Marriage equality has yet to be reached in 34 states. This holiday season, GLAAD is launching "Our Only Wish" campaign, so you can tell those states' governors exactly what's on the top of your wish list: full equality for LGBT people and their families.
"LGBT families are lucky to have equal protection under the law in 16 states and Washington, D.C.," said GLAAD's national spokesperson, Wilson Cruz. "But in most states," he continued, "LGBT people are denied the opportunity to simply marry the person they love, putting their families at risk and burdening them with discriminatory hardships. This holiday season, our only wish is that lawmakers will support the equality of all loving families."
To help make this wish come true, Cooper and Todd—partners of 15 years, fathers of two, and residents of Texas—sent their holiday card featuring the family of four, to Governor Rick Perry (who made headlines a couple of years ago with his own holiday message). The Koch family (pictured) is no stranger to showing the nation that LGBT families are loving families. You may recognize them from the 2012 JC Penney print ad that spotlighted the diversity of contemporary families.
"It's a lot harder to oppose something when you can see its face and you know its name," Cooper said, explaining they decided to send the family photo to Gov. Perry, "so that he can see the faces of the citizens of Texas that are being harmed by inequality. And so that he can see the love that we have for our children and how it's the same as the love he has for his."
GLAAD is encouraging LGBT families and their supporters across the country to join Todd, Cooper, and Our Only Wish campaign by sending their own holiday family photos and message supporting LGBT equality to their respective governors. You can find out how to contact your governor via snail mail, twitter using the hashtag #OnlyWish, and e-mail here.