When the Marriage Equality Caravan, sponsored by the San Francisco-based Marriage Equality California (MECA), takes off from San Francisco on Oct. 4, San Diego activists Anthony White, chair of Immigration Equality, and Nadine Jernewall, chair of MECA’s San Diego chapter, will be on board. An eight-day, cross-country crusade for equal partnership rights, the caravan stops in 14 U.S. cities, ending in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 11, National Coming Out Day.

“I saw how Gallup polls began shifting after the S.F. marriages took place, from 32 percent in favor of same-sex marriage as legally valid in February and 42 percent in favor in April,” Jernewall said. “I believe the media coverage got people thinking more about the issue and the images of real people wanting marriage rights made the difference for some people. I think the more people get exposed to the idea, the better off we are. The caravan provides the opportunity to continue the conversation about same-sex marriage within our community and across America.”

The caravan stops in Sacramento, Reno, Salt Lake City, Cheyenne, Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Columbus and Pittsburgh before reaching Washington, D.C. There, the caravan will join other activists to protest Defense of Marriage Act legislation and other state and federal laws that discriminate against same-sex couples, and to help put a face on the issue of marriage equality.

Many of the riders are bringing their partners and children along as well.

“You become less discriminatory when you start to meet people in these situations,” White said about the caravan’s mission. “When you meet a gay person that lives across the street from you that works some kind of average-Joe job and waters their garden every morning, you start to have a different view then if you don’t know anybody and you see these images on TV.”

In each city along the way, riders will participate in marriage equality rallies that they have helped locals organize in advance. “We’re trying to take into account whatever their issues are,” White explained. “Our riders will be on there talking about the experiences we’ve had.”

MECA is busy promoting the rallies in advance to attract participants and media coverage, and HBO is considering riding along to do a documentary with live satellite broadcasts to run in conjunction with MTV’s Rock the Vote segments.

Both White and Jernewall agreed that the ride should get more interesting the deeper into the country they go.

White cited the Indianapolis rally he and Jernewall are in charge of coordinating with agencies like Indianapolis Pride and Equality Indiana as an example. “They’re like, ‘you guys want marriage?’ They can still be discriminated on for jobs, healthcare benefits and housing,” he said. “They don’t have gender identity or sexual orientation listed in their state civil rights code, so they’re still trying to push that. And we think we’ve got it bad.”

“It’s a little scary as a biracial lesbian woman to know that I will be traveling in areas that I will most likely not be welcomed with open arms,” Jernewall said. “I just have to remember all the brave people that came before me whose efforts assured me the rights that I have now. Somebody has to do it and I feel blessed to have this opportunity to embark on this journey with so many amazing people. I think that I will learn a lot.”

Missouri’s constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, passed Aug. 4 with an overwhelming 71 percent in favor, makes getting the caravan’s message out that much more urgent, Jernewall said.

“Lots of people have the misconception that civil unions are an option for gay people already and factor that in when they cast their opinion about whether or not same-sex couples should be allowed to wed,” she added. “I think the mainstream media perpetuates this idea through its coverage and commentary and that it is important for us to set the record straight, so to speak.”

At least nine other states have amendments similar to Missouri’s on the ballot this year.

White and Jernewall need to raise at least $1,500 a piece to cover the cost of the trip, and are hosting an event to raise money for the caravan here in San Diego called “Dine Out for Equality”, which takes place Thursday, Aug. 19. Each participating restaurant has pledged a portion of their proceeds from Aug. 19 to the caravan. They are: The Abbey Café, Crush, Hamburger Mary’s, Indulgence Bakery and Café and California Cuisine, where White is general manager. (For details, see Frank Sabatini’s article on the event in this issue, page 57.)

The issue of marriage equality hits White and Jernewall harder than most. Both are in bi-national, same-sex relationships, meaning that they cannot marry or sponsor their partners to grant them U.S. residency. Immigration sponsorship is one of the 1,138 federal marriage rights not available to same-sex couples.

“This is the most basic of partnership rights,” White said. “Basically, you can’t even be with each other, much less have any other rights, as far as medical benefits or visiting each other in the hospital or buying a house together.”

White’s work with Immigration Equality, a coalition of immigrants, attorneys and activists who provide education, advocacy and outreach to GLBT and HIV-positive individuals affected by discriminatory immigration laws, is an effort to change those laws.

“We’re really trying to let people know that even if marriage becomes a reality in … even all states, unless [federal] immigration law is changed specifically, you will still not be allowed to sponsor your partner for immigration,” he explained.

Part of White and Jernewall’s contribution to the caravan’s rallies will be educating people about the Permanent Partners Immigration Act (PPIA), which would allow U.S. citizens in same-sex relationships to sponsor their partners in the same way that citizens in opposite-sex relationships can through marriage.

“It’s frustrating because my partner and I can’t get married in Massachusetts as that will show her ‘intent to stay’ in the U.S.,” Jernewall said. “Even if we could marry in Massachusetts it wouldn’t change her immigration status. Opposite-sex bi-national couples can use marriage as a way to keep the non-citizen in the U.S. Same-sex couples have to consider leaving the U.S. in order to remain together.”

Jernewall said the couple is saving money to immigrate to Canada, where they can legally marry once they are citizens.

Thirteen countries currently allow the GLBT partners of their citizens to become permanent residents: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden and the U.K.

Senator Barbara Boxer is a co-sponsor of the PPIA, but Senator Diane Feinstein is not.