“Uniting for All Families” Statewide Tour Comes to Mankato and Rochester for Weekend of Action
National Marriage Advocate Zach Wahls Wraps up Statewide Tour In Mankato and Rochester To Spark Conversations About How Amendment Hurts Minnesota Families, Urges Minnesotans to Vote No
MEDIA ADVISORY
Contact: Kate Brickman, Press Secretary
Phone Number: 612-460-1219
September 7, 2012 – Rochester, MN – On Saturday, September 8, national marriage advocate and best-selling author Zach Wahls, who became famous for his impassioned speech in defense of marriage for gay and lesbian couples in Iowa, will wrap up his statewide tour with visits to Mankato and Rochester in an effort to spark conversations about how this amendment hurts real families and to urge Minnesotans to vote No on November 6.
Wahls will travel to Mankato Saturday morning at 9:30 to meet with local volunteers with Minnesotans United for All Families as they prepare to galvanize hundreds of new volunteers at the Mankato Pride Parade and Festival. He will then travel to Rochester to join volunteers at the Rochester United office for a special Weekend of Action conversation drive on the phones beginning at 12:30.
The stops are part of a weeklong tour of the state with Minnesotans United for All Families to spark conversations about how this amendment hurts families and to urge Minnesotans to vote No on November 6. The tour began Monday morning at the Minnesotans United State Fair booth and continued with a speech from Wahls at the Duluth Labor Day Picnic, followed by stops in Hibbing, St. Cloud, and at the University of Minnesota. Wahls also joined metro families for a Family Picnic in Minneapolis Wednesday to discuss the negative impact of this amendment on Minnesota families.
Wahls is traveling the state to spark conversations among Minnesotans about why marriage matters, who should have the freedom to participate in it, and about the ability of gay and lesbian parents to raise healthy, successful children. Following a recent announcement by the Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatricians that the amendment would harm children in the state by singling their families out, Wahls will be joining the state’s pediatricians in speaking up for all families and against the proposed amendment. Wahls became famous after his 2011 testimony to the Iowa House of Representatives when Iowa was considering a constitutional amendment that would end marriage for same-sex couples in the state. The 21-year-old has since been an outspoken advocate for marriage, writing a book called “My Two Moms: Lessons of Love, Strength, and What Makes A Family” and most recently spoke about his family at the Democratic National Convention Thursday night.
Weekend of Action lasts from Friday through Monday, with more than 150 events across the state working to talk with voters about the importance of voting no and to continue growing the volunteer base so crucial to the campaign. More than 2,000 volunteers will participate in Weekend of Action, with more than 80 percent of them first-time volunteers who signed up at the Minnesota State Fair. Over the 12-day fair, Minnesotans United signed up more than 6,000 volunteers.
Saturday, September 8
Coffee with Zach Wahls – Mankato Pride Parade
9:30 – 10:30 a.m. | Coffee Hag | 329 North Riverfront Drive | Mankato, MN 56001
Zach will greet volunteers and help energize them for the Mankato Pride Parade, where they’ll recruit volunteers for local efforts to defeat the amendment.
Weekend of Action Conversation Drive Featuring Zach Wahls
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. | Rochester office, Minnesotans United for All Families | 882 7th Street NW | Rochester, MN 55901
Zach will speak to volunteers and staff about his personal story fighting for the freedom to marry and how the amendment hurts families like his. Dr. Kathryn Stolp, M.D., the volunteer leading the conversation drive, will also speak about the medical research proving that gay and lesbian couples raise children just as well as straight couples, and that claims that children do best with a mother and a father are unfounded.
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