Florida (XIV) Congressman Adam Putnam

Today I continue with Congressman Adam Putnam, Republican, representative of Florida's 12th Congressional District:

Dear Congressman Putnam,

I write in protest of your opposition to marriage equality. As one of the youngest members ever elected to Congress and the third-highest ranking Republican in the House of Representatives you occupy a position of considerable influence for good or ill. Your support of the so-called "Marriage Protection Amendment" placed you squarely on the wrong side of history, marking you as a voice for discrimination in what will be remembered as the great civil rights struggle of this generation.

I have read the suggestion that though you are not personally homophobic, you vote against the rights of LGBT citizens out of political necessity. If that is so then you should be ashamed. How can bear to you build your political fortunes on the suffering of others? Right now thousands of families in Florida and across the United States, many with children, persist without the legal protections that would help secure their prosperity and well-being. It is not only illogical, but immoral to deny millions of Americans the 1,138 legal benefits and protections of marriage simply to satisfy social prejudice, no matter how broadly held.

Because so many well-funded and well-organized political leaders and groups have shared your disposition, aggressive measure are required to redress the resulting injustice. I and others propose that the federal constitution should 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 realizing the principles of fairness and decency upon which our Republic is founded.

I have set out to write every member of Congress seeking support for a Marriage Equality Amendment. Perhaps on searching your conscience you will awaken to the error of your current stance and lend your voice to this reform. Such a reversal would no doubt invite criticism from your co-partisans, but it would show principled leadership and redeem your place in the memory of posterity. In any case I thank you for your attention on this matter and hope this message finds you well.

Sincerely,

Andrew Meyer