Dear Friends of Justice,

Last week saw some major events in the steady march towards equality, with the passage of the Hate Crimes bill in the House, which extends protection to people attacked due to sexual orientation and disabilities, and the National Equality March, which drew hundreds of thousands of peaceful demonstrators. This week we are gearing up for the International Day of Climate Action. Global climate change is a social justice issue. The time to act is now!

In faith and for justice,
Rowan, Orelia, Kat, Susan, Audra, Rob, and Meg

International Day of Climate Action: the Time Is Now!

The scientific consensus is that the amount of carbon in the atmosphere to cannot exceed 350 ppm in the long term if we are to sustain a planet similar to the one we know and to which life on Earth is adapted. Currently, the CO2 in the atmosphere measures well above 350 ppm. The United Nations Climate Change Conference is coming up in Copenhagen this December, and we need the decision makers to know that we are committed to this reduction in greenhouse gases.

The 350.org International Day of Climate Action is coming up on October 24th! More than UU 50 congregations all over the country are participating in actions, and we need your participation too. For more information on UU participation in the International Day of Climate Action, please visit the Ministry for Earth's page on 350. Find an event near you. Please send photos and stories of your events to rvanness@uua.org.

Success: the National Equality March

A huge thank-you to everyone who participated in the National Equality March this past Sunday, October 11th, which was also National Coming Out Day. More than 1,000 Unitarian Universalists joined the up to 200,000 who marched on Washington, D.C. calling for full federal equality for bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgender Americans. In addition to the hundreds of folks who came from nearby congregations in D.C, Maryland, and Virginia, over 450 people came on buses from the Thomas Jefferson District, including 31 of the 65 members from the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Harrisonburg Virginia. Over 50 congregations and communities hung banners, held solidarity events nationwide, and gave sermons on why we must Come Out for Equality. We were proud to stand and march on the side of love with all of you.

Read more about the march at UUA.org.

Registration for SEAT 2010 is now open

Registration is now open for the 2010 Sexuality Education Advocacy Training (SEAT), March 20-23 in Washington, DC! SEAT brings a dynamic, interfaith group of youth, young adults and allies to our nation's Capitol every year, empowering them to become effective religious advocates for comprehensive sex education in their communities and nationwide. Learn more and register today!

Standing on the Side of Love Friday Calls

Your response to the Standing on the Side of Love Campaign has been tremendous. Many of you have been asking how to get your congregation involved, how to develop a local campaign, how to use new media, how to bring SSL to interfaith colleagues and allies... To answer these questions and more, 45 min web-cast conference calls will happen every Friday at 1 PM EDT/EST (12PM Central; 11 AM Mountain; 10 AM Pacific)

This week will feature Jay Carmona, Online Community Organizer Followed by Q & A and discussion. Please RSVP for the call here: www.StandingontheSideofLove.org/fridaycalls.

To Join the Call: Dial 218-844-8230 entry code 593426#
Log onto the web-cast by opening this link: http://persony100.uua.org/?meeting=6336114.