Equality Across America

July 6, 2010: Equality Across America (EAA), a coalition of grassroots activists and independent organizations, calls on LGBTQ activists across the country to take action and expose the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), a non-profit organization that “has a mission to protect marriage and the faith communities that sustain it.” This “mission” has been pushed by a campaign of lies and/or misleading propaganda in the form of television and radio advertisements and on line campaigns.

NOM recently announced the Summer for Marriage Tour 2010, where anti-equality activists will travel through nineteen cities and hold “pro-marriage” rallies to garner support for preserving the Defense of Marriage Act, a piece of legislation passed under the Clinton administration that disallows any same-sex marriage in any state to be recognized by the federal government.
EAA is launching a campaign to motivate activists in each of the 19 cities with NOM events scheduled to hold peaceful and positive events at the same time NOM rallies are taking place. In places like St. Louis and Indianapolis, event planning is already underway. EAA will support all actions being independently organized by publicizing information about the events through Facebook, Twitter and e-blasts.

“NOM has done a terrific job at instilling fear into the hearts and minds of the American people regarding marriage equality, and it's the responsibility of the LGBTQ community to rise up and show who we really are,” says Nik Maciejewski, Project Coordinator for Equality Across America. “We're everyone, and we're struggling like everyone. The benefits of marriage to an LGBTQ couple could mean health insurance, legal citizenship or simple financial security, and we can't let the lies of the NOM be the prevalent voice. They are on the wrong side of history.”

With the first NOM event scheduled for July 14th in Augusta, Maine – the most recent state to lose equal marriage rights by popular vote – EAA encourages local activists in those 19 cities to take action, and will continue networking and building momentum within the broader LGBTQ community.