correspondence

The Daily Marriage Equality Letters Sent to Barack Obama (That He’ll Never Read)

Today, after a bit of a gap, is Briann Lambert’s seventh (daily-ish) letter to Barack Obama encouraging him to support gay marriage. Her first letter was sent while Barack was still on holiday with his two daughters and his wife Michelle, whose permission he didn’t have to request, from a court or a judge or the legislature, to marry. Briann’s seventh letter arrives with a note about the federal Prop 8 Perry trial. But Briann’s 24-hour letter cycle is not, in fact, unique.

Crystal Alburger, who married her wife in Iowa, has been sending Obama letters since August 6. Her last letter, from Sunday, quotes Dorothy Day: “No one has the right to sit down and feel hopeless. There’s too much work to be done.” Her letter from Saturday read in part: “Writing to you often seems hopeless. You won’t get my letters–and, even if you do, you won’t be able to do anything for me. Gay rights aren’t a priority for you, so why should writing to you be a priority for me? Oh, wait, I invariably recall on my way out of doubt: that’s why. Our human dignity needs to be a priority for you.”

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