Uphill Battles: Background and Updates
I recently started walking home, which requires quite a bit of uphill walking. As I was huffing & puffing along, I realized that I am seriously out of shape. So, I’ve resolved to fight my way up some of San Francisco’s hills. But that’s not the only uphill battle I am involved in: I recently joined the board of directors at the
Alternatives to Marriage Project, the only national nonprofit working to end discrimination due to marital and/or relationship status.
With the California Supreme court decision on Prop 8, the focus is back on same-sex marriage. Why marriage, though? Why not fight for equality for all and really mean all, you know, like everybody, not just people who are married?
Marriage, even same-sex marriage, creates a bright red dividing line between married and unmarried. This line comes with a lot of social and financial implications: Singles are viewed as immature and selfish; not quite adults yet. Married folks receive benefits and rights through more than 1,130 federal laws that unmarried folks don’t get. Same-sex marriage would still leave people who don’t want to (or can’t) get married out in the rain. People who have wonderful relationships with friends and relatives but are just not married, for whatever reason.
Making the case for equality for all is an uphill battle. Valuing all people independent of their relationship status requires a paradigm shift – instead of assuming that people in romantic relationships should get more rights and privileges, we have to ask what society should provide for all people. For example, instead of making a widow dependent on her husband’s Social Security benefits, a minimum pension for everybody would be more equitable to all. There are many, many more examples like that. If this piques your interest please let me know and I’d be happy to tell you more about it.
This page will keep you updated on my uphill battles:
- To get myself into shape, I’m pledging to walk home at least once a week for eight weeks this summer, taking the route with three major hills.
- To build AtMP’s capacity for policy analysis and outreach, I’m pledging to raise $1,000.
You can help me with both by matching my ‘24 hill pledge’ with a contribution to the Alternative to Marriage Project. For example, a one-time gift of $80 would match my pledge at a rate of $10 per walk; $120 would match me at $5 per hill; or come up with your own variation. If you’re as excited as I am to find the one national organization that fights for equality for all and really means “all,” I hope you’ll pledge ongoing support for AtMP at the rate of $10 or more per month no matter how many hills I climb.
You can find my weekly updates on my progress and some updates on the battles AtMP fights on this page.
List of Updates (see intros below or follow the links to read the whole post):
Even though my official walks for this uphill battle fundraiser are done I did another walk today! It was gorgeous weather here in San Francisco, even in the Outer Richmond, where it was very foggy this morning. We’ve raised $808 so far ($40 more since week 8)! Can you help me reach my $1,000 goal? I am only $192 short of this goal! I very much appreciate the support I have already received both financially and otherwise! It’s not too late to donate either – I will appreciate the reward for a walking goal met! You can either donate online (just click on the button to the left), send a check to AtMP (P.O. Box 320151, Brooklyn NY 11232), or give me a check (or cash) next time you see me. We’re almost there! It’s like having to walk up the last 192 inches to reach the top of the hill!
To go back to my weekly updates please click here where you also can find out what all this walking is about…
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Today was my last official walk for this uphill battle fundraiser! And what a day to do this on: It was gorgeous weather here in San Francisco, an unusual occurrence in July when it usually is foggy. We’ve raised $768 so far! This is $232 short of my goal but still a very nice sum! Thank you to all of you who supported me financially and otherwise (you know that I would’ve snug out and taken the bus home a few times 
)! I very much appreciate it! And it’s not too late to donate either – I will appreciate the reward for a walking goal met!
Two things were different today: I carried a heavier load home (shoes and laptop) and I walked with a friend. We had some great conversations from religion to spirituality to relationships and alternatives to marriage. It was a very nice change of pace to be able to talk to a live person rather than listening to podcasts! I don’t have a podcast to review, so this’ll be a short note.
To go back to my weekly updates please click here where you also can find out what all this walking is about…
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As if I had planned it that way, I did my 7th uphill walk on the 7th day of the 7th month…. We’ve raised almost $600 (we’re – appropriately – $7 short)! We got $400 more to go to reach my goal of raising $1,000 to support the work of the Alternatives to Marriage Project. If you haven’t done so already, you can donate online or give me a check or cash. If you’ve done so already thank you!
I learned today that I don’t find all Against the Grain podcasts interesting. I started out with one that sounded interesting – talking about how US consumers have supported the US empire – but when I realized that I was more interested in beating up Muni because buses were passing me every minute or so, I decided it was time to switch. click here to read more » » »
Posted in Activism, Politics, Uphill Battles |
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Six weeks down and two weeks to go with $442 more to raise to meet my goal. Thank you to everybody for your support. Both monetary and verbal support are greatly appreciated. And if you’ve been meaning to help me reach my financial goal, now is a good time to do so
. I can see why this combination of physical activity and fundraising is used a lot: It is very motivating to me! Not sure if I wouldn’t have succumb to the excuses today – I am too tired, the hills are too steep… But 1 hour and 35 minutes later, I was glad I walked! Again I was accompanied by
another great interview by C.S. Soong of
Anne McClintock, a professor at my alma mater
UW – Madison: Paranoia, empire, and torture. The interview is based on a
recent article by McClintock published in
Small Axe, a journal published by Duke University Press.
click here to read more » » »
Posted in Feminism, Politics, Uphill Battles |
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I am in week 5 of walking home and week 3 of fundraising, which is slowing down, so I hope some of you who’ve meant to give will do so soon! (I’ve listened to too many NPR fund drives, I think
).
Today, I split my walk because I had an appointment at the RunSafe clinic on Divisadero and Sutter, a bit more than half-way home (and after the three major hills). Even though I don’t run, they were happy to work with me to ensure that I walk safely, i.e., work on those postural habits that eventually cause injuries. click here to read more » » »
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Thanks to your help, I’ve raised $328 so far, about a third of my goal – not bad! I look forward to more support from you for my uphill battles. And I really needed the knowledge that there are people out there supporting my physical uphill battles. The urge to just hop on the bus and go home was pretty good. It’s gray and overcast here in San Francisco and the thought of scaling up those hills was just not very appealing. But you would know! So, I decided I better go – and I am glad I did because I listened to yet another interesting podcast and the physical exercise improved my mood: I have a nice sense of accomplishment now!
I listened to an interview with Tommi Avicolli Mecca and Paola Bacchetta as they remember the radical activism of the 1960s and 1970s. click here to read more » » »
Posted in Matrimania, Singles By Choice, Uphill Battles |
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