The ICA… www.icaboston.org!

Check-in from 630PM – 7PM at the WATER CAFE… (first floor of the ICA).
PLEASE BRING:
A partner of the same-sex
Your enthusiasm.

From 7PM – 8PM we will be roaming about looking at the Roni Horn Show.. and performing Public Displays Of Affection (Acceptance).

Feel free to interact with other PDA participants..

If you know of ANYONE who would like to join us – IT’S NOT TOO LATE - tell them to come on down!

We are so excited to have you with us!
See you Thursday!

Best,
TT and Michael!

According to sources at the Washington Post, McDonnell’s stance is that, “his predecessors had overstepped their executive authority by including sexual orientation protections in the orders and has not renewed them. He said the issue would be properly decided by the General Assembly.” This seems to be more of the same argument that many lawmakers, and states are using to remove existing protections for queer citizens with regard to marriage equality in places like California and Maine.

The new-old bill on the floor of the General Assembly in Virginia has passed the largely Democratic House, but it is expected to be killed by lawmakers in the more conservative Senate. More on the Governor’s stance and possible motives can be found here.

My question is, when did we become America’s pariahs? Last year it took tacking a hate crimes bill onto a defense bill for the federal government to even consider GLBTQ people in that lawmaking decision, and even then it still didn’t pass. Living in a country where defense spending tops EVERYTHING in the Federal Government, it is astonishing that my sexuality could play such a huge roll in one bill. It has prompted states to take away rights of marriage equality that had already existed, again creating a second class of citizens, and in some cases even third. Now Governor McDonnell has taken away his own states employees rights against discrimination which could lead to good, hardworking people being fired for who they love, in an already tight job market.

All of this with the argument that executive and judicial powers are being abused when laws are instituted outside the legislative process- laws that are meant to equalize and protect EVERYONE!

I didn’t see any of these guys raising a stink when the Supreme Court recently sold our election process to the highest corporate bidders.

Think.

romeos@thewedlockproject.com

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100203/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_military_gays

THE COPLEY SQUARE MALL!

SATURDAY JANUARY 23RD, 2010

1PM to 2PM

(Participants and interested parties will meet at the AU BON PAIN across from Nieman Marcus at 12:30PM sharp!)

Bring:

A partner of the same sex

and

YOUR GOOD ENERGY!

See you there!

The same can be said in New York, Rhode Island, New Mexico and Washington, DC. All of these places deny same-sex marriage to their residents, but honor the legal standing of marriages from other states, like Massachusetts. The two tier rights system established by the open denial of marriage equality in these places has now become even more convoluted. A third class of citizen has been created, of which I am a part and in some ways ashamed to say has more rights than my brothers and sisters who have been battling for equality in these states.

The state of affairs regarding same-sex marriage in California is particularly interesting to me. Not only can residents no longer get married there, and my marriage is recognized, but the 18,000 marriages performed before Proposition 8 was voted in remain legally binding too. That means that the “second-class” gay and lesbian citizens in the state who cannot be married legally there, now also have the “option” to travel elsewhere, get legally married in one of the states where they are allowed to and bring that home to California with them. Talk about confusion!!

It was only a matter of time before the quagmire in the West could no longer be contained. The California Federal Court battle that is now taking place and aims to remove Proposition 8, will undoubtedly have national ramifications. I don’t see any immediate lasting resolution in this case, but that by no means spells disaster for those of us supporting and making a case for equality among GLBT people. In fact, as the future of appeals and arguments could continue for this case and the issue of same-sex marriage at large, this could be the very thing we need to positively bring same-sex marriage equality to the national stage.

In the meantime, Michael and I are fortunate enough to live in Massachusetts, where we will continue to be grateful for the freedom we have to exercise our rights. And while we do that – we will also continue to make work through this project that asks YOU to think about where you stand.

You can vote for us and a lot of other amazing area artists and curators here! VOTE.

We will posting the location here 24 hours prior to the piece. If you would like to participate as a SAME-SEX COUPLE for PDA #2, contact us at romeos@thewedlockproject.com and we will give you all the information you need!

See you Saturday!

TT and Michael

You can be a part of making art happen with The WEDLOCK Project! We are looking for 50+ participants to create guerrilla performance pieces right here in Boston! For more details contact us or go here!

The next installment will be happening Saturday January 23rd, 2010 from 12:30PM to 2:30PM!

Location will be sent in future correspondence – but rest assured it is happening in BOSTON!

Go to the Gallery to see images from ENGAGEMENT and PDA 1 very soon!

After reading the article and watching the video, it is apparent that this kid gets it. By that I don’t mean – he gets the reason why marriage is such a hot button issue, why it can be an important piece of a larger puzzle on the road to equality. He evidently does; he has thought long and hard about it. More importantly he gets the “thinking” part.

What a refreshing thing to see.. on mainstream media no less! Even more refreshing was Phillips’ father, who said that after having a reaction to the subtitute teacher’s side of the story, he put his anger away so that he could talk with his son. I don’t know about you, but where I come from until you are well into your teens there is no-one who wants to hear your opinion, thoughts, etc. On the contrary the very idea of doing something so radical as to exercise your constitutional rights for what you truly believe in is often seen as unpatriotic, seditious and deviant – and not only when you are a child. Three cheers to the Phillips family for giving their son the room to be a dynamic individual with his own thoughts and beliefs, even if they are other than those around him.

Will understands as many of us probably understood at his age and earlier, that when you think for yourself, when you really take the time to chew on a question and come up with your own valid opinions, convictions and beliefs – it ultimately benefits everyone. Why? Because it takes the filters and background noise away and allows us to see others as they truly are. If I concern myself with being the best I can be – from my heart, I will always want that to be the experience for everyone.