NAYA Supports Marriage Equality Ballot Measure

NAYA Supports Marriage Equality Ballot Measure

It was announced today that the NAYA Board of Directors, at their recent meeting, unanimously voted to support the Oregon United for Marriage campaign, which is currently gathering signatures in an attempt to amend the Oregon Constitution to allow all loving couples the freedom to marry regardless of sex or orientation. The measure is expected to be on the ballot in November of 2014.

“Oregon United for Marriage is honored to receive this endorsement, and we are proud to welcome NAYA to the coalition working to extend the freedom to marry to all of Oregon’s loving, committed couples,” says Jeana Frazzini, chief petitioner and chair of Oregon United for Marriage. “NAYA brings strong values, a critical perspective, and a vibrant community to this historic effort.”

NAYA’s Executive Director Matt Morton said of the decision, “I am very proud of our board’s unanimous vote. Our community is wonderfully diverse, and our organization is a safe place where all people should feel welcome and included. We are living up to our community’s values by supporting Oregon United for Marriage.”

The Board’s statement reads:

As an organization committed to enhancing the diverse strengths of our youth and families in partnership with the community through cultural identity and education, the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) is proud to join a broad coalition of individuals and organizations supporting the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in Oregon.

In 2006, our elders, board, staff, youth, and families defined the core values that would become the foundation of our organization and guide our collective work. It is these core values that urge us to support initiatives that lift up those who are oppressed.

As a community:
• We respect others through expressing love, acceptance, and kindness;
• We seek balance by recognizing the value and importance of maintaining the many interrelating parts of our lives;
• We show pride by honoring our ancestors and our heritage;
• We support community by valuing the interconnection that we have with each other, our environment, and our shared traditions;
• We practice tradition and honor our ancestors’ teachings, believing that all tribes and cultures bring valuable and important contributions to our community;
• We express kindness, striving to live in a compassionate, caring, and trustworthy way toward one another; and,
• We value diversity by embracing and honoring the differences in our community.

In staying true to these values, NAYA’s board is proud to announce that NAYA Family Center will join Oregon United for Marriage, the coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to win the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in Oregon. We encourage and invite other individuals and organizations to join this coalition. “

For more information on how to get involved, please visit oregonunitedformarriage.org

You can also support by signing the petition to put the Freedom to Marry and Religious Protection Initiative on the November 2014 ballot. Download the petition at oregonsaysido.org