Dear friends of the LGTB community, it's hard to imagine but election time is going to be here before we know it. Our opponents are working hard behind the scenes and are well organized and well funded. We are trying to do the same thing!
Many of you know that I'm on the board of Wyoming Equality, please read this letter we recently sent to our members from our chairman Joe Corrigan;
Now, the hard part begins!
It’s not an election year. The legislature has gone home. We won every vital legislative struggle this year. At this point most of you go back to your private lives. Many of us in Wyoming Equality now go to work organizing, planning, and strategizing for the next legislative session. We need your help now. We don’t want to be scrambling at the last minute putting together the coalition needed to promote pro-GLBT legislation and stop anti-GLBT legislation.
To do this vital work we need the support of people like you who understand that our job is not finished just because the legislature went home. We need your help creating the progressive change we all want to see take place in Wyoming.
Your help is needed in all of these areas:
· Make an investment in Wyoming Equality. Pledge $10, $20 or even $100 per month. Your generous pledge keeps our doors open and finances our ability to do this important work. Please go to the end of this article and send a check or make a monthly contribution through Pay Pal on our web page at www.wyomingequality.org.
· Join Wyoming Equality. There is strength in numbers. The more members we have, the more impressive we look to legislators when we are lobbying them. Talk your friends into joining. Our goal is to sign up an average of five new members from each Wyoming county. Membership is only $25 per year, $15 if you are low income/student, or $40 if you are living in the same household and we only send you one newsletter. Please go to the end of this article and send in the membership form.
· Become an advocate for Wyoming Equality. Wyoming Equality is looking for ten people living in each legislative district to become advocates for our causes. One of the most frequent comments we heard from legislators this year is "no GLBT people live in my district". We know GLBT people live in every Wyoming legislative district, but we were not always able to prove this to legislators. Emails, telephone calls, and letters made a huge difference during this legislative session. When that communication honestly includes “I live in your district”, it makes a significant difference.
We stopped every damaging anti-GLBT bill during the last legislative session. We succeeded because you helped. During the 2013 legislative session we plan to promote positive GLBT legislation. We believe we can succeed in passing pro-GLBT bills with enough help from all of you. You all know your legislative districts better than we do in Cheyenne. Advocates for our causes can be GLBT people, family and friends of GLBT people, or people who care about human rights and believe in fairness for all. Talk to your friends and neighbors and find the advocates we need in your legislative district. Ask them to send us their contact information.
Our opposition lost big time this last legislative session. But let’s keep in mind that we won the last vote in the Senate with one vote to spare. Those who oppose GLBT rights will come back bigger, stronger, and more organized in 2013. We have to come back bigger, stronger , and more organized, too. We must begin now to create an organization that will grow enough to stop the opposition again in 2013. We can succeed with your help.
Please join Wyoming Equality, talk your friends into joining, find advocates for GLBT rights, and send in your contribution today. Together, we will create the progressive Wyoming we all want to enjoy.
Joe Corrigan
So would you please consider helping us? We didn't anticipate fighting these legislative battles in 2012 due to the fact that it's a budget session, however our opponents have
vowed to bring these ugly bills back in 2012 so we need to be prepared to fight.
Our mission statement is, "Wyoming Equality seeks to enhance the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered 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."
We are organized as a 501(c)3 company which means your contributions are completely tax deductible and we can use a limited amount of our funds for political type issues. We also have a 501(c)4 called the UGLW (United Gays and Lesbians of WY) for Social Change. If you want to make a donation strictly for political purposes, i.e. lobbying, please make your check payable to, "UGLW Fund for Social Change" and understand that it is not tax deductible.
So basically we are asking for help!! If you'd like to make a tax deductible donation with limited political influence please make your check payable to "WY Equality." If you'd like your contribution to be completely political (thus non deductible for tax purposes) please make your check payable to, "UGLW fund for social change." And if all of this is to confusing just contact me and I'll help you navigate the two choices.
Your donations can be sent to;
Wyoming Equality
PO Box 2531
Cheyenne, WY 82003
Also please consider becoming a member of WY Equality. Here is the link to join. We are happy to welcome our straight allies as members.
I've always said equality is not an issue of Republican vs Democrat, it is an issue of Right vs Wrong! So please consider giving no matter what your party affiliation may be, and remember no amount is to small.
Thank you so much for reading this and making a donation.
Jeran
