Dear ____,
Pride season is upon us, and there is plenty to celebrate!
On Wednesday, New Hampshire became the sixth state to recognize full marriage equality. Marriages will officially begin on Jan. 1, 2010.
The historic advancement in New Hampshire would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of many of our LGBT movement's coalition partners. To see the level of cooperation and coordination by both state and national organizations in New Hampshire was awe-inspiring.
As for HRC, in 2006, we saw an opportunity in the New Hampshire Legislature. We worked with our local partners in the state to help elect fair-minded majorities in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and Senate. That laid the groundwork for the 2007 passage of civil unions and this week's historic vote for marriage. And in the lead-up to this marriage vote, HRC sent 10 staff members to New Hampshire, four of whom were on the ground for two full weeks in early May. Additionally, with the help of our members in NH, we collected more than 11,000 signatures on a petition urging Gov. John Lynch to sign the legislation when his support seemed unlikely. For a complete recap of HRC's work in New Hampshire, visit www.hrc.org/NHMarriage.
Our work in New Hampshire is far from done. Legislators there failed in this session to pass a bill that would have protected the state's transgender residents from discrimination, and so HRC will be back next session, and we won't give up the fight until we secure equality for our whole community.
Talk of marriage equality is buzzing in Washington, D.C., too. After the May 5th vote by the D.C. Council in support of a bill to recognize same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions, which Mayor Fenty signed, the rhetoric has been heated. The bill is now in front of the U.S. Congress for a 30 legislative day review period, and out-of-town groups are pushing for a referendum to attempt to undo the council's vote. On June 2nd, HRC's Religion and Faith Program, Diversity Program, Communications Program and others assisted in the organization of a press conference that brought together ministers from across the city to speak out in support of marriage equality. Over 60 pastors attended and over 130 clergy from the District have signed a religious declaration for marriage equality. Learn more about marriage in D.C. and to watch the press conference.
And of course, to quote HRC's National Field Director Marty Rouse, "the marriage equality express continues to steam ahead. Next stop, New York." Click here for more information and ways to get involved in New York. Also, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine reiterated his support for marriage equality this past week, saying that he wants to sign a bill by the end of 2009.
And pride season didn't just bring cause for celebration in the states, it also marked the first-ever hearing on the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) on Capitol Hill. UAFA would allow U.S. citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their same-sex partners for family-based immigration by meeting the same standard as different-sex couples. UAFA's champions Senator Leahy (D-VT) and Representative Nadler (D-NY) helped make the historic hearing a success. Additionally, on Thursday, Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif., introduced the Reuniting Families Act, a larger immigration bill that includes UAFA as a provision. This historic hearing and legislation demonstrates that our allies in Congress are aware of the discriminatory situation that lesbian and gay binational couples face and are dedicated to ensuring that these loving couples are not torn apart or forced to flee in order to stay together. For more information about UAFA and the Reuniting Families Act, click here and here.
And as I mentioned in the opening, June kicks off pride season. HRC is excited to be at over 70 prides across the country this year. For a complete listing, go to: www.hrc.org/pride. Please be sure to stop by the HRC booth for more information on our exciting progress and for more opportunities to become involved and to help keep the good news streaming in. We hope to see you there!
Warmly,
Joe Solmonese
President, Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Campaign
1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036-3278
Phone: 202/628-4160 TTY: 202/216-1572 Fax: 202/347-5323
E-mail: www.hrc.org/contactus
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