LETTER FROM: Joe Solmonese, President of Human Rights CampaignGay and lesbian couples have been getting married by the thousands.
But the U.S. government refuses to recognize a single one because of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.
Take our survey: tell Washington leaders how DOMA hurts the people you love.After the string of victories in Iowa, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire, the trend is clear: support for marriage equality is surging among Americans.
But with tens of thousands of gay and lesbian couples finally joining in marriage, the federal government still refuses to recognize a single one.
Until the antiquated and discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is repealed, millions of Americans will continue to be denied the full rights of marriage.
Take our quick survey! Share your opinions on DOMA and we'll deliver them to Congress and President Obama.Why a survey? If you or someone close to you is married to a same-sex partner, you probably know all about DOMA's discriminatory effects. But there are still far too many people – including our lawmakers – who don't know how DOMA is harming families every day. Your answers to this survey will help show them how important this issue is.
Over the past few weeks, we've helped build unprecedented momentum to repeal DOMA. But President Obama has yet to take action against DOMA, and Congress still isn't getting the message. We need to keep up a constant stream of pressure if they're going to act.
Until DOMA is repealed, gay and lesbian married couples will be denied the federal rights straight married couples enjoy, like Social Security survivors' benefits, putting a spouse on a health plan without tax penalties, the right to take family and medical leave to care for a spouse, and equal treatment under U.S. immigration laws... The list goes on.
It's up to us to make sure Congress understands the impact of their inaction on thousands of married couples who remain strangers under federal law.
Will you take our quick survey to show our Washington leaders how DOMA affects you and those you care about? It will take less than 5 minutes.And please pass this survey along to friends and family. We'll share your responses with Congress and the Obama administration in the coming weeks.
While we continue to push for marriage equality in more states and defend our wins against the relentless attacks of the radical right, it's also time to put an end to this antiquated federal law.
For more information contact: Human Rights Campaign @ http://www.hrc.org.org/ 1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-3278
Phone: 202/628-4160 TTY: 202/216-1572 Fax: 202/347-5323
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