Meg Sneed

Meg Sneed
Born (1982-08-16) August 16, 1982
Known for Right to Marry: Arizona, H.E.R.O.

Meg Sneed (born 1982) is a LGBT activist from Phoenix who founded the Right to Marry: Arizona campaign and cofounded the H.E.R.O. (Human and Equal Rights Organizers) organization.[1][2]

Meg Sneed graduated from North High School (Phoenix, Arizona). In 2006 Meg Sneed was diagnosed with Breast Cancer.[3][4][5]

LGBT Work

During 2006, Meg Sneed participated as a member of the first Soulforce Equality Ride.[6] She also, in 2006, attempted to enlist in the Coast Guard of the United States to protest the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy.[1][7][8]

In 2008, Meg Sneed founded the Right to Marry: Arizona campaign. The campaign uses the framework of pilgrimage for its outreach. Each summer a group of core Equality Walkers walk a mile for every year Arizona has been a state without full legal recognition of its LGBT citizens. The Equality Walkers utilize these miles to speak to police, city managers, faith communities, elected officials and individuals in diverse districts. In 2008 the Equality Walkers completed 96 miles through western Maricopa County, in order to raise awareness about Proposition 102,[1] and in 2009 the Equality Walkers completed 97 miles through eastern Maricopa County focusing their outreach to diverse faith communities. In 2010 the Equality Walkers completed 98 miles through Northern Arizona walking through some of the most rural cities in the State and putting faces and stories to the issue of Marriage Equality. In 2011 the Equality Walkers completed 99 miles in the extreme heat and desert of Southern Arizona.[9][10][11][12][13][14]

After the passage of Proposition 102, Meg Sneed vowed to continue the fight regardless and to steadily work to regain individual rights conferred by marriage, 300 by Arizona law and another 1,100 by federal law. She and others held a rally after its passage that contained over 5,000 supporters.[15]

In November 2008, Meg Sneed and other young activists formed H.E.R.O. (Human & Equal Rights Organizers). H.E.R.O. is an organization that works with the community, in order to profess the ideals of S.A.V.E. (Service, Action, Visibility, and Education) events.[16][17]

In February 2009, Meg Sneed and friend Melissa Halverson, began to work toward removing the ban on homosexuals donating blood, which states that men who have had sex with men are permanently banned from donating. They gained the support of United Blood Services in their actions.[18]

In April 2010, Meg Sneed, Jimmy Gruender, Lee Walters, Luisa Valdez and Lonnie Allen Howard-Stidham refused to leave Senator McCain's office until McCain spoke with them about Howard-Stidham’s 2007 discharge from the Coast Guard under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The five were arrested when they refused to leave.[19][20]

In July 2010 Meg Sneed joined the national group GetEqual in Las Vegas to protest Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s inaction on bringing the Employment Non Discrimination Act to the Senate floor. Eight activists were arrested for shutting down the Las Vegas Strip for almost thirty minutes. Las Vegas Police stated that this is the first time in 15 years that a group has successfully shut down the Strip.[21][22]

In September 2010 Meg Sneed and other members of H.E.R.O. interrupted a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. Members of H.E.R.O. stood up in the middle of the hearing; where they invoked images of those who have stood in the way of civil rights progress in the past and demanded Senator McCain immediately end his threat to filibuster Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Activists held signs saying, "Senator McCain Repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, Do You Want to Be the next George Wallace?" and "Senator McCain Repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, It’s Not Too Late to Change Your Legacy.[23][24][25]

In August 2012 The Right to Marry: Arizona officially was re branded as the Equality Walk. Meg Sneed lead the fifth year of the Equality Walk, and for the first time had two campaigns which covered the entire State of Arizona visiting 35 cities on foot.[26][27][28]

Awards

2011 Echo Magazine Readers’ Choice Award “HEROIC Service by a Woman” [29]

2011 Phoenix Pride “grand marshal” [30][31]

City of Phoenix Martin Luther King “Living the Dream Award” [32]

Echo Magazine “2010 Woman of the Year” [33]

Echo Magazine “Hall of Fame” [33]

American University “Richard L. Schlegel Award for Visionary Leader” [34]

‘N Touch Magazine “2009 Woman of the Year [5]

Writer

Meg is a columnist for Echo Magazine.[35][36]

References

  1. 1 2 3 ""Phoenix Lesbian to Walk Across Metro Area For LGBT Equality" - the Bilerico Project". Bilerico.com. 2008-08-08. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  2. ↑ ""Right to Marry Arizona" - SoulForce". Archived from the original on April 14, 2009.
  3. ↑ http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/17/20080817marriagewalk0817.html. Retrieved 2013-12-05. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ↑ "Optimistic lesbian's feet follow her heart by Deb Price on Creators.com - A Syndicate Of Talent". Creators.com. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  5. 1 2 "Community chooses 2009 'N Touch News Man and Woman of the Year" (Page 22) - 'N Touch Magazine
  6. ↑ "2006 Equality Rider: Meg Sneed - SoulForce". Archived from the original on July 17, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Lights out on lesbian's effort to join Coast Guard". Tucson Citizen. 2006-09-22. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  8. ↑ "Military rejects gay's enlistment try". AZCentral. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  9. ↑ Crawford, Amanda J. (2008-08-17). "8 finish 96-mile walk to promote equal rights". Azcentral.com. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  10. ↑ "wwieder » A Different View 8/8/16 Open Mic". Wwieder.podbean.com. 2008-08-16. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  11. ↑ Thompson, Peter. "T Q&A | T Q&A". Tucson Weekly. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  12. ↑ "Gay Youths Canvass Phoenix Against Prop. 102 | \". Advocate.com. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  13. ↑ "Right to Marry: Arizona". Righttomarryaz.org. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  14. ↑ "Optimistic lesbian's feet follow her heart". Creators. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  15. ↑ "Gay supporters, activists vow to continue fight against Prop. 102". AZCentral. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  16. ↑ "Be A Hero". Be-a-hero.us. 2010-01-18. Archived from the original on March 24, 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  17. ↑ Mankel, Geneve. ""Huerilla Gay Bar Phoenix brings diversity to bars" - Metromix Phoenix". Phoenix.metromix.com. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  18. ↑ ""Equal Rights Group Calls FDA Ban Outdated" - Phoenix News". Archived from the original on June 14, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Joe Mirabella: Sit-In at McCain's AZ Office to Protest Don't Ask Don't Tell". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  20. ↑ http://www.azfamily.com/.../Group-arrested-outside-McCains-office-for-protesting-military-policy-92155374.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  21. ↑ Johnson, Chris (2010-07-21). "Choi, others arrested in Las Vegas after ENDA protest - Washington Blade - America's Leading Gay News Source : Washington Blade – America's Leading Gay News Source". Washington Blade. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  22. ↑ http://www.metrostarnews.com/GetEQUAL-stops-traffic-on-Vegas-Strip-8-arrested.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  23. ↑ Conant, Eve (2010-09-16). "Gay Advocates Take On McCain in D.C". Newsweek.com. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  24. ↑ Advocate.com Editors (2010-09-16). "Activists Target McCain at Senate Hearing". Advocate.com. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  25. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20101024152910/http://www.congress.org/news/2010/09/16/gayrights_groups_protest_mccain. Archived from the original on October 24, 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  26. ↑ http://www.echomag.com/archives/features/feature/equality.php. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  27. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20121102002137/http://www.westvalleyview.com/main.asp?SectionID=2. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  28. ↑ http://www.azcentral.com/community/glendale/articles/20120807arizona-lgbqt-activist-group-walking-100-miles.html. Retrieved 2013-12-05. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  29. ↑ "Echo Magazine April 14, 2011 Page 41". Digital.publicationprinters.com. 2011-04-14. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  30. ↑ http://www.phoenixpride.org/GrandMarshals.htm. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  31. ↑ SheWired Editors (2011-04-14). "SheWired - Come Out for Phoenix Gay Pride April 16 - 17, 'Wonder Woman's' Lynda Carter, Uh Huh Her and More". Editorial.shewired.com. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  32. ↑ http://www.phoenix.gov/news/011411mlkhonors.htm. Retrieved 2013-12-05. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  33. 1 2 getequal.org/2010/12/echos-man-and-woman-of-the-year
  34. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20100416185119/http://www.american.edu/ocl/glbta/The-Richard-L-Schlegel-National-Legion-of-Honor-Award.cfm. Archived from the original on April 16, 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  35. ↑ ""Walking Toward Equality" - EchoMag". Archived from the original on October 10, 2009.
  36. ↑ ""Burnout Rx" - EchoMag". Archived from the original on October 26, 2008.

See also

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