Open Letter to NJ State Senators: YES ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 7:06PM

To the State Senators of New Jersey:

I hope you will be voting in favor of Marriage Equality.  I may not be one of your constituents, but I have friends in New Jersey who will be impacted by your vote.  I hope you will choose to honor their love by voting YES on the Marriage Equality Bill.

The people of New Jersey are not the only ones who will be impacted by your decision.  Somewhere in America there is a kid growing up in a household that regularly uses words like "fag" or "homo."  He's 17, and doesn't know what to say when his dad pesters him about not having a girlfriend.  He might get abused, or kicked out of his home if he tells the truth -- that he's actually attracted to the boy who sits next to him in math class.

You have an opportunity to give that kid hope; to tell him that in New Jersey, he is equal.  He can grow up, fall in love, and marry the man he wants to spend his life with, because in New Jersey, he is the same as the rest of us.

For that kid, and the thousands like him, I urge you to vote YES.  For the 2,424 LGBT Americans victimized in hate crimes last year, I urge you to vote YES.  For my friends, who deserve an equal marriage under the law, I urge you to vote YES.

The 13th Amendment was not just about slavery; the 19th Amendment was not just about voting.  This bill is not just about marriage.

I hope you will send a message of acceptance and equality when you cast your vote.

With Love. Pride. Equality.

Blake Hayes

 

Join the Equality Army to learn small weekly actions you can take to achieve Equality HERE.