Emma Goldman Society For Queer Liberation

National Marriage Boycott was mentioned in the Palo Alto Daily. According to Jessica Bernstein-Wax, a staff writer,

"Gay rights groups held rallies throughout the Peninsula on Tuesday after the state Supreme Court ruled 6-1 to uphold a ban on same-sex marriage.

About 200 students gathered on the Stanford campus in the afternoon to protest the decision, and more crowds were expected at evening protests in San Mateo and Palo Alto.

'The takeaway message is that sometimes voting is not enough,' said Greg Goldgof, a 22-year-old graduate student at Stanford and founding member of the Emma Goldman Society for Queer Liberation.

'If we want our rights, we're going to have to work hard, and we're going to need the help of our friends' (and allies), he added.

Goldgof said his group is focusing on strengthening gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights at the federal level by pushing for passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the Matthew Shepard Act and nationwide gay marriage rights.

'Really at the heart of the issue is the question, 'Are people second-class citizens?'" Goldgof said. "In fighting one fight, you fight the other.'"

Read the full article here: http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_12455838?nclick_check=1

National Marriage Boycott was applauded in the Stanford Daily. According to the Stanford Daily Editorial Board,


"Representatives from newspapers both on and off campus were chronicling the [May 26's protest], and it garnered quite a bit of media attention. Notables included the Emma Goldman Society for Queer Liberation and the National Marriage Boycott, which started at Stanford and has since spread nationally. Some participants in the boycott, many of whom sport the increasingly ubiquitous “equality” rings, have pledged not to marry until the Federal Defense of Marriage Act is repealed. It’s this kind of coordinated action by students that can really start to make a difference."



Read the full article here:
http://www.stanforddaily.com/cgi-bin/?p=1031577

Today at 10 AM the Supreme Court of California announced that they would uphold Proposition 8 and prohibit gay marriage in California. The Supreme Court upheld the 18,000 same-sex marriages that have already been performed in the state; however, this decision, while expected, was a major disappointment for the queer and allied community.

Although it would have been easy (and understandable) for those who were disheartened by this decision to be demoralized, the community at Stanford showed that we are not giving up the fight! Over 200 people attended a protest which started in White Plaza, then marched to the intersection of Campus Drive and Palm Drive and blocked the busiest intersection on campus. The police were very respectful and directed traffic around the sit-in. According to David Mitchell, who helped plan the protest, "For the first time, I felt like [the police] were here to enable student voice rather than protect status quo."

Later, members of the Palo Alto community and members of the Stanford community came together on the corners of Embarcadero and Camino Real to demonstrate our support for the queer community by holding signs and waving Pride flags for all passersby to see. This group then marched down University Avenue, the central street in Palo Alto, singing inspirational songs.

Finally, at night there was an interfaith candlelight vigil on-campus. It was a beautiful and contemplative occasion, which allowed us to meditate on the events of the day and get inspired for the fight to come.

Stanford has shown me today that there is no way we are the "Campus of Social Rest"--we are ready to fight for equal rights!

Emma Goldman Society for Queer Liberation is a group of queer & allied activists and organizers on Stanford University's campus dedicated to justice and liberation for queers across the nation.

We believe in creating an inclusive community of activists committed to direct action and civil disobedience to achieve our social justice aspirations. We also emphasize the struggles of historically marginalized facets of the queer community including transgender individuals, bisexuals, and queers of color.

We affirm and celebrate our queer & allied identities and choose to use the tremendous pain and oppression shoved upon the queer community to mobilize a movement of educated and equipped young leaders in revolutionary queer activism.

 

*** Please note that the Emma Goldman Society is a student group established by a group of individuals and does not presume in any way to represent the entire queer community at Stanford. The purpose of this group, at its core, is to spark activism on the Stanford campus and we encourage anyone with an idea to take steps to carry out their own activism, whether or not they are a part of this specific group.  

If you would like to be involved in queer activism and want to join the Emma Goldman Society, we would love to have you!  

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