Alef: The NEXT Conversation

Who helps the blind to see

• “As many as 40% of the homeless youth in the United States are LGBT.”  (Source:  Ali Forney Center)
• “There is no federal law that consistently protects LGBT individuals from employment discrimination; it remains legal in 29 states to discriminate based on sexual orientation, and in 38 states to do so based on gender identity or expression.”  (Source:  Human Rights Campaign)
• 1,138 rights and responsibilities are bestowed upon married couples.  Additional rights and responsibilities come from state governments with a marriage license – 1,324 in New York State, to give one example.  (Source:  Empire State Pride Agenda)
• Since its implementation in 1994, more than 13,500 service members have been fired under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, a law that mandates the discharge of openly gay, lesbian and bisexual service members.  (Source:  Servicemembers Legal Defense Network)

• Queer Rising’s National Freedom to Marry Protest, February 12th, 2010
• Get EQUAL’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Rally, May 2nd, 2010
• Queer Rising Confronts NY State Senator Joe Addabbo, who took hundreds of thousand of LGBT campaign donations, and then voted against marriage equality