What I Said at the Amicus Brief Press Conference This Morning

There'll be some video "coming soon" of this morning's press conference focused on the amicus brief being filed in support of Judge Walker's Prop 8 ruling by a great cloud of faith based witnesses. The press event was held at the L.A. Cathedral Center and included ALL our Episcopal bishops speaking up and speaking out ... very impressive!!!

More to come on all of this, but for now, here's what I had to say:

I’ve got two minutes and three reasons for supporting this important amicus brief.

I am here because I believe that liberty and justice for all really means all and that same sex couples deserve equal protection from the state just as they receive equal blessing from God.

I am here because I believe that the visible witness of gay and lesbian couples given equal respect through the equal protection of civil marriage also gives to LGBT youth the model of healthy relationships we want all our children to know and understand they can strive to live into as they grow and mature into the adults God created them to be.

Finally, I am here because for too long religion has been responsible for planting seeds of self-loathing that can grow into self-destruction when fed & watered by the bullying, badgering and abuse of our LGBT youth – and it’s time for that to stop. When Jesus said “let the children come to me” he meant all the children – not just the straight ones. Jesus said, “Love your neighbor” – not “love your neighbor unless your neighbor is gay.”

Restoring marriage equality to California is the right thing to do – not only for same sex couples yearning to live happily ever after with the love of their life but for young people yearning to believe that when they put their hand over their heart and pledge allegiance to that flag, the “liberty and justice for all” part includes them – ALL of them. It's always the right time to do the right thing. And the right time to do the right thing about marriage equality is NOW.