Let's NOT legislate homophobia in the Lone Star state

[Thanks to Amanda in Austin for sending the following information.]


KEEP THE PRESSURE ON! WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Please take action to stop HJR 6 which would deny thousands of gay and lesbian Texans the ability to protect their families from harm. There's no question that many Texans disagree about marriage for gay and lesbian couples, but those disagreements do not belong in our Constitution.

We need your help to show the Senate State Affairs Committee that Texans oppose writing discrimination into our Constitution. Please:
1. Call your own State Senator AND the members of the Senate State Affairs Committee RIGHT NOW! Let them know you OPPOSE HJR6.
2. Fax the Senate. The Texas Senate has the power to stop unequal treatment from being written into our Constitution. As of Tuesday, May 17th you have helped send over 30,000 faxes in opposition to HJR6! But, we need more! We have reset the counter, so you can send again. Go to this website. Click the "Fax the Senate" link.
3. Come to the Capitol on Thursday, May 19th at 5:00 pm to sign a Witness Affirmation Form. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for Austinites not to come to the Capitol and fill out a Witness Affirmation Form against HJR 6. It's incredibly powerful and it
takes 5 minutes to fill out. COME AFTER WORK - AS LONG AS THE HEARING IS IN PROGRESS (AND WE WANT IT TO BE LONG EVENING)YOU CAN FILL OUT A WITNESS AFFIRMATION FORM!
3. Testify against HJR 6. Sign up to speak against HJR6! ALL testimony must be submitted in person. For talking points, please visit our HJR 6 Fact Sheet below.

Call the Senate State Affairs Committee
Let them know you OPPOSE HJR 6, the Anti-Gay Texas Marriage Amendment
Chairman Robert Duncan (512) 463-0128
Vice-Chairman Tommy Williams (512) 463-0104
Sen. Ken Armbrister (512) 463-0118
Sen. Rodney Ellis (512) 463-0113
Sen. Troy Fraser (512) 463-0124
Sen. Chris Harris (512) 463-0109
Sen. Mike Jackson (512) 463-0111
Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr. (512) 463-0127
Sen. Frank Madla (512) 463-0119


FACT SHEET on HJR 6
The Anti-Gay Texas Marriage Amendment
Bill Number: House Joint Resolution 6
Unofficial Name: Anti-Gay Texas Marriage Amendment
Bill Author: Representative Warren Chisum (R-Pampa)
Bill Sponsor: Senator Todd Staples is the Senate sponsor of HJR 6.
Joint Authors: Representatives Chuck Hopson, Charlie Howard, and Jim McReynolds
Co-Authors: Representatives Allen (Ray), Berman, Bohac, Bonnen, Branch, Brown (Betty), Callegari, Campbell, Casteel, Cook (Byron), Cook (Robby), Crabb, Davis (John), Delisi, Denny, Driver, Eissler, Flynn, Gattis, Geren, Goodman, Hamilton, Hardcastle, Harper-Brown, Hegar, Hope, Hughes, Isett, Jackson (jim) Jones (Delwin), Keffer (Jim), King (Phil), Kolkhosrt, Krusee, Laubenberg, Nixon, Orr, Otto, Paxton, Smith (Todd), Smith (Wayne), Solomons, Talton, Taylor, Truitt, van Arsdale, West (George), Zedler
Short description: HJR 6 would write unequal treatment for gay and lesbian Texans into our Constitution by banning marriage for gay and lesbian couples.
Committee Assignment: House Committee on State Affairs

QUICK FACTS

The Texas Marriage Amendment hurts Texas families. It would deny thousands of families access to healthcare, fair inheritance and survivor rights, and the ability to make life-saving medical decisions for loved ones.

Our Constitution should be used to protect people, not hurt them. But that is just what the Texas Marriage Amendment would do. Our Constitution is for protecting our most basic and important rights. It should never be used to settle partisan, religious or ideological disputes. There is no question that many Texans disagree about marriage for gay and lesbian couples, but those disagreements do not belong in our Constitution.

Changing the Constitution is never simple. There are over 1000 protections, rights and responsibilities that go along with civil marriage. Many, like immigration rights and veterans death benefits, cannot be covered by contracts or legal planning. The Texas Marriage Amendment would permanently deny access to each of these family protections to gay and lesbian couples and their families.

This bill DOES NOT "reinforce" heterosexual marriages. The typical reason legislators give for supporting this legislation is that it reinforces traditional marriages. However, they have provided no reasoning to support the idea that barring same-sex marriages in any way contributes positively to heterosexual marriages, or that recognition of same-sex marriages threatens existing opposite-sex marriages. It seems the real motivation behind such legislation is homophobia.