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Delegate Mitchell Van Yahres has introduced HB1633 which would repeal HB751, the so-called Marriage Affirmation Act.

I support this Mr Van Yahres and his attempt to undo the damage done by the Virginia Legislature last year. I urge everyone to write their delegates (you can find out who that is at the Virginia General Assembly website.

I wrote the following letter to my delegate (Plum):

Mr. Plum,

I urge you to support HB1633 which would abolish the Marriage Affirmation Act. The so-called Marriage Affirmation Act serves only to make gay and lesbian Virginians into second class citizens by making it legal, actually mandatory, to discriminate against us.

I know you did not support HB751 last year and thank you for that and I hope that you will vote to undo the damage that HB751 did.

Regards,
Linda Thomas

I got a snail mail response from Senator Warner’s office to the letter I sent back in November (see this post). Nearly two months to get a response. Good thing it wasn’t something that required an immediate response.

I’m not going to type in his whole letter, but the gist of it is that he (or whoever on his staff responded) didn’t truly read my letter. This was made clear by this paragraph: “Please be assured that despite my concerns about the clarity of the second sentence of S.J. Res. 40, I understand the importance of ensuring that marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. I will continue to work in the United States Senate to support traditional marriage.”

Ok, so I sent him a letter telling him why his position is wrong and he responded by telling me to rest assured that he will continue to work toward this wrong position. This is representation? I don’t expect my elected officials to agree with me on everything but I do expect them to respond with something that leads me to believe they are paying attention to what I say. At least Allen’s response, while disappointing, showed that my letter was read.

So, guess he needs another nudge to make him realize that I don’t agree with him.

Dear Mr. Warner,

Thank you for your letter, dated December 22, 2004 in response to my email regarding the Federal Marriage Amendment. Unfortunately, it does not appear that you read my letter before responding because the tone of your letter indicates that you think I agree with your position.

To be blunt, the FMA is evil.

You and your colleagues that support this amendment are frequently heard using phrases like “activist judges” and never address the real issue of civil rights and discrimination. To quote Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, “The right to marry is a right for everyone, without distinction. It cannot be understood as a privilege.”

In your letter you say, “I understand the importance of ensuring that marriage in the United States shall consist of only the union of a man and a woman.” Why? How does any same-sex marriage diminish, demean or lessen any heterosexual marriage? It is clear how the lack of same-sex marriage does hurt same-sex couples. From inheritance to providing for the safety and security of children to taxes, same-sex couples are discriminated against by the Federal government. There is no reason to deny these benefits other than the desire to discriminate against gay and lesbian Americans.

The courts have acted where legislatures have failed to do the right thing. Look at the history of our own state with regard to interracial marriage and you’ll see a clear parallel.

Please reconsider your position. I would be happy to meet with you to explain in more detail why supporting same-sex marriage is the right thing to do.

Sincerely,
Linda Thomas

I heard on the news that Spain is expected to legalize same-sex marriage next year. The article says that the bill is expected to pass easily.

Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega was quoted as saying “The right to marry is a right for everyone, without distinction. It cannot be understood as a privilege. The recognition of homosexuals’ rights eradicates an unjustified discrimination.”.

It seems like Europe is collectively coming to its senses as America becomes more and more mired in misguided puritanism. How so?

In another article, Arkansas, having been told by the court that it can’t bar gays from being foster parents, is expected to appeal. Strangely it is ok for gays to adopt there. This is the exact opposite from Florida.

As 2004 closes, where are we?

If you live in Belgium,the Netherlands or parts of Canada you can marry. Sweden and Denmark provide civil unions and France, Britain and Germany provide some limited recognition.

Here, at home, you can marry in Massachusetts but the federal government won’t recognize your union at all. Eleven more states wrote discrimination into their constitutions with my own Virginia beginning an effort to do the same.

Thanks to Bush’s more or less open hostility toward gays, attacks on LGBT individuals have risen since the election. Some so-called religious
leaders have preached intolerance and hate while one church that tried to run an open, inclusive commercial was barred by two major television
networks as being too controversial.

Hopefully we can reduce the amount of gloom in 2005 and make strides toward making America a place that all Americans can be proud to live.

Looks like I’ve drifted from my headline, but that’s ok.

As we draw close to Christmas, I thought it would be useful to look back over some events of the last year in the struggle for getting recognition for same-sex marriage in America. After all, Christmas is the second most important celebration in Christianity and since religion seems to be tied up in this discussion, at least on the surface, it seems an appropriate time.

It is interesting when both side in an argument claim to be on the moral high ground. But, when you look at the arguments of those who wish to prohibit same-sex marriage more closely there is precious little morality actually in them. Instead you find intolerance and discrimination. You find Catholic Cardinals likening gays to cockroaches, Popes spewing hyperbole and Presidents who deliberately use fear to achieve a political advantage. Where is the morality there?

Somehow the words “moral” and “family” when used in the name of an organization have become almost like the words “democratic republic of” and ”people’s republic of” in the names of countries. The lose all meaning or worse mean exactly the opposite.

It is a telling fact that since the November election, attacks against LGBT individuals are up across the country. This is the message that has been sent to the country: that it is ok to hate and even attack those who are different. Is this really the kind of country that you want to live in?

For those who call themselves Christians, think about the positions that some of your leaders are taking. Even if you don’t agree with someone else’s life, it is still appropriate to respect that difference. Though they say they are trying to protect society and families their actions bely those words. The only thing their actions do is promote hate and intolerance.

Christmas is a time of optimism and outside of the US there are signs of hope. Belgium and the Netherlands already allow same-sex marriage and several others are close to it, most notably, Canada.

As Americans, let us make the words that we say mean something: freedom and liberty should be for everyone, not just a select few that pass a sniff test. As we head into 2005, let us reverse the trend of 2004 and truly bring the country together.

According to this article, Pope John Paul II has stepped up his attacks on same-sex marriage.

His statement said, ““Attacks on marriage and the family, from an ideological and legal aspect, are becoming stronger and more radical every day.“.

This is utterly ludicrous.

Same-sex marriage is not an attack on marriage. It is not an attack on family. It is a celebration of both marriage and family.

I’m gong to keep saying that as long as the small-minded, intolerant minority keep trying to tell us that it’s wrong.