Press

MEDIA CONTACT:
Roberta Sklar, Director of Communications
media@theTaskForce.org
646.358.1465

Action Alert!

Dear National Gay and Lesbian Task Force friends:

On Tuesday, February 24, 2004, solely for political gain, President Bush endorsed and called for quick passage of the anti-gay Musgrave Constitutional Amendment - which as it is now written, would ban the recognition of not just marriage, but all forms of same-sex partner recognition, including civil unions and domestic partnerships.

The Task Force called this hurtful, divisive and distinctly un-American act by Bush a declaration of war on gay America. (Read our full statement here.) Upon hearing Bush's speech, the Task Force, along with a coalition of our sister organizations, helped pull together rallies/press conferences attended by hundreds of people in both New York and Los Angeles.

Many of you asked us at these rallies and through hundreds of phone calls/e-mails since Tuesday, what you can do to express your outrage.

In the short term:

1. Call and write your U.S. Representative and two U.S. Senators and tell them to vote against an amendment to the U.S. Constitution banning civil marriage for same-sex couples and urge them to lobby their colleagues in Congress to do the same. Don't know who your elected officials are? Go here: http://www.vote-smart.org/ to find contact information for them. (Service provided by Project Vote Smart)

2. Speak From Your Heart With Family and Friends. It is vitally important that we all express to our loved ones why the issue of equal marriage rights for same-sex couples is so important. A tip sheet for breaking the ice and speaking to your family and friends about this issue can be downloaded from the Task Force Marriage Information Resource Center at http://www.TheTaskForce.org/marriagecenter.

3. Call the White House. Right-wing political and religious extremists are flooding the White House with calls of support for Bush. We must make our voices heard. White House phone lines: comments: 202-456-1111, TTY/TDD comments: 202-456-6213.

4. Support the work of the Task Force. Please Help Us Stop Discrimination. Donate Now. Click on the stop sign link at http://www.TheTaskForce.org.

We'll keep you updated with more long-term strategies in the near future. We thank you in advance for your support.

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The mission of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is to build the political power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community from the ground up. We do this by training activists, organizing broad-based campaigns to defeat anti-LGBT referenda and advance pro-LGBT legislation, and by building the organizational capacity of our movement. Our Policy Institute, the movement’s premier think tank, provides research and policy analysis to support the struggle for complete equality and to counter right-wing lies. As part of a broader social justice movement, we work to create a nation that respects the diversity of human expression and identity and creates opportunity for all. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., we also have offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis and Cambridge.