Arizona (X) Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick

Today I continue my correspondence with newly elected members of the 111th Congress with Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick, Democrat, representative of Arizona's 1st Congressional District:

Dear Congresswoman Kirkpatrick,

I write as a concerned citizen to solicit your support for a Marriage Equality Amendment recognizing the right of same-sex couples to marry throughout the Union. As a state legislator, you earned a reputation as a stalwart defender of civil rights, winning the endorsement of Arizona's Apache and Navajo nations and a rating of 100% from Equality Arizona, a statewide advocacy group for LGBT rights. With the disheartening passage in Arizona of a statewide ban on same-sex marriage in the same election that brought you to Congress, I hope you will be persuaded that the time has come for robust action to secure marriage equality.

The current state of our institutions is already egregiously unfair, and the proliferation of discriminatory measures like that just passed in Arizona continues to exacerbate an already intolerable situation. These mounting injustices will only be thoroughly and reliably redressed when the U.S. 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." Will you take up the cause of this reform among your colleagues in the House, Congresswoman, if only informally? To do so would continue upon the fine record of service you built in your days as a state legislator in Arizona.

I thank you for your attention on this matter. Please accept my congratulations on your election and my best wishes for success in your new office.

Sincerely,

Andrew Meyer