Dear Friends of Marriage,

Breaking news from Washington . . . .

9 U.S. Senators have agreed to co-sponsor a bill that would guarantee the right of DC residents to vote on same-sex marriage.The bill will be introduced shortly and will complement a similar bill introduced in the House in January.  The House bill is HR4430, and I'll keep you posted when the Senate Bill is introduced and assigned a number.

The next few days are crucial as we meet with legislators and seek support on Capitol Hill! We need your help right now.

Use this link to send an email to your Senators and Congressman. Tell them you want them to join as co-sponsors of the DC Marriage Initiative bill / HR4430, and even more importantly, push to ensure that the bill gets a vote on the Senate and House floors.

Sending Your Letter
The 9 Senate co-sponsors are Senators Robert Bennett (UT), Sam Brownback (KS), Jim Bunning (KY), John Cornyn (TX), Mike Enzi (WY), James Inhofe (OK), Pat Roberts (KS), David Vitter (LA), and Roger Wicker (MS).  The 2 House co-sponsors are Representatives Jason Chaffetz (UT) and Jim Jordan (OH).

When you use the link above to send your email message, you'll see two letters. If your senator or congressman is one of the existing co-sponsors to the bill, they will receive the "Letter for Co-Sponsors." Otherwise, your senators and congressman will receive the "Letter for All Others."  Either way, your letter will be going to your own elected officials in Washington.  Please take a moment to personalize your letter to let your representatives in Washington know how important this issue is.

Your Voice Makes a Difference!
We face an uphill battle, and the next few days are extremely important as we gather support in Congress. NOM and Stand4MarriageDC are in meetings almost daily with various House and Senate offices, and we need your support. Your legislators need to hear not just from us, but from you -- their own constituents who care about this important issue.

The Senate leadership just wants this issue to go away, and will do whatever they can to bury it in committee. That's why every Senator needs to hear from people in his or her own state, urging him to stand up for the voting rights of DC residents.

An out-of-control city council tried to do an end run around the DC Charter, refusing to recognize the rights of DC voters to file an initiative petition on marriage. Regardless of where your representatives stand on same-sex marriage, tell them that we ought not stand for this sort of government abuse against the residents of our nation's capital.

Tell your Senators and Congressman you want them to publicly stand for marriage and civil rights by co-sponsoring the DC Marriage Initiative Bill / HR4430. Tell them how important this issue is both for the future of marriage and for the rights of everyday citizens trying to stand up against a government machine.

Then tell them you want them to champion this issue, push for a vote, and not let Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid bury it in some subcommittee!

Please click here to send your message to Congress today!

Then forward this message to friends and family all across the country! Together we can stand up for DC voters and make sure they have a chance to be heard on marriage!

Faithfully,
Brian S. Brown
Executive Director
National Organization for Marriage
20 Nassau Street, Suite 242
Princeton, NJ 08542
[email protected]

P.S.: Are you a part of our national grassroots action team? Sign up at TwoMillionForMarriage.com today to receive regular email alerts and marriage updates from Washington and your own state capital!