"The Fight For Marriage Equality: Is Gay Marriage A Civil Right?"

[Eva Ramirez Cunningham]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2005 13:34:54 -0800 (Pacific Standard Time)
From: Steve Leigh <sleigh at u.washington.edu>
Reply-To: uwmosaic at u.washington.edu
To: Bridging the Gap between Diverse Communities <uwmosaic at u.washington.edu>





Public Event:
"The Fight For Marriage Equality: Is Gay Marriage A Civil Right?"
Meeting sponsored by the International Socialist Organization
Speaker: Doug Kennedy of Marriage Equality NOW!
Free and open to the public

Time/Date:
Wednesday, January 26th, 2005
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Childcare available upon request

Location:
Seattle Central Community College, Room 3209
1701 Broadway (at Broadway and Pine)

Contact Information:
International Socialist Organization:
Phone 206.931.2922
Email seattleiso at yahoo.com

Event Description:

Bush's election means a continuation of right-wing attacks abroad and here
at home. His conservative base is feeling more inspired than ever to fight
against marriage equality for gays & lesbians, trying to push through
their "moral agenda." But is gay marriage a deep-seated "moral issue" or
is it a fundamental civil right that must be fought for and won through
grassroots struggle? This key question facing progressives right now will
determine the way forward in the fight for gay marriage. But in order to
win marriage equality and end gay oppression once and for all, we must
also look at its origins.

Socialists see the roots of gay oppression in the need to preserve the
traditional nuclear family, which serves a vital material role under
capitalism by paying for and providing the basic human needs for the next
generation of workers.  Any challenge to this role means a possible
weakening of the profits of the rich.

Gay oppression will only end when the "family" becomes a social
relationship, not an economic one.  That is why the struggle for gay
liberation must be linked to other struggles- abortion rights, health
care, welfare rights- and ultimately, the struggle for socialism and a
world where human need would be the first priority.



Steve Leigh
sleigh at u.washington.edu
(206)616-2931
Program Coordinator, Dept. of Health Services

" If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to
favour freedom and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without
ploughing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning;
they want the ocean without the awful roar of its mighty waters.
 	Power concedes nothing without a demand! "
 						Frederick Douglass
(lunch)