California (II) Senator Barbara Boxer

Today I continue with Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat, the junior Senator from California:

Dear Senator Boxer,

I write you as a fellow Democrat and concerned citizen to plead for your support for a Marriage Equality Amendment recognizing the right of same-sex couples to marry. In the wake of the dispiriting passage of Proposition 8 in California on November 4, you offered words of encouragement, saying: “The fight for equality goes on and on. The fight for a more perfect union goes on and on.”

Like you I view the fight for marriage equality as fundamentally a question of civil rights, it is indeed the great civil rights struggle of our generation. The next logical step to take in that fight is an amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Proposition 8 demonstrated how fragile the most hard-won recognition of marriage rights can be at the state level. Same-sex couples and their children will thus never securely enjoy the protections and guarantees that are theirs by right until our federal Constitution is amended to read: "The right to marry shall not be abridged or denied by the United States or any state on account of sex or sexual orientation."

Your words suggest that you understand the severity of the ongoing injustice and the urgency of the call to action, Senator. Will you take the lead in championing this reform to our basic law among your colleagues in the House and Senate? The fight may take many years and involve serious political risks, but those costs are small when viewed against the centuries-long struggle for "a more perfect Union" to which you alluded.

I trust you to give this issue due consideration and to act with the same conscientious integrity you have displayed throughout your career. Thank you for your attention in this matter, I hope this message finds you well.

Sincerely,

Andrew Meyer