Today I continue with Congressman Gary Miller, Republican, representative of California's 42nd Congressional District:
Dear Congressman Miller,
I write to urge you to change your stance on marriage equality. You have twice voted in favor of a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage throughout the U.S. Moreover, you have shown yourself hostile to the rights of LGBT citizens generally, receiving a rating of 0% from the Human Rights Campaign for each of the last three Congresses.
Exclusion of same-sex couples from the marital bond is fundamentally unjust. The Government Accountability Office lists 1, 138 benefits and protections that accrue to citizens from married status under federal law. Denying these to two adults who commit to love, honor, and protect one-another merely because they are of the same gender is arbitrary and discriminatory. As Loving v. Virginia and other Supreme Court cases have established, marriage to the partner of one's choice is an inalienable right, one that cannot be denied to any citizen even by a vote of the majority. Most outrageous is the harm done by our current state of marital apartheid to the thousands of children in the care of same-sex couples, who are cruelly denied the security that other children take for granted because the state will not sanction their guardians' union. To punish the child on account of the parents is sheer barbarism.
Although the 14th amendment already guarantees citizens "equal protection of the law," travesties such as Proposition 8 demonstrate that social prejudice profoundly impedes the recognition of marriage equality rights. The surest means by which to bring our laws and institutions into alignment with the basic rights of our citizens is thus 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."
I have set out to write every member of Congress seeking support for this change to our basic law. Please know that millions of Americans consider the rights of marriage equality to be sacred and universal, and will fight on until they are realized for all citizens of our great Republic. I hope that on reflection you will have a change of heart and lend your support to this just cause. In any case I thank you for your attention and extend my best wishes for the success of the 111th Congress.
Sincerely,
Andrew Meyer
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
California (XLII) Congressman Jerry Lewis
Today I continue with Congressman Jerry Lewis, Republican, representative of California's 41st Congressional District:
Dear Congressman Lewis,
I write as a concerned citizen to urge you to change your stance on marriage equality. You have twice voted in favor of a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, and consistently receive low marks from the Human Rights Campaign (15, 0, and 11% respectively for the last three Congresses) for your record on LGBT rights. Such antipathy toward the rights of millions of your fellow citizens violates the fundamental spirit of our Republic.
As one of the longest-serving members of the GOP caucus, I would hope that you would spare some thought for your legacy, Congressman. Marriage equality is the civil rights issue of our generation. In years to come civic leaders will be judged by whether they took the side of right or wrong in this struggle, as is so today when we look back upon past leaders' conduct with respect to similar battles for freedom and equality. Those who today work to deny the 1, 138 legal benefits and protections of marriage to millions of Americans on arbitrary and discriminatory grounds will be severely condemned by posterity.
With the passage of Proposition 8 in your home state, moreover, battle lines are hardening. When discrimination and bigotry become so powerful that rights already won by citizens may actually be taken away, there remains no room for forbearance or compromise. In that spirit I have set out to write every member of Congress seeking support for the following amendment to our federal constitution: "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 clear and unequivocal break with the discriminatory past is the surest way to bring our laws and institutions into alignment with the basic rights of our citizens.
In this decisive moment every American must step forward and be counted. Will you resolve to be part of the solution, Congressman, or remain a part of the problem? I hope that on reflection you will experience a change of heart, and undo some of the damage to your future reputation that past actions entail. In any case you can be sure that generations to come will take note of your choices.
I thank you for your attention on this matter and extend my best wishes for the success of the 111th Congress.
Sincerely,
Andrew Meyer
Dear Congressman Lewis,
I write as a concerned citizen to urge you to change your stance on marriage equality. You have twice voted in favor of a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, and consistently receive low marks from the Human Rights Campaign (15, 0, and 11% respectively for the last three Congresses) for your record on LGBT rights. Such antipathy toward the rights of millions of your fellow citizens violates the fundamental spirit of our Republic.
As one of the longest-serving members of the GOP caucus, I would hope that you would spare some thought for your legacy, Congressman. Marriage equality is the civil rights issue of our generation. In years to come civic leaders will be judged by whether they took the side of right or wrong in this struggle, as is so today when we look back upon past leaders' conduct with respect to similar battles for freedom and equality. Those who today work to deny the 1, 138 legal benefits and protections of marriage to millions of Americans on arbitrary and discriminatory grounds will be severely condemned by posterity.
With the passage of Proposition 8 in your home state, moreover, battle lines are hardening. When discrimination and bigotry become so powerful that rights already won by citizens may actually be taken away, there remains no room for forbearance or compromise. In that spirit I have set out to write every member of Congress seeking support for the following amendment to our federal constitution: "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 clear and unequivocal break with the discriminatory past is the surest way to bring our laws and institutions into alignment with the basic rights of our citizens.
In this decisive moment every American must step forward and be counted. Will you resolve to be part of the solution, Congressman, or remain a part of the problem? I hope that on reflection you will experience a change of heart, and undo some of the damage to your future reputation that past actions entail. In any case you can be sure that generations to come will take note of your choices.
I thank you for your attention on this matter and extend my best wishes for the success of the 111th Congress.
Sincerely,
Andrew Meyer
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
California (XLI) Congressman Ed Royce
Today I continue with Congressman Ed Royce, Republican, representative of California's 40th Congressional District:
Dear Congressman Royce,
I write as a concerned citizen to urge you to change your stance on marriage equality. You have twice voted in favor of a federal amendment to ban same-sex marriage. Indeed, you have a consistent record of opposing any recognition of the rights of LGBT citizens. The Human Rights Campaign has given you a rating of 0% for each of the last three Congresses.
This record is bizarrely out of step with political principles that you have expressed and embodied in other realms, Congressman. Your activism in support of human rights abroad, especially in China and Vietnam, is well known. It is quite strange that you would be so empathetic to the rights of people overseas yet so unfeeling with regard to the rights of your compatriots.
What right is more human than that of marriage to the partner of one's choice? The Government Accountability Office lists 1,138 benefits and protections that accrue to a couple from married status under federal law. It is grossly arbitrary an unfair to withhold those protections from two citizens merely because they are the same gender.
Marriage equality is an inalienable right, one that is already guaranteed by the 14th Amendment's promise of "equal protection of the law." Unfortunately, events like the passage of Proposition 8 in your own state make clear that the forces mobilized to obstruct the practical achievement of marriage equality are well-organized, well-funded and implacable. It will thus be necessary to establish more explicit safeguards before the rights of all Americans are secure. To this end, I have set out to write every member of Congress, promoting that the U.S. 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 reform is the surest means to guarantee that our laws and institutions are brought into alignment with the natural rights of our citizens.
I hope that on reflection you will have a change of heart and see the justice of this cause. In any case I thank you for your attention on his matter, and extend my best wishes for the success of the 111th Congress.
Sincerely,
Andrew Meyer
Dear Congressman Royce,
I write as a concerned citizen to urge you to change your stance on marriage equality. You have twice voted in favor of a federal amendment to ban same-sex marriage. Indeed, you have a consistent record of opposing any recognition of the rights of LGBT citizens. The Human Rights Campaign has given you a rating of 0% for each of the last three Congresses.
This record is bizarrely out of step with political principles that you have expressed and embodied in other realms, Congressman. Your activism in support of human rights abroad, especially in China and Vietnam, is well known. It is quite strange that you would be so empathetic to the rights of people overseas yet so unfeeling with regard to the rights of your compatriots.
What right is more human than that of marriage to the partner of one's choice? The Government Accountability Office lists 1,138 benefits and protections that accrue to a couple from married status under federal law. It is grossly arbitrary an unfair to withhold those protections from two citizens merely because they are the same gender.
Marriage equality is an inalienable right, one that is already guaranteed by the 14th Amendment's promise of "equal protection of the law." Unfortunately, events like the passage of Proposition 8 in your own state make clear that the forces mobilized to obstruct the practical achievement of marriage equality are well-organized, well-funded and implacable. It will thus be necessary to establish more explicit safeguards before the rights of all Americans are secure. To this end, I have set out to write every member of Congress, promoting that the U.S. 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 reform is the surest means to guarantee that our laws and institutions are brought into alignment with the natural rights of our citizens.
I hope that on reflection you will have a change of heart and see the justice of this cause. In any case I thank you for your attention on his matter, and extend my best wishes for the success of the 111th Congress.
Sincerely,
Andrew Meyer
Monday, February 23, 2009
California (XL) Congresswoman Linda Sanchez
Today I continue with Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, , representative of California's 39th Congressional District:
Dear Congresswoman Sanchez,
I write to solicit your support for a Marriage Equality Amendment that would recognize the right of same-sex couples to marry throughout the United States. As a co-founder of the LGBT Equality Caucus you are one of the most outspoken advocates for the rights of gay, lesbian, and transgender citizens in the Congress. On the announcement of the founding of the caucus, you signaled your support for the California Supreme Court's ruling in favor of marriage equality, declaring:
“If we truly believe in the nation’s founding documents then lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered individuals deserve equal rights. Every American knows, deep down, that to deny another citizen the rights promised by our constitution is wrong.”
Like I and millions of others you were no doubt deeply disappointed and distressed by the passage of Proposition 8 last November. That assault upon civil rights should be met with an aggressive and unequivocal response. The surest and most durable way to protect American citizens' rights from travesties like Proposition 8 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."
Advocacy of this reform would no doubt draw a firestorm of criticism. You, however, Congresswoman, have never been daunted by the prospects of such political heat. Would you take up the cause of this change to our basic law in the House? Someone with your acuity and energy could give this idea profound force, perhaps enough to reshape the way the country thinks and talks about the issue of marriage equality.
Please consider promoting this amendment to your colleagues in the LGBT Equality Caucus and the House more generally. In any case, I thank you for your service and your attention on this matter, and hope this message finds you well.
Sincerely,
Andrew Meyer
Dear Congresswoman Sanchez,
I write to solicit your support for a Marriage Equality Amendment that would recognize the right of same-sex couples to marry throughout the United States. As a co-founder of the LGBT Equality Caucus you are one of the most outspoken advocates for the rights of gay, lesbian, and transgender citizens in the Congress. On the announcement of the founding of the caucus, you signaled your support for the California Supreme Court's ruling in favor of marriage equality, declaring:
“If we truly believe in the nation’s founding documents then lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered individuals deserve equal rights. Every American knows, deep down, that to deny another citizen the rights promised by our constitution is wrong.”
Like I and millions of others you were no doubt deeply disappointed and distressed by the passage of Proposition 8 last November. That assault upon civil rights should be met with an aggressive and unequivocal response. The surest and most durable way to protect American citizens' rights from travesties like Proposition 8 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."
Advocacy of this reform would no doubt draw a firestorm of criticism. You, however, Congresswoman, have never been daunted by the prospects of such political heat. Would you take up the cause of this change to our basic law in the House? Someone with your acuity and energy could give this idea profound force, perhaps enough to reshape the way the country thinks and talks about the issue of marriage equality.
Please consider promoting this amendment to your colleagues in the LGBT Equality Caucus and the House more generally. In any case, I thank you for your service and your attention on this matter, and hope this message finds you well.
Sincerely,
Andrew Meyer
Sunday, February 22, 2009
California (XXXIX) Congresswoman Grace Napolitano
Today I continue with Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, Democrat, representative of California's 38th Congressional District:
Dear Congresswoman Napolitano,
I write to solicit your support for a Marriage Equality Amendment that would recognize the right of same-sex couples to marry throughout the United States. As co-chair of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus you have built an outstanding record of advocacy for the rights of mental health patients. This concern for civil liberties extends into all aspects of your work as an elected leader: you earned positive ratings of 100% from both the ACLU and the Human Rights Campaign for the 110th Congress.
Given your record I am sure you would agree that marriage equality is among the most pressing civil rights issues of our generation. The Government Accountability Office lists 1, 138 benefits, privileges, and protections that accrue to citizens as a result of married status. These are systematically denied to same-sex couples in forty-eight states of the Union. Most dispiriting to contemplate is the situation in California, in which same-sex couples were granted recognition of their natural rights by the wise ruling of the state Supreme Court, only to be oppressed anew by the discriminatory and unjust machinations of Proposition 8.
The current state of marital apartheid in this country is both impractical and immoral, it cannot abide. The surest way to bring our institutions into alignment with the basic rights of our citizens 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." I have set out to write every member of Congress seeking support for this change to our basic law.
The campaign for marriage equality will no doubt be long and hard and fraught with political risks. It cannot succeed without leaders like you who have shown the courage to stand up for the rights of people that society habitually ignores or abuses. Would you lend your voice to the call for a Marriage Equality Amendment, Congresswoman? I appeal to your proven sense of fairness and civic duty. In any case I thank you for your attention on this matter, and hope that this message finds you well.
Sincerely,
Andrew Meyer
Dear Congresswoman Napolitano,
I write to solicit your support for a Marriage Equality Amendment that would recognize the right of same-sex couples to marry throughout the United States. As co-chair of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus you have built an outstanding record of advocacy for the rights of mental health patients. This concern for civil liberties extends into all aspects of your work as an elected leader: you earned positive ratings of 100% from both the ACLU and the Human Rights Campaign for the 110th Congress.
Given your record I am sure you would agree that marriage equality is among the most pressing civil rights issues of our generation. The Government Accountability Office lists 1, 138 benefits, privileges, and protections that accrue to citizens as a result of married status. These are systematically denied to same-sex couples in forty-eight states of the Union. Most dispiriting to contemplate is the situation in California, in which same-sex couples were granted recognition of their natural rights by the wise ruling of the state Supreme Court, only to be oppressed anew by the discriminatory and unjust machinations of Proposition 8.
The current state of marital apartheid in this country is both impractical and immoral, it cannot abide. The surest way to bring our institutions into alignment with the basic rights of our citizens 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." I have set out to write every member of Congress seeking support for this change to our basic law.
The campaign for marriage equality will no doubt be long and hard and fraught with political risks. It cannot succeed without leaders like you who have shown the courage to stand up for the rights of people that society habitually ignores or abuses. Would you lend your voice to the call for a Marriage Equality Amendment, Congresswoman? I appeal to your proven sense of fairness and civic duty. In any case I thank you for your attention on this matter, and hope that this message finds you well.
Sincerely,
Andrew Meyer
Saturday, February 21, 2009
California (XXXVIII) Congresswoman Laura Richardson
Today I continue with Congresswoman Laura Richardson, Democrat, representative of California's 37th Congressional District:
Dear Congresswoman Richardson,
I write to solicit your support for a Marriage Equality Amendment that would recognize the right of same-sex couples to marry throughout the United States. Such an amendment to the federal constitution would 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." Given the current state of discrimination that prevails in most of the nation, such a change to our basic law would the be surest and most durable way to safeguard the rights of all citizens.
Marriage equality became an issue during your initial run for the Congress in 2007, when it was widely broadcast that you had expressed opposition to same-sex marriage in past electoral contests. Since entering the House, however, you have established a record of consistent support for the rights of LGBT citizens, earning a 100% positive rating from the Human Rights Campaign for the 11Oth Congress. In campaign speeches and on your website you note your family's experience of the Civil Rights struggle of the 1960's, and you have compared the struggle for marriage equality with earlier campaigns for basic civil rights.
If these are truly your views, Congresswoman, then advocacy of a Marriage Equality Amendment would be a natural choice. The passage of Proposition 8 in California has caused retrograde motion in the national movement for marriage equality. Few times in our history have we seen rights won through hard struggle taken away from an entire class of people. Though caution is always warranted at the prospect of amending our basic law, this situation is so dire as to justify robust action.
Campaign staffers in 2007 asserted that you had "atoned" for past support of discriminatory policies, Congresswoman. True atonement is expressed in deed, not word, however. Though support for a Marriage Equality Amendment would entail political risk, precisely for that reason it would demonstrate your full resolve to redeem past mistakes. I have set out to write every member of Congress seeking support for this reform. I hope that you will consider lending it your voice in the House. In any case I thank you for your attention on this matter and extend my best wishes for the success of the 111th Congress.
Sincerely,
Andrew Meyer
Dear Congresswoman Richardson,
I write to solicit your support for a Marriage Equality Amendment that would recognize the right of same-sex couples to marry throughout the United States. Such an amendment to the federal constitution would 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." Given the current state of discrimination that prevails in most of the nation, such a change to our basic law would the be surest and most durable way to safeguard the rights of all citizens.
Marriage equality became an issue during your initial run for the Congress in 2007, when it was widely broadcast that you had expressed opposition to same-sex marriage in past electoral contests. Since entering the House, however, you have established a record of consistent support for the rights of LGBT citizens, earning a 100% positive rating from the Human Rights Campaign for the 11Oth Congress. In campaign speeches and on your website you note your family's experience of the Civil Rights struggle of the 1960's, and you have compared the struggle for marriage equality with earlier campaigns for basic civil rights.
If these are truly your views, Congresswoman, then advocacy of a Marriage Equality Amendment would be a natural choice. The passage of Proposition 8 in California has caused retrograde motion in the national movement for marriage equality. Few times in our history have we seen rights won through hard struggle taken away from an entire class of people. Though caution is always warranted at the prospect of amending our basic law, this situation is so dire as to justify robust action.
Campaign staffers in 2007 asserted that you had "atoned" for past support of discriminatory policies, Congresswoman. True atonement is expressed in deed, not word, however. Though support for a Marriage Equality Amendment would entail political risk, precisely for that reason it would demonstrate your full resolve to redeem past mistakes. I have set out to write every member of Congress seeking support for this reform. I hope that you will consider lending it your voice in the House. In any case I thank you for your attention on this matter and extend my best wishes for the success of the 111th Congress.
Sincerely,
Andrew Meyer
Friday, February 20, 2009
California (XXXVII) Congresswoman Jane Harman
Today I continue with Congresswoman Jane Harman, Democrat, representative of California's 36th Congressional District:
Dear Congresswoman Harman,
I write you to solicit your support for a Marriage Equality Amendment that would recognize the right of same-sex couples to marry throughout the Union. You have been an opponent of efforts to use the power of the federal government to block marriage equality since the days of the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)." In 2006, during then President Bush's second campaign to pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, you wrote a letter to Joe Solmonese, President of the Human Rights Campaign, in which you said, in part:
As you so wisely observe, Congresswoman, the so-called "Marriage Protection Amendment" rebelled against the very founding spirit of our Republic, and was thus intrinsically un-American. Though in this and other statements you have expressed a concern for state's rights, I hope that you may be persuaded that any "dispassionate" assessment of "our rights and liberties" as Americans compels the conclusion that the U.S. constitution should be amended in precisely the opposite manner than President Bush proposed. The same principle that made the federal ban on same-sex marriage so heinously discriminatory and un-American makes a Marriage Equality Amendment the next logical step in our nation's ongoing search for a "more perfect Union."
A constitutional amendment is not the only way that marriage equality might be achieved for same-sex couples seeking their basic rights. But the recent debacle in your own state, with the passage of Proposition 8, demonstrates the cruel vulnerability to which same-sex couples are exposed if their welfare is left to the tender mercies of the states. As Loving v. Virginia demonstrated, the rights of the states reach clear limits when their powers begin to impinge upon the basic freedoms of their citizens.
Though the 14th Amendment guarantees all Americans "equal protection of the laws," same-sex couples throughout the nation (and the children in their care) are clearly not enjoying the security promised by this basic tenet. This injustice would be best rectified by amending 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." Such a change to our basic law would most dependably and durably bring the operation of our institutions into alignment with the basic rights of our citizens.
I hope that on reflection you will lend this reform your voice and your efforts, Congresswoman. In any case I thank you for your attention on this matter and extend to you my best wishes for the success of the 111th Congress.
Sincerely,
Andrew Meyer
Dear Congresswoman Harman,
I write you to solicit your support for a Marriage Equality Amendment that would recognize the right of same-sex couples to marry throughout the Union. You have been an opponent of efforts to use the power of the federal government to block marriage equality since the days of the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)." In 2006, during then President Bush's second campaign to pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, you wrote a letter to Joe Solmonese, President of the Human Rights Campaign, in which you said, in part:
"Congress has traditionally amended the Constitution to grant a broader range of rights to Americans, not narrow them. I believe the Constitution should be amended rarely, dispassionately, and only in the interest of expanding and codifying our rights and liberties.
Efforts to make gay marriage a federal issue and in so doing limit the rights of one group of Americans constitute nothing less than government-sanctioned discrimination. It is demeaning to gay Americans, tramples on the rights of states to define community values, and is wholly unworthy of our consideration."
As you so wisely observe, Congresswoman, the so-called "Marriage Protection Amendment" rebelled against the very founding spirit of our Republic, and was thus intrinsically un-American. Though in this and other statements you have expressed a concern for state's rights, I hope that you may be persuaded that any "dispassionate" assessment of "our rights and liberties" as Americans compels the conclusion that the U.S. constitution should be amended in precisely the opposite manner than President Bush proposed. The same principle that made the federal ban on same-sex marriage so heinously discriminatory and un-American makes a Marriage Equality Amendment the next logical step in our nation's ongoing search for a "more perfect Union."
A constitutional amendment is not the only way that marriage equality might be achieved for same-sex couples seeking their basic rights. But the recent debacle in your own state, with the passage of Proposition 8, demonstrates the cruel vulnerability to which same-sex couples are exposed if their welfare is left to the tender mercies of the states. As Loving v. Virginia demonstrated, the rights of the states reach clear limits when their powers begin to impinge upon the basic freedoms of their citizens.
Though the 14th Amendment guarantees all Americans "equal protection of the laws," same-sex couples throughout the nation (and the children in their care) are clearly not enjoying the security promised by this basic tenet. This injustice would be best rectified by amending 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." Such a change to our basic law would most dependably and durably bring the operation of our institutions into alignment with the basic rights of our citizens.
I hope that on reflection you will lend this reform your voice and your efforts, Congresswoman. In any case I thank you for your attention on this matter and extend to you my best wishes for the success of the 111th Congress.
Sincerely,
Andrew Meyer
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