FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- JULY 31,1995 DALLAS GAY AND LESBIAN ALLIANCE LAUNCHES MARRIAGE PROJECT On-line Contact: MarriageTX@aol.com Telephone Contact: Avery Maixner, Chairperson of DGLA Marriage Project 214-521-5342,ext.414 or Michael Osborn, Director of Administration 214-528-4233. FAX 214-521-6424 Lesbians and gay men are on the verge of a tremendous legal victory: winning the freedom to marry. Through a landmark case underway in Hawaii, the doors to civil marriage soon may be open for gay men and lesbians. The Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance has started a new program in preparation for this historic civil rights development. Working in coordination with the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund National Marriage Project, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and with the assistance of the American Civil Liberties Union-North Texas Region, the Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance Marriage Project is preparing to lead the state of Texas in ushering in this historic moment in our nation's history. The purpose of the DGLA Marriage Project is to provide education about the civil rights implications of legalized marriage for same-sex couples. Many Americans fail to understand how seriously lesbians and gay men suffer discrimination. Nor do they realize that many gay people are in long-term committed relationships and yet are denied the freedom to marry in every state. Education will be presented through video presentations, published commentaries, computer on-line materials, and an extensive speaker's bureau. Any interested organization may schedule a formal presentation with written materials and speaker, and members of the media may request interviews by contacting the DGLA. Although many lesbian and gay couples are in long-term relationships, and undertake responsibilities toward one another as married couples, they are denied the vast array of legal, economic, and practical benefits that married couples enjoy. Among these are the rights to: - file joint tax returns and get marriage or family rates and exemptions - obtain joint insurance policies for home and auto, as well as family health coverage - inherit automatically in the absence of a will - inherit jointly-owned real and personal property through the right of survivorship - determine medical decisions on a partner's behalf in the event of illness - decision making power with respect to a deceased partner's final resting place - take bereavement or sick leave to care for a partner or child - visit a partner or child in the hospital, and others. Additionally, same-gender couples are not seeking "gay marriage". They are seeking MARRIAGE. The term "gay marriage" implies that same-gender couples are asking for something different from what other married couples have. Lesbians and gay men are asking for the equal freedom to marry the person they love and care for, just as non-gay people do. ------Founded in 1977, the Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance remains one of the preeminent civil rights organizations in the state of Texas. Its mission is to advocate full civil rights, dignity, and self-respect for gay and lesbian individuals by educating, creating social and political change, and fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation in order to achieve the full participation of gay and lesbian people in society. For more information about the DGLA Marriage Project,the on-line contact is " MarriageTX@aol.com". Phone contact is Avery Maixner, Chairperson of the DGLA Marriage Project @ 214-521-5342, ext. 414, or Michael Osborn, Director of Administration @ 214-528-4233. _________________________________________________________________ On Monday, August 14th, at 7:30 PM the DGLA Monthly Membership Meeting will be presenting its program " Marriage for Gays and Lesbians: What All the Talk's About". The location will be the Gay and Lesbian Community Center at 2701 Reagan St. at Brown. Attendance is free; non-members are welcome. A brief business meeting of DGLA will precede the program. Speakers will include noted Attorney Rebecca Covell and myself. This next year promises to be an exciting one for our community and our country! For any assistance or information, please don't hesitate to contact me. Warmly, Avery Maixner Vice-President, Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance =========END FORWARDED MESSAGE========= Michael Lax; lazarus@bga.com; http://www.realtime.net/~lazarus/ 12514 Esplanade St #B Austin TX 78727-4409; 512.837.1596/512.836.9715 [fax] "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?" Hillel