John –

Last night Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that the first vote on the Respect for Marriage Act in the Senate would happen this week. This federal bill would go a long way toward protecting the freedom to marry and providing clarity and security for LGBTQ families all across the South.

The freedom to marry is important to so many LGBTQ people. Nearly a decade ago, from 2011-2015 thousands of Southerners took part in the Campaign for Southern Equality's "WE DO" campaign, in which couples requested marriage licenses in Southern states, provoking denials and shining a light on the urgent need for federal action on the freedom to marry. It was the largest sustained campaign around marriage equality in the South, taking place at a time when many predicted it would be decades before the freedom to marry would be achieved in the region. This week, many of those families are once again taking action by authoring an open letter to Southern U.S. Senators urging them to vote YES on the Respect for Marriage Act. Click here to read the letter. 

Want to join them? Make your voice heard this week before the U.S. Senate votes on the Respect for Marriage Act. Click here to send a message to your Senators. 

This week our Executive Director, Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, one of the architects of the WE DO campaign, explained the impact of the open letter. She said:

“It’s powerful to see LGBTQ couples who were at the forefront of the marriage movement in the South a decade ago teaming up again to call for equality. In the years since the We Do campaign, couples have raised children, built homes together, and moved to other states; some participants have divorced, and others have passed away. But whatever their life circumstances, all of these people were guaranteed the protections and responsibilities of marriage, which help navigate so many life paths. Now, with the freedom to marry newly under threat by a Supreme Court Justice and far-right extremist conservative forces, our nation’s lawmakers need to ensure that LGBTQ people retain the freedom to marry the person they love. The Senate must pass the Respect for Marriage Act.”

We hope you'll make your voice heard, too. Send a message to your U.S. Senators and urge them to support the Respect for Marriage Act.

Thank you,
Adam Polaski
He/Him
Communications Director
Campaign for Southern Equality