It’s time. Time to get engaged.
Get engaged to the love of your life. Make that commitment to have and to hold in sickness and in health.
And get engaged in the discussion about the freedom to marry in Oregon. Make a commitment to get Oregon on the path to marriage, by stepping up and speaking out.
Are you engaged?
Three Easy Steps
- Get engaged. Seriously. Go on and get engaged!
If you’re a person in a committed partnership, it’s time to get engaged. Do what you need to do. Buy a ring, make a nice dinner, get down on one knee, and pop the question.
If you’ve already celebrated your commitment to one another, well, then get engaged again.
Use this as an opportunity to raise awareness. Send emails and letters to your friends and family, telling them that you want to get married. Ask them to help you win the freedom to marry. Tell them what it means to be shut out of marriage.
Ask them to throw you an engagement party – as a benefit for Basic Rights Oregon’s marriage equality education campaign. Contact Andrew@basicrights.org to get the details.
- Say it loud, say it proud - I DO support the Freedom to Marry!
Go online to sign the Oregon Freedom to Marry Pledge. Commit yourself to support the freedom to marry and to spread the word. We need to get 10,000 people to sign this pledge.
Each of us has to step up and make a commitment to support the freedom to marry. Forward this pledge to your people using our handy Tell-A-Friend tool.
- Spread the word.
We live in the age of viral communications. That means you’ve got to spread the word. You are the only person who can convince the people who know and love you that they need to join you in supporting the freedom to marry.
It’s going to have to take a whole lot of people power to win the freedom to marry in Oregon. That means each of us – gay and straight – has to reach out to our friends and family, our neighbors and coworkers and have a conversation about marriage equality.
Don’t know what to say? Not sure how to bring up the subject? Check out these Conversation Starters to get the ball rolling.
What’s next?
These are just the first three steps in our public education campaign about the freedom to marry. Get engaged and stay engaged. Click here to sign up to receive regular updates and news about this campaign.
Starting a Conversation about the Freedom to Marry
Caring and committed same-sex couples in Oregon are denied the freedom to marry. To win marriage equality, we have to Get Engaged and raise awareness. It’s critical that we spark conversations about this issue. You can help change hearts and minds by simply starting a conversation with your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors.
Here are 10 ways to start the conversation:
- Think about it—what if you were told that you couldn't marry the person you loved? How would that make you feel, or change your relationship, your future plans and your life? Worse yet, what if you got married, and someone tried to take it away?
- Two people in a committed, trusting and loving relationship deserve the dignity and support that come with marriage.
- People can have different beliefs and still treat everyone fairly. That’s why our constitution exists to protect everyone equally.
- It is a joy to see my son/daughter and his/her partner together and a part of our family. I wish everyone could understand how much excluding them from marriage hurts our family.
- Discrimination is wrong no matter who it affects. We must work together to fight against discrimination, wherever it appears. Today it’s marriage. What will be next?
- Tradition is important in our family. That’s why we’ve invited our son/daughter’s partner to be a part of our family traditions and celebrations.
- It is not for me to judge other people. Just because I disapprove of something does not mean that people’s rights should be taken away.
- Many couples stay together for years and not only face discrimination, but many other challenges. In spite of these challenges, these couples remain courageous in the face of opposition and deeply committed to building happy lives together.
- When gay and lesbian couples get married, they may finally be recognized as being part of the extended family. I know how happy our family will be when all of us have the freedom to marry the person we love.
- Domestic partnerships don't provide the same security as marriage. They exclude people from marriage and create an unfair system that often does not work in emergency situations when people need it most. Gay and lesbian couples deserve the dignity, respect and legal certainty that come with marriage.
This document is adapted from materials developed by Let California Ring.