The proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage will be voted on by the legislator on Wednesday.
In a previous post, I urged folks to join or support several organizations doing work on this issue. In this one, I'm providing a direct way for Massachusetts residents to contact their legislators. Please consider writing a note to (or calling) your legislators and urging them to vote NO on the proposed amendment.
Writing Legislators
The Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus has set up a web site to make the process easier. It's address is:
http://www.ma2002.com/MGLPC/start.php?id=1
They have set it up with an automated letter, or you can write your own. If you choose to write your own (which I did), here are a few tips:
--Make it personal. Personal stories can have a huge impact on legislators. I remember one legislator in Minnesota who carried around a letter for years after casting his vote to include sexual orientation in the State's non-discrimination laws. That letter told of the struggles a person who lived in his district had encountered because of discrimination based on their sexual orientation. Whenever he was challenged about his vote, he pulled out the letter and showed it to the challenger, basically saying, "this is why I voted for the addition of sexual orientation.
--Many of the letters may not get read in-depth. They may just be tallied. For this reason, it's not necessary to get deeply theoretical. Keep it short and to the point. Some rationale for your position is helpful, but it needn't be terribly complex.
If you'd rather take the harder route of finding which legislator is yours, the Commonwealth has a couple ways of doing it. The easiest is probably searching for your legislator using your address.
Calling legislators
If you're the type of person who is more comfortable using the phone than email, you can help out, too. The above "search by address" link will provide direct office phone numbers for legislators. Alternatively, you can call the State House Switchboard at 1-617-722-2000. (If you don't know your legislators' names, you can call 1-888-VOTE-SMART (1-888-868-3762) to get it)
Rally against the amendment
I received an email from MGLPC letting folks know there will be two rallies against the amendment on Tuesday (tomorrow). If you are in the Boston or Worcester areas and can attend, here's the information:
RALLY FOR CIVIL RIGHTS IN BOSTON!
Tuesday February 10th, 2004
State House, Nurses Hall
Time: 2 PM
RALLY FOR CIVIL RIGHTS IN WORCESTER!
Tuesday February 10th, 2004
Holiday Inn Ballroom
Lincoln Plaza
500 Lincoln St.
Time: 12-1 PM
For supporters not in Massachusetts
Legislators are famous for valuing the opinions of their constituents over others (which is probably the way it should be). So, it might not make sense for you to contact any members of the leg (although Governor Romney might like to here from you). However, if you know folks in Massachusetts and think they might be willing to help out (or even if you're not sure) forward this information to them.
Opponents of same-sex marriage have been flooding the state. We can use any help we can get. Please take a bit of time to assist us in this struggle.
Thank you.