A Defining Moment

Over Thanksgiving weekend, a small group of Democrats circulated a letter calling on Democratic legislators to post, and pass, a marriage equality bill that would give gays and lesbians the same right to marry the rest of us enjoy.

Our goal was to get 100 signatures, which would send a clear message that we expected our legislators to stand up for the values of the Democratic Party and its strong legacy of civil rights.

By the end of the week, 2,500 of the state’s most prominent Democratic activists, including elected officials, consultants, fundraisers, campaign operatives, staffers and grassroots supporters, signed on to our letter. In all my years in politics, I cannot recall another time when so many came together to support a single issue.

This group represents the backbone of the Democratic Party and our message to legislators is clear: we will have your back when you do the right thing and support marriage equality. Most of us have dedicated our careers to getting Democrats elected to public office and we would never do anything to undermine our party and its elected officials. It is precisely because we believe that there are no negative political consequences to supporting this very basic civil right that we are urging this course of action.

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