Washington, DC – This Saturday, MomsRising will join a coalition of 50 organizations to advocate for LGBTQ+ equality and commonsense gun safety legislation at the Rally to Disarm Hate on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

 

In response to the tragic shooting at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub in June and a summer filled with senseless gun violence, members of the LGBTQ+ community, allies, advocates, celebrities, religious leaders, and families from around the country will come together to urge legislators to support equal rights for LGBTQ+ citizens and implement responsible gun control reforms to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.

 

WHAT: Rally to Disarm Hate

WHEN: August 13, 2016, 11am – 4pm

WHERE: West Potomac Park (between Independence Ave., SW and Ohio Dr., SW) 

Washington, DC

 

MomsRising member and LGBTQ+ and gun safety advocate Lelia Spears will speak alongside her family at the rally. Other speakers will include actor and writer Harvey Fierstein and Christine Leinonen, whose son was killed in the Orlando shooting.  

 

Participating organizations include: MomsRising, National Action Network, Newtown Action Alliance, One Pulse for America, Collective Goods, CeaseFirePA, Washington National Cathedral, The Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence, Americans for Responsible Solutions, Million Mom March, The Trevor Project, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Gays Against Guns, Women Against Gun Violence, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, UNDER THE GUN, States United to Prevent Gun Violence, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, The Episcopal Diocese of Washington, DC, The Matthew Shepard Foundation, Doctors for America, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, National Council of Jewish Women, Connecticut Against Gun Violence, Students United Against Gun Violence, Sandy Hook Promise, Rabbis Against Gun Violence, Pride Fund to End Gun Violence, All Saints Church of Pasadena, Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, The Vision Quilt, Cuomo Cole Productions, Living For 32, A New Routine for America, Safe Tennessee Project, WERK for Peace, The ENOUGH Campaign, Gun Free UH, Stonewall Democratic Club, Episcopal Peace Fellowship, Greenwich Council Against Gun Violence, Women's Voices Raised for Social Justice, Swish Ally Fund, We The People For Sensible Gun Laws, TOGETHER WE STAND, GunSenseVT, Jewish Women International, Sappho Way Empowerment, The Brown Grrlz Project, and the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare.

 

Additional information about the rally can be found at www.disarmhate2016.com.

 

In advance of the rally, MomsRising will host a Moms Meetup on Thursday, August 11, from 2-4pm at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop on 545 7th Street, SE. DC-area moms, dads and their children will have a chance to make signs and decorate Statue of Liberty crowns for the rally.

 

MEDIA NOTE: Lelia Spears and MomsRising Campaign Director Elyssa Koidin Schmier will be available for interviews at the rally. Media are also welcome to attend the Moms Meetup on Thursday. For more information or to schedule interviews, please contact Emily Hecker or Gretchen Wright at 202/371-1999.