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http://www.causecast.orgHarvey Milk was the first openly-gay man to be elected to public office in the US in 1977. His most recognized speech, "You Cannot Live On Hope Alone," was given in 1978, shortly before he was assassinated. His words resonate particularly today as Californians debate a resolution to ban gay marriage.To learn more about Harvey Milk, check out http://www.causecast.org/member/harvey-milkAnd to learn about more causes, check out http://www.causecast.org---"Somewhere in Des Moines or San Antonio there is a young gay person who all the sudden realizes that he or she is gay; knows that if their parents find out they will be tossed out of the house, their classmates will taunt the child, and the Anita Bryant's and John Briggs' are doing their part on TV. And that child has several options: staying in the closet, and suicide. And then one day that child might open the paper that says "Homosexual elected in San Francisco" and there are two new options: the option is to go to California, or stay in San Antonio and fight. Two days after I was elected I got a phone call and the voice was quite young. It was from Altoona, Pennsylvania. And the person said "Thanks". And you've got to elect gay people, so that thousand upon thousands like that child know that there is hope for a better world; there is hope for a better tomorrow. Without hope, not only gays, but those who are blacks, the Asians, the disabled, the seniors, the us's: without hope the us's give up. I know that you can't live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living. And you, and you, and you, and you have got to give them hope."-Harvey Milk, 1978

Robin Tyler, left, with her partner, Diane Olson. Tyler views "Milk" as a galvanizing force in the fight over Proposition 8. (By Reed Saxon -- Associated Press) EXPAND THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT TO PROHIBIT LGBT DISCRIMINATION JOIN THE POWER!On January 22nd, 2009, The Power launched a nationwide petition to expand the Civil Rights Act.The Power is commited to continuing to engage in targeted grass roots actions advancing marriage equality in New York, and to pursuing the cause of LGBT equality nationwide.THE POWER IS YOURS because you are THE POWER. JOIN THE POWER in holding political leaders accountable to support equality for LGBT people, not on some arbitrary and convenient schedule, but right now.THE POWER works to unleash every individual’s power to engage in direct political action that creates change in the cause of LGBT civil rights. We operate under the premise that every individual can make a difference, given the tools and information to do so. By tailoring pointed actions that everyone can do even with the busiest of schedules, The Power mobilizes large numbers of people to apply sustained pressure on leaders to advance the cause of LGBT equality.More than anything we believe Now Is Our Time.  - Jeffrey CampagnaRobert F. Kennedy University of Cape Town, South Africa June 6th, 1966Day of Affirmation SpeechExcerpt below.  Click here for full text.Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”Letter from a Birmingham JailRev. Martin Luther King, Jr.April 16, 1963Excerpts below.  Click here for full text. My friends, I must say to you that we have not made a single gain in civil rights without determined legal and nonviolent pressure. Lamentably, it is an historical fact that privileged gr...

The movement is taking shape, with fits and starts and general hysteria... but the atmosphere has changed in a fundamental way. The real battle, of course, is for hearts & minds. The good news is... we're winning that one big time. The under 30's supported gay marriage 2:1 this year. The highest of any age group and highest ever. The data shows the trend continuing, so the only thing we can do now is slow it down by making asses of ourselves on national tv. We just watched the first African-American get elected on a message of hope and with an incredible grass-roots network. Why on Earth does the gay rights movement look more like an Al Sharpton or Cindy Shaheen fiasco? Have we learned nothing? The only solution I see is a new leadership. HRC and even the ACLU aren't going to get the gay community to their mountaintop. Retribution and lawsuits aren't the answer either. This moment is calling out for someone out there. I hope they answer the call. But first there was Harvey Milk: "Somewhere in Des Moines or San Antonio there is a young gay person who all the sudden realizes that he or she is gay; knows that if their parents find out they will be tossed out of the house, their classmates will taunt the child, and the Anita Bryant's and John Briggs' are doing their part on TV. And that child has several options: staying in the closet, and suicide. And then one day that child might open the paper that says "Homosexual elected in San Francisco" and there are two new options: the option is to go to California, or stay in San Antonio and fight. Two days after I was elected I got a phone call and the voice was quite young. It was from Altoona, Pennsylvania. And the person said "Thanks". And you've got to elect gay people, so that thousand upon thousands like that child know that there is hope for a better world; there is hope for a better tomorrow. Without hope, not only gays, but those who are blacks, the Asians, the disabled, the seniors, the us's: without hope the us's give up. I know that y...