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EMAIL YOUR LEGISLATORS ABOUT MARRIAGE EQUALITY
This page gives you information about emailing your legislators about marriage equality. If you would like to email your legislators our latest call to action, which might be on marriage equality or another LGBT civil rights issue depending on news developments, click here.
If you live in New Jersey, you are represented by one state Senator and two state Assembly members. You would email to each of the three legislators separately. To find out the names, emails and phone numbers for your three legislators, click here .
Rather than post a sample email to legislators here, we’d like to provide you a menu of points which you can use and expand upon to make your email your own. A personal email is more effective with legislative offices than sending them a generic letter.
An email to legislators should have four parts.
The subject line of your email. It should be: I’d like to meet the Senator or Assembly member. Or even better: I’m a constituent and I’d like to meet the Senator or Assembly member.
In the first paragraph, introduce yourself . You can include any combination of these points or any other points that describe you, immediately followed by the short statements that you support marriage equality and would like to meet the legislator. Asking for a meeting is important because it signals you care strongly.
- I am a constituent of yours who lives in (city or town). I support marriage equality and I would like to meet with you.
- I work in your district, in (city or town). I support marriage equality and I would like to meet with you.
- I am a leader in so-and-so organization which supports marriage equality. I would like to meet with you.
- I am a reverend/minister/pastor/rabbi/other clergy member. I support marriage equality and I would like to meet with you.
- I am the parent, other relative or friend of a child who is gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. I support marriage equality and I would like to meet with you.
- I’m in a civil union partnership and it doesn’t provide the equality marriage would. I support marriage equality and I would like to meet with you.
- I’m straight and I support marriage equality because I believe in equality for everyone. I would like to meet with you.
After you send an email to your legislator asking for a meeting, we recommend that you call the legislator’s office three or four business days later to follow up. Again, to find out the names, emails and phone numbers for your three legislators, click here .
In the second/middle paragraphs, provide details on why you support marriage equality. For some of you, these details are personal. You should get personal in your email to legislators if you have a story to tell. You might be a civil union couple whose civil union has not been recognized by a hospital or employer. You might be a parent, other relative or friend who cares so much about an LGBT person who wants to get married. And so on.
Others of you may not have a personal story, but simply want to share your views – and that’s great! You may want to include one or any combination of these points, or others that come to mind:
- The civil union law hasn’t worked to provide equality. Hospitals and employers in New Jersey have not respected civil unions like they would respect marriage.
- The civil union law hurts children, because it gives their families a separate and stigmatizing label.
- The failure of the civil union law hurts women disproportionately, given that two-thirds of all civil union couples in New Jersey are women couples.
- The failure of the civil union law hurts African-Americans/Latinos/other people of color disproportionately, compounding the discrimination people of color already face.
- Given the current economic crisis, now is exactly the time for marriage equality, which will attract $248 million in tourism and weddings to New Jersey, according to a recent UCLA study.
- Many different faiths support marriage equality, including mine.
In the final paragraph, wrap up your letter and again ask for a meeting. You should provide your cell number.
- As your constituent, I would like to meet with you to discuss marriage equality. You may reach me at cell (your cell number here).
- As someone who believes in equality for all, I would like to meet with you to discuss marriage equality. You may reach me at cell (your cell number here).
- As someone in a civil union/as a parent/as a clergy member, etc, I would like to meet with you to discuss marriage equality. You may reach me at cell (your cell number here).
If the legislator’s office calls you back for a meeting, contact Garden State Equality at (973) GSE-LGBT or Contact@GardenStateEquality.org so we can brief you before your meeting.
You need not wait to hear back from the legislator’s office. Again, we recommend that you call the legislator’s office three or four business days later to follow up on your email.
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