Rally to Welcome Rainbow Ride
Draws Radio and TV Coverage

A July 10 rally sponsored by Marriage Equality New York and Front Runners New York welcomed two lesbian grandmothers who bicycled 3800 mi. across the nation to promote the cause of marriage equality for lesbians, gay men, bixsexuals and transgendered people. 

Carrie and Elisia Ross-Stone, partners and proprietors of the legal education firm Rainbow Law, arrived July 9 in New York, the terminus of their Rainbow Ride Across America, which began May 2 in San Francisco.  The following day about 70 Front Runners, cyclists and friends welcomed them to a run, bike ride and rally at Pier 45 at the foot of Christopher Street.  Club member Lee Gorman organized the event.

Television stations covering the event included New York 1, WNBC, WABC and WNYW (Fox).  WBGO-FM, the NPR radio affiliate in Newark, aired an interview with the women, who also will be the subject of an independent film. 

The couple said they believed their one-on-one encounters on the ride helped change people’s minds.  “We just want to remind people who live in places like New York and San Francisco that there are a lot of gay folks between the coasts who don’t  have the legal protections and the relative safety that we have in the big cities,” said Carrie Ross-Stone.  “We have met lots of gay people who can’t be photographed and can’t use their full names for fear of being fired from their jobs.  They are really the heartland of America.” 

The couple are doing three such rides as a barnstorming campaign to educate the public about state and federal laws that harm the LGBT community.  Last year, they rode from St. Augustine, Fla., to San Diego. 

For more information, see Carrie and Elisia’s website.