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A full toolkit to simplify your planning
| Introduction | Instructions | Handouts | Sample Press Release | Sample Letter to the Editor | Links |
Sample Press Release
Fill out your information and send out this press release to your local newspapers. You can use the press release exactly as it is written, or you can change it however you like. Feel free to change the quotes to your own, it's fun to see your name in print! You can download a Microsoft Word version here.Contact: ________________
Tel: ____________________
Email: __________________
LGBT COMMUNITY DEMANDS EQUAL RIGHTS FOR EQUAL TAXES
Tax Day Rally Planned at XXXXX Post Office
On April 15th, thousands of same-sex couples across the United States will be reminded of their second-class status when they file their federal tax return form.
Despite living in committed relationships, same-sex couples—even those married in Massachusetts and Connecticut—must file as individuals, forgoing over 1,000 federal rights granted to heterosexual married couples.
This tax day, the LGBT community is demanding equal rights for equal taxation. Activists will be at the XXXXXXXXX post office from XXXX o'clock to XXXX o'clock rallying and passing out literature to protest the federal government's tax policy toward same-sex couples and to inform the public of the discrimination that LGBT individuals and couples continue to face. Rallies are being planned at local post offices across the country
Among the most egregious policies is the federal government’s denial of social security benefits and inheritance rights to same-sex couples. LGBT individuals are blocked access to their partner's social security benefits, often making retirement financially difficult, if not impossible. They are also denied access to the lump sum given to survivors which can make it hard to cover hospital and funeral expenses for their loved one.
"It's not fair that we pay the same taxes as everyone else, but our government restricts our ability to utilize the very programs that our tax dollars fund," said Lisa Marshall, one of the organizers of the tax day rallies.
"If the federal government demands LGBT individuals pay the same taxes as their heterosexual counterparts, then we need to have the same economic opportunities such as employment non-discrimination, federal recognition of our relationships, ability to serve in the military, and access to full social security benefits,"; she said.
The tax day rallies are being sponsored by Join the Impact MA, a grassroots organization that is working towards full LGBT equality on the state and national level.
More information about the rallies and their locations can be found at the website http://www.jointheimpactMA.com/taxday/.