S.A. activists in Austin for Milk Day observances
QSanAntonio.com, May 14, 2011

Hundreds of young GLBT activists from across Texas, including a large contingent from San Antonio, will be in Austin next weekend for two days of observances in honor of Harvey Milk Day. The weekend includes a conference, a prom and a march on the state capitol.

This is the second year the Harvey Milk Day Conference, Rally and March which is held in Austin. The weekend is sponsored by the Equality Now ACC, Austin Community College, the Texas GSA Network, NOH8 and GetEQUAL Texas.

The weekend opens with an all day conference on May 21 featuring a keynote address by Robin McGehee, the national director of GetEQUAL. On Saturday night there will be an Out Youth prom at Whole Foods Terrace.

On Sunday, the NOH8 Campaign will have an open photo shoot at the W Hotel in Austin. That afternoon activists will march from the Austin City Hall, where a proclamation declaring Harvey Milk Day will be read, to the State Capitol where prominent members of the community will speak about drawing inspiration from Milk's life.

In web postings for the Harvey Milk events is Austin organizers have written:

"This movement isn't just about lesbians or gays. Its not solely about bisexuals or transgender people. Its about women, immigrants, children, people of color, the workers and all of the rainbow that makes up our diverse LGBT community. Simply put, it is about equality. Harvey Milk was a man for the people. He stood with them all, and shoulder to shoulder dedicated his life to make the world a better place. We are once again honoring his legacy as we follow in his footsteps for the Second Annual Harvey Milk Day Conference."

Click here for tickets and more information about the Harvey Milk Day events.

Harvey Milk Day Conference
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Saturday May 21, 2011
Austin Community College, 1212 Rio Grande St., Austin TX
$25.00 Suggested donation. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Conference Schedule:
8:30am: Open Registration
9:00am- 10:15am: Plenary Breakfast. Special Keynote by Robin McGehee, National Director, GetEQUAL.
10:30am-11:30am: Workshop Session 1
11:45am-12:45pm: Workshop Session 2
1:00pm-1:30pm: Lunch Session
1:45pm-2:45pm: Workshop Session 3
3:00pm-3:30pm: Closing Remarks

OutYouth Prom
6:00 p.m. -11:00 p.m., Saturday May 21, 2011
Whole Foods Terrace, 525 N Lamar Blvd. Austin, TX
Youth: $10, Adults: $10 + $1 for every year since your prom.
(No youth turned away for inability to pay.)

NOH8 Campaign Open Photo Shoot
12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., Sunday May 22, 2011
W Hotel Austin, 200 Lavaca Street, Austin, TX
Solo portraits $40 each
Couple/group portraits $25 per person
Those participating in the NOH8 Campaign asked to wear a plain white shirt.

Harvey Milk Rally and March
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., Sunday May 22, 2011
March On State Capitol from City Hall with Proclamation of Harvey Milk Day by Austin City Councilman Randi Shade.

Photos -- GetEqual Town Hall
Photography by Antonia Padilla, QSanAntonio.com, March 1, 2011

About 40 community leaders and activists attended a town hall meeting organized by the local affiliate of GetEqual on February 26 at Sparky's Wine & Tapas Bar. The meeting was hosted by GetEqual director and co-founder Robin McGehee (photos top row). See related story below.

GetEQUAL director to host S.A. town hall meeting
QSanAntonio.com, February 17, 2011

Robin McGehee, the director and co-founder of GetEQUAL, will be in San Antonio on February 26 to host an LGBT town hall meeting. According to the event announcement, McGehee will meet with community organizers and leaders to discuss what issues should take the foreground in the movement; how to build effective coalitions; and how to effectively represent the whole of our community.

McGehee was the co-director of the 2009 National Equality March in Washington, D.C. She says the experience led to her co-founding GetEQUAL with Kip Williams in March 2010. (See related link below.)

Get EQUAL uses direct action and online organizing to pressure decision-makers to work toward gay equality. The group's first actions in 2010 were sit-in protests at the San Francisco and Washington, D.C. offices of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) where they demanded Pelosi bring the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) to the House floor for a vote by the end of March.

“It’s time, in my opinion, for us as organizations and individuals to hold those people accountable that are claiming that they’re our heroes and our allies,” McGehee said at the time, according to an article in Gay San Diego.

Similar actions followed. GetEQUAL made headlines when they shouted down President Obama at a fundraiser because he failed to repeal "don't ask, don't tell." McGehee was arrested with Lt. Dan Choi and others outside the White House last year while calling for an end to "don't ask, don't tell."

In April 2010 on Sirius/XM’s Michelangelo Signorile’s Leadership Town Hall, McGehee called on Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, to step down if “we don’t get ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ and ENDA by the end of the year.”

GetEQUAL's aggressive direct actions reinforce their vision to "inspire and equip the LGBTQ community and allies to fight back against discrimination in a way that builds power and personal agency, encourage LGBTQ people to take our place to push forward progressive change as equals, and to build bridges with all who struggle for justice and dignity in their lives."

McGehee is a native of Mississippi who has a Master's degree in human communication from California State University in Fresno. In 2001, she was honored with the Martin Luther King, Jr. award for her work with Youth Empowerment, and worked for four years with the Gay-Straight Alliance Network and Fresno’s REEL Pride Gay and Lesbian film festival.

In November 2008, McGehee was ousted as president of her son’s elementary school Parent Teacher Organization due to her public stance against Proposition 8. She fought back by helping to organize Meet in the Middle for Equality -– a statewide reaction to the passage of Prop 8.

LGBT Town Hall with Director of GetEQUAL, Robin McGehee, Saturday, February 26, at 12:00 noon. Sparky's Pub, 1416 North Main Avenue. If you are interested in participating in this important discussion, contact Jay Morris, GetEQUAL Texas State Lead, at 210-618-4730. We have limited space, so please RSVP no later than February 22.

Obama's Civil Rights Moment
By Robin McGehee, Huffington Post, January 25, 2011

When a small group of street activists started talking a year ago about creating an entity that would push -- urgently and unceasingly -- for full equality to be extended to all LGBT Americans, we weren't sure what would happen. We weren't sure whether anyone would show up for meetings. We weren't sure if those in power would pay any attention. We weren't sure if we could break through the veil of "separate but equal" that has covered our communities with the mistaken notion that our government actually values LGBT Americans and sees us as full citizens of this country.