In reflecting on the March today, two things resonated with me:
- This March is relevant because it elevates the conversation about equality to the national and international level through the news media
- Rep. Barney Frank’s assertion that people should be “…lobbying their elected officials…”
While the rest of Rep. Frank’s quote may be a bit incendiary, I cannot help but agree with him. If every person at that March today and 5 friends of each of those people wrote a unique, educated, polite, and well-informed letter to his or her elected officials, then the buzz in the halls of Congress might change to our issues of equality.
Let me be clear: emails, form letters, and post cards do not carry the same weight or have the same impact as a unique letter that is both respectful and civil in tone and that is mailed to the member’s office. I know this because I used to be one of the folks that wrote the responses.
So, I’m starting my own grass-roots effort: if you are gay or if you know someone who is gay or if you see the value in extending basic equality protections for gays in the military, in the workplace, or who are victims of violence, write your Congressman and write your Senators.
I have included my letter below. I will be mailing it Tuesday and I look forward to my congresswoman’s answers.
October 11, 2009
The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton
United States House of Representatives
2136 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Congresswoman Norton:
After I left the National Equality March today, I struggled to understand what to do next to help move the struggle for lesbian and gay rights forward. Many of the words from many of today’s speakers resonated with me. And seeing thousands and thousands of people walking towards the U.S. Capitol all united in a common purpose—to show emphatic support for the rights of gays everywhere—was both incredibly inspiring and incredibly moving.
Admittedly, I was not a huge proponent of this March. I did not hear a strong call to action in the months preceding it. And it was not until I read some analysis of the March this evening that I realized just how important it was for so many people. For people younger than me, it must have been a galvanizing moment for them: the point at which their advocacy started. For people older than me, it must have been cathartic to see equality within their grasp after a lifetime of seeing the finish line so far away. And, as one person wrote, it took the conversation to the national and even the international level.
While Congress may not have directly heard the thousands of united voices urging equality, the American people did and will, in the days to come, discuss it and debate it.
And in thinking about that, I realized my call to action: I should write my representative. I am a former legislative assistant for two former members of the U.S. House and I know one of the best ways to get the attention of, first, your staff, and then hopefully you, is to write a well-worded, unique, and genuine letter. And I know that if enough Americans write a similar, yet unique letter to their representative, then change can be affected.
I also know you have long been a friend of gays, but I admittedly was unsure of whether or not you had either sponsored or co-sponsored legislation that would repeal the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, or legislation that would repeal the Defense of Marriage act, or legislation that would protect sexual orientation from discrimination. So, I spent some time on your website prior to writing this. And, to my surprise, I discovered that the “Issues” section of your website was labeled as “coming soon.”
But after some digging on the Library of Congress’s Thomas website, I was pleased to discover your co-sponsorship of H.R. 1283 (the Military Readiness Enhancement Act), of H.R. 3017 (the Employment Non-Discrimination Act), of H.R. 3567 (the Respect for Marriage Act), and of H.R. 1913 (the Matthew Shepard hate crimes bill).
Your co-sponsorship of these bills shows an incredible level of support. And I know that the House recently passed the Defense Authorization bill that included the hate crimes language.
My “asks” of you are these:
- Write a letter to the committee chairs of each of the referring committees for the bills above urging committee action and asking when these bills might be considered in committee? And once you receive replies, would you include a copy of those replies—whether they are positive or negative—in your response to me?
- Write a letter to Speaker Pelosi encouraging her to make these bills a higher priority and urge quick committee action and rapid consideration by the full House. She, after all, represents probably the largest concentration of gays and lesbians in the nation in her San Francisco district. And, again, once you receive a reply, would you include a copy of it in your response to me?
I appreciate the work you do for the District of Columbia and your clear dedication to equality and thank you for your consideration of my requests.
Sincerely,
Brett A. Bearce