Marriage Equality CAlifornia
"Campaign for ALL California Families"
A campaign to protect children, parents, couples,
taxpayers and all Americans by ending marriage
discrimination and countering the lies told
about gay and lesbian families.
More than one year after the passage of Proposition 22, Campaign for California Families (CCF) and Senator Pete Knight have joined forces to make sure that same-sex couples remain second-class citizens. CCF and Knight have asked all California Assembly members, Senators and Governor Davis to sign their "Marriage Protection Pledge." This is yet another tactic to stall the inevitable - that marriage equality for same-sex couples WILL become a reality in California! Marriage Equality California counters Senator Pete Knight's hypocritical move with its Campaign for ALL California Families , calling on every fair-minded Californian to sign our Marriage Declaration.
WHAT THEY SAID THEN:
Why do we call this move hypocritical? When trying to convince voters to support Proposition 22 in February of last year, Tom Beddingfield of the "Yes on 22" campaign said, "This is not about taking back gay rights that have passed elsewhere. What it is, is all it does. Nobody's going to use it to further an agenda. No one has said they will."
When supporters of Proposition 22 were accused of being mean-spirited, they replied that Proposition 22 would not affect domestic partnerships. In fact, many of the supporters of Proposition 22 said that they were pro-domestic partnership and didn't oppose legislation that would afford protections to gay and lesbian couples; they simply wanted marriage to remain an institution between one man and one woman.
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WHAT THEY SAY NOW:
At a press conference on February 14, 2001, Senator Pete Knight, the author of Proposition 22, also known as the "Knight Initiative" or the "Limitation on Marriage Initiative," said, "Over 61 percent of the California voters support marriage between a man and a woman. It is the Legislature's duty to protect marriage and refuse to give spousal-equivalent benefits to any other type of relationship. Without the basic unit of traditional marriage, society will not stand... We are here today asking all the state legislators and Governor Davis to sign a Marriage Protection Pledge to ensure the will of the people is honored."
The signers pledge to "uphold the spirit of Proposition 22 and refuse to support 'domestic partnerships,' 'civil unions,' or any kind of relationship that compares itself to the sacred bond of marriage between a man and a woman." The Pledge also states: "I recognize that most, if not all of the proposed 'domestic partnership' benefits can be obtained by responsible people through inexpensive legal forms." View the Pledge
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WHAT IS HAPPENING IN CALIFORNIA NOW:
Since the passage of Proposition 22, there have been efforts to give same-sex couples some sort of legal construct in which to protect their relationships and families. AB 25, a bill introduced by Assemblywoman Carole Migden, allows domestic partners to sue for wrongful death as well as award some other benefits.
Governor Gray Davis did sign AB 25 into law effective January 1, 2002.
WHY PROTECTIONS FOR OUR FAMILIES MATTER:
Civil Marriage is a fundamental right enjoyed by all adults in society EXCEPT those who desire to marry members of their own sex. Because of this restriction, same-sex couples find themselves in a situation very similar to interracial couples prior to 1968. Marriage is a powerful legal and social institution that protects and supports intimate family relationships by providing a unique set of rights, privileges and responsibilities. Most importantly, it's not just about sex. Anyone who is married knows that.
Therefore, the decision to marry should belong to the couple in love, not the state!
CCF's Pledge comes at a time of incredible potential gains for same-sex couples in California. In fact, all around the country, same-sex marriage is rapidly becoming the "it" issue and momentum and opportunity are on our side.
Marriage Equality California's "Campaign for ALL California Families" asks every Californian to take action, and take action NOW!
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:
TAKE ACTION!
You deserve the right to marry the person you love. You deserve full equality. The following FOUR STEPS will help all of us to end the discrimination our families face each day:
STEP 1: Sign MECA's Marriage Declaration
STEP 2: Write Your Legislators and Candidates.
Write to your Assemblymember, Senator and to Governor Davis. If your representatives did NOT sign Save California's Pledge, thank them. If they did, let them know that they are not representing their constituency and tell them about a way in which marriage discrimination has affected your life, tell them you want full equality and nothing less. Also, be sure to ask them to sign MECA's Marriage Declaration that you can download and print.
We are providing you with sample letters. Please feel free to use them or any part of them for the letters you submit. Hand-written letters sent via snail mail are most effective. VIEW SAMPLE LETTERS
The following links will help you find out who your local officials are and how you can contact them:
Look up your Senator:
http://www.sen.ca.gov/~newsen/senators/yoursenator.htp
Your Assemblymember:
http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/acsframeset9text.htm
Contact information for Governor Davis:
http://www.governor.ca.gov/state/govsite/gov_homepage.jsp
Vote-Smart lists everyone in your district:
http://www.vote-smart.org/index.phtml
Especially contact the two candidates for Governor:
Gray Davis (Democrat)
(310) 201-0344
governor@gray-davis.com
Bill Simon (Republican)*
(916) 441-3734
info@simonforgovernor.com
*Mr. Simon has signed the "Marriage Protection Pledge."
STEP 3: Write Your Newspapers
Help us educate the public by writing a letter to the editor. Eighty percent of Californians believe discrimination against gays and lesbians is wrong and over forty percent favor equality in marriage for same-sex couples. We need to point out Pete Knight's hypocrisy and explain why EVERYONE would be better off if their gay and lesbian friends and relatives could get married. Letters to the editor must include your full name, street address and daytime phone number. Letters should be no more than 250 words. MECA has contact information for several of the large California newspapers listed below.
Step 4: Help Us Spread the Word
Use to the form at the bottom of this page to tell your friends about MECA, and engage people in conversations about marriage equality. Never settle for anything other than FULL EQUALITY. It's what is right. It's what you deserve.
INFO for letter to the editor link:
Los Angeles Times
( http://www.latimes.com )
202 W. 1st St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
The Times Orange County
1375 Sunflower Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92626-1697
ocletters@latimes.com
Los Angeles Times
Valley Edition
20000 Prarie Street
Chatsworth, CA 91311
Los Angeles Times
Ventura County Edition
93 S. Chestnut Street
Ventura, CA 93001
Fax: (213) 237-7679
Oakland Tribune
Letters to the Editor
P.O. Box 28884
Oakland, CA 94604
Phone: (510) 208-6432
Fax: (510) 208-6477
triblet@angnewspapers.com
San Francisco Chronicle
( http://www.sfgate.com )
Letters to the Editor
901 Mission St.
San Francisco CA 94103
FAX 415-543-7708
chronletters@sfgate.com
Sacramento Bee
( http://www.sacbee.com )
P.O. Box 15779
Sacramento, CA 95852
Phone: (916) 321-1903
opinion@sacbee.com
The Tribune
( http://www.thetribunenews.com )
3825 S. Higuera St.,
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805) 781-7800
letters@thetribunenews.com
San Jose Mercury News
( http://www0.mercurycenter.com/ )
750 Ridder Park Drive
San Jose, CA 95190
fax: (408) 288-8060
letters@sjmercury.com
San Diego Union Tribune
( http://www.uniontrib.com/ )
Letters Editor
P.O. Box 120191
San Diego, CA 92112-0191
fax (619) 293-1440
letters@uniontrib.com
