The final weekend of the campaign is quickly approaching, and we need your support more than ever in this historic fight against Constitutional Amendment # 2. There are two extremely important and pivotal opportunities for you to speak out and stand up for truth and justice this weekend. Let your voices be heard for freedom and justice for all Texans!.
Two final events to cap off the campaign to protect all Texas families…
- Saturday’s Peaceful Vigil on the First Street Bridge
- Sunday’s Rally at the Capitol with the powerful Rep. Senfronia Thompson
THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON….
VIGIL ON THE FIRST STREET BRIDGE !
The Klu Klux Klan are coming to for an “Anti-Homosexual Marriage” rally in support of Constitutional Amendment #2 and against “legal fag marriage.” We invite you to gather at the river during the Klan rally on Saturday for a non-violent, peaceful vigil.
Come to Auditorium Shores at South 1st and Riverside, this Saturday, Nov 5th, at 1:00 pm for the vigil that’ll go until 3 pm. Nonviolence in words and action are a must, and if you feel you cannot contain your anger when you hear their hateful words against our families, please decline to attend this event. For more information please check the www.nononsenseinnovember.com website for updates.
THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON…
Defend, Don’t Amend Your Bill of Rights — Rally at the Capitol!!
EVERYONE please come to the final rally at the Capitol to fight the hurtful Constitutional Amendment #2 and show your community you care about social justice and fairness!
Sunday, November 6th, 1:30 pm, South steps of the Capitol
Come hear the soul-filled inspiration of our great civil rights leader, Rep. Senfronia Thompson at the Capitol this Sunday. If you don’t know her read on, it’ll be worth it. If you do know her, then I know you would never miss this opportunity to meet her live and in person. In her eloquent and powerful style she will remind us why justice for all really matters, and why we all need to vote AGAINST Constitutional Amendment #2.
We will also rally together as a diverse community, hear soul-filled music, and celebrate so that no matter what happens at the polls next Tuesday, we all know that we will stand together and will continue to fight for justice.
“Rarely are the words of one state legislator worth national attention, but when Senfronia Thompson, a black representative from Houston, stalks to the back mike with a certain “get-out-of-my-way” look in her eye, it’s, Katie, bar the door. Here is Thompson speaking against the Legislature’s recent folly of putting a superfluous anti-gay marriage measure into the state constitution:
‘I have been a member of this august body for three decades, and today is one of the all-time low points. We are going in the wrong direction, in the direction of hate and fear and discrimination. Members, we all know what this is about; this is the politics of divisiveness at its worst, a wedge issue that is meant to divide.
‘Members, this is a distraction from the real things we need to be working on…
‘Let’s look at what this amendment does not do: It does not give one Texas citizen meaningful tax relief. It does not reform or fully fund our education system. It does not restore one child to CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) who was cut from health insurance last session. It does not put one dime into raising Texas’ Third World access to health care. It does not do one thing to care for or protect one elderly person or one child in this state. In fact, it does not even do anything to protect one marriage.
‘Members, this bill is about hate and fear and discrimination. . . . When I was a small girl, white folks used to talk about ‘protecting the institution of marriage’ as well. What they meant was if people of my color tried to marry people of (state Rep. Warren) Chisum’s color, you’d often find the people of my color hanging from a tree. . . . Fifty years ago, white folks thought interracial marriages were ‘a threat to the institution of marriage.’
‘Members, I’m a Christian and a proud Christian. I read the good book and do my best to live by it. I have never read the verse where it says, ‘Gay people can’t marry.’ I have never read the verse where it says, ‘Thou shalt discriminate against those not like me.’ I have never read the verse where it says, ‘Let’s base our public policy on hate and fear and discrimination.’ Christianity to me is love and hope and faith and forgiveness — not hate and discrimination.
‘I have served in this body a lot of years, and I have seen a lot of promises broken. . . . So . . . now that blacks and women have equal rights, you turn your hatred to homosexuals, and you still use your misguided reading of the Bible to justify your hatred. You want to pass this ridiculous amendment so you can go home and brag. Brag about what? Declare that you saved the people of Texas from what?…
‘If you want to make your hateful political statements, then that is one thing — but the Chisum amendment does real harm. It repeals the contracts that many single people have paid thousands of dollars to purchase to obtain medical powers of attorney, powers of attorney, hospital visitation, joint ownership and support agreements. You have lost your way. This is obscene. . . .
‘I thought we would be debating economic development, property tax relief, protecting seniors’ pensions and stem cell research to save lives of Texans who are waiting for a more abundant life. Instead we are wasting this body’s time with this political stunt that is nothing more than constitutionalizing discrimination. The prejudices exhibited by members of this body disgust me…
‘I have listened to the arguments. . . . I want you to know that this amendment is blowing smoke to fuel the hell-fire flames of bigotry.’
Then, our lawmakers passed the amendment.”
n Molly Ivins quoting Rep Thompson.
