Becky Vandeberghe of WyWatch, (the group that lobbied against us on HB74 and SJ5) said basically, they are planning on taking names and kicking butt in the next election. She viewed the legislative session as a success by means of gathering more votes for their agenda than they have ever gathered before. She said they now have a clear voting record for current house and senate members and will turn these into major talking points for the next election.
We need to do the same! We need to regroup, strategize, raise money, and also try and influence the next election. We need to remember this fire and passion that we have in our hearts right now! We as Americans have very short term and forgiving memories.
Everyone knows I’m a board member of Wyoming Equality. We had a legislative reception at Suite 1901 in February. We were chuckling as we set it up wondering if all the legislators were talking among themselves about who was and wasn’t going to come to the “gay thing” that night. We didn’t have as many show as we would have liked but we had some key people that I think ultimately helped us win!
Two of my favorite legislators Joe Barbuto and Stan Blake both came. What a great couple of guys!! Both are strong supporters of equal rights and both spoke at our equality rally in front of the Capital. One of my favorite things Rep. Barbuto said was, “people asked me what I was going to do about jobs and energy, but not one person asked me what I was going to do about taking away someone’s rights.”
Senator Cale Case was there. He has spoken against these bills on the senate floor and was recently featured on the Rachel Maddow show, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/41918532#41918532; Representatives Mary Throne and Cathy Connolly were there. These two remarkable ladies also spoke in opposition to these bills multiple times on the house floor.
I have to wonder if we would have gotten the same results without this reception; as it allowed us to spend an entire evening with these remarkable people going over the LGTB issues that are near and dear to our hearts.
Obviously this takes money. We also printed flyers, went to lobbyist training, attended workshops, and we plan on doing all these things again but hopefully on a much grander scale. So…. Drum roll please… if you can help us keep fighting we would so much appreciate it!!!
Wyoming Equality’s mission statement is; Wyoming Equality seeks to enhance the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in the Equality State by providing: Education, Information, Activities, Support, a Networking System, and an Advocacy System for people impacted by gender and sexual orientation issues.
Donations are tax deductible. Wyoming Equality / UGLW, Inc. is a non-profit organization recognized under section 501(c)3 of the IRS code. Donations to UGLW, Inc. are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Federal tax #: 83-0287834.
If you can help contact me or send your donation by mail to;
Wyoming Equality
PO Box 2531
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003-2531
No amount is too small, and if you can’t help financially we always need volunteers. Thank you for reading this and making a difference.
Jeran
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