Today, January 6, members of Congress raise their right hand and swear to uphold the Constitution as they begin the new legislative session.

Let's make sure the first thing they hear about is the importance of an Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that protects all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

In D.C., make their phone ring!

Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and have them connect you to your Representative (based on your zip code). Tell them: "I am a constituent and I would like you to please tell Representative _______ that I strongly support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act that would ban discrimination against all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people."

Then, call back and leave messages with your two Senators too!

At home, set up a visit!

Request an in-person meeting for you and other community members with your two Senators and your Representative (or their staffs) in their home district offices. You can call the district offices to request these meetings but they often want you to fax a meeting request. To find contact info for district offices, go to www.senate.gov and www.house.gov.

Sample meeting request letters, and other talking points and resources for your meetings, are available at PFLAG's Bringing the Message Home website. 

Let us know!

Let us know how your meeting went. Contact Rhodes Perry (rperry@pflag.org), PFLAG National's Field and Policy Manager. Also visit www.unitedenda.org, and fill out the Lobby Report Form to tell us whether your Representative and Senators expressed support. 

 

 

 

Just minutes ago, the new 111th Congress was sworn in on Capitol Hill.

That means there are dozens of freshman members settling into their offices right now, figuring out their legislative priorities for the coming weeks and months.

We have to tell the new Congress just how important it is to pass the Military Readiness Enhancement Act -- legislation that will repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and replace it with a non-discrimination law.

We're looking for 12,500 people to sign our petition to the new Congress. Will you be one of them?

http://www.sldn.org/congress

The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network is already busy at work, scheduling meetings with Senators and Representatives to talk about the importance of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in this legislative cycle.

But we don't want to walk into those Congressional office visits alone -- we want you, your friends and your family members to be there with us. SLDN wants to be able to hand each office a stack of thousands of names of people across the country committed to repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and creating a more competitive and effective military.

These politicians don't answer to SLDN -- they answer to each and every one of you. That's why we need your help.

Sign our petition to the 111th Congress, and encourage them to support the Military Readiness Enhancement Act.

http://www.sldn.org/congress

Over the past 15 years, 12,500 brave men and women have been discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

With your help, we can send at least 12,500 signatures to Congress and finally lift the ban.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Aubrey Sarvis
Executive Director
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network