Dear Friends of Marriage,
The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on the Indiana Marriage Amendment tomorrow (Wednesday 1/20/10) at 9am in the Senate chambers.
Help put the Indiana marriage amendment on the ballot!
Then make plans to attend tomorrow's hearing. Plan to arrive by 8:30am and go to the Senate gallery on the 4th floor of the Capitol. Click here for a map showing parking around the Capitol.
In contrast to the 30 states that have already amended their state constitutions to protect marriage, amending the Indiana Constitution is a long, drawn-out process, requiring votes in two consecutive legislatures before going to the voters for approval.
In recent years, Democratic leadership in the House has blocked the measure, refusing to trust Indiana voters with the future of marriage in Indiana.
But we won't let them get away with it again!
The fight on the ground is being led by state groups like the American Family Association of Indiana and the Indiana Family Institute. But we at NOM also want to help this fight to get the marriage amendment through the legislature before the end of this year, clearing the way for final approval next year and a vote by 2012.
In just the past few weeks, we've seen just how dramatically voter phone calls and emails can influence legislators. It wasn't all that long ago that same-sex marriage was considered a foregone conclusion in both New York and New Jersey, pushed by party leadership with a governing majority in both states.
But when voters got involved, the whole game changed. One Democratic New York senator who surprised everyone by voting against same-sex marriage simply told the New York Times that his vote was the result of the overwhelming number of phone calls and emails received by his office, with 74% of his constituents urging him to oppose same-sex marriage.
That's the message Indiana legislators need to hear -- hundreds of phone calls and emails urging them to let the people vote on marriage. Ask your legislator: Who do you trust to decide the future of marriage in Indiana: The people of Indiana? Or three out of five unelected judges on the Indiana Supreme Court?
Tomorrow's hearing is just the first step, but an essential one. There are three things I need you to do:
1) Please take a moment right now to call or email the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Click here to send an email to the committee members. A copy will also be sent to your own state senator and representative. Or call (800) 382-9467 and ask to speak with your state senator (click here to look up your state senator).
2) Please come by the Capitol tomorrow morning to attend the hearing. Your physical presence will help make a vivid statement to committee members of the importance of this issue. Click here for a map, and here for a floorplan of the Capitol. Go to the Senate Gallery on the 4th floor to view the hearing.
3) Perhaps most importantly, please forward this message to at least 5 friends who would be willing to join our coalition. Ask them to visit TwoMillionForMarriage.com to sign up as part of NOM's grassroots army. Organized grassroots efforts are critical to getting the amendment passed, and we need tens of thousands of committed, pro-family Indianans willing to send a message to Indianapolis: Protect Marriage Now!
Together we can make 2010 the year in which Indiana takes the first step to protect marriage through a constitutional amendment!
Faithfully,Brian S. Brown
Executive Director
National Organization for Marriage
20 Nassau Street, Suite 242
Princeton, NJ 08542
[email protected]
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