Giving the Gift of Mean this Holiday Season

Representative Scott Boyd (R – Lancaster) is drafting an amendment to the Pennsylvania State Constitution that would deny gay/lesbian families legal recognition. Four other representatives have already signed on to this proposal called the “Pennsylvania Marriage Protection Amendment”. On December 6, the Pennsylvania Family Institute sent an email urging their members to contact state legislators to support this amendment. If you’re not a homophobe, please contact your state representative and ask them to actively oppose this mean-spirited legislative initiative. By the way, homophobes in the legislature have already established in Pennsylvania law a prohibition against gay/lesbian marriage; this amendment is not necessary, and is only designed to add insult to injury.

If you’re heterosexual, the “Marriage Protection Amendment” would affect your family as well – not just families with same-sex partners. For example:

• In Ohio, courts have ruled that unmarried people, including unmarried heterosexual couples, may not seek protection from abuse orders.
  
• In Michigan, groups are challenging domestic partner benefits for employees.
  
• Virginia’s recently enacted amendment is so broad that it may interfere with the rights of all Virginians to create wills, medical directives, powers of attorney, child custody and property arrangements, and even joint bank accounts.