Congressional Hearing on Anti-Gay Constitutional Marriage Amendment Tomorrow

[Ivo Skoric]

Why there is even a discussion about that? Shouldn't "marriage" be a 
private, intimate affair of citizens? What business does the "State" 
have in determining what couples are fit to marry and what are not?  
For me, the crucial issue here is the separation between the public 
and private sphere. Whom you marry is your private affair, just as it 
is the choice of church/religion - something that the State should be 
constitutionally banned to interfere with, just as it is in the case 
of church/religion. Constitutional ban of gay-marriage is a travesty 
of Bill of Rights. Maybe if the amandement is passed it should be 
called the Bill of Prohibitions?! I think we need an amendement that 
would specifically ban the government of interfering with the 
citizens rights to love and marry whom they please.
ivo

On 3 Mar 2004 at 0:53, Kyle Quandel wrote:

Action Alert! Congressional Hearing on Anti-Gay Constitutional
Marriage Amendment Tomorrow 

Dear Task Force Friends:

Stand up for equality!

Fast on the heels of Bush's endorsement of the blatantly
discriminatory so-called "federal marriage amendment," Congress is 
now
moving to write discrimination into the Constitution. Among the first
steps in this process are congressional hearings. Tomorrow, 
Wednesday,
March 3 at 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, the Senate Judiciary
Constitution Subcommittee has scheduled a hearing entitled "Judicial
Activism vs. Democracy: What are the National Implications of the
Massachusetts Goodridge Decision and the Judicial Invalidation of
Traditional Marriage Laws?"

As our sister organization, Family Pride Coalition said, based on 
that
title, it should be no surprise that the witness list is stacked with
those who will argue that marriage equality for gay and lesbian
couples somehow endangers "traditional marriage" laws. The Committee
Chairman did not invite gay and lesbian couples or their families to
testify. (It's easier to demonize gays and lesbians and their 
families
when they're not in the room.) However, these hearings are public. 
The
media will be there. We're asking you to be there as well. Attend the
hearing and by your presence remind Congress of the human cost of 
this
misguided proposal. There are certain to be crowds of people from 
both
sides of this issue in attendance at the hearing tomorrow, and while
you may not get a seat in the hearing room, your presence outside the
Dirksen Building is just as important. 

Again, the hearing will take place at 10am in room 226 of the Senate
Dirksen Building. Located northeast of the Capitol on a site bounded
by Constitution Avenue, C Street, First Street, and Second Street
N.E., it adjoins the Hart Senate Office Building. For those Task 
Force
members not in the DC metro area, we kindly ask that your forward 
this
message to friends and family in the area. 

This hearing is being broadcast live on the internet. You can access
it at: http://judiciary.senate.gov. Please tune into the hearing and
let your friends and family know about it.

ACTIONS

If your Senator is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, (see
below listing), ask that they do 2 things:

#1 attend the hearing and 
#2 speak out against the discriminatory Federal Marriage Amendment.

Senate Judiciary Committee Members

Republicans:
Orrin Hatch, UT....................(202) 224-5251
Charles Grassley, IA...............(202) 224-3744
Arlen Specter, PA..................(202) 224-4254
Jon Kyl, AZ........................(202) 224-4521
Mike DeWine, OH....................(202) 224-2315
Jeff Sessions, AL..................(202) 224-4124
Lindsey Graham, SC.................(202) 224-5972
Larry Craig, ID....................(202) 224-2752
Saxby Chambliss, GA................(202) 224-3521
John Cornyn, TX....................(202) 224-2934

Democrats:
Patrick Leahy, VT..................(202) 224-4242
Edward Kennedy, MA.................(202) 224-4543
Joseph Biden, DE...................(202) 224-5042
Herbert Kohl, WI...................(202) 224-5653
Dianne Feinstein, CA...............(202) 224-3841
Russell Feingold, WI...............(202) 224-5323
Charles Schumer, NY................(202) 224-6542
Richard Durbin, IL.................(202) 224-2152
John Edwards, NC...................(202) 224-3154

If your Senator is not a member of the Senate Judiciary, you can 
still
take action by calling them and asking them to stand up against
discrimination and for equality by speaking out against the so-called
"federal marriage amendment."

Also, Wednesday night at 5:45pm there will be a rally and press
conference featuring various community leaders, including National 
Gay
and Lesbian Task Force Deputy Executive Director Rea Carey. Please
spread the word.

Human Rights Campaign offices 
1640 Rhode Island Ave., NW
Washington DC
(between Rhode Island and 17th St.)
Metro: Farragut North or Dupont South (red line) 

For more information on the struggle for equal marriage rights, log 
on
to the Task Force Marriage Information Resource Center at
http://www.TheTaskForce.org/marriagecenter. 

***************************************************************
Founded in 1973, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force was the 
first
national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights
and advocacy organization and remains the movement's leading voice 
for
freedom, justice, and equality. We work to build the grassroots
political strength of our community by training state and local
activists and leaders and organizing broad-based campaigns to defeat
anti-LGBT referenda and advance pro-LGBT legislation. Our Policy
Institute, the community's premiere think tank, provides research and
policy analysis to support the struggle for complete equality. As 
part
of a broader social justice movement, we work to create a world that
respects and makes visible the diversity of human expression and
identity where all people may fully participate in society.
Headquartered in Washington, DC, we also have offices in New York
City, Los Angeles, and Cambridge. For more information on the Task
Force, log on to http://www.TheTaskForce.org

.................................
Marcus Memorial Campaign - Tax Funded Murder
www.marcuswayman.org
Petition the PA US Atty. for Justice
www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/458306341
Full Petition Demanding Justice for Murder
www.petitiononline.com/4marcus/
Marcus Project Group
www.groups.yahoo.com/group/marcusproject/
Parent and Friends of Lesbians And Gays (PFLAG)
www.pflag.org 

"A right delayed is a right denied."  - MLK

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you,
then you win."  Mohandas Gandhi 

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