[LETTERHEAD]
[INSERT DATE]
The Honorable Evan Low
California State Assembly
1021 O Street, Room 6110
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Support for ACA 5 – Marriage Equality
Dear Assemblymember Low,
[Your Organization] is pleased to support Assembly Constitutional Amendment (ACA) 5, which would amend the California Constitution relating to marriage equality.
According to the 2020 census, California has the most same-sex couples living together than any state, almost 135,900, of which roughly 85,100 are married. In addition, with Senate Bill 179 (Chapter 853, Statutes of 2017) allowing for the third gender category of non-binary to be added to legal documents in the state since 2019, it is important to expand the legal definition of marriage within our constitution beyond that of only the union between man and woman.
LGBTQ+ individuals are already subjected to many forms of discrimination and marginalization, leading to heightened rates of mental illness, suicidality, hate crimes, homicides, homelessness, poverty, and more. In addition, since 2022, the LGBTQ+ community has remained the target of over 300 bills introduced across the country, intending to strip them of their rights and visibility.
Recent decision by the federal government creates uncertainty in the future for California’s equality measures. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court published its decision in the Dobbs v.
Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, which overturned the court’s previous rulings in Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood of Pennsylvania. If the Supreme Court rules to overturn the precedents set in Obergefell v. Hodges, same-sex marriages in California could be at risk.
[Information about why ACA 5 is important for your organization or examples.]
ACA 5 would amend the California Constitution relating to marriage equality to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ Californians.
For these reasons, [Organization] supports ACA 5.
Sincerely,
Name
Title
Organization