By Evan Wolfson: The Constitution protects us all: Say no to discriminatory amendments

Freedom to Marry
May 24, 2006

For the second time in two years, under fierce pressure from right-wing groups hostile to gay people and opposed to the separation of church and state, some politicians are again trying to drum up support for a proposed anti-gay amendment that would cement discrimination into the Constitution. These politicians fail to realize that they will never be anti-gay enough to satisfy the anti-gay industry. These same extremists are attacking Bush, arguably the most right-wing president in history, for not being far-right enough. Where will it stop?

The so-called "Federal Marriage Amendment," if passed, would intrude the federal government into the regulation of marriage to prevent all states and all future generations from making their own decisions on ending sex discrimination in marriage, just as they ended race discrimination in marriage a generation ago.

Equally bad, the deliberately vague and sweeping language of this proposed amendment to the Constitution would impede state action on a whole host of other family protections, most of which have never before been subject to federal legislation. Writing discrimination into our Constitution through this measure is intended to prevent state and local governments, as well as the federal government and in many cases private employers, from providing any other measure of protection (i.e., "the legal incidents" of marriage) to gay people and their families as well as other unmarried Americans and their children.

It is appalling to see Karl Rove and his allies once again seeking to divided America for partisan purposes or parochial agendas, and especially galling to see them playing with fire near the Constitution of the United States, as well as in their state-by-state assault on state constitutions. For more information on what you can do, contact one of our many partners listed on our partner's page.