Monday, February 28, 2011

Via American Foundation for Equal Rights:

AFER - American Foundation for Equal Rights

Dear Daniel,
Today, California’s largest newspaper, the Los Angeles Times, published a powerful editorial which argued that gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to marry, starting immediately.

Last week, AFER’s attorneys filed a brief with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, urging it to lift the stay of the district court decision that ruled Prop. 8 unconstitutional, which would enable marriages to resume. Today’s editorial underscores the growing consensus that gay and lesbian couples should not have to wait to get married while the Prop. 8 case works its way through the legal system.

“Enough already,” the Los Angeles Times editorial board wrote. “…Every day that the case drags on, gay and lesbian couples who would like to marry are being deprived of their civil rights. That's not our wording; the federal trial judge decided that issue, at least for now. The denial of constitutional rights, even temporarily, is a deplorable situation that must meet high legal standards to be allowed to continue. In our view, those conditions have not been met.”
I encourage you to read the full editorial on the L.A. Times website, and to share it with your friends and family on Facebook and Twitter. Help raise visibility for all the people who cannot wait to get married.

Sincerely,
Chad Griffin Portrait
Chad Griffin SignatureChad GriffinBoard President
American Foundation for Equal Rights

Via Courage Campaign:

Courage Campaign

Dear Daniel,

This week, we’re filing an amicus curiae letter to the Supreme Court of the State of California asking them to speed it up. We’re taking this step because couples are literally getting sick and dying while the Court is dragging its feet, and we’ve had it.
When the Court announced that it would look into the question sent to them by the Ninth Circuit regarding whether Prop 8 proponents had standing, they announced a schedule that would have the oral argument in “late September 2011.”  That isn’t good enough.

Help us show the California Supreme Court what happens when they drag their feet. Can you co-sign our amicus curiae letter to the California Supreme Court?

In the letter, we describe some of the heartbreaking stories of over 400 Courage Campaign members who wrote in to tell us how they are impacted by these delays.  Stories like those of Derence Kernek, who wants to marry his partner of over forty years before Alzheimer’s robs his partner, Ed, of the ability to even recognize Derence.

Four months really could mean the difference between getting a chance to marry and a lifetime of regrets. Throughout the trial process, the federal courts have moved along with breakneck speed, but now the California Supreme Court is slamming on the brakes.  For so many Californians, this could have devastating consequences.

Tell the California Supreme Court: Marriage can't wait! Please co-sign to our letter to the California Supreme Court and forward it on to five of your friends.
www.couragecampaign.org/NoMoreWaiting

We need the Court to see how painful any additional delay could be for so many Californians.
Thank you for your continued commitment to equality.

Sincerely,
Rick Jacobs
Founder and Chair, Courage Campaign
P.S. To see additional stories, and to provide your own, check out our newest project we’re launching this coming month, Testimony: Take a Stand.