Contact Your Representative

Get started: 1. Find your representative. 2. Contact your representative. 3. Tell your friends.

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Ask your representative to cosponsor the Respect for Marriage Act by making a phone call or writing a letter.

Call your representative-When calling your representative, you will most likely reach an assistant or voicemail. You can use this script or tell your own personal story of why the Respect for Marriage Act is important to you.

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Hi, my name is [your name], and I am from [insert school and/or location]. I am calling today to thank you for your support for the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” and to ask for your continued support against LGBTQ discrimination.

Because of the Defense of Marriage Act, also known as DOMA, same-sex couples are denied over 1,100 rights including social security, immigration, and tax benefits. The Respect for Marriage Act, now being discussed in a subcommittee of the House, would repeal this discriminatory law.

Please join the 113 Representatives who have spoken out against DOMA and discrimination by co-sponsoring the Respect for Marriage Act. Thank you for your time and for supporting LGBTQ equality.

Bye!

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Send your representative a letter- Copy the sample letter below, or write your own letter urging your representative to cosponsor the Respect for Marriage Act. We encourage you to write your letter by hand- it adds a personal touch to your request. Then, mail the letter to your nearest representative.

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The Honorable [full name of representative]

[Room #] [Name] House Office Building

United States House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative [Congressman’s last name],

   We are writing you today from [insert school and/or location] to thank you for your support for the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” and to ask for your continued support against LGBTQ discrimination. As members of the National Marriage Boycott, a youth- led grassroots organization, we stand behind legislation to end the social and legal injustices facing the LGBTQ community.

   Right now, H.R.3567, the Respect for Marriage Act, is sitting in the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. This act would repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) passed in 1996, which denies same-sex couples over 1,100 rights including social security, immigration, and veteran benefits. Both President Clinton, who signed DOMA into law, and former Representative Bob Barr, the author of DOMA, have since come out against this discriminatory legislation.

   Please join the 113 Representatives who have spoken out against DOMA and discrimination by co-sponsoring the Respect for Marriage Act. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter, and we appreciate your continued support for equality.

Sincerely,

[Your name.]