Please contact your senators

[Front-Ranger]

The vote is today on the Federal Marriage Amendment that would write discrimination into the Constitution of the United States. All U.S. citizens, please contact your senators and express your outrage. The Constitution is a Bill of Rights, not a Bill of Exclusions! Check out this site for more information:

http://www.hrc.org/voteno/voteno.htm

[Front-Ranger]

I don't do this very often...but Bump!!

[bbm_stitchbuffyfan]

I just wrote to my bigot of a senator. He better damn well read that letter!

[Front-Ranger]

I don't have all the details yet, but word is this shame of a bill was resoundingly defeated yesterday. I'm going to write to thank my senator Ken Salazar (no thanks to the other one, homophobic Allard) --and a note of thanks from everyone would put the final nails in the coffin. Take that, Bush!! You won't have equality in marriage to kick around any more!!

[nakymaton]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/06/07/same.sex.marriage/index.html

I'm going to thank Salazar, as well. And I'm thinking of writing letters to newspapers, because I am soooooooo sick of hearing this absurdity about protecting marriage and kids. Tell you what, I'm married, and I've got a kid. Protecting our marriage is, frankly, nobody's business but ours; nobody else's marriage can threaten my own. And I think my kid is far more threatened by a world where "freedom" is used to justify taking rights from individuals (and from the states, as well; the amendment would prevent state legislatures from changing the rules if this country comes to its senses in the future).

I'm also wondering which groups are most effective in fighting the various anti-same-sex-marriage amendments on a state-by-state basis -- especially in rural areas. You know, Front-Ranger, that there's a group trying to get a referendum for a constitutional amendment in our state onto the ballot, don't you? And that our state constitution is easy to amend, but hard to fix once it's been screwed up with an amendment?

[belbbmfan]

Tell you what, I'm married, and I've got a kid. Protecting our marriage is, frankly, nobody's business but ours; nobody else's marriage can threaten my own. And I think my kid is far more threatened by a world where "freedom" is used to justify taking rights from individuals

Very well said, nakymaton.
In my country (Belgium) gay marriage and adoption has been made legal. A big argument was that all families deserve the same legal protection. Those politicians should just get over themselves!

[Front-Ranger]

Yes, Mel, I went to a Common Cause meeting a couple of weeks ago where Mayor Hickenlooper spoke out against the Colorado amendment, and I gave them a wad of money. Fortunately we have here in Colorado a few guiding lights, including Tim Gill, CEO of Quark, who started the Gay and Lesbian Fund of Colorado which has been very active. But we also have idiots like Allard, who brought the Senate bill to the floor, and Marilyn Musgrave, who co-sponsored an identical bill going to the House which will definitely fail. Colorado seems to be a remnant of the Wild Wild West with a bunch of varmints running around amongst the God-fearing folk. See my blog in Our Daily Thoughts for more.

[Front-Ranger]

Here's a story about the Denver Mayor, John Hickenlooper's support for the GL community.

http://groups.google.com/group/Lambda-Rainbow-GLBT-NEWS/browse_thread/thread/b140b72749374b9d/8e0bce0a73adea27?lnk=st&q=%22John+Hickenlooper%22&rnum=6#8e0bce0a73adea27

[Front-Ranger]

This November, there will be two bills on the Colorado ballot: one allowing civil unions among same-sex couples, and another to limit marriage to men/women combinations. It should be interesting. We are fortunate to have Tim Gill, a philanthopist and creator of the legendary software QuarkXpress, here in Colorado and supporting the push for the first bill.

[serious crayons]

This November, there will be two bills on the Colorado ballot: one allowing civil unions among same-sex couples, and another to limit marriage to men/women combinations. It should be interesting. We are fortunate to have Tim Gill, a philanthopist and creator of the legendary software QuarkXpress, here in Colorado and supporting the push for the first bill.

My impression is that Colorado, like California and Oregon and probably a few others, is one of those split-personality states -- ultra conservative in rural areas and smaller towns, liberal in Boulder and tourist towns and maybe Denver? Am I right? You never know what's going to happen in those states.