Meg Sneed

Meg Sneed
Born	August 16, 1982 (1982-08-16) (age 29)
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.^{[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]

Awards

2011 Echo Magazine Readers’ Choice Award “HEROIC Service by a Woman” ^[26]

2011 Phoenix Pride “Grand Marshall” ^{[27] [28]}

City of Phoenix Martin Luther King “Living the Dream Award” ^[29]

Echo Magazine “2010 Woman of the Year” ^[30]

Echo Magazine “Hall of Fame” ^[31]

American University “Richard L. Schlegel Award for Visionary Leader” ^[32]

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

Writer

Meg is also a columnist for Echo Magazine.^[33][34]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Phoenix Lesbian to Walk Across Metro Area For LGBT Equality" - the Bilerico Project
2. ^ "Right to Marry Arizona" - SoulForce
3. ^ http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/17/20080817marriagewalk0817.html
4. ^ http://www.creators.com/liberal/deb-price/optimistic-lesbian-s-feet-follow-her-heart.html
5. ^ ^{a b} "Community chooses 2009 'N Touch News Man and Woman of the Year" (Page 22) - 'N Touch Magazine
6. ^ "2006 Equality Rider: Meg Sneed - SoulForce
7. ^ "Lights out on lesbian's effort to join Coast Guard" - Tucson Citizen
8. ^ "Military rejects gay's enlistment try" - AZCentral
9. ^ Crawford, Amanda J. (2008-08-17). "8 finish 96-mile walk to promote equal rights". Azcentral.com. http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/17/20080817marriagewalk0817.html. Retrieved 2010-03-20. 
10. ^ "wwieder » A Different View 8/8/16 Open Mic". Wwieder.podbean.com. 2008-08-16. http://wwieder.podbean.com/2008/08/16/a-different-view-8816-open-mic/. Retrieved 2010-03-20. ^{[dead link]}
11. ^ Thompson, Peter. "T Q&A | T Q&A". Tucson Weekly. http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Currents/Content?oid=114111. Retrieved 2010-03-20. 
12. ^ "Gay Youths Canvass Phoenix Against Prop. 102 | \". Advocate.com. http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid60118.asp. Retrieved 2010-03-20. 
13. ^ "Right to Marry: Arizona". Righttomarryaz.org. http://www.righttomarryaz.org. Retrieved 2010-03-20. 
14. ^ "Optimistic lesbian's feet follow her heart" - Creators
15. ^ "Gay supporters, activists vow to continue fight against Prop. 102" - AZCentral[
16. ^ "Be A Hero". Be-a-hero.us. 2010-01-18. http://www.be-a-hero.us. Retrieved 2010-03-20. ^{[dead link]}
17. ^ "Huerilla Gay Bar Phoenix brings diversity to bars" - Metromix Phoenix
18. ^ "Equal Rights Group Calls FDA Ban Outdated" - Phoenix News
19. ^ www.huffingtonpost.com/.../sit-in-at-mccains-az-offi_b_552576.html
20. ^ www.azfamily.com/.../Group-arrested-outside-McCains-office-for-protesting-military-policy-92155374.html
21. ^ http://www.washingtonblade.com/2010/07/21/choi-others-arrested-in-las-vegas-after-enda-protest/
22. ^ http://www.metrostarnews.com/GetEQUAL-stops-traffic-on-Vegas-Strip-8-arrested.html
23. ^ http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/16/arizona-gay-advocates-take-on-mccain-in-washington.html
24. ^ http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/09/16/Activists_Target_McCain_at_Senate_Hearing/
25. ^ http://www.congress.org/news/2010/09/16/gayrights_groups_protest_mccain
26. ^ http://digital.publicationprinters.com/publication/index.php?i=66742&m=&l=&p=41&pre=&ver=flex
27. ^ www.phoenixpride.org/GrandMarshals.htm
28. ^ http://editorial.shewired.com/events/come-out-phoenix-gay-pride-april-16-17-wonder-womans-lynda-carter-uh-huh-her-and-more
29. ^ www.phoenix.gov/news/011411mlkhonors.htm
30. ^ getequal.org/2010/12/echos-man-and-woman-of-the-year
31. ^ getequal.org/2010/12/echos-man-and-woman-of-the-year
32. ^ http://www.american.edu/ocl/glbta/The-Richard-L-Schlegel-National-Legion-of-Honor-Award.cfm
33. ^ "Walking Toward Equality" - EchoMag
34. ^ "Burnout Rx" - EchoMag

External links

• Right to Marry: Arizona
• H.E.R.O.

See also

LGBT portal

• LGBT-welcoming church programs
• Same-sex marriage status in the United States by state

Persondata
Name	Sneed, Meg
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1982
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death