Newsletter: "I Do" PSA Urges Obama to Support the Freedom to Marry

Over the past several months, the NOH8 Campaign has been working on a brand new PSA inspired by the Freedom to Marry's Letter to President Barack Obama, which illustrates how important it is for the President of the United States to publicly and vocally support the freedom to marry.

While President Obama recently announced his support of the Respect for Marriage Act - a bill that would repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act - now is a critical time for the President to put into plain words what he has avoided saying up until now.

With some help from our cast of familiar faces known around the world, NOH8 has created this special video public service announcement reinforcing the Letter to the President in our own words. The "I Do" PSA includes appearances from musicians Mya, Sara Bareilles, and Trina, as well as TV Host Larry King, TV icon David Hasselhoff, Bassist Tommy Joe Ratliff, New England Patriot Bret Lockett, and actor Verne Troyer; all of whom have had their names added to the letter's list of notable signatures.

CHECK OUT OUR CAST OF FAMILIAR FACES IN THE NEW "I DO" PSA HERE

Visit Freedom to Marry's "I Do" Site and add your name to the list of over 116,000 signatures supporting this incredibly important letter; a copy of which you can view at the bottom of this page!

Let's show everyone just how many signatures Team NOH8 can add!

Click the banner above to sign the letter!

LARRY KING & MYA

SARA BAREILLES & BRET LOCKETT

DAVID HASSELHOFF & TRINA

VERNE TROYER & TOMMY JOE RATLIFF

The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

In February, you made a powerful statement about the law.

Invoking guarantees enshrined in the Constitution, you and the Attorney General determined that federal discrimination against gay and lesbian couples in marriage is unconstitutional. Thank you for taking a principled stance and an important step toward equal protection under the law for all Americans.

Today we ask you to take the next step and join the majority of Americans who support allowing loving and committed gay and lesbian couples to legally marry.

Mr. President, marriage matters. In law, in love, in life, marriage says "we are family" in a way that nothing else does. Marriage is the coming together of two lives, marked by a public promise of love and responsibility in front of friends and family. And marriage brings not only public respect and personal significance, but also a safety net of legal protections, rights, and responsibilities for which there is no substitute.

Like so many Americans, you have spoken of your personal journey toward support for the freedom to marry. You have talked about the gay and lesbian people in your life, their commitment to each other and care for their kids, and their families that aren't so different from any other family.

We ask you now for your leadership on ending the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage, an exclusion that harms millions of Americans each day. Whether to end discrimination in marriage is a question America has faced before, and faces again today. With so many Americans talking it through in heartfelt conversations, it is a question that calls for clarity from the President.

You can offer hope to millions of young gay and lesbian Americans who are facing discrimination. You can tell them that their future is bright, that they, too, will be able to grow up and marry the person that they love, that the pursuit of happiness truly belongs to all of us. You can put government on the side of those seeking to care for their loved ones, instead of those standing in their way. You can affirm that for all of us, gay or non-gay, love is love and commitment counts— and that we Americans should treat others as we all want to be treated.

Mr. President, the time to end exclusion from marriage is now. We ask you to complete your journey and join us and the majority of Americans who support the freedom to marry.

Sincerely,

Several other NOH8 supporters have already supported the letter directly through the Freedom to Marry. Among them are Glee star and upcoming Emmy host Jane Lynch, TV host Andy Cohen, entertainer Lance Bass, and activist Zach Wahls, the University of Iowa student whose impassioned speech to the Iowa House of Representatives about growing up with gay parents went viral earlier this year. NOH8 Co-Founders Adam Bouska & Jeff Parshley have also signed the letter.

We're proud to support the efforts of and work side by side with such an amazing organization, and we hope our supporters show Freedom to Marry as much love and support as they continue to show us. We wish to thank Marc Solomon for his unrelenting support and cooperation throughout this project!

JANE LYNCH & ANDY COHEN

LANCE BASS & ZACH WAHLS

ADAM BOUSKA & JEFF PARSHLEY

Click the banner above to sign the letter!