Subject: Gay Vote Is Swing Vote, Say MMOW Organizers
From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 16:05:55 EDT

Millennium March on Washington for Equality
April 30, 2000  .  Washington, DC

Mobilizing, Organizing GLBT Voters Will Be Lasting Impact
of Millennium March on Washington, Say Organizers
"GLBT Vote 2000" To Focus on Voting Pledge

Washington, DC -- The mobilization of the GLBT community to the polls in 
November of 2000 has emerged as a driving force behind the Millennium March 
on Washington for Equality, according to organizers from the more than 150 
GLBT organizations sponsoring the March.

"The GLBT community has emerged as an important swing vote in the upcoming 
Presidential election," said Nicole Murray-Ramirez, longtime GLBT activist 
and one of four Co-Chairs for the March on Washington. "Two nationally 
recognized exit polls show that self-identified gays and lesbians comprise 
between 5% and 6% of voters in national elections. When you factor in the 
bisexual and transgendered communities along with our families, friends and 
allies, the GLBT community has emerged as one of the largest minority voting 
blocks in the country," added Murray-Ramirez.

During recent Millennium March Board Meetings in New Orleans, March 
organizers unveiled the new GLBT Vote 2000 logo and pledge cards, which will 
be distributed across the country at gay and lesbian centers, clubs, bars, 
gay-friendly churches and college campuses.

MMOW organizers will be teaming up with local and state voter registration 
organizations, as well as MTV's "Rock The Vote" campaign, according to Dianne 
Hardy-Garcia, member of the MMOW Board of Directors. "GLBT Vote 2000 will 
focus on encouraging people to take a pledge to vote in the presidential and 
congressional elections in November 2000," she added.

Demonstrating how national events can benefit local and state GLBT 
organizations, Hardy-Garcia noted, "The names from the voter pledge cards 
will be shared with non-profit statewide GLBT organizations to strengthen 
membership and participation in local and state GLBT groups. I have long been 
convinced that national marches benefit local GLBT groups, and this is 
another demonstration of how this can and should happen."

"This March on Washington is unique in that it is the first GLBT March 
scheduled to take place seven months before the next presidential and 
congressional elections," said Malcolm Lazin, Interim Executive Director for 
the March. "The Millennium March on Washington will serve as a focal point to 
register our community and to turn out the GLBT vote at the polls in 
November."

"We are asking the GLBT community to make two important commitments," added 
Lazin. "The first is to come to Washington, DC on April 30, 2000, to 
demonstrate for our civil rights. The second is to make a commitment to use 
the power of the ballot box on November 7, 2000, to further our call for 
social justice and equality under the law."

"Based on the overwhelming response we are receiving at March headquarters, I 
can already predict that there will be two long-range outcomes of MMOW," said 
Lazin. The first is that hundreds of thousands of MMOW participants will 
return home to become active in local and state GLBT organizations. And the 
second is that for the first time, the GLBT community will not only 
demonstrate our power at the ballot box, but will also be recognized as a key 
swing vote in the next elections."

GLBT Vote 2000 information and materials will be distributed by MMOW 
volunteers and organizers across the U.S. 

For more information on the Millennium March on Washington for Equality, 
visit the official website at www.mmow.org or contact [email-masked].

(END)

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Malcolm Lazin, MMOW Executive Director
Tel:  215-732-FEST
Fax:  215-732-7376
E-Mail:  [email-masked]

Nicole Murray-Ramirez, MMOW Co-Chair
Tel:  619-692-1967
Fax:  619-299-3430
E-Mail:  [email-masked]

Dianne Hardy-Garcia, MMOW Board Member
Tel:  512-474-5475
Fax:  512-474-4511
E-Mail:  [email-masked]

P R E S S   B A C K G R O U N D E R
GLBT Vote 2000
A National Project of the
Millennium March on Washington for Equality

WHAT:
GLBT Vote 2000 is a national campaign sponsored by the organizers of the 
Millennium March on Washington to move beyond traditional voter registration. 
The focus of GLBT Vote 2000 will be to encourage gays, lesbians, bisexuals, 
transgendered persons and our families, friends and allies to make a pledge 
to vote in the November 2000 elections for President and Congress.

WHY?
Two national studies show that 5-6% of voters in national elections publicly 
identify as gay or lesbian. When bisexuals, transgendered persons, still 
closeted individuals, and our supportive friends and families are factored 
in, the GLBT vote has emerged as a key swing vote in the next national 
elections.

WHEN?
While the campaign will continue through the November elections, a 
state-by-state tally will be provided on April 30, 2000, at the Millennium 
March on Washington for Equality in Washington, DC.

HOW?
State and local organizers will distribute posters and pledge cards at 
community centers, colleges, churches, clubs, and bars.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION?
For additional information, or to schedule media interviews with GLBT Vote 
2000 organizers, contact Nicole Murray-Ramirez, MMOW Co-Chair; Dianne 
Hardy-Garcia, MMOW Board Member; or Malcolm Lazin, MMOW Interim Executive 
Director. Contact information is listed above.

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