I tend to have mixed feelings about corporate-led protests, but I’m pretty fond of LUSH, a bath and beauty products company that aims to eliminate waste in their products, and makes everything with vegetarian ingredients. For full disclosure, we (meaning several of SEX+STL’s co-founders) have a friend who works at LUSH as well (although, to be fair, her employment has little to do with our support. I would be immediately suspicious of a number of the companies my friends or I work for if they got into corporate activism.)
This week, LUSH launched their Freedom to Marry campaign, and they’re calling for a wonderful little bit of civil disobedience by hosting a kiss-in at their stores nationwide. There’s a LUSH in the Galleria out in Brentwood, so if you’re interested in going, it’s not too far away!
From their press release:
CALL TO ACTION
What: Local couples will be kissing at 11:38 a.m. in support of marriage for same-sex couples and will be signing postcards telling the federal government to end the ongoing discrimination against tens of thousands of couples and families across America.
When: Saturday, June 18th, 11:38 a.m. local time
Where: At select LUSH stores nationwide. See complete list of participating stores here: www.lush.com/shop/freedomtomarry/joinus [2045 St. Louis Galleria, here in St. Louis]
For two weeks starting on June 13th, LUSH is turning its shops across North America into ‘campaign centers’ where people can drop in to learn about the 1,138 rights denied to same-sex couples and sign a postcard petition asking the federal government to take action and overturn DOMA. To further efforts, LUSH has created a new limited edition Freedom Foamer Bubble Bar ($5.95) with 100% of the proceeds going to Freedom to Marry’s campaign to end marriage discrimination. This uplifting vegan bubble bar is scented with fresh lime and grapefruit and will be available at www.lushusa.com and at LUSH stores across North America for the duration of the campaign.
LUSH’s Freedom to Marry campaign extends beyond the shop floor to the company’s web page (www.lush.com/freedomtomarry) where supporters are encouraged to sign their online petition, purchase the Freedom Foamer bubble bar and participate in a digital Kiss and Tell. LUSH is asking couples in support of marriage equality to upload a picture of themselves kissing and tell why marriage equality matters to them. Real faces, real names and real stories make a real difference.
Why does marriage matter to a soap company? LUSH believes that all of its employees, customers and communities are valued and should be protected equally. LUSH wants to end the ongoing discrimination against thousands of couples and families across America. This means everyone – gay and non-gay – having the freedom to marry, with the same responsibilities, dignity, security and expression of love and equality.
Exclusion from the freedom to marry unfairly punishes committed same-sex couples and their families by depriving them of critical support, security, and obligations in virtually every area of life, including death and taxes. Under DOMA, same-sex couples are excluded from 1,138 rights tied to marriage because the federal government does not recognize their marriages. The denial of marriage is one of the harshest inequalities inflicted on lesbian and gay Americans and their families, and it’s a discrimination enacted by our own government.
“Tens of thousands of loving, committed same-sex couples across the country are doing the hard work of marriage every day, sharing the ups and downs of life, but because of federal marriage discrimination, they and their families are denied basic respect for their commitment and deprived of fair treatment in taxes, immigration, access to health care, and Social Security,” said Evan Wolfson, founder and President of Freedom to Marry, the campaign to win marriage nationwide. “For same-sex couples to fully share in the freedom to marry, we must pass the Respect for Marriage Act, overturn the ‘Defense of Marriage Act,’ and return the federal government to its longstanding practice of honoring lawful marriages without a ‘gay exception.’”
“We believe that that everyone should have the freedom to marry the person they love,” says LUSH Campaigns Manager Brandi Halls. “Many of our staff, customers, friends and family are not given the same rights as everyone else and we felt, for the sake of our friends, we had to challenge this injustice.”
For more information on the campaign please visit: www.lush.com/freedomtomarry
Unfortunately, I can’t go due to out-of-town commitments, but I hope things go well!