On February 11, SC City Councilmember Tim Fitzmaurice, working with Santa Cruz¹ queer political organization, The GLBT Alliance, introduced a resolution in support of expansion of civil marriage regardless of gender, sexual
orientation or gender identity, and in support of AB 205, which woul d grant to registered domestic partners the same rights and obligations given to married couples in the state. The resolution passed unanimously, making Santa Cruz the third city in the state to support equality in marriage
rights (there are now five.)

On May 6, Supervisor Mardi Wormhoudt, also working with The GLBT Alliance, will introduce a similar resolution to the Board of Supervisors. If passed, Mardi¹s resolution will make Santa Cruz the first County in the state to support
marriage equality.

What we¹re asking of you is your support as allies of the glbt community. We¹re hoping that you will contact your Supervisor to let her or him know that you support equal civil rights; we have, to make it simpler, written a letter from allies to which we would be very happy to add your name, if you¹d prefer. We¹d also appreciate it if you would ask any organizations to which you belong to support the queer community in this fight.

One of the most frequent arguments we hear against the expansion of the rights and responsibilities of marriage is that the voters of California said, in their passage of
Proposition 22, that they do not want it. Here in Santa Cruz, Prop 22 was soundly defeated, showing that we do, in fact, honor love which doesn¹t fit the traditional norm. Beyond that, however, is the basic fact that civil rights are not to be granted by the majority to a minority; they are our basic rights.

We hope that you¹ll stand with us in asking Santa Cruz County to take another stand for equality.

David Yule and Merrie Schaller
Co-chairs

PS ­ If you¹re interested in more information, please check out our website at www.homosexualagenda.org GLBT Alliance