Colorado (V) Congressman John T. Salazar

Today I continue with Congressman John T. Salazar, Democrat, representative of Colorado's 3rd Congressional District:

Dear Congressman Salazar,

I write seeking your support for a Marriage Equality Amendment that would recognize the right of same-sex couples to marry throughout the United States. As you may be aware, married status conveys 1,138 discrete benefits and protections to citizens under federal law. Additional safeguards devolve upon children thanks to the legal recognition of their parents' union. Marriage to the partner of one's choice is thus a basic and inalienable right, one that should be (and is, for heterosexual couples) federally protected. Exclusion of tens of thousands of same-sex couples and their children from the protections of marriage is arbitrary and discriminatory. The surest and most durable way to redress this injustice would be to amend the U.S. Constitution 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."

You have had a relatively strong voting record in support of LGBT rights, earning ratings of 80% and 63%, respectively, for the last two Congresses from the Human Rights Campaign. More importantly, you have shown yourself in sympathy with the cause of marriage equality by voting against the execrably misnamed "Marriage Protection Amendment" that would have comprehensively banned same-sex marriage. Marriage equality is the civil rights struggle of our generation. I have set out to write every member of Congress seeking support for a change to our basic law to combat discriminatory measures like the amendment against which you voted and the regrettably passed Proposition 8 in California.

I hope you can be persuaded to lend your proven sense of civic duty to this cause, Congressman. In any case I thank you for your attention on this matter and extend my best wishes.

Sincerely,

Andrew Meyer