimination against them, not only because of a virus but mostly because of their sexual orientation, I finally had enough and went to Washington, DC for the 93 March on Washington to show support for some of my HIV+ gay friends. That weekend changed my life forever. I had never had the courage to attend a rally in Alabama or in N. W. Florida where I had relocated. That March gave me the courage and strength to say to myself "I'm Gay and it is okay!" After I dealt with my own internal homophobia, I learned to deal with homophobia in my conservative community. I returned home from that March to Panama City and agreed to be interviewed on the front page of the local newspaper about my Washington, DC experience and what it was like to be a gay male in the Bible Belt. That article was the last hurdle to being total free and comfortable with myself. I have gone on to become a gay activist and Director of an AIDS organization and founder of a gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered organization called Coastal Pride. Coastal Pride has signed on in support of the Millennium March on Washington for Equality. My story is only man's opinion, but for me the 93 March on Washington saved my life and set me free. If I had not gone, no telling where I would be in my personal life today. I know that I share the experience of a lot of gay men and lesbians in small southern towns who have had their lives changed for the betterment of themselves and the gay community because of national events like the March on Washington. I encourage everyone to support the Millennium March on Washington for Equality in April of 2000. Please feel free to share my comments. PRIDE is not a birthright, it is a commitment! Keep the Pride, Butch McKay LETTER FROM JEFF SIZEMORE AND TIME BATES (TENNESSEE): I'm sure you've been overwhelmed with questions, comments, and requests for information about the upcoming march, so I'll keep it short... My partner and I live in rural East Tennessee, where the majority of the gay "community" cannot afford, due to social/family/religious pressures, to live their lives openly and honestly, with pride and dignity. Our city's first "gay pride" celebration took place in a private, controlled area to keep media coverage, as well as potential social confrontation/violence, at bay. Such is life in rural, homophobic America. Granted, we're making progress. But ever-so-slowly. That's why we look with anticipation and hope to the upcoming Millennium March on Washington for Equality in Washington, DC on April 30, 2000. Events such as this are not just important, they are VITAL to the visibility of GLBT communities in our country. They are a peaceful reminder that intolerance, ignorance, and outright violence toward fellow human beings should never have been accepted, and will no longer be tolerated. As members of this community, my partner and I seek no special rights...only the human rights intrinsic to our status as companions in the human race. For this reason, in the spring of next year, we will join millions of supporters in our nation's capital in pursuit of freedom, justice, and recognition for all. Because we care about ourselves...because we care about others...because we're not willing to mourn another senseless, tragic end like those faced by Matthew Shepherd or Billy Jack Gaither...we will be there. Jeff Sizemore/Tim Bates We're marching to state capitals in March of 1999! We're marching to our nation's capital in April of 2000! We're marching to the ballot box in November of 2000! RESPONSE FORM FOR MORE INFORMATION... __ I want to keep informed about the Millennium March on Washington. Add me to the UFMCC's Millennium March E-Mail News Service. My e-mail address is: ____________________________________ __ I'd like to volunteer to organize in my area. Please contact me with volunteer information. __ Please add me to UFMCC's Millennium March mailing list to receive information by mail. My address is listed below. __ I'd like to know more about "The Wedding," the largest-ever celebration of GLBT relationships and demonstration for same-sex marriage to take place during the March weekend. Please send me details. __ I'd like information on UFMCC's African-American Conference to be held the weekend of the Millennium March. __ I'd like information on housing for the March. __ Please send me an organizational endorsement form for the March. ____________________________________ Name ____________________________________ Mailing Address ____________________________________ City State Zip ____________________________________ E-Mail Address RETURN TO: UFMCC 8704 Santa Monica Boulevard, 2nd Floor West Hollywood, CA 90069 Fax To: (310) 360-8680 E-Mail To: UFMCCHQ@aol.om (END) FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT: James N. Birkitt, Jr., UFMCC Communications Department 8704 Santa Monica Blvd., 2nd Floor West Hollywood, CA 90069 Tel. (310) 360-8640 Fax: (310) 360-8680 E-mail: UFMCCHQ@aol.com website: http://www.ufmcc.com