Media Alert: Equality Maryland Stands with the Unitarian Church on the Side of Love
February 14, 2010
Equality Maryland
February 12, 2010
On February 14th, couples and families around the country will
celebrate their love. To commemorate this special occasion, the Unitarian Universalist Association
launched a national campaign called Standing on the Side of Love. The goal of
this public advocacy campaign is to harness love’s power to stop oppression.
“Equality Maryland is proud to join local Unitarian Churches in this groundbreaking campaign”, said Morgan Meneses-Sheets, Equality Maryland’s Executive Director.
Paint Branch Unitarian Universalist Church is one of the many local parishes holding an event in honor of the national campaign. Rev. Diane Teichert, the minister of Paint Branch UU is also planning to announce her pledge to forgo signing Maryland marriage licenses until they are also available to same-sex couples.
“Valentine's Day is about more than romance and chocolates, it's about the transforming power of love in our lives, and so we are re-imagining a Valentine's Day when gay couples can be open about their romances and commitments, and even marry in Maryland,” Rev. Teichert said. “The Standing on the Side of Love campaign elevates compassionate religious voices to influence public attitudes and public policy.”
“Many same-sex couples want the right to legally marry because they are in love — many, in fact, have spent the last 10, 20 or 50 years with that person — and they want to honor their relationship in the greatest way our society has to offer, by making a public commitment to stand together in good times and bad, through all the joys and challenges family life brings,” said Meneses-Sheets.
“Many parents want the right to marry because they know it offers children a vital safety net and guarantees protections that unmarried parents cannot provide. And still other people — both gay and straight — are fighting for the right of same-sex couples to marry because they recognize that it is simply not fair to deny some families the protections all other families are eligible to enjoy,” added Meneses-Sheets.
Standing on the Side of Love events will be held throughout the state of Maryland this Sunday. Equality Maryland staff will be speaking at two local events this Sunday, February 14th.
8:00 am, Unitarian Universalist Church of Silver Spring (10309 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring)
Kevin Walling, Equality Maryland’s Development & Communications Director will be on hand.
11:30 am, Paint Branch Unitarian Universalist Church (3215 Powder Mill Road, Adelphi, Maryland 20783)
Services begin at 10:00am. An event for the congregation and the press will be held at 11:30 where Equality Maryland’s Executive Director, Morgan Meneses-Sheets will be speaking.
Other February 14 events include:
9:00 am-11:00 am, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia (Owen Brown Interfaith Center, Columbia, MD 21045)
Contact: Rev. Paige Getty (minister@uucolumbia.net or 410-381-0097)
10:30 am,
Davies Memorial Unitarian Universalist Church (7400 Temple Hill Rd, Camp Springs
MD)
Contact: dmuuc-om@dmuuc.org or 301-449-4308
12:00 pm -
2:00pm, Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis (333 Dubois Road, Annapolis,
MD 21401)
Contact: Rev. John Crestwell (revjohncrestwell@gmail.com or 240-462-9790)
12:00 pm -
2:00 pm, Unitarian Universality Fellowship of Southern Maryland (21905 Chancellor's Run Road, Great
Mills, MD 20634)
Contact: Rev. Michael Relland (mail@uufsm.org or 240-256-5530)
10:00am,
Unitarian Universality Church of Rockville, (100 Welsh
Park Drive, Rockville, MD 20850)
Contact: Rev. Lynn Strauss (lstrauss@uucr.org or 301-762-7666)
The Unitarian
Universalist Fellowship of Harford County is also holding an event at part of
the Standing on the Side of Love campaign entitled “Love is a Many Gendered
Thing” where they will look at the struggle for rights, legitimacy and
equanimity for transgender Marylanders.
Contact: Rev.
Lisa Ward (rev@uufhc.net or 410-734-7122) [Link]