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November
Meeting
Evan Wolfson
Executive Director
Freedom To Marry
This Thursday, November 13, AEN's speaker will be Evan Wolfson,
executive director of Freedom to Marry.
Freedom
to Marry is a LGBT and friends partnership working to win
marriage equality nationwide. The group was launched in January
2003 with the initial goal of securing a civil marriage breakthrough
in at least one state within five years, and then ending marriage
discrimination throughout the United States.
As director
of Lambda's Marriage Project, Evan Wolfson coordinated the
National Freedom to Marry Coalition and led the ongoing national
movement for equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. He
was co-counsel in the landmark Hawaii marriage case, Baehr
v. Anderson, which launched the current nationwide debate
on marriage rights. Mr. Wolfson also contributed his expertise
to the team in Baker v. Vermont, the Vermont Supreme
Court ruling that led to the creation of "civil unions,"
a new legal marital status for same-sex couples.
On April
26, 2000, Mr. Wolfson became the first Lambda attorney to
argue before the U.S. Supreme Court, urging the justices to
reject the Boy Scouts of America's appeal of a unanimous ruling
from the New Jersey Supreme Court striking down their ban
on LGBT members and leaders. Following the decision, Mr. Wolfson
helped shape the extraordinary national response from non-gay
and gay people and institutions against the BSA's discrimination,
challenging their harmful message to youth.
Beginning
with his 1983 law school thesis on LGBT people's freedom to
marry, Mr. Wolfson has published numerous articles on sexual
orientation and civil rights, and is a frequent speaker on
such topics. As a pro bono cooperating attorney for Lambda
from 1984 to 1989, Mr. Wolfson wrote Lambda's amicus briefs
to the Supreme Court in Bowers v. Hardwick and NGTF
v. Board of Education of Oklahoma City.
Born in
Brooklyn and raised in Pittsburgh, Wolfson graduated from
Yale College in 1978. For two years, he worked as a Peace
Corps volunteer in a village in Togo, West Africa. After graduating
from Harvard Law School in 1983, Mr. Wolfson served as assistant
district attorney for Kings County (Brooklyn). Immediately
prior to joining Lambda, Wolfson served in Washington, D.C.,
as associate counsel to Lawrence Walsh in the Office of Independent
Counsel (Iran-Contra). Mr. Wolfson is adjunct professor of
law at Columbia, and also has taught at Rutgers University
law school. He is a senior fellow at the New School's Wolfson
Center for National Affairs. In June 2000, the National Law
Journal honored Mr. Wolfson's civil rights leadership by naming
him one of the 100 most influential attorneys in America.
Join AEN
members one week earlier than usual to learn more about Freedom
to Marry's activities and plans for the future.
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AEN Gold Partner Delta Air Lines >
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'Building
Bridges' workshop this Sunday
AEN
& Immigration Equality present a screening of "Love
Without Borders"
This
program is of special interest to bi-national couples dealing
with the U.S.'s anti-gay immigration policy.
Sunday,
November 9
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
1447 Peachtree Street
Get
directions »
3rd floor conference room
Free parking
Pizza and refreshments will be served
RSVP
not required, but requested: stevekoval@aen.org
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<
AEN Bronze Partner IBM >
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CommUnity
Expo this Sunday
Featuring
products and services special to our community
Sunday,
November 9
Noon to 5 p.m.
Sheraton Midtown Hotel at Colony Square
Admission: $5 and includes a benefit raffle ticket
Presented by Delta Air Lines
Supported by AEN, AGLCC, and Southern Voice
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AEN Silver Partner Southern Voice >
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Holiday
Party
Start
the holiday season with your friends at AEN
Thursday,
December 4
6 - 8 p.m.
Red
Chair
Amsterdam Walk Outlets
Get directions
»
Free to all members and guests
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<
AEN Bronze Partner Smith Barney & Margie Archer >
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'All
politics is local'
On Thursday,
October 16, Allen Thornell, executive director of Georgia
Equality spoke to AEN.
Georgia
Equality is the political and advocacy voice of Georgia's
LGBT citizens and their allies. Founded in Atlanta in 1995,
it has grown into a true statewide advocacy organization
and is known nationally as one of the leaders among state
and local LGBT advocacy groups.
For
the first time, Georgia Equality is focusing on elections
outside the Atlanta metro area. A particular focus for the
2003 local elections was Savannah, Georgia, where endorsements
have been sought and given in many city council races and
the mayor's race. Georgia Equality focuses solely on state
and local issues in Georgia, and does not give endorsements
to federal officeholders.
The
expected backlash against LGBT equality could take several
forms in 2004 according to Mr. Thornell. Gov. Perdue has
already announced his support for amending the Georgia Constitution
to erase provisions ensuring the separation of church and
state funding. There could also be preemptory moves to amend
the Constitution to recognize only heterosexual unions,
no matter what other states might do.
Mr.
Thornell's message of being sure to pay attention to local
and state politics and to vote in those races was well received
by AEN members present.
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list of partners >
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Toys
and cocktails
AEN
and For the Kid in All of Us are partnering to bring you
The Toy Party 2003, a new holiday cocktail party and toy
drive for the LGBT community.
For
the Kid in All of Us is a non-profit organization committed
to brightening the holiday season for Georgia's needy
and underprivileged children.
Through
this event we hope to raise awareness of the plight of
many of Georgia's children, while at the same time lessening
their struggle during the holiday season. We also anticipate
The Toy Party will become an annual event which brings
together the LGBT community to support a cause that affects
the entire metropolitan area.
You
will not want to miss being a part of this great cause,
so mark the date — Sunday, December 7 from 5:30 -
9:00 p.m. Through the generosity of our sponsors and patrons,
all you need to attend is to bring a new, unwrapped toy
or a gift card for $10 or greater value.
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• November meeting
• 'Building Bridges'
• CommUnity Expo
• 'All politics is local'
• Toys and cocktails
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> Tues., November 11
Bonnie Barton
MidCity Cuisine
11:45 a.m.
>
Tues., November 18
Allen Jones
Houlihan's
11:55 a.m.
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Tues., November 18
Dan Lax with Andrew Tulman
RuSan's
7 p.m.
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Wed., November 19
Sandy Hoke with Mark Buhrke
Waverly Hotel
11:45 p.m.
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Tues., December 2
Allen Jones
Houlihan's
11:55 a.m.
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Tues., December 9
Sandy Hoke with Mark Buhrke
Waverly Hotel
11:45 p.m.
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Thurs., December 11
Bonnie Barton
MidCity Cuisine
11:45 a.m.
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Wed., December 17
Allen Jones
Houlihan's
11:55 a.m.
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Thurs., January 8
Carl Lange
NAM
7 p.m.
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The AEN mission is to:
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Promote business contacts and friendships through networking;
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Advocate equality for lesbians, gays, bi-sexuals, and
transgenders;
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Promote diversity in the business community;
•
Foster leadership in business, government and the arts.
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David Payne
President
Bonnie Barton
Vice President
Jamie Ensley
Treasurer
Margie Archer
Secretary
Drew Barton
Communications Chair
Dana Brown-Owings
Diversity Chair
Pride Chair
Don George
Nominations Chair
Patrick Greco
Luncheons Chair
Carl
Lange
Programming Chair
Dan Lax
Membership Chair
Steve Koval
Past President
Carla
Corley
Joe Guthridge
Sandy Hoke
Stephen Julien
Barbara Rubin
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Jason Cecil
Editor
Drew
Barton
Webmaster
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The following partners make AEN's programming possible:
Gold
Corporate Partner
Delta Air Lines
Bronze
Corporate Partner
Hewlett-Packard
IBM
Silver
Business Partner
Southern Voice
Outwrite Books
Bronze
Business Partner
Decatur First Bank
The Weather Channel
Margie Archer, Smith Barney
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