National LGBT Briefs: LULAC, fil-A and Fundraiser
Latino group supports marriage, Equality Matters shares anti-gay numbers, and QSaltLake makes a plea
LULAC Comes Out for Marriage Equality
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) announced June 30 from the organization’s national conference in Orlando, Fla., that it has passed a resolution in support of marriage equality.
”Today the LULAC National Membership reaffirmed its commitment to equality for all by voting in favor of marriage equality,” said Jesse Garcia, as quoted in LULAC’s announcement. Garcia is the co-founder of LULAC’s LGBT Council. ”LULAC stands with great Latino leaders like Dolores Huerta, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis who believe discrimination of same-sex couples should not be tolerated. This is a historic day for LGBT Latinos everywhere, plus this vote is another bond that reaffirms the partnership between the LGBT and Hispanic communities.”
LULAC’s announcement of support for marriage equality follows a similar vote June 9 by the board of the National Council of La Raza, the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization. According to NCLR’s Ruben Gonzales, that vote in support of same-sex marriage was unanimous among the board’s 24 members. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund has also stated longstanding support for marriage equality.
Equality Matters Shares 2010 Chik-fil-A Figures
Equality Matters, released figures June 2 detailing nearly $2 million in donations by the charitable arm of Chick-fil-A fast-food outlet, the WinShape Foundation, to anti-gay groups, in 2010, ”more than any other year for which public records are available.”
Equality Matters, an LGBT-focused initiative of the D.C.-based progressive media watchdog, Media Matters for America, listed several groups as receiving WinShape funding. The top three recipients were the Marriage & Family Foundation ($1,188,380), the Fellowship of Christian Athletes ($480,000) and the National Christian Foundation ($247,500).
Equality Matters also cited statements from Chick-fil-A President and COO Dan Cathy denying any a pattern of supporting anti-gay organizations, that the company has ”no agenda against anyone” and would not ”champion any political agendas,” though the company would ”continue to offer resources to strengthen marriages and families.”
QSaltLake Magazine Makes A Plea For Community Support
Utah’s nonprofit LGBT news and entertainment magazine, QSaltLake, has issued a plea for community support in the face of fiscal hardship.
”Although QSaltLake has been struggling the past months after making the community aware it was in dire straits because of increasing costs and decreasing ad revenues, the magazine never made a plea for help from the community,” reads a statement from the magazine, released in late June. ”That changed this week.”
The QSaltLake statement mentions a home-equity loan taken out by the magazine’s publisher, Michael Aaron, to launch the magazine, the balance of which, $40,000 is due Sept. 1. The fundraising goal of the twice-monthly magazine is $8,000. As of July 2, the effort had raised $4,265.
”We are so thankful to the community, our allies and even strangers from other states for seeing the need for us to continue our work,” Aaron said in the magazine’s announcement. ”We’ve always been able to roll with the punches, but it’s great that the community has our back in this time of need.”
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