United States Senate to vote on the Federal Marriage Amendment 07/12.

[terrya]

According to John Aravosis' newsletter, it's going to happen in 2 weeks. Please, folks. Contact your Senators on this. This piece of shit can't be allowed out of Congress.

BREAKING NEWS:
Senate to vote on anti-gay constitutional amendment week of July 16

REPUBLICANS PROMISE VOTE

The Family Research Council just reported via their Washington Update
email service that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist joined religious
right leaders in a secret telephone conference call this morning in
which Frist promised that the Senate will vote on the anti-gay
amendment to the US Constitution the week of July 12.

I had predicted earlier today on my blog that yesterday's passage of
the hate crimes bill in the US Senate was likely a precursor to the
Republicans trying to pass the anti-gay amendment. (You can find my
blog here: http://thelist.c.topica.com/maacmfkaa7HnYb4Eg3Bb/ ). My
logic was basically that
the hate crimes bill would give Republicans, and bigoted Democrats, the
chance to vote for the federal constitutional amendment while claiming
that they're not in fact anti-gay - after all, they voted for the hate
crimes bill! (And just so you know, we already have a federal hate
crimes law. Yesterday's Senate vote would simply add sexual
orientation as an additional category to a law that's already on the
books - the Senate bill will still have to be reconciled with the
House, which has not passed the bill.)

RELIGIOUS RIGHT TO BOMBARD SENATE WITH CALLS

The Family Research Council made it very clear in today's email that
religious right bigots will now be blasting Congress with phone calls,
faxes, and in-person appeals to pass this amendment. As you know,
there's been talk that the Senate doesn't have the votes to pass this
amendment, and maybe that's true, but maybe it's not. It's hardly
unreasonable to imagine a scenario in which the religious right
inundates Congress with angry phone calls and letters over the next
month, and then our allies in the Senate cave under the pressure (Lord
knows it's happened before). After all, how many Senators have come
out in favor of gay marriage? If our enemies can spin this vote as
being either for or against gay marriage, you just wait and see how
many of our "friends" get cold feet.

REPUBLICANS USING OUR SEXUALITY AS POLITICAL WEAPON

Of equal concern: The Republicans are forcing the vote now so that it
will embarrass the Democrats before their party convention at the end
of July in NYC. Yes, they are using our sexual orientation as a
political weapon, hoping that any pro-gay Senators will lose votes in
the fall by defending us now. So I say, fair is fair. If they have no
problem using our sexual orientation as a political weapon, we should
have no problem using their sexual orientation and other sexual
proclivities as political weapons either. Anyone who supports the FMA,
or works for a political person or entity who does, had better watch
his back. The days of our community protecting you while you stab us
in the back is over.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

So, here's what I suggest we do:

1. Send this email to EVERYONE you know.

2. Call your 2 Senators offices BY PHONE and rip them to shreds over
this issue. Normally I suggest folks be nice and kind when calling
their elected officials. Not this time. These bozos are seriously
talking about amending the US Constitution in order to make you and
your friends and family second-class citizens. The time for "nice" is
over. Do NOT threaten the offices or do anything else that is against
the law. But otherwise, feel free to rip their heads off. They need
to understand exactly what they're walking into. You can contact your
Senators via the US Senate switchboard: 202-224-3121 - and you can find
their direct phone lines and email addresses here:
http://thelist.c.topica.com/maacmfkaa7HnBb4Eg3Bb/

3. Find out where your Senators like to hang out when they're at home
for the upcoming 4th of July recess, and badger the hell out of them.
They will have a busy plate of public appearances, at parades, etc. Go
and embarrass them, loudly and in public.

3. If you know of any gay people who are working for politicians who
support the amendment - and that includes Bush administration officials
- I'd like to know who they are, by name.

4. Confront our enemies. If you see a gay person who works for a bad
guy in a bar? Confront him. See him or her in a café? Stop them and
tell them they're not welcome. See them cruising through our
neighborhoods, enjoying the good life out and about after working 9-5
helping "the man" bash the hell out of us? Explain what a hypocrite
and a disgrace they are to themselves and their community, and let
everyone around them know as well.

5. Help us and other groups who are fighting the amendment. Visit
DontAmend.com ( http://thelist.c.topica.com/maacmfkaa7HnZb4Eg3Bb/ ), a
group which I co-founded,
and join the action list, donate some money, and help us fighting this
amendment. And help other groups fighting the amendment.

6. Help me keep fighting on my own. Any donations to help me with this
list and my Web blog help me keep fighting:
http://thelist.c.topica.com/maacmfkaa7HnDb4Eg3Bb/

[terrya]

1. Leaving for the night kick.

This is real important, my friends. Please.

Thanks

Terry

[freetobegay]

2. I have lost track of how many times I have called them on this subject

But I wll call again. I have a big mouth!