The Boston Globe
On the Road to Sexual Equality
“When it comes to supporting the civil rights of people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, there are progressive politics and then there are progressive Cambridge politics. To promote the local zeitgeist that made Cambridge the first US city to allow gay marriage, members of the city’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Commission have embarked on a number of personal and collaborative projects that will take them around the city, state, and country. Cambridge is very special to me,” said resident Chris Mason, a 27-year-old Tufts University student and member of the commission. “I was here at midnight in 2004 on May 17 when they opened the doors [at City Hall] and had the first legal same-sex marriage in the country.” (Read more)
Bay Windows
Road Tripping for Equality
“At this past Saturday’s state Democratic convention in Lowell, among the many people we bumped into was Mr. Chris Mason, a former denizen of TakeMassAction.com, former MassEquality operative and former legislative aide to Sens. Therese Murray and Steven Panagiotakes. Mason is currently managing the legislative campaign of Jen Benson, a Lunenburg Democrat who is looking to succeed state Rep. Jamie Eldridge in the 37th Middlesex District (Eldridge is running for retiring Sen. Pam Resor’s seat). But in addition to managing Benson’s campaign — which was recently endorsed by MassEquality — Mason is planning a 15,000 mile road trip through the lower 48 states that he’s dubbed “Driving Equality.” Mason aims to take the pulse of the LGBT nation by meeting with LGBT community organizers, activists and anyone else who’d like to talk with him.” (Read more)
Edge Boston
Driving Equality to Host Phelps-A-Thons to Raise Funds for GLBT Youth
“On Friday, March 13th and Friday March 20th, Driving Equality, a local group dedicated to achieving equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, will be hosting “Phelps-A-Thons” to counter Fred Phelps’ hateful message of God Hates Fags. “We are currently running eight Phelps-A-Thons all over the country,” said Chris Mason, founder of Phelps-A-Thon.com. “When the Phelps clan is protesting at a high school because of the school’s GSA, we will be collecting donations for that same school’s GSA. So they will actually be raising money for the exact same thing they are protesting. This is a fun, positive way to turn Phelps’ hateful message into something good.” (Read more)
The Advocate
Activist Uses Warren Flap for Awareness Campaign
“A-based activist is using the flap over the choice of conservative pastor Rick Warren to lead the opening prayer for Barack Obama’s inauguration to his benefit. Chris Mason is leading a Rick-a-Thon to spread the word about Warren’s controversial messages pertaining to gay marriage and LGBT rights. Those interested can pledge a fee for each minute Warren speaks or a flat rate for the duration of the prayer.” (Read more)
Bay Windows
Local activist to turn Rick Warren speech into LGBT fundraiser
“For those LGBT people vexed at the thought of having to watch anti-gay Pastor Rick Warren deliver the invocation at Barack Obama’s inauguration, Boston LGBT activist Chris Mason has a solution. Mason is raising money for Driving Equality, a road trip he plans to take this summer across the 48 continental United States to promote LGBT rights. Last month, when hate monger Fred Phelps and his family traveled from Kansas to Boston to protest a performance of the Laramie Project, Mason staged a “Phelps-a-thon,” collecting pledges for donations to Driving Equality for every minute that the Phelps clan held their protest. This time around Mason is holding a Rick-a-thon, asking people to pledge money for every second of Warren’s invocation. Mason will be attending the Jan. 20 inauguration with his father.” (Read more)
Q Salt Lake
Rick Warren’s Inauguration Speech to Raise Money for Gay Cause
“President-elect Barack Obama infuriated gays and lesbians across the country when he named Rick Warren, founder of evangelical megachurch Saddleback Church, to give the premier prayer at his inauguration. Warren is known for his ultraconservative views and is especially incendiary about gays and lesbians. A group called Driving Equality is trying to turn Warren’s time at the podium into a positive for the gay and lesbian community by hosting a “Rick-a-thon.” The group is taking pledges to raise money for each second Warren is speaking.” (Read more)
Edge Boston
Activist Harnesses Phelps’s Hate for Pro-equality Cause
“Fred Phelps and his clan from the Westboro “God Hates Fags” Baptist Church, centered in Topeka, Kansas, plan to protest a production of the Laramie Project at the Boston Center for the Arts on Dec. 12. But this time when they hold up signs stating “Fags Burn in Hell” and “Thank God for AIDS,” they will also be raising money for Driving Equality, an 85-day, 15,000-mile road trip Chris Mason plans to take in summer 2009 through the lower 48 states to advance LGBT equality.” (Read more)
Weekly Dig
Protests and counterprotests raise money for gay rights
“Seventy-five gay rights advocates raised more than $4,500 in a faceoff with Fred Phelps’ Westboro Baptist Church outside the Boston Center for the Arts’ Black Box Theatre last Friday. Phelps’ fire-and-brimstoners from Topeka, Kan., were picketing Bad Habit Productions’ staging of The Laramie Project, which is based on the real-life 1998 homophobia-fueled murder of gay student Matthew Shepard. Phelps and his minions picketed Shepard’s funeral, waving “Matt is in Hell” signs at his grieving family. Across Tremont Street, activist Chris Mason counterprotested with a “Phelps-a-Thon,” raising money for gay rights with pledged donations for every minute the Phelps clan stuck around. By curtain-up on Laramie, they had raised $4,647—$755 of which came from donations made during the protest, sometimes in the form of $20 bills shoved into Mason’s hand by onlookers.” (Read more)
Bay Windows
Art, Brunch and a Good Cause
“If you’re looking for a little something to wind down your weekend of Prop. 8 protesting, we highly recommend the Sunday fundraiser for Driving Equality, a road trip that local activist Chris Mason plans to make across the Lower 48 to promote LGBT equality. We don’t know what Mr. Brown’s art collection looks like, but we do know that Mason will make a fine ambassador for LGBT equality. Just check out some of the photos of him in action. This guy walks his talk.” (Read more)
Edge Boston
Anti-gay group pickets Boston production of Laramie Project
“Pastor Fred Phelps and members of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church came to Boston on Friday, where they picketed the Boston Center for the Arts current production of the Laramie Project, a play depicting reactions to the 1998 murder of openly-gay Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard. Meanwhile, Pro-GLBT equality group Driving Equality held a counter-protest, dubbed a “Phelps-a-thon,” which sought donations for every minute the Phelps protest continued. The group raised over $4600 for their efforts to organize a 85-day tour of the lower 48 states to raise awareness of GLBT-equality issues.” (Read more)
The Examiner
Rick Warren to help raise money for GLBT awareness
“Regardless of whether or not he is aware of it, Rick Warren will be helping to raise money to support Driving Equality. Driving Equality is the project of Chris Mason of Massachusetts, which according to Chris is “a 100-day, 16,000-mile road-trip through all of the lower 48 states to examine LGBT equality and discrimination throughout the nation.” His intention is to create a documentary when his road trip is finished.” (Read more)
Edge Boston
Phelps Congregation Plan to Picket BCA’s Laramie Project
“The Boston Center for the Arts is set to stage a production of The Laramie Project, with a special guest appearance by the congregation of Fred Phelps’ Westboro Baptist Church, all the way from Westboro, Kansas. Far from decrying the planned visit by the Phelps crew, however, the BCA is ready to receive the Reverend and his words of hate with a constructive response: the GLBT education initiative Driving Equality is now taking pledges for any amount donors care to put up.” (Read more)
Driving Equality 