Don't Ask, Don't Tell: A letter from the Courage Campaign

A letter from the Courage Campaign:

Dear Friend -

We won.

With 63 votes today in the Senate, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is on the way to the dustbin of history.  I’m elated and I’m somber: it’s a huge victory that would never have happened without every one of you.

But we ain’t done yet.

Courage Campaign is going to mount an effort to pressure the Obama Administration to quickly certify repeal- and we need your people-powered support. Will you give us $17 right now, one dollar for each year that DADT was law?

http://www.couragecampaign.org/WeWon

Here's the skinny: the Senate vote was the last major legislative obstacle. But even after the President signs this law, no one can serve openly. Certification is first required from the President, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and Secretary of Defense.

It’s part of a backroom deal cut months ago, and it’s ridiculous. We’ve seen how the Administration has dragged their feet over the past two years on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. We can’t let that happen again. We have to mount a fight to finish the job, and we need your help.

Can you contribute $17 to show the Administration that we’re not going to stand for any more foot-dragging? We'll put your money to work right away---through online ads, organizers, and phone banks that will remind this administration daily that the job is not done until they certify repeal.

http://www.couragecampaign.org/WeWon

You did this.  And together, we’ll move from this victory to full equality in the months and years ahead.

But we ain’t done yet. Contribute $17 to speed up the day when an openly gay American can walk into a recruiting station and say “I want to serve.”

Together, we are unstoppable.

Rick Jacobs
Chair, Courage Campaign

Add your name to the petition to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell

In the last week, 49,529 Americans -- including 8,561 veterans and their families -- have signed this urgent petition to Senate leaders launched by Iraq vet Congressman Patrick J. Murphy and the Courage Campaign. Now Iraq veteran Ashwin Madia (pictured) and VoteVets are adding their names to the list - and you can too, before it's too late.

Will you add your name now to the more than 600,000 signatures collected over the last year on behalf of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"? 

IF YOU ARE A VETERAN, CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION

IF YOU ARE NOT A VETERAN, CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE CIVILIAN PETITION

Human Rights Campaign, Courage Campaign Call on IRS to Investigate National Organization for Marriage

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, and the Courage Campaign, a 700,000-member online activist network, announced they are filing a formal complaint with the Internal Revenue Service asking it to immediately investigate the Ruth Institute, part of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) Education Fund. The complaint, found here, requests the IRS revoke the Ruth Institute’s tax-exempt status and seek an injunction to prevent future violations by either the Ruth Institute or the NOM Education Fund.

The complaint makes clear the Ruth Institute “has repeatedly and flagrantly violated the political campaign activity prohibition of section 501(c) (3) by intervening and participating in multiple candidate campaigns. In the past year Ruth Institute resources have illegally been used to advocate for a U.S. Senate candidate as well as local and statewide judicial candidates.” HRC and the Courage Campaign cite the repeated involvement of the Ruth Institute in Carly Fiorina’s Senate race and in judicial elections in California and Iowa as clear violations of federal law.

“The evidence that the Ruth Institute and the NOM Education Fund repeatedly stepped over the line into illegal activity is indisputable,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “Even fringe groups like NOM, its associates, and its affiliate groups must abide by federal law. Is the Ruth Institute nothing more than a front and funnel for NOM's political activities? We trust the IRS can unveil the truth."

Does the California decision break your heart?

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision to stay Judge Walker's ruling is disappointing, but we must continue the fight to restore marriage equality to California until Proposition 8 is gone.

Prop. 8 appeals begin

The Associated Press is reporting that Protect Marriage -- the coalition of right-wing religious groups that sponsored Prop 8 --  filed an appeal today in response to Judge Vaughn Walker's historic ruling yesterday striking down the discriminatory initiative. Walker has ordered both sides to submit written arguments by Friday as he determines whether to grant a stay in the case.

Meanwhile, Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization for Marriage launched a counter-attack to rally the religious right, calling Walker's decision a sign of a "Soviet-style" government takeover of marriage, leading the way as conservative groups stoke a backlash against the decision. - via www.couragecampaign.org/DefendTheDecison

Courage Campaign wins infringement suit

Rick Jacobs, Chair of the Courage Campaign Institute writes:

Last week Protect Marriage, the same people defending Prop 8 at the federal trial, sent us a cease-and-desist letter threatening a lawsuit in U.S. District Court. They said the logo we used on our Prop 8 Trial Tracker web site -- an obvious parody of the Yes on 8 logo -- was somehow an infringement on their trademark.

Our lawyers rejected their ridiculous claims. They not only pointed out that parody is protected by the law and precedent, but noted the irony in Protect Marriage's attempt to silence us:

"While our client does appreciate the irony of the suggestion in your letter that a logo of a family made up of a man, a woman, and two children is "substantially indistinguishable" from a logo of a family made up of two women and two children, your assertion is incorrect."

On Tuesday, ProtectMarriage then filed suit against Courage, asking a federal court to issue a temporary restraining order forcing us to take down our logo. Again we refused.

And we won. On Wednesday afternoon, Judge Lawrence Karlton ruled in our favor, rejecting the restraining order and Protect Marriage's claims.

Prop. 8 Trial Tracker: Day 6

One week ago today, the historic federal trial challenging Prop 8 started in San Francisco.

And the Courage Campaign Institute was there, launching the "Prop 8 Trial Tracker" web site to get the truth out as the trial happened.

Rick Jacobs, Courage's Chair and founder, began live-blogging the trial Monday morning, providing a first draft of history to the world. Within hours the site went viral, as tens of thousands of people shared the link across the internet, from blogs to Facebook and Twitter.

When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling allowing video recordings, traffic spiked on the site, prompting the Courage Campaign to boost coverage and ask for your support. And, in just four days, more than 2,000 people donated to help expand the Prop 8 Trial Tracker.

Day 6 of the trial just started. To read remarkable comment threads, Rick's first week of live-blogging posts, and analysis of the trial by writers Julia Rosen, Robert Cruickshank, Paul Hogarth and Brian Leubitz, check out the Prop. 8 Trial Tracker here.

An open letter from the Courage Campaign Institute regarding the upcoming Prop. 8 court case

The following is an open letter from Rick Jacobs of the Courage Campaign Institute:

In just three days, an astounding 140,671 Americans signed our letter asking Judge Vaughn Walker to "televise the trial" -- and we hand-delivered 138,248 of your signatures to the court Friday morning.

The good news: Judge Walker just announced the amazing final results on public comments: 138,542 in favor, 32 opposed. Congrats to the Courage Campaign and CREDO Action communities!

The bad news: Opponents of marriage equality filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court on Saturday, begging to hide the trial from the American public. And a few hours ago, the Supreme Court delayed their decision until Wednesday.

Prop 8 supporters and anti-equality organizations like the National Organization for Marriage have spent tens of millions of dollars on 30-second ads scaring the American people into thinking that same-sex marriage will destroy our country. And now, when federal judges want to open the courtrooms to America, Prop 8 supporters want to unplug the TV.

What are they hiding? And what are organizations like NOM and Focus on the Family willing to do and say to keep the American people from finding out the truth?

The Prop 8 trial starts today. That's why the Courage Campaign Institute is launching the "Prop 8 Trial Tracker" -- a web site that will hold right-wing organizations accountable for what they say every day of the Prop 8 trial. We need your support immediately. Will you contribute $25, $50, $100 or more right now to help us get the truth out ASAP?

On the defensive, Prop 8 supporters are scared they will lose. Maggie Gallagher, President of NOM, has made Judge Vaughn Walker the immediate target of NOM's misinformation strategy, launching a baseless attack on the judge a few days ago:

"The case will be a show trial in a kangaroo court. I don't say that lightly of any federal judge, but Judge Walker's extraordinary bias has already been flagrantly on display."

As the trial unfolds, we can expect NOM and their allies to continue to try and convince the public the court is biased. And our Prop 8 Trial Tracker will continue to monitor these misleading right-wing claims, in and outside the courtroom, and report the truth.

We're launching the Prop 8 Trial Tracker as a public service to get the truth out. But we can't do it without your support. Please contribute $25, $50, $100 or more right now to support our work during the Prop 8 trial to hold the right-wing accountable:

Thank you for helping us get the truth out ASAP.

Rick Jacobs
Chair, Courage Campaign Institute

Decision time for Prop. 8 repeal

A decision is expected today from Equality California on whether it supports trying to repeal the state's Proposition 8 marriage ban next year or will wait until 2012. Another group, the Courage Campaign, on Thursday is set to reveal whether a $200,000 challenge grant to do advance work for a 2010 repeal vote has been matched. Both announcements are timed to a suggested deadline of Sept. 25 to hand in signatures to quality for next year's ballot, according to this article.

Courage Campaign: 1 Million for Marriage Equality

The Courage Campaign pledges to repeal Prop 8 and restore marriage equality to California. You can join more than 700,000 Courage Campaign members ready to restore marriage equality to California in 2010. Help the Courage Campaign reach 1 Million for Marriage Equality by clicking here and adding your name.