For Immediate Release: October 13, 2011 Media Contacts: Isidro Gonzales, (432) 880-7342, publius.democrat.forever@gmail.

com Jonathan Martinez, (432) 202-6514, sonnyboa@gmail.com Mass Same-Sex Marriage and Commitment Ceremonies to Take Place in Odessa Same-Sex Wedding and Commitment Ceremony Set for Sherwood Park, Odessa ODESSA, TX -- Tuesday, October 11, was National Coming Out Day -- a day that highlights the progress made by LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) Americans and the inequality that remains. To mark the occasion, and to highlight one of the many ways in which LGBT Texans are still lacking equal civil rights, cities throughout the state of Texas are performing rallies and mass wedding ceremonies for those same-sex couples who would legally marry if they could. In Odessa on Saturday, Oct. 15, LGBT advocates will rally at Sherwood Park to show their public and visible support for marriage equality, and to stand in solidarity with events taking place across the state on the same day. GetEQUAL Texas organizer Jonathan Martinez said, "It was out-of-state, anti-LGBT organizations that influenced our legislators to make marriage between same-gender couples illegal. They ran on the platform of 'protecting the family' and 'protecting marriage' -- however, denying samegender couples the right to marry didnt strengthen heterosexual families or protect any marriages in the least. It did, however, keep our families from the protective legal bonds created by marriage. This is why we as Texans are standing up, with hopes to undo this injustice and make things right for future generations of Texans." WHAT: "Coming Out for Marriage Equality" WHEN: Saturday, October 15, 2011 TIME: 3:00pm CST WHERE: Sherwood Park (the address of the nearby community center is 4819 North Everglade, Odessa, TX)

Similar marriage equality events are taking place at the same time in San Antonio, Houston, Brownsville, Dallas, Corpus Christi, Huntsville, Austin and Harlingen. All who support equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and families are encouraged to attend. GetEQUAL is a national, direct action lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization. Emphasizing direct action and people power, the mission of GetEQUAL is to empower the LGBT community and its allies to take action to demand full legal and social equality, and to hold accountable those who stand in the way. For more information on GetEQUAL, please visit: http://www.getequal.org. You can follow GetEQUAL on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/getequal, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/GetEQUAL, or on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/getequal. GetEQUAL Texas is a chapter of GetEQUAL, and can be found on the web at http://www.getequaltx.org, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/GetEQUAL.TX, and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/getequal_tx. ###