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Safeguarding American Values for Everyone |
Action Alert
Real Stories, Real Lives...
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Share your stories with our lawmakers...and help SAVE Dade effect change.
Right now, the 111th Congress is facing the most pro-LGBT legislation it has ever seen.
We've asked each of our strongest allies in Congress: What should the LGBT movement do to get these bills passed?
The answer comes back the same every time: grassroots efforts to get constituents demanding action from their Senators and Representatives in Congress is the single most effective thing we can do right now.
SAVE Dade is taking action now on federal issues. Already we have met with five of our seven Federal Congressional Delegates as they come home to spend time with their families and meet with constituents. There is no better time than right now to meet with legislators and influence their vote.
Unfortunately, some members of Congress have yet to commit to equality. And in order to get them to commit we need to mobilize volunteers in grassroots work. They need thousands of postcards signed by constituents, and in-person visits from voters who are willing to share their personal stories.
During those in-person visits, I confirmed what our Congressional allies were requiring of us and listened as people told their stories to lawmakers and staff with the intent of changing a decision maker's heart and mind.
- Jacqui, a transgender woman, talked about how she was two weeks away from running out of money, and couldn't find work for three years during her transition. To prove her point, she dropped on the table a foot high stack of job resumes she had filled out over her three-year search.
- James, a gay man spoke about how he does not attend the company picnics or holiday parties, because he does not want to live a lie and is afraid of losing his job if he is open at work.
Showing our lawmakers exactly how discrimination has impacted the lives of their constituents brings home the importance of getting these vital bills passed now.
However, those thousands of postcards and visits cost money.
That is why we need your help now. SAVE Dade needs to raise $20,000 within the next sixty (60) days to wage this heightened effort during this critical Congressional recess, and to follow up our efforts in September and beyond until victory is achieved and the bills pass Congress and make it to the President's desk. There really is no time to waste. We may not get another chance like this for another decade.
However much you can afford - be it $25, $50, $100, or $250 or even more - will go directly to increase SAVE Dade's ability to do what national leaders say is the most critical thing we can do to succeed.
Right now, there is still a window of opportunity to apply influence to the decision makers in Washington. When that window closes, it may not open again for a long, long time. Please, give us your support today.
Sincerely,
CJ Ortuño
Executive Director |
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About SAVE Dade
Safeguarding
American Values for Everyone (SAVE Dade)
advocates for equal rights for all people regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity,
and educates the community about human rights with an emphasis on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues.
Established in
1993, SAVE Dade accomplishes this mission through education initiatives, outreach, grassroots
organizing, and advocacy. Starting with the landmark
passage of Miami's Human Rights Ordinance in 1998
to recent enactments of domestic partner benefit policies, SAVE Dade continues to
lead the fight for LGBT equality in Miami-Dade County.
4500 Biscayne Boulevard Suite 340 | Miami, FL
33137-3227
305-751-SAVE (7283) | 1-800-396-8709 f
www.savedade.org | savedade@savedade.org
2008 Not-for-Profit Organization of the Year
Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
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