The Courage Campaign has taken the lead in pushing for US Senators to support S.598, the Respect For Marriage Act, which would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
When S.598 was introduced it had 19 co-sponsors. Partly due to the Courage Campaign's encouragement and drive, Senators Kohl of Michigan, Bennet of Colorado, Sanders of Vermont, Udall and Bingaman of New Mexico, Cardin of Maryland , Harkin of Iowa and Brown of Ohio have added their names in the four months since its introduction.
There are now 27 co-sponsors (including New Jersey's Senator Lautenberg). Along with Senator Klobuchar as a public supporter and the bill's sponsor, Senator Feinstein, that's a total of 29 Democratic-caucusing Senators. The Courage Campaign's next goal is to get Senator Menendez on board.
Can New Jersey Kossacks help make their Senator the 30th supporter of repeal?
- Sign a letter to Senator Menendez. The Courage Campaign will deliver the signatures and the letter personally to the Senator's office.
- You can contact Senator Menendez's office, and ask him to please co-sponsor S.598 or make a public statement of support for the bill and for the repeal of DOMA:
New Jersey |
Bob Menendez |
202-224-4744 |
email |
If you need more inspiration, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) just today published its Definitive Guide to LGBT Military Service. An extremely detailed report, it spends much of its time enumerating all the ways in which married LGBT Servicemembers will still not equal to their heterosexual counterparts once DADT repeal takes effect on September 20th, 2011.
Mostly because of DOMA. DOMA prevents the military (and the rest of the Federal Government) from acknowledging the marital status of or providing housing, health insurance, or any other benefit to a servicemember's same-sex spouse.
DOMA will continue to perpetuate 'separate and not equal' in the military and in the seven jurisdictions of the United States that have legalized same-sex marriage until it is gone, legislatively or judicially. Every Senator we can get on board is one more step in the right direction.
Help send the message out to society that DOMA is wrong and it needs to be repealed, one Senator at a time.
Help make Senator Menendez # 30.