Action Alert 2: Anti-Gay Legislation Being Pushed in Kansas

Pam’s House Blend reports that there is another constitutional fight over gay marriage happening in Kansas:

The Kansas House adopted a proposed amendment to the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriage and civil unions. The vote was 86-3 -- three more votes than the two-thirds majority needed. The amendment states that only married couples of one man and one woman would be entitled to the "rights or incidents" of marriage. The statewide vote is slated for April 5, with only a simple majority needed.

Richard Donner, PhD, the Executive Director of the Kansas Unity and Pride Alliance, requests the following:

1. Specific detailed media campaigns that have worked in the Midwest-especially media

2. Ideas to make a few short dollars go as long a way as possible

3. The name of anyone who is interested in and has experience in doing a short term issue campaign starting immediately.

4.Anything else you think that would help us.

5. Money !!! Seriously we need you all to help us raise money outside of Kansas- contact me for more specific information or check out our web site at http://www.kansasunityandpridealliance.org/.

Email me directly at rdphd@cox.net. Please help us in Kansas.

During the campaign, the standard Dem response to the issue of a Federal Marriage Amendment was "the States have always handled marriage; they've done a fine job so far, so there's no reason to change that." What's currently happening in North Carolina, and now in Kansas, highlights the problems with that position. First of all, there are gays and lesbians living in these states who will be subject to the provisions of this legislation. Do you want to be the person to look at someone and say, "Sorry—it was politically expedient to punt it back to the states"?

Here are the other problems: by letting each individual state choose whether to enact bigoted legislation or not is continuing to give the federal government an excuse to withhold the same rights granted to straight married couples. While states may allow joint tax returns, the federal government does not, thereby refusing to extend rights to gays that they're getting in their own states. The only way we can force the issue is to fight against this kind of legislation and for marriage equality legislation in every state.

This is also creating a situation where gay couples are relegated to certain designated areas to get equal rights. It's great for a gay couple who lives in NY, but what if one of them has a job offer in Kansas that's too good to pass up? It's insane, not to mention cruel, to suggest someone should have to give up their civil rights in exchange for better employment. (Or for any of the myriad of other reasons that people move.) The elected Dems might not have a problem with essentially creating a gay ghetto, but I do.

Please help out however you can.