California Marriage Equality Bill Is Revived- Big Week Ahead

Equality California

ACTION ALERT!


California Marriage Equality Bill Is Revived! Senators Need Encouragement to Ensure
Their Support.

July 8, 2005

Dear Karen,

Next Tuesday, July 12, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear the Equality
California-sponsored Assembly Bill 849 -- the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage
Protection Act, authored by Assemblymember Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), Assembly
Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles), and supported by more than 30 other
co-authors.

We need your help. Many state Senators have already expressed support for marriage
equality, but we have yet to hear from 6 key Senators. Anti-gay organizations have
already begun an intense lobbying effort to scare our friends away from supporting
us. State Senate Pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland) and Senate Judiciary Committee
Chairman Senator Joe Dunn (D-Garden Grove) have been tremendous allies in working
with the LGBT Legislative Caucus to move the bill forward.

You can make a difference on AB 849 by emailing or calling the Senators listed below
who have previously been strong supporters of LGBT equality and who we need to stand
with us now.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION NOW! If you are registered in our advocacy center, you can simply
reply to this message and emails will automatically be sent (sample letter below) to
the selected legislators. If you're not yet registered in our Action Center, please
click NOW to TAKE ACTION: http://action.eqca.org/alert

Senators to Contact Who Have Previously Supported LGBT Rights:

Our friends need to know that we appreciate them and will stand with them against
the threats of the Traditional Values Coalition and other virulently anti-gay
organizations. When you call please feel free to use this script:

"I am calling to let you know that I appreciate Senator [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 supporting AB 849."

Senator Debra Bowen (D-Los Angeles)
EQCA Record = 100% for 2003 and 2004
Capitol Office (916) 651-4028
District Office (310) 318-6994

Senator Denise Moreno Ducheny (D- San Diego/Palm Springs)
EQCA Record = 100% for 2003 and 2004
Capitol Office (916) 651-4034
San Diego District Office (619) 409-7690
Palm Springs District Office (760) 398-6442

Senator Mike Machado (D-Davis/Vacaville)
EQCA Record = 80% for 2003 and 2004
Capitol Office (916) 651-4005
Vacaville District Office (707) 454-3808

Senator Deborah Ortiz (D-Sacramento)
EQCA Record = 100% for 2003 and 2004
Capitol Office (916) 651-4006
District Office (916) 961-1482

Senator Jack Scott (D-Pasadena)
EQCA Record = 100% for 2003 and 2004
Capitol Office (916) 651-4021
District Office (626) 683-0282

Senator Nell Soto (D-Ontario/Pomona)
EQCA Record = 100% for 2003 and 2004
Capitol Office (916) 651-4032
Ontario District Office (909) 984-7741
Pomona District Office (909) 469-9935

Please also call to thank Senate Pro tem Don Perata (916-651-4009) and Senator Joe
Dunn (916-651-4034) for their leadership!

Although the previous marriage bill (AB 19) was defeated by a narrow margin in early
June, we had an opportunity through a common procedural move to place the language
of that bill into a the body of another bill (AB 849) that was moving through the
legislature.

EQCA is coordinating witnesses for the hearing on Tuesday. If you live in the
Sacramento area and want to come watch history being made in person, we encourage
you to join us at the hearing which takes place be in Room 4203 of the State Capitol
beginning at 1:30 P.M.. If you're not able to attend, you can watch the hearing
online with Windows Media Player at http://www.calchannel.com/webcast.htm. You can
also listen to the live audio broadcast from the official Senate website at
http://www.senate.ca.gov/~newsen/audiotv/audiotv.htp.

We are encouraged by the tremendous support we have received as EQCA works to gain
the endorsement or other organizations, including many outside the LGBT community,
for the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act and the issue of
marriage equality. Two weeks ago, the United Farm Workers became the most recent
organization to take a position in support of our efforts to end marriage
discrimination. The UFW has now joined the more than over 200 organizations who have
officially endorsed the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act.

To learn more about the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, please
visit the Legislative Center.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION NOW! Click NOW to TAKE ACTION: http://action.eqca.org/alert

Thank you for supporting equality!

Warmly,

Geoffrey Kors
Executive Director
Equality California


Latest News from EQCA


DOMESTIC PARTNER PENSION BILL PASSES ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE AND NOW HEADS TO
APPROPRIATIONS
7-6-2005

Sacramento, CA -- Senate Bill (SB) 973 by LGBT Caucus Chair Senator Sheila Kuehl
(D-Santa Monica) passes the Assembly Public Employees, Retirement and Social
Security Committee with a 4-2 vote. Sponsored by Equality California, SB 973 would
allow the domestic partner of a public employee who retired prior to January 1,
2005, when Assembly Bill (AB) 205, California's comprehensive domestic partnership
law went into effect, to choose a death beneficiary if the retiree dies before their
partner. The bill now heads to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. more...
(http://www.eqca.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=9oINKWMCF&b=40337&ct=1149087)

EQUALITY CALIFORNIA APPLAUDS UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST'S SUPPORT OF MARRIAGE EQUALITY
7-5-2005

"Equality California applauds the United Church of Christ for acting courageously on
Independence Day in declaring support for our freedom to marry. The compassionate
act of the General Synod to celebrate our unions and to affirm our civil rights is a
powerful affirmation for the values of faith and America: Equal Love and Equal
Rights. more...
(http://www.eqca.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=9oINKWMCF&b=40337&ct=1147181)


Sample Letter to Elected Officials


(Month) (Day) (Year)

From: (Sender Name)
(Sender Address)

RE: Support AB 849 - The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act

(Title) (Recipient's Name)


I am extremely grateful for your past support for the equal rights of lesbian and
gay couples and their families. Please continue to stand with us.

As a fair minded Californian, I am writing to ask your support of AB 849, the
"Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act", legislation that protects
religious freedom while ensuring equal treatment under the law for same-sex couples
by allowing them to marry. This bill would remove the discriminatory barriers to
equal protection under the law by returning the relevant California Family Code
statutes to gender-neutral terms, as they were from 1850-1977.

In 1948, the California Supreme Court became the first state court in the country to
strike down a law prohibiting interracial marriage before the U.S. Supreme Court
invalidated all such laws in 1967. The California Supreme Court held that "marriage
is . . . something more than a civil contract subject to regulation by the state; it
is a fundamental right of free men...legislation infringing such rights must be
based upon more than prejudice and must be free from oppressive discrimination to
comply with the constitutional requirements of due process and equal protection of
the laws."

As the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court found, "The history of our nation has
demonstrated that separate is seldom, if ever, equal." A bill that falls short of
marriage equality makes for "unconstitutional, inferior, and discriminatory status
for same-sex couples." As you are well aware, though domestic partnerships provide
tangible benefits for couples, they, by their nature, set up a separate and unequal
system for gay and lesbian people.

All Californians deserve access to this civil institution that provides a myriad of
rights and responsibilities not currently afforded to domestic partners, including
social security benefits, family and medical leave, joint income tax filing, and
thousands of Federal benefits, without regard to their gender or sexual orientation.

Sincerely,



(Sender's Name)