We’re celebrating the news that President Obama just endorsed marriage equality for the first time. What does marriage equality have to do with climate change? We believe that a society that believes in treating all people equally — no matter their race, class, gender, religion, or sexual identity — is a society that’s more likely to extend that same respect and care to future generations and the planet.
Just as important, our movement is only possible because of the love and personal connections that so many of our organizers share. When you look through the incredible photos from this weekend’s Climate Impacts Day events, for example, you’ll see people of all ages, races, religions, and sexual orientations taking part. We’re a diverse movement and we support the rights of each and every one of our members.
We’re also incredibly thankful for the support that many LGBT activists and organizations have given to our work — and especially proud of our own LGBT staff, interns, and volunteers who have made climate activism a career here at 350.org. Here in the Bay Area, our first 350.org office was a room in a big shared space that included one of our all-time heroes, Kip Williams, who went on to co-found GetEQUAL, one of the groups that helped lead the fight for marriage equality. Years later, we used GetEQUAL megaphones to power our chants at the White House during the Keystone XL sit-ins. And we were joined at those demonstrations by equal rights advocates like Lt. Dan Choi, who gives powerful testimony in the video below about why he was willing to risk arrest to stop the pipeline:
So, on this historic day, we share our most hearfelt congratulations to everyone who believes in love — especially the thousands of activists and organizers who fought long and hard for this victory on the path towards greater equality for all. It gives us hope.