Fort Wayne March for Equality

The Allen County Stonewall Democrats are partnering with People for the Common Good and Liberation Movement Fort Wayne to plan a march and rally in support of fairness and respect for LBGTQ+ people. On Sunday, June 11, we will join in solidarity with people in more than eighty cities around the country and the world also standing for LGBTQ+ people. Fort Wayne, Indiana, Sunday, June 11, 2017, 2:00-4:00 pm. Participants will gather at the Martin Luther King Jr. bridge at 2:00 pm. At 2:15, we will march on sidewalks to the lawn of the Allen County Courthouse, where speakers will begin at 2:45. On June 12, 2016, forty-nine people were killed and fifty-three wounded in a hate-fueled attack on Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The June 11 marches around the country this year will honor their memory and peacefully address concerns about the persecution and marginalization of LGBTQ+ people under the current political administration. Although the past decade has seen progress in the fight for dignity and inclusion for LGBTQ+ people, that progress is threatened, not only by violence but also by legislators working to roll back or block equal rights. The Human Rights Campaign is currently tracking more than 100 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in twenty-nine states, including Indiana. Currently, Indiana state law offers no protection from discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and Indiana is one of five states that do not have a hate crimes law for targeting these groups. Over the last four years, Indiana Republican leaders have focused their efforts on attacking the LBGTQ+ community by seeking to allow businesses to discriminate against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity and attempting to add discriminatory language to our state constitution in 2014 with HJR-3. These leaders not only gave the state a black eye nationally and cost us $60 million in lost revenue, they sent a message that Indiana does not welcome everyone. But Republican-controlled legislatures are not the only danger, because all three branches of the federal government are now controlled by Republicans, whose 2016 party platform clarifies their determination to overturn the gains LGBTQ+ people have made in the fight to be treated equally. Hoosiers are especially concerned about threats from the U.S. executive branch, because we know what Vice President Mike Pence thinks about gay people from his time as an Indiana politician. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act debacle may have taught him to soften his message, but he has a clear record of opposition to rights for LGBTQ+ people. The work to achieve equality for all people is far from over—join us on Sunday, June 11, 2017, at 2:00 pm to add your voice to the call for justice. Allen County Stonewall Democrats is an organization associated with the Allen County Democratic Party focused on the LGBTQ+ community. Our mission is to increase LGBTQ+ visibility, provide education, take action, and support inclusive political candidates. For more information about the Allen County Stonewall Democrats, contact info@allencountydemocrats.org. For information about this event, contact Thad Gerardot at tjgerardot@gmail.com or Rachel Hile at rachel.e.hile@gmail.com.