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Human Rights Campaign
"The fight for equality will go on..."
A special message from Cheryl Jacques
www.hrc.org
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Dear John,
First, I want thank you sincerely for your contributions of
time, money, and spirit this year. Our community stood together
stronger than ever before. With millions of Americans standing
on the side of fairness, the fight for equality will go on.
We suffered great losses and like all of you, we are deeply
saddened by the results of yesterday's election. But let's not
forget that we also secured key victories because of your
dedication and commitment.
In congressional races, Senators-elect Ken Salazar (D-CO) and
Barak Obama (D-IL) and Representatives-elect Melissa Bean (D-IL)
and Gwen Moore (D-WI) will make great additions to our allies on
Capitol Hill. Longtime friends of equality like Dennis Moore
(D-KS), Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Rob Simmons (R-CT) all
fought difficult challenges and won. It is with the support of
these members of Congress and the actions of people like you
that we will continue our work in Washington on behalf of
millions of Americans.
Your outreach also helped us secure an extremely important
victory in Cincinnati, Ohio, where HRC activists have been
involved for over two years in beating back a mean-spirited and
discriminatory law on the books. The voters there repealed a law
that banned the city from enacting non-discrimination laws for
gay, lesbian and bisexual citizens. We are proud of that victory
and we are proud of all of the GLBT Americans who had those long
and difficult conversations that brought more and more people to
the frontlines of the battle for equality.
Fair-minded Americans know that gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender people are their friends, their families, their
co-workers, and we deserve equal protection under law. You and I
made great strides this year in educating our allies about the
importance of fairness. We know that to win at the ballot box,
we must also keep winning at the water cooler.
As for the battle that lies ahead, our work must continue in the
states - particularly the 11 states that passed constitutional
amendments denying marriage to same-sex couples, as well as
civil unions and domestic partnership rights. These amendments
protect no one but instead discriminate against millions of
American families, and were put on the ballot to divide people
during the heat of the campaign.
Yet GLBT Americans and our allies are more united than ever
before. Since the beginning of this fight, we knew it would be a
long journey. We are committed and we will not give up. In
challenging times, America has grappled with and ultimately
stood on the side of fairness, and we will repeat this proud
experience. History is on our side.
Together, we can turn the tide of divisive politics. We will
work with our allies in Congress and reach out to the
administration to find common ground on legal protection for
GLBT families. We will continue our successes in corporate
America in winning more equality nationwide. We will continue to
educate young and old about the scourge of hate crimes and the
need for full legal protections against them.
While there will be tests for us ahead, we are prepared and we
are ready. Our hearts will mend and our spirits will only grow
stronger. Thank you again for your amazing efforts.
Many thanks,
Cheryl A. Jacques,
President, Human Rights Campaign
