Take ACTION by contacting your Senators and Representatives and urging them to support the Respect for Marriage Act bill.
- U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
- Find your Senator!
Sample script:
“Hi, my name is [your name]. I’m calling today to urge [your Senator] to support the Respect for Marriage Act. As a Jew and member of the Jewish Center for Justice community, we believe that we are all created in the image of God, and therefore should all benefit from the same protections under the law. This bill would enshrine marriage equality for the LGBTQ+ community and protect this right from being decided on a state level. We recognize that the right to marriage equality is universal and urge you to support this bill. Thank you.”
What is The Respect for Marriage Act?
The bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act (H.R.8404) will further enshrine marriage equality as the law of the land, regardless of what a far-right Supreme Court may decide. If enacted, this legislation would:
- Repeal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and require states to acknowledge any marriage conducted in another state
- Recognize Marriage Equality at the Federal level
- Provide additional legal protections for Marriage Equality
Why is Marriage Equality important?
Judaism — like many other faith traditions — teaches that all human beings are created in the image of God; we therefore emphatically reject attempts by those who invoke religion as a shield for discrimination. We support efforts at every level of government to root out discrimination against LGBTQ+ Americans, including fighting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity and updating the Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Why is this issue urgent?
After Justice Clarence Thomas argued that landmark cases for marriage equality should be revisited in his concurring opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson, it is imperative that we stand with LGBTQ+ individuals within our community and the LGBTQ+ community at-large. As we can no longer trust the Supreme Court to preserve rights, we call on the Senate to codify the right to marry by swiftly bringing this historic legislation to a vote and sending it to President Biden’s desk.
If United States v. Windsor (2013) and Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) were to be overturned, 35 states would have same-sex marriage bans go back into effect. We cannot afford for marriage equality to be sent back to the states like abortion rights have been. We must codify the right to marry.
Action Alert compiled by JCJ Fellows Ian Caplan and August Hochman, and updated on Nov. 16, 2022.