Take Action Now! Only 3 weeks till the Constiutional Convention!

[Ian David]

Cross-posted in Activist and GLBT forums.

Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2005
From: Freedom to Marry Coalition of MA [e-mail]
Subject: Take Action: Date Set For Constitutional Convention

Act Now! Only 3 weeks till the Constiutional Convention

Yesterday the legislature set September 14th as the date for the
Constitutional Convention. This is likely to be the date when
the legislature decides whether or not to place the pending
anti-gay constitutional amendment on the November 2006 ballot.

The date for the Constitutional Convention is earlier than
anticipated and leaves us only 3 weeks to lobby legislators to
defeat this bigoted amendment that would take away the freedom
to marry and write discrimination into the constitution by
creating a separate and inferior legal status for same-sex
couples called civil unions.

With only 20 days until the Constitutional Convention convenes,
we need your activism and support more then ever before and we
need you to reach out to friends, family, neighbors and
co-workers in order for us to defeat the pending amendment. At
the same time, we must lay the foundation to defeat a second
anti-gay amendment that would appear on the November 2008
ballot.

Below are several steps you can take now to ensure that same-sex
couples will continue to be able to marry in the Commonwealth
and protect their families.

1. After taking one or more of the actions below, please forward
this e-mail onto everybody you know.

2. Please contact your legislators and let them know that
marriage equality is good for Massachusetts families. Contact
your legislator here: http://ga4.org/campaign/Con_Con_Action

3. Please sign the equality petition. This public declaration
allows legislators, the media and your neighbors to know that
marriage equality has strong public support. Sign the equality
petition here:
http://www.massequality.org/May17/petition/index.php?source=FTMC

4. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper explaining
in the most personal terms why you support marriage equality and
why you oppose writing discrimination into the Massachusetts
constitution. Whether you are gay or straight your voice must be
heard.

5. Please make a contribution to the Freedom to Marry Coalition
so that we can continue our fight for marriage equality. We
accept contributions online at www.EqualMarriage.org or via mail
at: The Freedom to Marry Coalition, 11 Beacon Street, Suite
1125, Boston, MA 02108

Since 1993 the Freedom to Marry Coalition has been working to
secure the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in the
Commonwealth. Marriage equality means not only legal protection
for families, but also legal and increasing social equality for
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals.

Whether you are gay or straight, old or young, single or in a
relationship you are the key to preserving marriage equality.
You must communicate with your legislators and you must ask your
social network to do the same. We all lead busy lives. When
asked, many people will take action in support protecting
fundamental civil rights for gay and lesbian Bay Staters. But we
must remember to ask our friends and family to act. Let's face
it, most of us will not contact our legislators or make a
financial contribution unless asked by a friend or reminded to
do so by an organization we respect. So today we ask you to
spread the word. It is not enough to simply support marriage
equality we must take action in support of marriage equality and
encourage others to do the same.

Together we can defeat the anti-gay constitutional amendment.

Valerie Fein-Zachary,Chair
Joshua Friedes, Advocacy Director

P.S. Please consider shopping on our online marriage equality
store (http://www.cafepress.com/ftmc). Wearing Freedom to Marry
clothing or drinking your morning coffee at work out of a
Freedom to Marry mug are great ways of showing your support for
marriage equality.

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for
Freedom to Marry Coalition of MA at:

http://ga4.org/equalmarriage/join.html?r=kdzSEM41Ez53E