Massachusetts Citizens for Marriage
 1277 Main Street ,  Waltham ,  MA 02451
781-647-1942

The Honorable Thomas Birmingham
Room 332, State House
Boston , MA 02133

Dear Senator Birmingham:

As you know, we have worked very hard to get the “Protection of Marriage” Amendment on the ballot for 2004, although many predicted from the start that our mission was “impossible.”

• The Amendment was approved by Atty. Gen. Tom Reilly in September for a vote by the citizens in the election of 2004.

• After the Attorney General’s approval, more than 100,000 raw signatures were gathered during the fall with 76,607 of them being certified by Secretary of State Bill Galvin in December. That was not a surprise because everyone’s polling, including our opponents, shows that 60% of the citizens favor the Amendment. That is why the opponents don’t want the voters to decide.

• The opponents of the measure were not happy with their defeat, but they allowed the deadline for a challenge of the signatures to pass in January without appeal.

As you know, the next hurdle is that the measure must get 50 votes from the 200 members of the House and Senate sitting together as a Constitutional Convention.

Many people are saying that this Amendment will “never see the light of day and will be buried in the Senate.”

We certainly respect your opinion in this matter and we also respect your desire to vote as you see fit. However, if it continues to appear as though the Senate is not going to allow a vote on the issue, we are prepared to unleash the largest advertising and lobbying campaign that this state has seen.

I should also note that the majority of the supporters of this measure are Democrat