Yesterday, members of the LGBT+ community were alerted to the fact that during this morning's Fresno City Council meeting several proclamations were going to be presented, one of which was to declare the Valentine's Holiday Week "Celebrate Marriage Week".

Given that LGBT couples have been denied our equal civil rights by the passing of Proposition 8, some members felt that this was a direct insult to our community, particularly given that the California Supreme Court will soon be considering whether Prop 8 should be overturned.

Text of speeches read today: Beverly Senkowski, Jay Matthew, Michael Esswein, Vickye Ashton

Video from today's proceeding.

(Forward to 13:30 for proclamation reading and presentation. Forward to 51 minutes for community response)

(original copy of document)

FROM THE OFFICE OF
MAYOR ASHLEY SWEARENGIN

PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, we come together this week to reaffirm marriage as the foundation of healthy families and a healthy future for America and

WHEREAS, in every known human society, marriage creates new families, and binds them together in a network of affection, mutual aid and mutual obligation, commits parents to their children, and connects children to a wider network of welcoming kin; and

WHEREAS, mounting scientific evidence confirms that when the marriage tie frays, our children suffer. Children raised outside of marriage are more likely to commit crime, to fail at school and at work, to abuse drugs, to lapse into physical and mental illness, to become teen parents, to suffer material deprivation and to become the victims of child abuse; and

WHEREAS, marriage creates the safest space for children to flourish, the only practical way for children to enjoy the full emotional, moral and financial protection of both parents. We acknowledge the irreplaceable importance of lasting, healthy marriage to the well-being of children and, therefore, to the future of our nation and

WHEREAS, we honor marriage as the extraordinary vow that ordinary people make and guide their lives by every day; and

WHEREAS, we wish to applaud and encourage efforts by communities to strengthen marriage.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that I, Ashley Swearengin, do hereby proclaim the week of February 8-14, 2009 to be

“CELEBRATE MARRIAGE WEEK”

In the City of Fresno

IN WITNESS THEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the City of Fresno, California this 10^th day of February, 2009

MAYOR ASHLEY SWEARENGIN