Saturday, February 15, 2014

Utah? Gay marriage in Utah?!

Dear MoveOn member,

Here's my favorite moment from this interview:

If you are doing anything where you feel like the odds are insurmountable, if you feel like there is no chance you could win, I just want you to remember one phrase: Gay marriage is legal in Utah.

This week on "The Good Fight," the MoveOn-powered podcast about people changing the world, I interviewed two of the people behind an insane, impossible, come-from-behind victory-in-progress that lights the way for progressives everywhere: the fight for marriage equality in the reddest state in America. When you hear how they did it, and how it felt—well, consider keeping some Kleenex handy.

Click here to open iTunes and hear the joy-tacular story of the fight for marriage equality in the most Republican state in the country. (And if you like it, subscribe to the show... and post a review!)

The Good Fight with Ben Wikler
Or listen on our website here, or on Stitcher (an Android and iOS app), or subscribe via RSS.

For seventeen crazy days a few weeks ago, everyone in Utah could marry the person they loved. More than a thousand couples, some who'd been waiting for decades, finally tied the knot—as officials performed one marriage after another, in a giant celebration of love and family. Today, the fight is back in court—and we might be on the road to an even bigger win.

None of this was supposed to happen.

In 2004, Utah passed one of the harshest anti-equality constitutional amendments in the nation—banning not only same-sex marriage, but also civil unions or anything like them. And the vote wasn't even close—it was a two-thirds vs one-third landslide.

But thanks to a fight, things are changing, in a big way. Our guests, two gay Utahns with an infectious sense of humor and gusto, tell the story of how it all went down—a story with a kiss-in at a Mormon temple, a six-foot wedding cake at a rally, and an incredibly well-timed corruption scandal that made the impossible real.

Totally up to you. But if you'd like to hear this story, click here to check out the podcast on iTunes. And if you like it, you might want to subscribe.

Or you can listen here on our website, then share it on Facebook.

This is bigger than Utah. Our guests' court case could win a legal decision that extends marriage equality not just to Utah, but to states from Oklahoma to Wyoming—or even, if it reaches the Supreme Court, to the entire country. And whatever the courts decide, there's a deeper victory already underway: public opinion in Utah has swung sharply towards equality, even among people who would never vote for a Democrat.

It's a story that will stay with you. And it's a testament to the power of believing in your convictions, and not giving up—no matter what fight you're fighting.

Thanks for all you do.

–Ben

P.S. You can see a lot more photos of the Utah story on the episode page on our website. And, of course, you can hear the story behind the pictures on the podcast, which you can get on iTunes here! Thanks to photographer David Newkirk for the shot above—here are some more:

Troy Williams, one of our guests, leads a rally at the state capitol.
Troy Wiliams, one of our guests, leads a rally at the state capitol.

Couples getting married in Utah!
Couples getting married in Utah!

P.P.S. Wait, what's a podcast? Podcasts are prerecorded radio shows distributed via the Internet. You can listen to them for free whenever you want, on your computer, your phone, or an iPod (that's where the word "pod" came from).

Apple's iTunes app for Mac and Windows is the most popular way to subscribe and listen to podcasts, and Apple offers a free app for iPhones and iPads called Podcasts. For Android, Stitcher is a great app. Just search for "The Good Fight." Or you can play it on the web, from "The Good Fight's" website!

Want to support our work? MoveOn Civic Action is entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.


This email was sent to eddie alfaro on February 15, 2014. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

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