Massachusetts. Connecticut.

Recently, Iowa, and now, Vermont and the District of Columbia.

Marriage equality is a reality in all four states and the District.

Four states out of 50—the battle is just beginning. And the biggest prize yet, California, lies in the hands of the California State Supreme Court. Will they issue an opinion upholding Prop 8’s legality as a legitimate amendment to the state’s constitution, or will they stand by their original May, 2008 decision that extends marriage to same-sex couples?

We won’t wait for the California Supreme Court to decide—we’re taking it straight to the young people of California, specifically to young Asian Pacific Islander Americans. Polls show young people tend to “get it.” We want them to help explain it to a group of people who were statistically more likely to be against marriage equality--churchgoing, older, English-language limited, recently-immigrated Americans of Asian descent: their parents.

API-PFLAG in collaboration with PFLAG National (with support from their $1,000 Diversity Grant) is offering a college essay scholarship contest to graduating high school seniors and returning college students in LA and Orange Counties.

We need your help to spark an intergenerational dialogue that could change hearts and minds. We need your help because we can’t afford to write off any community. We need your help, because there are many closeted APIA youth and allies without a voice, and we need to make it safe for all to stand up and say marriage equality is for everyone. That started with API-PFLAG, PFLAG National, Lambda Legal, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, and a host of other co-sponsors and allies within and around the APIA community. We hope we can count you among our community, as a friend and ally.

Help us meet our $5,000 scholarship goal. Please donate whatever you can. No donation is too small. (PFLAG L.A. Fed Tax ID: 95-3707419)

· For more details about the contest, read previous blog posts: apipflag.blogspot.com

· To donate safely and electronically online: “ChipIn” widget http://apipflag.blogspot.com/2009/02/blog-post.html

· By check, made out to PFLAG Los Angeles. Please mail checks c/o Andre Ting/API PFLAG, P.O. Box 2303, La Habra, CA 90632.

Thank you, from the heart.

Sincerely,

Harold Kameya & the API-PFLAG essay contest team