A message from DontAmend.com
The Republican Party recently announced that next week it intends to call the "Federal Marriage Amendment" (FMA) for a vote in the U.S. Senate. They started to debate the issue on Friday. The Federal Marriage Amendment, by outlawing marriage for same sex couples, should really be called the ANTI-marriage amendment. By denying us equal legal rights, it is a transparent attempt to relegate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered people into second class citizenship.
While many observers see the current chance of FMA passage as remote, we cannot be complacent. If passed, the FMA would be the single biggest legislative defeat our community has ever suffered. Its effects would rebound well beyond our community - other than Prohibition, it would be the first time in the history of this country that the Constitution was amended to TAKE AWAY rights.
Passage requires a two-thirds vote in each house of Congress, followed by ratification by three-fourths of the state legislatures. Stopping it in the Senate is critical. With statehouses across the country packed with yahoos who would like nothing better than to scapegoat gays rather than dealing with serious domestic issues like healthcare, jobs and ballooning budget deficits, our best chance of stopping the FMA is at the federal level.
Even with Senators who say they are on our side, we can't be complacent. Call your Senator, and let your voice be heard.
We have recently learned that the version of the FMA that its sponsors have agreed upon would lack any deadline for passage. Many previous attempts to amend the Constitution, such as the women's rights Equal Rights Amendment, required that three-fourth's of the state legislatures would be required to pass the amendment within a handful of years or it would be "off the table." By lacking any such deadline, the FMA, if passed by Congress, could remain a threat to our community for many years to come. We are checking to see if this fact is accurate, but wanted to alert you to the possibility.
Take a Stand -- Do What You Can to Stop the FMA!
1) Call your Senators and insist that they vote against the FMA. Do not be bashful, be insistent. If your Senator's staffers say they are on our side and will vote against the FMA, try to get it in writing. Do not allow them any "wiggle room" on the issue. To find out how to call your Senators, go to: http://dontamend.com/senators.html
2) If you live in Los Angeles or Chicago, DC, Palm Springs, Tampa, Orlando, or Seattle, join with other local activists in protests or actions next week.
(a) If you live in or near LA, join the Monday, July 12th protest and vigil in West Hollywood, 7 PM gather at San Vicente & Santa Monica Blvd. Sponsored by the Coalition for Equal Marriage Rights, mcc church, and dontamend.com
(b) In Chicago, protesters will gather at 12 noon, Monday, July 12th at Federal Plaza, Adams and Dearborn Streets, after which we will visit both Illinois Senators' offices. At 7 PM on the night of the Senate vote, we will gather at Halsted & Roscoe for a PROTEST or CELEBRATION, depending on how the vote goes. Sponsored by the Equal Marriage NOW! coalition.
(c) Palm Springs, Monday, July 12, Rally at Palm Springs City Hall 7 PM sponsored by equalprotectgion.org
(d) New York City July 12-Press Conference at City Hall at 11 AM, sponsored by marriageequality, NY.
(e) Tampa, Florida -11 AM, dontamend.com's national co-chair, Robin Tyler, joins attorney's Ellis and Guy Rubin at a press conference to announce the filing of a lawsuit in Tampa on behalf of a lesbian couple, to overturn Florida's Ban on Same-Gender Marriage, and to protest the FMA. Place: Hillsborough County Courthouse, Tampa, Florida. Sponsors-National dontamend.com (The Equality Campaign) & dontamendtampabay.
(f) Orlando, Florida -3 PM at the Orange County Courthouse. DontAmend.com's National co-chair, Robin Tyler, joins attorney's Ellis and Guy Rubin at a press conference to announce the filing of a lawsuit in Orlando, on behalf of two gay male couples, to overturn Florida's Ban on Same-Gender Marriage, and to protest the FMA. Sponsors-National dontamend.com (The Equality Campaign).
(g) Seattle, WA at 10 AM July 12, DontAmendSeattle, Legal marriage Alliance of Washington, and Equal Rights Washington will be at the offices of Senator Murray and Senator Cantwell. They will hand in a petition with over 3,000 signatures to Oppose the Federal Marriage Amendment. A press advisory has been sent out about this action.
(h) In DC, (JULY 14) the Student Equal Rights Campaign (SERC) will be holding an event outside the US Capitol to rally against the Federal Marriage Amendment. The rally will take place at 6 PM, July 14, 2004 in Upper Senate Park on US Capital Grounds.
3) Support the Marriage Equality Caravan, initiated by Marriage Equality California, and supported by DontAmend.com and other groups. The October 4-12 caravan will feature a host of rallies as it makes its way from San Francisco to Washington, DC. Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marriagecaravan/ to find out how you can get involved in organizing a rally in your town, or otherwise supporting the Caravan.
4) If your city is having a demonstration or action against the FMA next week, please let us know and we will list it on our website. Email all details to rtdontamend@aol.com and cc atdontamend@aol.com
5) We don't solicit donations very often, and we are non-paid volunteers who are involved with the Equality Campaign-dontamend.com. We are a 503c4, which means your donation is not tax deductible. However, even if it is $10.00 or $20.00, your donations go a long way in helping us to organize this grassroots effort. Please go to our website, www.dontamend.com, to not only make a donation, but to checkout all we have been doing, thanks to your generosity!
Get angry, get involved, defend our rights!
With Pride,