A call to arms
By David Mixner
From The Advocate, April 13, 2004
For 40 years I have had the honor of participating in some of the great social movements of our time. Who can forget the fire hoses and dogs Birmingham, Ala., used against young African-Americans fighting for their rights or the horrible charge of police on horseback into the marchers at Selma? The images of thousands of anti–Vietnam War protesters being beaten senseless at the Chicago Democratic convention in 1968 are ingrained in the minds of millions.

Never will I be able to forget the shooting of students at Kent and Jackson State colleges. The power of hundreds of thousands of women fighting for equal rights and for the right of choice is a lesson in organizing for us all. The heroic story of Nelson Mandela leaving prison, becoming president, and forgiving his tormentors is legend.
Our community will always honor those who fought at Stonewall. We will never forget countless thousands who took care of those dying of AIDS while fighting for lifesaving treatments and justice. The members of our nation’s military who came out and gave up their careers to advance our liberty are all heroes. The countless Matthew Shepards who have been beaten to death will always be in our hearts.

I come out of a history built on the greatness of others. I have seen nameless individuals change nations, performing heroic deeds in the face of death. Now it’s your turn: The most important battle in the history of the GLBT civil rights movement is upon us. Future generations of young people will remember those who stand up now to be counted.

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Mass. Marriage Battle Rages On
Monday, March 29th 2004
BOSTON -- The Massachusetts legislature moved one step closer to a constitutional amendment that would forbid same-sex couples from participating in marriage and instituting a compromise that would make it the second state in the country to legalize civil unions.
Lawmakers on Monday moved to prevent other riders from being attached to the amendment, including one proposal that would have cut the benefits granted to gay couples in civil unions and another that would have allowed voters to ban marriage equality absent the civil union alternative.
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how nice.. to have limited rights.. wow.. I should feel so lucky to live in a country that has a non-elected president, that goes to war on lies, and limits rights..

Maryland Advances Limited Partnership
Monday, March 29th 2004
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- A key Maryland House committee voted on Friday to approve the creation of a statewide domestic partnership registry that would give gay men and lesbians in relationships the right to make medical decisions for their partners.

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Hate mail targeting gay rights supporters
By The Associated Press
March 29, 2004
Dozens of threatening letters have been sent to people in Colorado over the past four years, apparently targeting them as gay rights supporters through their comments in the media. A leaflet enclosed in the mailings, titled "Homosexual Rights or Bold Faced Lie?," lists biblical passages the author says condemn homosexuality. The mailings are signed by the "Watcher." Some leaflets also contain handwritten notes, which in one case read "I will enjoy — watching you die," the Colorado Anti-Violence Program said Monday.
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Ohio: 58 gay couples denied licenses
In an act that has been replicated in cities across the country, 58 same-sex couples in Ohio filed into a county courthouse on Friday to obtain marriage licenses, but all were denied. The couples filled out marriage license forms and paid $40 fees before appearing, in pairs, in front of Cuyahoga County Probate Judge John Donnelly, who refused to grant the licenses, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported.

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A kick in the teeth
By Christopher Rice
From The Advocate, April 13, 2004
I think it’s safe to say that President Bush has no idea that in proposing an amendment to the Constitution to ban gay marriage he has accomplished something that no other event or political figure has managed to do: He has galvanized a previously apathetic generation of gay men in their mid to late 20s.
We are the first gay generation to be maligned and dismissed not by our straight oppressors but our gay aunts and uncles. The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide is full of dire warnings about us. We are too satisfied with our vapid media representations on reality television. We are too hungover and broke from circuit weekends to fathom our continuing oppression. We have mistaken retail recognition for social acceptance.

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Gay marriage’s secret weapons
Local politicians, like New Paltz, N.Y., mayor Jason West, are the most effective activists for marriage equality
By Christopher Lisotta
From The Advocate, April 13, 2004
Openly gay Nyack, N.Y., mayor John Shields is not performing same-sex marriages, but he’s not sitting on the sidelines. He is suing the New York State Department of Health, which regulates marriage licenses, and lobbying state lawmakers for support. “We’re taking a different strategy, and my lawyer’s experience is, the more strategies you take on a civil rights issue, the better off you are,” says Shields.