Date: Mon, 5 Feb 1996 16:17:29 -0500
From: PRCenter@aol.com
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Action Alert -- Action Alert -- Action Alert
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L.A. Gay & Lesbian Community Services Center
1625 N. Schrader Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
PH: 213-993-7400
EMAIL: LAFTMC@AOL.COM

California State Assembly Passes Anti-Gay Bill
Please Act NOW to Stop it in the Senate!!!

Assembly Bill 1982, which would deny government recognition of same-gender
marriages performed legally in other states, passed the State Assembly on a
41-31
vote.  This proposed legislation means that when you get married in Hawaii
(pending
the success of Baehr vs. Lewin), the minute you come back to California, your
marriage is illegal.  The bill now goes to the State Senate where we must
stop it.

How Does This Affect You?

  1) The freedom to marry is a basic human right and a personal choice that
should
not be denied to anyone. This bill is blatantly discriminatory, singling out
lesbian and
gay people as second-class citizens and attempting to deny us this right just
as it is
about to be won.
  
  2) There are more than 150 rights and benefits associated with civil
marriage. 
Proponents of AB 1982 want to ensure gay and lesbian couples never share
these
benefits -- including the right to visit your partner in the hospital.
  
  3) Religious political extremists are attempting to make their hatred of
lesbian and
gay people a legitimate government policy.  AB 1982 serves no purpose other
than to
deny gay men and lesbians our full civil and equal rights.
  
The Radical Right is Mobilizing All its Forces to Support AB 1982
                                    
Here's What You Can Do NOW!!!

1.  CALL AND SEND/FAX YOUR         
LETTER OPPOSING AB 1982
TO SENATOR BILL LOCKYER:           FORWARD A COPY TO:

     Honorable Bill Lockyer                   Honorable Charles M. Calderon
     Senate President Pro Tempore       Chair, Senate Judiciary Committee
     State Capitol, Rm. 205                   State Capitol, Rm. 4039
     Sacramento, CA  95814                 Sacramento, CA  95814
     Phone:  (916) 445-6671                  Phone:  (916) 327-8315
     Fax No:  (916) 323-2234  

2.  CALL YOUR STATE SENATOR.  If you don't know who your state senator is,
call
your county clerk's office.  The L.A. County Clerk's number is 310-462-2748.

Handwritten letters are the most effective.  Please use the attached model
letter.
The Honorable _____________
California State Senate
P.O. Box 942848
Sacramento, CA 94248-0001

Dear Senator__________:

As a concerned California voter, I am writing to express my strong opposition
to
Assembly Bill 1982, which seeks to block recognition of same-gender marriages
legally performed in other states.  This bill is blatantly discriminatory and
legally
unsound.  It assaults the civil rights of gay and lesbian Californians and
does so at
the expense of the full faith and credit clause of the United States
Constitution.  As a
Californian, I want to ensure that our laws and our marriages are respected
by other
states.  Please do not jeopardize this important tradition by refusing to
recognize
legal marriages performed by other states.

In the face of the deliberate campaign of misinformation launched by
proponents of
AB 1982, it is important to remember certain key facts.
     
     *  Refusing to support AB 1982 does not legalize same-gender marriage in
California.      

     *  Civil marriage is not a religious issue.  No religious institution
will be obliged to
perform ceremonies which go against its members' deeply held beliefs.
     
     *  Civil marriage does not exist solely to ease the financial difficulty
of
child-rearing.  Proponents of this argument do not seek to outlaw the
marriages of
heterosexual couples without children, nor to legally recognize the unions of
the many
gay and lesbian couples currently raising children.
     
     *  In America, civil marriage is a fundamental human right.  The freedom
to marry
the one you love is not a partisan issue.   Many conservative and liberal
leaders have
come out in support of same-gender marriage, agreeing that it is in society's
best
interest to encourage its members to form stable, committed relationships for
which
they take responsibility.  AB 1982 sends the opposite message to
Californians.
     
     *   If made into law, AB 1982 would certainly undergo a constitutional
challenge,
forcing California into expensive litigation at taxpayer expense, and will
ultimately be
overturned.

I urge you in the strongest possible terms to oppose AB 1982.  Please do not
allow
California to distinguish itself as a state that promotes bigotry and
discrimination.

Sincerely,

_____________
Name 
Address
Phone #