Dear friends who are part of the LGBT and Ally community in Washington County,

As your county commission gathers tonight to consider an anti-marriage equality resolution, equality advocates across Tennessee hold you in our thoughts. 

You do not deserve the kind of local government that would question and attack the basic human rights of any segment of the population.  But when faced with just such a challenge, you have risen to meet it with dignity and community spirit.

Your presence was so strong at the last meeting that it caused the county commission meeting to adjourn.  Your presence tonight, whatever the outcome, is a profound witness to the values of equality and inclusion in a state that desperately needs such a visible manifestation.

Your strength, your organizing skills, and your determination inspire us all.  People in Memphis, Jackson, Nashville, Murfreesboro, Clarksville, Cookeville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Maryville, and everywhere in between are watching you with pride today.

Win or lose, you are heroes of the movement for equality in Tennessee. 

So on behalf of the boards of the Tennessee Equality Project and the TEP Tri-Cities Committee Chair Amy Williams, who will be with you this evening, I want to thank you for the incredible work you are doing.

Gratefully yours,

Chris Sanders

Executive Director

Tennessee Equality Project