ACTION ALERT: Homophobia Kills Die-In in Washington, D.C. Today, Sunday 8-15

This is is an open action for all to join in on who are here in Washington, D.C. today. Please pass this on to everyone.

To join the Homophobia Kills Die-In, look for the Photos at noon, at Pershing Park, where the group will be preparing for the day of action.
There is also a Marriage Equality rally at Federal Plaza today from 2 PM to 4 PM. Metro Center or Federal Triangle Metro Station.

ACTIVISTS TO HOLD ‘HOMOPHOBIA KILLS’ DIE-IN
IN COUNTER PROTEST TO THE NOM RALLY IN WASHINGTON DC

Washington DC (August 15, 2010) Activists will bring the message that “homophobia kills” directly to the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) with a Die-In and photo exhibit of murder-victims, including a 17th month old baby.

“NOM’s work is not about marriage. It’s about rejecting LGBT people and teaching others to hate them. This leads to murder, attacks, and suicide” said Alan Bounville, a founder of Queer Rising NY.

Blown up photos of four recent victims — all killed within the last 3 years — will put faces to the truth: Ryan Skipper (a gay man murdered in FL), Lateisha Green (a trans woman of color murdered in NY), and Cheyenne Williams (kidnapped and barely escaped in KY), and the unimaginable, Roy A. Jones (a 17 months old baby murdered in NY because it was too effeminate).

The ‘Homophobia Kills’ Die-In will take place in two locations around the Capital: (1) Near NOM’s action and (2) Near the White House. Activist doing the die-in felt this message — homophobia kills — needed to be brought directly to the NOM protestors, not stay blocks away.

“There are people protesting against marriage that don’t understand the consequences,” said Lane Hudson, a prominent blogger. “Every American needs to realize that this not about marriage. It’s about basic human dignity and being safe to live in our own country.”

“We all need to face the fact that homophobia kills,” said Todd Fernandez, of The American Equality Bill Project, which seeks to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the ‘64 Civil Rights Act. “The NOM messaging is no different from hate spewed around inter-racial marriages. That wasn’t about marriage either. It was about race and hate. It killed then and it kills now.”

To join the Homophobia Kills Die-In, look for the Photos at noon, at Pershing Park, where the group will be preparing for the day of action.