Dear friends: there are 30 Days left until the election.

Thursday, October 11th is National Coming Out Day. It is the event’s 24th Anniversary, a day in which many of the people we love and support decide to have what can be the most difficult and challenging conversations of their lives with their friends and families.

In support of and in solidarity with our GLBTQ friends and family members, I am asking all of my MN friends, regardless of orientation, to join me at the Minnesotans United for All Families’ Loring Park office (1629 Hennepin Ave, across from the Basilica) to reach out to voters who are still deciding to vote NO on the marriage amendment. Join me this Thursday at 6:30pm, and every Thursday from here until the election, and help us explain to Minnesota voters why a NO vote is necessary.

Yes, these are voter conversations that can sometimes be difficult for us. But they can also be exhilarating, inspiring and joyful. And on a day like National Coming Out day, we need to recognize that these voter conversations are FAR easier for us to have than those that our LGBTQ friends around us are having, on the same day, with their own families and friends. If you feel that you can’t call a voter and have this type of conversation because it’s “too hard”, then you MUST do it to recognize and celebrate the courage of the people who will be having much scarier and harder conversations with their families this Thursday.

By then there will be less than 30 days left in the campaign, and we need to have everyone coming together to work towards victory in November. Everyone means you: I have not seen a whole lot of my friends at these events, and while I know a lot of you support defeating this amendment, your NO vote is only the bare minimum required to do so. The No votes are NOT winning right now, and our MN Constitution will be fundamentally changed to reduce and eliminate rights for loving Minnesota couples unless we take further action today.

Will you be there with me? Or better yet, go to http://mnunited.org/volunteer and sign up to make calls tonight and every Monday, or Tuesday or whatever day you can.

Let’s not make it to November 7th and regret the opportunity we wasted.