The following message from Chelsea Clinton is the most desperate plea that I have ever read. Chelsea’s is opposed to the Marriage Amendment based on the lessons she learned at a young age from Bill and Hillary Clinton? This is the epitome of hypocrisy and shows the level of morality that our society has reached if this is the best defense for voting against the holy covenant of marriage as dictated to us by the state.
David DeGerolamo
Dear Friend,
I believe that everyone must stand up for what is right, whenever possible, wherever possible. I also believe that when the civil rights of any one American or group of Americans in one place are questioned, all Americans, everywhere, should care that the answer is the right one. Those are lessons I learned at a young age from my parents and they are guiding principles in my life.
That is why I am joining you in opposing Amendment One in North Carolina. Amendment One unfairly targets women, children and families, gay and straight, who fall outside of the narrow definition of family articulated by those who drafted the legislation.
It is our duty to join the fight on behalf of both the gay and lesbian North Carolinians who were the original targets of the amendment and the tens of thousands of straight male and female North Carolinians who will be collateral damage if the amendment passes next Tuesday.
Many North Carolinians will lose health care, domestic violence protections, end of life and visitation benefits, and face other serious consequences due to the political agenda of those who offered up the legislation. Those consequences will not discriminate – they will fall on the young, the old, the gay, the straight, men, women, professionals, line workers, union workers. Some of those are my friends – some are your friends, your neighbors, and perhaps even members of your own family.
You may ask why I am joining with you to defeat an amendment that would not harm my family as Marc and I are married under a traditional definition. Well, the answer is simple. When a measure as unfair, poorly worded, and harmful as Amendment One is offered up on a ballot, none of us can afford to be silent.
The Speaker of the North Carolina House claimed that this is a generational issue and that in twenty years the amendment will be repealed if it is passes. I believe that the Speaker is correct on one issue: the generation that will determine the future of North Carolina and the future of our country believes in equal rights without qualification and in protecting families regardless of the definition.
Defeating Amendment One requires all of us to educate voters on the harms to both gay and straight families. Polling continues to show that people do not understand the amendment and what it will do to North Carolina families if we do not defeat it on May 8.
Do not be discouraged by the polling. Early voting shows that the electorate is younger and more progressive than the one that pollsters are surveying. It is up to all of us to make sure that trend continues – and that all voters understand the real consequences of Amendment One.
Good luck in the final days of the campaign – lots of people around the country, including me, are rooting for you.
Best,
Chelsea Clinton
PS – You can vote early against Amendment One until Saturday, May 5. Please click here for information on early voting. If you vote early, the campaign can take you off our list and focus on those who haven’t voted yet.
The only reason to have a marriage admendment is so the tax man can tax couples at a higher rate. Marriage is now a political game when you have to have a licence to get married.