Iowa Marriage Amendment

The gist is that there's a stupid, bigoted amendment going through the Iowa General Assembly right now that would make it a part of the state's constitution that you can't be gay and get married. That's almost as bad of an idea as cutting taxes when there's a war going on, but that's another blog post.

Anyway, my friend Chelsea challenged her readers to write their reps about this issue. I did, in these words...

Dear (representative)

Thank you for taking a few moments to read this letter. I am a straight male who wishes to encourage you to oppose the Iowa Marriage Amendment. I would be ashamed to live in a state which has institutionalized bigotry that is every bit as cruel and insidious as the segregationist South. Please ensure that I don't have to. My arguments are a few indisputable truths:

Gay people are just that, people.
They can't help their sexual orientation.
They shouldn't have to be persecuted for it.
They don't want special treatment. They want equality.

Please oppose this measure.

I'm pleased to present the following responses:

Dear Paul,

I'm with you on this! Thanks for your thoughts.

Regards,

Senator Herman C. Quirmbach

Dear Paul,

Thank you very much for the email. I join you in opposition to this amendment. I voted against it 3 years ago, and I will continue to work against it. We made progress last year by including sexual orientation and gender identity in the Iowa Civil Rights Code. I have no intention of taking steps backward this year.

Please continue to contact me on this and other issues of interest or importance to you.

Sincerely,

(Representative) Beth (Wessel-Kroeschell)

For those of you who would care to follow my lead, feel free to copy-paste my letter and include your own flavor. If you want to do your own words, representatives tend to like short and to the point. This website will let you search for the people who represent you.

AND YES, IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE!!! I know from personal experience as a news reporter that if a rep gets a pile of letters from their constituents, they can then say to their colleagues, "look: I got 35 letters in favor and only 10 opposed from the people in my district." Or whatever.

THE POINT IS, WRITE THEM! OPPOSE THIS BULLSHIT!

Oh, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to hit up the governor, as long as you're at it. Right, Chelsea?