Focus on whose family?

So I cracked open the Denver Post this morning and saw the following two items:

• an ad placed by Focus on the Family urging me to contact my senator (Ken Salazar) and tell him what a dreadful person he is for not supporting the anti-gay marriage amendment currently before our esteemed legislative body
• an article about said ad, mentioning that the same ad is also being targeted at senators in Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and South Dakota.

And, coincidentally but happily, tomorrow is Blogging for LGBT Families Day. I'd been planning anyway to write something about being part of a straight family that wholeheartedly supports full rights for same-sex partnerships/families... and this opportunity just dropped into my lap.

So with my dander in full-up position, I sat down and wrote the following e-mail to Sen. Salazar:

Dear Senator Salazar,

After seeing the appalling advertisement taken out in today's Denver Post encouraging constituents to demand you support a ban on domestic partnerships/gay marriage, I felt compelled to contact you and let you know that even out here, in Colorado's mini-Bible Belt, there are many of us who support you in your courageous stance againt Focus on the Family and its un-Christian, anti-human rights agenda.

I am a heterosexual, ten-years-married mother of two who cannot understand how anyone's loving, committed relationship could be in any way a threat to my family or to families in general. My husband and I urge you to stand up for the rights of ALL Coloradans and continue to focus on the priorities important to true family values: living wages, affordable health care and quality education.

Thank you for your time, and keep "fighting the good fight!"

Sincerely, etc.

So if the definition of "family" as "a group of people who live together, love and support each other" is more meaningful to you than one of "married mom and dad and at least two kids," I urge you to get on the horn/Outlook/whatever to your elected representative and let them know that those child-beating bigots at Focus on the Family don't speak for you. And if you have a blog and feel at all drawn to do so... post something about LGBT families tomorrow and let Mombian know about it.

Comments

[Angi]

Awesome letter, and thanks for the heads up that tomorrow is LGBT family blog day. I'll be bloggin' about that for sure.

And I just saw your tag down below after being busy all weekend, and I will gladly be playing along with that one :)

[Jen G]

Love it! great letter!

[Elizabeth]

Ah, some common sense from Dobsonland! I used to be a Dobsonite....can you believe it?

Heading to write a letter right now....though my congressman is Earl Blumenhauer, an all-around decent human being, from what I can see.

[Jill S]

Thank you for so eloquently expressing the feelings so many of us have.

[Valerie]

it's something i can never understand. how it is that people calling themselves "Christians" can be so small minded. after all, the song says "and they'll know we are Christians by our love."

[Andy]

Thank you, truly, for taking time to write this letter -- as the old protest chant goes, "This is what democracy looks like!" As a person of faith, I find it suspect when any "Christian" organization has a political agenda which so neatly mirrors the platform of a particular political party. Contrast Focus on the Family with its most prominent progressive Christian counterpart, Sojourner's, whose motto is "God is not a Republican OR a Democrat." Two, isn't there something wrong with a "family" organization that spends millions of dollars combating the "threat" of gay marriage -- without ever being able to articulate just what the negative consequences might be, other than "the end of civilization as we know it" -- and yet remains silent on issues such as state-sponsored torture and the deaths of more than 30,000 people as the result of a decision to go to war based on intelligence that was either plain faulty or deliberately misused.

I am honored to be sharing Blogging for LGBT Families Day with you!

[Unbalanced]

Hi, I just popped in here from Mombian to read all the post that participated today. I enjoyed reading your letter and from a straight view point. I hope it inspires people to write letters of their own.

[frog]

Excellent letter. Thanks!

[Melissa]

Great letter Molly. We're dealing with this issue in Wisconsin also. My philosophy is any kind of love is a good and beautiful love. I wish people would stop being so small minded.

[Gwyn]

Yes, sadly even progressive Wisconsin has taken several steps backward in defense of "families," or is trying to. Very eloquently stated on your part. I absolutely do not *get* why in the world we're wasting taxpayers' dollars on this issue AT all.