Tampa, March 20/---Local area gay leaders in conjunction with DontAmend.com, a national network devoted to stopping the
anti-gay constitutional amendment and who initiated the first nationwide day of protests for equal marriage rights on February
14th, is calling on all who believe in equal rights to join with us to protest at our local U.S. Post Office.
DATE: April 15th., 2004
TIME: 5:30 pm.
LOCATION: Tampa
International Airport U. S. Post Office
This protest is to bring attention to the proposal of a constitutional amendment discriminating against same gender marriage. The protest is against taxation with discrimination. The idea that civil unions is equal to marriage is not true. It is a form of marriage segregation that makes second class citizens out of gay people.
The experience in Vermont has shown us that due to the vast majority of marital rights and benefits accruing at the Federal level, Civil Unions do not afford those same rights to anyone who has entered into such a union and therefore are not equal. Rights such as Social Security survivor's benefits and the right to naturalize non-citizen spouses are being denied to those who had Civil Union ceremonies. When the federal and state governments take our tax money, and then says we are not entitled to equal rights and benefits, that is discrimination. “Equality means exactly that, equal rights for all not equal rights for some, “ said Jan Lowe, picket organizer and member of DontAmend Tampa Bay. “We intend to be on the streets to demand our rights. We agree with Coretta Scott King. This is a civil rights movement.
We are not fighting for our lifestyles, we are fighting for our lives.
We ask that all
supporters and participants to show up at the Tampa International Airport
U.S. Post Office @ 5:00 pm.
For additional information or to
support
Lowe directly at: jandontamend@tampabay.rr.com or visit our website: http://www.tampabaycoalition.com/dontamend.html .
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