Florida (VII) Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite

Today I continue with Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite, Republican, representative of Florida's 5th Congressional District:

Dear Congresswoman Brown-Waite,

I write in protest of your opposition to marriage equality. You were a co-sponsor of the so-called "Marriage Protection Amendment" that would have banned same-sex marriage throughout the United States. Had your measure passed, it would have been one of the few times in our nation's history that our constitution was used to restrict rather than expand the rights of American citizens, a discriminatory measure that would have rebelled against the founding spirit of our Republic and redounded to the shame of our generation. Your actions are cast in an even more unfavorable light by your voting record, which has earned a 0% rating from the Human Rights Campaign for each of the last three Congresses. Such consistency would suggest that your opposition to marriage equality is not rooted in affirmative belief, but in visceral prejudice against LGBT citizens.

As Loving v. Virginia established in 1967, marriage to the consenting partner of one's choice is indisputably a basic and inalienable right. According to the Government Accountability Office, under federal law a couple derives 1,138 protections and benefits from married status. Denial of those safeguards on the arbitrary criterion of gender is execrably unjust, a depth of discrimination unworthy of an exemplary democracy such as our own.

Because bias such as yours remains widespread and influential, I and others seek a robust redress in precisely the opposite measure to that you proposed. We propose that the federal constitution be 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." Such a Marriage Equality Amendment is the surest and most durable means to protecting all American citizens from discriminatory policies such as you have championed in the past.

I have set out to write every member of Congress seeking support for this progressive change to our basic law. Perhaps on reflection you will see the error of your past stance, and favorably amend your place in the future history of our great nation. In any case I thank you for your attention on this matter, and hope this message finds you well.

Sincerely,

Andrew Meyer