The Gist

Sending a Thank You Note

That great gay American hero, Congressman Barney Frank, was on the show today and asked everyone to write their members of Congress who voted in favor of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, HR 1592. His point was well taken: Members of Congress usually hear from us when we're battling it out with religious conservatives and their soldiers, urging members to vote the right way. But they need to hear from people after they do the right thing. And, as Barney pointed out, next up is a vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, banning discrimination against gays in housing and employment. The House leadership really did come together on the hate crimes bill and fought hard ; we want them to do the same on ENDA.

Barney said that the radical right did whip up a lot of hate in the end -- as openly lesbian Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin told me on the show yesterday -- and scared a lot of members who began to get cold feet, particularly over transgender inclusion. All the more reason to contact them and let them know they did the right thing. This is a breakdown of members who voted for the hate crimes bill. Look for your member of Congress, and then, if he or she did vote the right way, go to the House website and look up your representative's email address, and send him or her a big thank you note.