Greetings,

Last night, as the polls were closing in Washington and Maine, I was on stage in a packed church hall in Central Oregon.

I was joining Freedom to Marry founder Evan Wolfson and our friends at PFLAG and Human Dignity Coalition to begin a new dialogue about why marriage matters to all of us.

Yesterday's apparent victory in Washington in favor of partnership protections is yet another indication that we in the Pacific Northwest continue to move toward fairness for all committed and caring couples.And fully 65% of voters in Kalamazoo, Michigan voted to expand the city's anti-discrimination ordinance to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

At the same time, our hearts go out to the loving couples in Maine whose families will bedenied the important security that marriage provides. It was a close election in Maine, and while it is deeply saddening that they were not able to get there this time, we are confident that they will in time — because fairness, family, freedom and commitment are basic American values.

All of this news makes me even more committed to beginning the conversation now —outside of any election or ballot measure — to encourage Oregonians to share their stories with each other, and talk about why marriage matter so much to them, personally.

Last night Evan Wolfson urged the Central Oregon crowd to start these conversations with friends, family, colleagues and neighbors right away.

"The more we talk with the people around us — each of us the most effective ambassador to those in our lives — the more we help them think through how they'd feel if they were denied the freedom to marry the one they love, and how unnecessary this harmful exclusion is. The work begins today!"

Let the conversations begin.

In solidarity,

Jeana Frazzini
Executive Director
Basic Rights Oregon