Date: Mon, 1 Jan 1996 17:00:17 -1000 From: Jonathan Zucker Subject: A New Year's Resolution from AJA (fwd) January 1, 1996 A NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION FOR MEMBERS OF AND JUSTICE FOR ALL: ENDORSE THE LAMBDA LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUCATION FUND'S MARRIAGE RESOLUTION Following is language set forth by the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund's (LLDEF) Marriage Project that pledges support for same-gender marriage. As you may know, three same-gender couples successfully sued the state of Hawaii before the state Supreme Court in Baehr v. Lewin to obtain marriage licenses. The Marriage Resolution aims to extend the same legal, economic and important social benefits, responsibilities, rights and obligations that come with the institution of marriage to gay and lesbian couples. The case is still in the Hawaiian court system, and as activists around the country work to educate and inform people of the importance of same-gender marriage, Radical Right groups are working in several states to make same-gender marriage illegal. According to the LLDEF's Evan Wolfson, if same-sex couples are given the right to marry in that state, "(they) are likely to do what different-sex couples do all the time: get married in Hawaii, ...expecting full and equal legal nationwide recognition of their lawful civil marriages. Despite a powerful cluster of expectations, logistics, rights, constitutional obligations, and federalist imperatives, there will likely be a backlash at both the federal and state level, possibly in every state." Same-gender marriage was the topic of a September edition of Nightline with Ted Koppel. Wolfson, senior staff attorney for the Lambda Legal Defense Fund appeared with Robert Knight, of the Family Research Council, a conservative advocacy group. If you would like a full transcript of the discussion, which provides an excellent "in-a-nutshell" outline of the debate around same-gender marriage, please send an e-mail request to "AndJst4All@aol.com." This promises to be one of the most crucial steps toward equality in American history. And Justice for All urges you to spend five minutes to do two things: - Fill out the form below and send it in to the LLDEF address below by either regular post or e-mail. - Forward this e-mail to your friends. Thank you for your assistance. Wishing you the best for a happy, safe and productive 1996, David King Communications Director And Justice for All AndJst4All@aol.com ====================================================== The Marriage Resolution Because marriage is a basic human right and an individual personal choice, RESOLVED, the State should not interfere with same-gender couples who choose to marry and share fully and equally in the rights, responsibilities, and commitment of civil marriage. ______________________________________________ I (or: As an instiution, we) support the above resolution. Please feel free to include me (or us) as a voice in educating the public: NAME: ___________________________________ AFFILIATION: _____________________________ ADDRESS: ________________________________ CITY/STATE/ZIP: ___________________________ PHONE: (___) ____ - _____ FAX: (___) ____-_____ E-MAIL: _________________ ________________________________________________ Please print the above form and fax or mail it to: The Marriage Project Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund 666 Broadway, Suite 1200 New York, NY 10012-2317 phone: (212) 995-8585 fax: (212) 995-2306 Or e-mail it to: EWlldef@aol.com (please cc us at AndJst4All@aol.com) -end- ******************************************************************************* To send a message to the entire list "marriage", email marriage@abacus.oxy.edu To unsubscribe, send a message 'unsubscribe marriage' to MAJORDOMO@abacus.oxy.edu. To subscribe, send a message 'subscribe marriage' to MAJORDOMO@abacus.oxy.edu. *******************************************************************************