Come meet the Equality Walkers in-person before the start of the campaign.
Saturday, August 9th from 7pm till 8pm: hang out, learn about the Walk, get involved.
Willow House Cafe at 1722 W Van Buren Street, Phoenix, AZ 85007
MEET ARIZONA EQUALITY WALKERS
Meg Sneed, 25 – Phoenix, AZ – Right To Marry Arizona Leader
"Growing up in Arizona has shaped who I am. From Madison #1 to North High School, the most crucial years of my life were spent in the heart of Phoenix. It was here that I learned to ride a bike, waved to my parents on my first day of school, had my first kiss, and got my first job. I have fried an egg on the sidewalk. I cringe when I remember game six of the 1993 NBA finals. I am a Phoenician… Many times I boarded a plane in Sky Harbor airport to venture out on a Soulforce action. This time, equality is coming home. After 96 years of statehood, LGBT people can no longer be treated as second-class citizens. Arizona is better than that. I am ready for what so many people begin dreaming about as children. I envision a big wedding with my family and friends as witnesses to my lifetime commitment to one person in front of God. I am ready for my home state to recognize and honor it as well." |
CJ Minott, 21 – Tucson, AZ – University of Arizona Student
"I’ve lived in Arizona my entire life, and couldn’t think of calling anywhere else home. This unneccessary amendment would accomplish nothing but writing discrimination into the very document that defines and defends the rights of all Arizonans. I am a proud Christian and have been attending, volunteering, and working at several local churches. Many LGBT individuals face difficulties in their faith, but also find strength in it. I knew I needed to get involved because no one should ever have to experience the hurt of rejection because of their sexual orientation or gender identity." |
Darian Aaron, 28 – Atlanta, GA – Author, www.LOLDarian.com
"Coming from Georgia, where marriage discrimination was unfortunately enshrined in the constitution in 2004, I felt compelled to lend my voice towards the fight for marriage equality in Arizona to help achieve a different outcome. Our lives matter to God. And our relationships and families deserve all of the protections and benefits associated with marriage. Separate will never be equal. So we press on guided by the examples and the spirit of those who marched before us." |
Delfin Bautista, 26 – New Haven, CT – Yale Divinity School Graduate Student
"For six years now, I have had to justify and explain my relationship whenever I use the term husband, spouse or even partner instead of boyfriend. I want to support every effort that aims not just for tolerance, but affirmation and celebration of all families, including mine. I am most interested in the interscetion of faith and justice. We have both secular and religious groups on both sides of the struggle for marriage equality. This campaign is a practical way for me to use my training as a social worker and tend to my formation as a religious professional." |
Haven Herrin, 25 – St. Paul, MN – Soulforce Q Staff
"So much of Soulforce Q activism’s strength resides in the empowerment of young adults and the testing of boundaries through travel. In Arizona we have the best of both: working with longtime Q leader and friend, Meg Sneed, and walking 96 miles in a powerful but simple show of commitment to equality. Many of my friends are beginning to marry, and I too one day want to commit my life to the one I love. It’s hard to feel a part of society that arbitrarily denies a people access to all of life’s possible trajectories. This summer in Arizona is the right place and the right time to make the injustice clear and the vision for full inclusion urgent. I wish everyone a meditative moment in their personal work for equality. Thank you for supporting us." |
Alexey Bulokhov, 28 – Minneapolis, MN – Soulforce Q Staff
"Marriage is not just a vital cultural institution, but also a crucial form of legal protection for millions of people worldwide. Civic laws that govern marriage affect access to basic healthcare, ability to find and keep a job and a home, opportunity to raise children in an authentic safe family environment, and even immigration status! In a nation founded on a promise of equal opportunities for all, it’s an important but often overlooked aspect of this struggle. Arizona, perhaps like no other state, highlights all of these intersections. I am excited to walk-the-walk alongside fellow Equality Walkers."
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To reach any of the Arizona Equality Walkers, please, email q@soulforce.org
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