Entry by Delfin Bautista
Today our walk began at Mesa City Hall and we journeyed to Tempe City Hall, Phoenix City Hall, and than to the State Capitol Building. Our walk covered a total of 18 miles. We started the day by centering ourselves, reminding ourselves that we are not alone on our walk. We are walking for many people within Arizona and from various places throughout the country. Our walk continues in the tradition of many who have gone before us—Abraham, Moses, the people of Israel, Mary, Jesus, the Apostles, Paul, Francis of Assisi, Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Peace Pilgrim and John Francis, the PlanetWalker. We walk in good company for the affirmation and celebration of all.
Throughout our walk we had many supporters, from people who walked with us to others who cheered us on with honks from their car horns. Upon our arrival in Tempe, we were greeted by city officials including City Manager Charlie Meyer and Rosa Inchausti, manager of the Diversity Office. They were interested in our experience thus far and told us about the groundbreaking efforts that the City of Tempe has taken to be inclusive of all families. Not only was the conversation refreshing, but so too were the water and snacks they provided—they gave us energy booster for the last 11 mile trek.
We received another expression of support and motivation during lunch, when our waitress Lara shared her enthusiasm for our walk and told us that she and her girlfriend were thinking of going to California to get married. She shared that both their families have been very supportive and that their children participate in pride events with them.
The last few hours were challenging—we had to walk fast and our feet were killing us—but they were also among the most exciting. For our last mile we were joined by friends and supporters who walked with us to the State Capitol. Members of Equality Arizona and Soul Purpose AZ joined us as well. Soul Purpose is a one year old grass-roots volunteer-run organization dedicated to serving the growing need for resources and visibility for the LGBT communities of color in the Phoenix metro area.
Before beginning that last stretch, we held hands in front of the Phoenix City Hall to center ourselves, remembering all those who are walking for and all who are accompanying us through their prayers. We then walked the mile to the Capitol Building, joining hands again as we walked onto the grass.
Whether we had walked 96 miles or 96 feet, we completed this pilgrimage together. At the Capitol, Meg led us in the tying of rainbow ribbons to mark our final stop on this long, sweaty, hard, blister-causin’, calorie-burning, mind-blowing, conversation-starting endeavor for marriage equality.
The effects of our actions this week extended into the homes of Equality Walkers. Not all of our family members have been fully supportive of this campaign; however, the experience has opened the door for honest conversations to take place.
As I reflect on this day of pilgrimage for equality, I feel confident that we have left not only rainbow ribbons and footprints, but also good will that will ripple into affirmation of all families here in Arizona and throughout the country. We may never know the impact our rainbow umbrellas, ribbons, smiles, and testimony and witness have had; perhaps someone who saw us walking or saw our media interviews or found one of our colorful ribbons will be comforted that seven young adults braved the Arizona heat for the equality and celebration of all marriages and families—it may even motivate and inspire them to find ways to continue in la lucha (the struggle). With each step, we planted seeds that will be harvested by others and will continue to grow as our society comes to understand the value of affirming the loving, covenanted relationships of its lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender members. As the Rev. Martin Luther King once said, “We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Through the efforts of ordinary people like my fellow Equality Walkers, we can see Dr. King’s vision to its next stage of fulfillment.
(From the Arizona Republic Meg Sneed is a cancer survivor. She is also a lesbian.
After spending three days walking to benefit breast-cancer research, she had an idea. What about a walk to raise awareness about marriage inequality?
Last week, Sneed, 25, and seven other gay, lesbian and bisexual young people aged 19 to 28 walked through the metro area to the state Capitol to raise awareness about gay rights and the fall referendum that would add a gay-marriage ban to the state constitution.
The 96-mile walk - symbolic for the 96-year-history of the state - ended yesterday at the state Capitol.
"We just feel it is really important for young people to get out and say how they feel about these issues and share their stories," Sneed said.
Arizona does not have any legal recognition for gay partners, such as domestic partnerships or civil unions. It also was the first state where voters rejected a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
Proponents have brought back the gay-marriage ban. But this time the constitutional amendment is more straightforward, without a provision banning government benefits for domestic partners, which many observers say doomed the 2006 proposal.
Sneed, a social worker and member of Soulforce Q, the young-adult division of the national gay rights group Soulforce, said she and her fellow walkers' immediate goal is to defeat the marriage amendment this fall. But she also has another goal: to spread their message in the hopes of one day getting the right to marry in Arizona.
They took that message from city hall to city hall last week, stopping along the way to meet other walkers and supporters.
Among their stops was the Church of the Beatitudes United Church of Christ in north-central Phoenix.
The Rev. Nancy Elsenheimer is one of the senior pastors at the church, which performs commitment ceremonies for same-sex couples. She called Sneed and the other walkers "courageous" not only for braving the Valley's heat but also for spreading their message through areas not always receptive to gay rights.
"I think it is a courageous stand not only to talk the talk but also to walk the walk," said Elsenheimer, who noted that the walkers sometimes had a police escort for fear of how their procession would be greeted by opponents. "For a young person to go out and make a stance like that is a great thing."
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