I heard a speaker from the Human Rights Campaign tonight, and she said that the Senate might vote on the Hate Crimes Act tomorrow. She gave us a flyer that is specific to Texas, but I checked my e-mail, & HRC's website & got some more general info. Please, take a little over a minute & call your senators tomorrow. From HRC:
The Senate is poised to vote on the Matthew Shepard Act THIS WEEK. But our allies are reporting an avalanche of 300,000 letters and calls from right-wing groups trying to stop it.
Anti-LGBT leaders like Focus on the Family's James Dobson are now calling the bill "utter evil." They're even referring to it as the "Pedophile Protection Act."
With a vote on hate crimes coming any day, we desperately need senators to hear from fair-minded people like you.
It takes about 45 seconds to call each one of your senators – and each one of them needs to hear from you today. It's just as important for supportive senators to hear from us – they've promised to pass this bill, and they need to know we're counting on them to keep fighting.
The Matthew Shepard Act is coming to a vote on the Senate Floor THIS WEEK and we need you to make two calls... one to each Senator that will take no more than 45 seconds.
Call 202-224-3121 and tell each senator of your Senators to vote YES on the hate crimes bill. Our allies on the Hill are reporting an avalanche of 300,000 letters and calls from right-wing groups trying to stop it. Anti-LGBT leaders like Focus on the Family’s James Dobson are now calling the bill "utter evil." They’re even referring to it as the "Pedophile Protection Act."
If you’ve never called Congress, it’s incredibly easy:
- Before 5 p.m. ET, call the Senate Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and tell the operator you’d like to speak to the Senators from your state. (You can also look up your Senator’s direct number )here)
- Most likely, one of your senator’s interns will answer and ask where you’re calling from and why. You’re calling to urge the Senator to vote for the Matthew Shepard Act (S. 909). Most calls-end right there. But if you like, you can add:
Hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are on the rise. One out of every six hate crimes is because of the victim’s sexual orientation. Hate crimes have more than one victim. They are intended to create an atmosphere of fear and terrorize entire communities.
- Dial the switchboard again at 202-224-3121 and tell ask to speak to the other Senator from your state and repeat step two.
the HRC would like you to click here & tell them after you call: HRC call tracking page
I can't stay up too late tonight, I've got work in the morning, but I wanted to get this out there. Also, I told the speaker I'd be certain there was a diary up with this info (hi Megan). Please call tomorrow.
