Position Statement in Opposition to the Proposed Texas Constitutional Amendment to Ban Gay Marriage

To [Appropriate Title and Name],

The Texas Legislature will soon take up debate on House Joint Resolution 6, a constitutional amendment that would bar marriage between same-sex couples. I am writing on behalf of the membership of the Dallas County Young Democrats to encourage you to oppose this measure.

Present state law already limits marriage to mixed-gendered couples, as Texas is one of many states to have passed a Defense of Marriage  act. Thus, the proposed amendment would be redundant and ultimately unnecessary. Proponents of the measure express concern that a judicial decision such as occurred in Massachusetts might overturn state law, but in doing so they are ignoring the significant differences between the Texas and Massachusetts Constitutions. The Texas Constitution does not include the sorts of provisions which led to the decision in Massachusetts.

Proponents also ignore the possible unintended consequences of this proposal. Not only could this proposal lead to discrimination against gays and lesbians in areas not related to marriage, it might also produce the sorts of problems now arising in Ohio. After passing a similar proposal in 2004, Ohioans have now learned that state law no longer protects heterosexuals in unmarried relationships from domestic abuse. It would be a tragedy for Texans to find themselves in such a problematic situation, but such may well be the result of the passage of the proposed constitutional amendment.

The Texas Legislature meets for only a few months every two years. In a state as large and diverse as Texas, that does not leave much time for dealing with the multitude of issues that require consideration. It is wasteful to spend that time debating an unnecessary constitutional amendment the impact of which on the daily lives of countless Texans will be, at best, unpredictable.

We strongly encourage you to act quickly in defeating this proposal so that the government of Texas might turn its attention back to more important issues.