Sheila Kuehl was elected as the first openly lesbian state legislator in California history in 1994, and she was the first woman to hold the position of Speaker pro Tempore. Last month Senator Kuehl attended Camp Courage in Fresno.
In an email today from Courage Campaign, Senator Kuehl candidly recalled her feelings when, back in 2004, Mayor Gavin Newsom legalized marriage equality for same-sex couples. She said, “We were all amazingly moved. We cried. We didn’t want it to end. Maybe most unexpected of all, we were profoundly changed.”
She said, “For most of our lives, gays and lesbians have been part of a community that couldn’t even dream of full equality. But that afternoon in 2004 on the steps of San Francisco City Hall — and later, when the couples came home to balloons in their yards, flowers in their homes, celebrations at work, presents, notes, and endless congratulatory e-mails — we saw how marriage allows society to recognize our equality.”
Senator Kuehl also wrote about her experience at Camp Courage in Fresno, saying, “I could just as enthusiastically have written those words about Camp Courage Fresno, the transformative training event for marriage equality activists that I attended in early March — just over five years after the “Winter of Love” in San Francisco and a few months after the shocking passage of Proposition 8. I was there as a camper and loved every minute of it. We all — experienced organizers, or not — learned so much and came away very fired up.”
Check out the photos and video from Camp Courage Fresno.
Camp Courage San Diego
San Diegans, here’s your opportunity to take part in the same transformative experience. Camp Courage will take place in San Diego this weekend. There are still a handful of openings left, but you need to sign up online by 9:00 am this coming Friday.
Here are the basics:
A donation of $10 is requested for the weekend. Your $10 buys you breakfast and lunch both days!
What: Camp Courage, for marriage equality activists and organizers
Where: San Diego, venue to be announced
When: Saturday, April 18 (8:30 am – 5:30 pm) AND Sunday, April 19 (8:30 am – 5 pm)
Is Camp Courage for you?
Asked, who in our community would most benefit from taking part in Camp Courage, Courage Campaign’s San Diego Community Engagement Coordinator, Sara Beth Brooks, told me, “Camp Courage is certainly geared toward new activists, but the tools and skills taught are widely applicable to a variety of progressive movements. Straight allies and allies from other movements would also benefit from hearing what LGBT activists and community members as well as sharing their own stories of being involved.”
I asked about the take away and how participating in Camp Courage would benefit our community and movement. Brooks said, “Camp Courage is a set of tools we haven’t had wide access to yet in the LGBT community — tools like running your own phone bank, throwing a house party, organizing through the online voter access network (VAN) and telling your own personal story in a meaningful and unforgettable way.”
In the San Diego GLBT activist community, Sara Beth Brooks is a familiar figure. In addition to her work with Courage Campaign, Sara Beth also serves as Western Regional Liaison for Join the Impact and as Executive Chair of the San Diego Equality Campaign.
Like Senator Sheila Kuehl, Sara Beth Brooks saw a need in the community, and she stepped up to the challenge. That’s what it takes.
Sign up for Camp Courage San Diego online by Friday morning.
