Let’s talk. Will call.

We celebrated Pride Day yesterday,but I wanted those of you on the mainland to know:

Guam was the first territory to legalize same sex marriage when the Guam Marriage Equality Act of 2015 lapsed into law without the governor’s signature nearly a year ago. Senator Nerissa Bretania-Underwood introduced Bill 119-33, which seeks to provide equal protection for all families in Guam by creating equality in civil marriage.

The law aligns local statute with a federal court order issued on June 5, which prohibited the Guam government from banning same-sex marriage based on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision in Latta v. Otter. District Court of Guam Chief Justice Frances Tydingco-Gatewood’s order took effect on June 9.
——————————————-

Have a good and safe one.
Anna

It was a powerful symbol here at home, where our fellow Americans could finally feel accepted and whole in a country that recognized the love they share. It was also a beacon for LGBT people here and around the world that we are still fighting for the fullness of equality.

When you divide the world into “us” and “them,” and denigrate and express hatred because of skin color or faith or sexual orientation, you feed something very dangerous.

And so we have to keep on pushing. We have to keep pushing to make sure our LGBT brothers and sisters are not attacked, or even killed, for just being who they are. We have to keep pushing to make sure jobs are not being denied and people aren’t being fired because of their sexual orientation. We have to keep pushing to make sure every single member of our American family feels welcomed and valued and loved.

So while we can celebrate incredible victories like we did on June 26th, 2015, we also have to remember that history doesn’t just travel forward. It can go backwards if we don’t work hard. We can’t be complacent when it comes to securing the gains we’ve made. And that means we have to vote, because we have the opportunity this November.

New security measures, announced on Monday, include checkpoints with metal detectors at every entrance to the official Pride festival at San Francisco’s Civic Center. Bags will be subject to search and no bags larger than 18 by 18 inches will be allowed.

“We ask that people plan accordingly, and please be patient if there is a wait to get in,” said George Ridgely, SF Pride executive director. “We expect this could create delays.”

For more information visit KQED’s News Fix article, and see a full list of security measures on the San Francisco Pride website.