Levi's Supports Marriage Equality w/White Knots - Get Your Own FREE Knot
Starting this week, you'll find White Knots on mannequins in Levi's Stores in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. The famous jean company, is adding the accessory to their mannequins to show solidarity for marriage equality. The message is simple and clear: "Everyone should have the right to tie the knot."
On the White Knot organization's website they explain: "The White Knot is the symbol for marriage equality. Wear it every day to show your support and to create conversation. Use it to tell someone today that equal rights are important to everyone. Share the White Knot and spread the word that all loving couples deserve the same legal rights, benefits, and respect that civil marriage bestows."
You can get your own FREE White Knot, by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to:
White Knot for Equality
PO Box 691517
West Hollywood, CA 90069
You can also donate to the organization, should you see fit, or buy a White Knot Making Kit:
Each kit has supplies for 300 White Knots and contains:
—50 yards of ribbon
—Safety pins
—Instruction sheets Kits are $25 - Free Priority Mail shipping
More information is available here.
They also provide these 14 reasons why marriage matters:
- Marriage offers 1,138 Federal benefits and responsibilities, not including hundreds more offered by every state.
- In times of crisis, spouses have hospital visitation rights and can make medical decisions in event of illness or disability of their spouse.
- The law provides certain automatic rights to a person's spouse regardless of whether or not a will exists.
- Married couples in elderly care facilities are generally not separated unless one spouse's health dictates hospitalization or special care.
- Married couples are permitted to give an unlimited amount of gifts to each other without being taxed.
- The law presumes that a married couple with both names on the title to their home owns the property as "tenants by the entirety."
- A married couple, by statute, has creditor protection of their marital home.
- Many married people are entitled to financial benefits relating to their spouses, such as disability, pension and social security benefits.
- With marriage, a couple has the right to be treated as an economic unit and to file joint tax returns (and pay the marriage penalty), and obtain joint health, home and auto insurance policies.
- When a spouse dies, there is no need to prove ownership of every item in the household for taxable purposes.
- A child who grows up with married parents benefits from the fact that his or her parents' relationship is recognized by law and receives legal protections.
- Spouses are generally entitled to joint child custody and visitation upon divorce (and bear an obligation to pay child support).
- The mark of a strong family and healthy children is having parents who are nurturing, caring, and loving. Parents should be judged on their ability to parent, not by their age, race, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity.
- For adults, a stable, happy marriage is the best protector against illness and premature death. Decades of research have clearly established these links. (Burman & Margolin, 1992; Dawson, 1991; Verbrugge, 1979).
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 at 3:21PM
Reader Comments (10)
I will wear one. =]
thank you so much for posting this, jinxi. :)
before this post, i had never heard of the white knot campaign.
i'm going to mail my envelope a little later, and hopefully throw one of the white knot parties.
hooray for equality.
Now I'm extra glad that I just bought a new pair of Levi's!
Hey Jinxi! Once again you ROCK THE WORLD! How AWESOME is this!
I can't believe I haven't heard of this before but here's what my partner and I are going to do....we are working on our plans to marry here in the state of Iowa. I am gleefully (heh-heh, I love such gay words ! :-D ) spending $25 for these cool knots and we will have each guest at our ceremony wear one.
As an aside: It is amazing how many people in our conservative, Mennonite, Iowa burg have asked when and where our wedding will be and politely asked to be invited! Sure gives a "warm fuzzy" knowing so many people from such different backgrounds support this pair of crazy country queens in so many awesome ways....
you're awesome Craig...and gleeful too!
That's great Kalona is so open minded, some Cali people should take some tips from that little town.
Tell me when and where and I'm there brother. Can I bring =) with me? ah hahahaha
Congrats Craig! Midwesterners - salt of the earth.
@ everyone who has posted comments on this blog (and all others as well) - THANK YOU for your incredible support and participation! I appreciate your time and words VERY, VERY much!!
@ Craig
This is such a WONDERFUL idea! I love it!
I hope you will take TONS of photos at the wedding and send me some so that I can write a follow-up to this "White Knot" post; showing all of your guests wearing this beautiful symbol of marriage equality! YOU rock!
Winx, Jinxi
PS - "gleefully" is such a fantastic word! It should 1) be used more frequently, 2) be one of my "Words of the Day" =)
Thanks Julie! Midwesterners ARE the Salt of the earth and us gay boys are the Pepper to spice it up a little bit! Wouldn't you say?
Hey Tig, bring her on! Heh-heh....it just might be good for =) to actually be there so she can see for herself and LEARN what love is all about; LEARN something about us; LEARN that we're plain, ordinary people. It's all about educating people. Everyone should Google "The New Seekers" and the lyrics to their song "I'd Like to Teach the World".... What an awesome message that song has!!
Oh, and have a Coca-Cola, too! (You might be too young to understand what I mean by that but I bet Jinxi does.)
Or better yet, right click on this link and download a cover of that famous song by my buddy Bobby Bare Jr.
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/469207/01%20I%27d%20Like%20to%20Teach%20the%20World%20to%20Sing.mp3
Million of kudos to Levi Strauss & Company! I'm a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy and I've always purchased Levis, so I'm more than happy to support ANY company that supports equal rights!