Please Call Legislators Targeted by Right-Wing Extremists

EQUALITY CALIFORNIA

BREAKING NEWS - URGENT ACTION ALERT
Please Call Legislators Targeted by Right-Wing Extremists

Constitutional Amendments FAIL -- Right-Wing Now Threatening Legislators Who Support
AB 19

Dear Karen,

In a dramatic blow to our opponents yesterday, Lou Sheldon and the Traditional
Values Coalition were told that California stands for equal rights. Both proposed
anti-gay constitutional amendments, SC 1 and ACA 3, were defeated in committee.
EQCA and our supporters also outnumbered Sheldon's news conference 3:1, with only
one radio and one broadcast outlet in attendance. We were certainly ready and
prepared. They were not.

Special thanks to the Gatto and Bender families for sharing their stories and
testifying with EQCA Executive Director Geoffrey Kors. A big thank you to the tens
of thousands of supporters who wrote letters opposing these extreme amendments and
the 200 organizations and growing that support AB 19.

Marina Gatto, sixteen years old, put it best:

"I cannot understand why anyone would want to further discriminate against my family
and me. Is discrimination a value we want to pass on to our children? I believe so
strongly that hatred and discrimination isn't a message that we should be sending to
people, families and children of this state. As a youth, I don't think my generation
should be taught that discrimination is acceptable, and that people like my family
and me are less valued than another. No one deserves to be treated as a second
class citizen, and no child deserves to be told that his or her family is deserving
of hatred and discrimination."

Here is a breakdown of yesterday's committee votes:

OPPOSING AMENDMENTS
Democratics - 11
Republicans - 0
Women - 6
Men - 5
People of Color - 5

SUPPORTING AMENDMENTS
Democratics - 0
Republicans - 5
Women - 0
Men - 5
People of Color - 0

This success for our side does not mean we can rest. The right-wing's sole
attention is focused on AB 19: the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection
Act. We must work together and continue to move forward with the gains we have
already made. Full equality is in reach. Our opponents continue to cite the
success of Equality California in their emails, and you should be proud that your
efforts have put them on the defensive. They have now chosen to target certain
LGBT-supportive legislators in an attempt to intimidate and coerce them against
supporting AB 19, by giving their members "permission to be angry." It is urgent
that you TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION, so we don't allow these bullying tactics to work.

Our friends need to know that we appreciate them and will stand with them against
the threats of Lou Sheldon and the Traditional Values Coalition. When you call
please feel free to use this script:

"I am calling to let you know that I appreciate Assemblymember [insert name]'s
support of the LGBT community. Please let him/her know I am standing with him/her as
anti-gay extremists try to intimidate him/her from voting for AB 19."

PLEASE CALL THE FOLLOWING 15 LEGISLATORS TARGETED BY THE RIGHT WING!

Juan Arambula (D-Fresno)
916-319-2031 capitol office
559-445-5532 district office

Hector De La Torre (D-South Gate)
916-319-2050 capitol office
562-927-1200 district office

Nicole Parra (D-Bakersfield)
916-319-2030 capitol office
661-334-3745 district office

Joe Baca, Jr. (D-San Bernardino)
916-319-2062 capitol office
909-388-1413 district office

Mike Gordon (D-El Segundo)
916-319-2053 capitol office
310-615-3515 district office

Simon Salinas (D-Salinas)
916-319-2028 capitol office
831-759-8676 capitol office

Joe Canciamilla (D-Pittsburg)
916-319-2011 capitol office
925-372-7990 district office

Jerome Horton (D-Inglewood)
916-319-2051 capitol office
310-412-6400 district office

Alberto Torrico (D-Newark)
916-319-2020 capitol office
510-440-9030 district office

Ed Chavez (D-La Puente)
916-319-2057 capitol office
626-961-8492 district office

Barbara Matthews (D-Tracy)
916-319-2017 capitol office
209-948-7479 district office

Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana)
916-319-2069 capitol office
714-939-8469 district office

Joe Coto (D-San Jose)
916-319-2023 capitol office
408-277-1220 district office

Gloria Negrete McLeod (D-Ontario)
916-319-2061 capitol office
909-621-2783 district office

Juan Vargas (D-San Diego)
916-319-2079 capitol office
619-409-7979 district offiice

Lastly, please contact Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, joint author of AB 19, to
express your appreciation for his steadfast support of marriage equality. The
Speaker has been a tremendous friend. Núñez's Capitol office is 916-319-2046; his
district office is 213-620-4646.

With your help, we can win this fight for equality!

Thank you!


Geoffrey Kors
Executive Director
Equality California