In this Issue:

Commentary::	A Gay Tax Cut
Equality Coalition:	High Hopes against Amendment – Volunteer Opportunity
Support H4PJ:	You will make the difference
Upcoming Event:	Every Prayer Counts
H4PJ Workshop:	November 12 - What is a Culture of Peace?

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Commentary: A Gay Tax Cut
By Rev. Michael Piazza

On Tuesday, November 8, Texas voters will be asked to amend the state constitution to ensure that lesbian and gay taxpayers are not allowed to marry. Ironically, on the day before, November 7, my partner and I will celebrate our 25th anniversary as a couple.

We were married 25 years ago in a church ceremony attended by a couple of hundred family and friends. The service was pretty much like any other wedding. We exchanged rings and vows, said prayers and read scripture. In fact, there were only two differences between our wedding and a heterosexual wedding. The most obvious, of course, was that we are both men. The most important, however, was that we did not receive over 1,100 civil rights given to heterosexual couples who marry.

Now, everyone has the right to believe what they want to about marriage. The Roman Catholics say it is a sacrament. The Baptists consider it an ordinance, and the Episcopalians call it a rite. Many people don’t believe marriage has anything to do with religion at all and a judge or justice of the peace will do just fine. Clearly, we believe different things, and that is as it should be in America. What should not happen, though, is for one group, even the majority, to impose their religious beliefs on another group. You may recall that it was not so long ago that religious arguments were the basis for laws in many states that forbade a person of color from marrying a white person.

The lesbian and gay taxpayers of Texas are required by law to pay the exact same taxes as heterosexual taxpayers. Believe me, we whine and complain about our property taxes as much as any heterosexual couple. Why, then, shouldn’t we be afforded the exact same rights as any heterosexual couple? Religious groups can continue believing what they wish and practicing their religion as they see fit. However, discrimination is wrong, and treating one group of taxpayers one way and another differently is discrimination.

My partner and I have been married for 25 years. We pay our taxes, vote, recycle, tithe to our church, and even attend PTA meetings. In short, we are good, law-abiding citizens. Why, then, should the state discriminate against us? Although we bought our home together and have paid for it out of a joint checking account, when one of us dies the other will have to go through the probate process, and perhaps even fight biological relatives, in order to keep our own home. We have loved one another “in sickness and in health,” but if one of us is hospitalized the other has no rights to medical decisions, unless we remember to bring along a copy of our medical power of attorney. Why should we have to spend thousands of dollars in legal fees to have the same rights that heterosexual couples automatically get from the state?

This amendment will not stop gay people from getting married. My church performs same-gender marriages all the time. In fact, there are hundreds of churches where lesbian or gay couples can go to get married. This isn’t about marriage; it is about equal rights for all law-abiding taxpayers.

The bottom line about this amendment is that it writes discrimination into the Texas State Constitution. Twice in recent years the Texas legislature has passed laws banning same-gender marriage, so this amendment is redundant at best. This current effort is little more than a political ploy by politicians who still cannot figure out how to finance the education of Texas school children. Regardless of what we believe about marriage, let’s not write discrimination into the State Constitution … unless, of course, we are planning on giving gay taxpayers a major tax cut.

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Campaign against Texas Marriage Amendment Picks up Steam
High Hopes on Election Day

There has been a powerful energy behind the statewide effort to defeat Constitutional Amendment Two, and, as we approach November 8, it is only growing stronger and more hopeful!

Over the last few weeks, elected officials and clergy in Houston, San Antonio and Austin have spoken out against the amendment, more than 600 people have downloaded the H4PJ’s Personal Action packet, and visitors to the H4PJ Action Center have sent more than 135 editorials to newspapers across the state.

Defeating this amendment will require all of us to keep working together.

Phone Bank Volunteers

With Election Day right around the corner, our energies turn to getting people to the polls. Hope for Peace & Justice is seeking volunteers to work the Dallas Phone Bank. Starting Monday, October 24th to November 7th, we will remind supporters about the vote and educating them on their polling options.

We will need volunteers for Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. To volunteer, email Lynn Walters lynnjwalters@hotmail.com.

Texans: Early Voting Begins Next Week!
Click here to look up your County’s Early Voting Locations

Why Should You Vote?
Click here for more information

Make your Voice Heard
Write a Letter to the Editor

Getting You to the Polls
If you need transportation to the polls on or before November 8th, please contact Michael Magnia at mmagnia@h4pj.org.

Learn about Texas Marriage Amendment Volunteer Opportunities

Hope for Peace & Justice needs your financial support to continue our mission. You will make the difference. Donate to H4PJ today! Click here to donate to Hope for Peace & Justice.

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Every Prayer Counts: Marriage Equality Interfaith Prayer Vigil
Friday, November 4, 6 p.m. through Saturday, November 5, 7 p.m.

Just like every vote will count, every prayer will count this November. Join us for Every Prayer Counts, our prayer vigil for the November 8 election. You may pray where ever you are. Click here for more information and to sign up to pray. Marty Ruggles, Cathedral of Hope Minister of Prayer and H4PJ supporter is leading this effort.

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What is a Culture of Peace? A Hope for Peace & Justice Workshop November 12 | 9am – 4pm 5910 Cedar Springs Rd | Dallas, TX

On November 12, Hope for Peace & Justice will host the workshop, “What is a Culture of Peace?” This workshop will introduce ideas and methodologies designed to generate dialogue on creating cultures of peace.

Developed by Rev. Shelley Hamilton, Program Director for Hope for Peace & Justice, the workshop will consist of four parts. Individual segments will focus on four intersecting pathways to nourishing cultures and communities of peace. Each section will contain theoretical and practical components designed to assist us in our efforts to become people of peace and to understand cultures and religions different than our own.

The segments include:

Introduction: A Culture of Peace
Part I – Inner Peace: Nonviolence and Love
Part II – Peace within the Community: Relationship, Mutuality, and Justice
Part III – Peace outside our Community: Religious Pluralism In America
Part IV – Peace in Nature: The Body of God?

Your $50 registration fee includes all materials and lunch.

Register by October 31 and receive $15 off the registration fee!

Click here to Register Today!