UULM California Update

	JUNE 2008 ISSUE #23
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Dear Aaron, Watching Del & Phyllis, who have been together 55 years, cut the cake after being legally married Monday evening was a beautiful sight. Today, many more couples will legally tie the knot.  After decades of slow and steady progress, what a privilege and a responsibility to be witness to a moment of history in the making. It is hard to overstate how important the next few days and weeks are in the decades’ long movement to secure simple fairness, safety, and human dignity for all – a teachable moment indeed. Please be more than a passive witness to the outpouring of love and joy. Share your support for the freedom to marry with friends and family, neighbors and colleagues. Make it a spiritual practice to talk respectfully with those outside your comfort zone. Write to the newspapers and blogs. Call in to talk shows. It will be a very close vote in November when Californians will be asked whether or not they want to amend the constitution to limit marriage to opposite sex couples. No group should be singled out for unfair treatment. This is an issue of human dignity, constitutional integrity and religious freedom. Please take the Vow to Vote No today. The power of Love is on the move! Blessings, Rev. Lindi Ramsden UULM Executive Director Click event below for details. June 17 First full day of legal civil marriage for all June 19 Single Payer Healthcare Rally June 21 Marriage Spokesperson Training, San Diego Aug. 2-10 Water Tour For Justice

Legal Civil Marriages for Gay/ Lesbian Couples Begin Mia Adriano and Kathleen McGregor are planning to get up early this Tuesday, so they can be among the first in line at the Los Angeles County Clerk’s office to get their marriage license. Although they had a commitment ceremony six years ago, the Pasadena couple has been waiting a lot time for this date–they had chosen not to go outside their home state to be married. Read more…. BOARD MEMBER PROFILE Marla Scharf on Marriage When Marla Scharf’s parents crossed the border to New Mexico in 1956 to be married, they knew that their home state of Texas would not recognize their union as legal. In fact, it was until five years later that the Lone Star State wiped all anti-miscegenation laws from its books, and it wasn’t until 11 years later that that marriage between a man and a woman of different races would be legal in all 50 states… Read more… UU Learn Best Ways to Speak Up for Freedom to Marry To help UUs and other people of faith become more effective advocates for the freedom to marry, UULM-CA is offering free workshops in your community. Recent “marriage spokesperson” trainings have been greeted enthusiastically in Monterey, San Diego and Thousand Oaks. Contact Vivien Hao at UULM to schedule your three-hour workshop today! Let California Ring! UUs to Rally for Single Payer Healthcare in Sacramento If you want to show your support of single payer healthcare legislation, you’re encouraged to join a noon rally June 19 at Moscone Center West in San Francisco. The rally will occur at the site of the convention of America’s Health Insurance Plans…Read more…. UULM Intern Minister Moves on to Serve Famed NYC UU Church UULM’s ministerial intern Suzanne Marsh will soon be saying “goodbye” to California and “hello” to New York. She ended her UULM internship last month and will be moving to “The Big Apple” for a nine-month stint as a parish intern at the famed Community Church of New York…Read more… Young Adult Water Tour for Justice Accepting Registration Two dozen environmentally-minded young adults, 18-25, will participate in a Water Tour for Justice August 2-10 as part of UULM-CA’s water justice/climate change education program…Read more… UUs Can Influence Climate Change Bills in Congress Changing light bulbs is important. Changing environmental policy is critical. Taking on the UULM “Low Carbon Challenge,” members of one of the Carbon Ring circles from the UU Community Church of Sacramento will be talking with their Congressional representative about what kinds of climate change laws are needed….Read more…

Unitarian Universality Legislative Ministry California Deepening Faith, Growing Leadership, Building Justice wwww.uulmca.org