Gay Rights Orgs Double Up

  Eldridge and Hughes

Facebook cofounder Chris Hughes and his partner, Freedom to Marry political director Sean Eldridge, have a made a huge commitment to the nonprofit push for marriage equality nationwide. The couple will match donations made to Freedom to Marry, Empire State Pride Agenda, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders and Equality Maryland for the rest of this year. Eldridge confirmed in an email that he and Hughes will match up up to $100K for Freedom to Marry, $50K for ESPA, $50K for GLAD, and $25K for Equality Maryland.

“Sean and Chris have taken bold action to help Freedom to Marry win,” founder Evan Wolfson wrote in an e-mail. “Today — I'm asking you to do the same. Can you donate $25 to win? For every donation made it will be matched, dollar for dollar.”
Eldridge and Hughes have been a couple for five years. The two have been actively involved in numerous gay rights and political causes, including Hughes’s work on Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

Terrence,

I hope you had a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Today we have one more thing to be thankful for. My good friends Sean Eldridge and Chris Hughes have agreed to double every donation made to Freedom to Marry for the rest of this year. Sean is Freedom to Marry's Political Director and Chris, his partner of five years, is one of the co-founders of Facebook.

Because of their generosity, for every $25 you give, Freedom to Marry will get $50. For every $50 you can give, Freedom to Marry will get $100. Make a donation $25 now and double your impact for marriage equality:

http://freedomtomarry.org/DoubleYourImpact

For 27 years, I have been fighting for an end to marriage discrimination in America and around the world. In the beginning, it felt like our supporters were few and far between, and many doubted that winning the freedom to marry was something we could do.

But year by year we stuck at it, and now day by day we can see the momentum -- including a real and important shift in public support for the freedom to marry. We've won marriage in five states and the District of Columbia (and gay people can now marry in 12 countries on four continents).

In 2010 we hit an important milestone: two national polls showing that a majority of the American people now support the freedom to marry (literally double the support we had less than 15 years ago). More and more people -- gay and straight, liberal and conservative, Democratic and Republican -- are standing up and speaking out in favor of ending marriage discrimination.

With marriage cases potentially heading to the Supreme Court and exciting chances to win more states, continuing attacks from the opponents of equality are inevitable. Which means 2011 is going to be a big year and we must seize the moment. And Terrence, when I start to think of the opportunities ahead, I'm certain that it's supporters like you who will be the difference between winning and losing.

Sean and Chris have taken bold action to help Freedom to Marry win. Today -- I'm asking you to do the same. Can you donate $25 to win? For every donation made it will be matched, dollar for dollar:

http://freedomtomarry.org/DoubleYourImpact

Thanksgiving always reminds me what I am truly thankful for -- and that includes people who believe in making a difference. Will you be one of ours?

Thank you for your support,

Evan Wolfson
Founder, Freedom to Marry

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