U.S. CONGRESS TO ADDRESS MURDERS OF LGBT HONDURANS YOU CAN HELP!

IMMEDIATE   ACTION NEEDED! Contact the Foreign   Policy Staffer in Washington DC Office of Your U.S.   Representative!

On   Monday, June 11, 2012, U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) began   circulating a House sign-on “Dear Colleague” letter (found below)   addressing the murders of 70 gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT)   Hondurans since the June 2009 coup. It highlights the recent murder of GLBTI   leader and candidate of the resistance LIBRE party Erick   Martinez, seeks specific information on the 2009 murder of LGBT coup   resistance leader Walter Trochez, and requests the outcomes of   the 10 cases that have been “closed” through the U.S. assisted Special Victims   Unit in Honduras.

Initial   signers of the letter include Equality Caucus co-chairs Reps. Polis (D-CO),   Cicilline (D-RI), Frank (D-MA), and Baldwin (D-WI) – and also Reps. Berman   (D-CA), and Schakowsky (D-IL). The deadline to sign on to this letter is   Wednesday, June 20.

We   need your help in   securing the signature on this letter of your rep and reps from your state. If   your rep is a member of the Equality Caucus in the House of   Representatives (see attachment) – even if they have never signed a   letter on Honduras – your rep will likely want to join in to sign on to this   letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The   Congressional Switchboard number is (202) 224-3121

If   you do NOT know you rep, type in your zip code this website: http://www.house.gov/representatives

Ask   to speak with the aide who handles foreign policy. Use   the script below in speaking with the aide. If the aide does not recall seeing   the letter, ask for his or her email address so that you can send a copy of   the letter (below).

If   the foreign policy aide is not is not available, ask   to leave a message on his or her answering machine. Be sure to ask for the   name foreign policy staffer so you can follow up.

Script:“My name is _____. I am a constituent in (town / city neighborhood). I am   calling to ask Rep. _____ to join in signing the Polis letter in seeking   information from the State Department about the 70 murders of gay, lesbian,   bisexual and transgender Honduran since the 2009 military coup in Honduras.   Has Rep. _­___ seen this letter? Can I count on him/her to sign on? The   deadline to sign on is March 20. Please call me this week at (your phone   number) to let me know if you have seen the letter, and if Rep_____ will sign   it.”

To   sign on to the letter, your reps’ foreign policy staffer must email Rafael   Reyneri in Rep. Polis office to inform him.

Gary L. Cozette

Honduras   Solidarity Network – Congressional Action   Team

Program Director,   Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America   (CRLN)

773.350.3518   cell

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