On Presidents' Day, Monday Feb. 21st, we're meeting at 10:30am at the Capitol. Please bring a picture of your family that you'd like to leave with your representatives. We'll help you to meet with your legislators, to introduce your family and explain why equality is important to you. Email for all details to: members@justnm.org...or meet us on Facebook.

Feb 17th, 2011: Thank you! Those who sent an email, made a call or showed up at the Roundhouse this afternoon made a difference. The 3 DOMAs filed in the NM House were tabled by the committee. Please send an email to thank Reps Moe Maestas & Bill O'Neill for their votes to table, and Rep. Gail Chasey for running the hearing in a fair, evenhanded way. This leaves us one more DOMA on the Senate side, which we'll update you about as soon as a hearing is calendared.

Feb 14th, 2011: Happy Valentine's Day! Just in: The 3 DOMAs filed in the NM House will be heard in the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee on Thursday, Feb. 17th.

Your help is needed! The committee is getting bombarded with anti-gay messages from a few New Mexicans who want their religion's rules to be our laws. We have to show up and speak up. The committee meets at 1:30pm (or when the House recesses) in room 315 at the Roundhouse.

I can't take off a day's work on Thursday! Yeah, we know what you mean. So CALL the Roundhouse, ask for your legislator's office, and tell them that you're unable to attend but want them to know you're against all DOMAs and you vote. (You do vote, right?)

But I live in Las Cruces/Silver City/Nambe! What can I do besides show up?Please call your legislator. Tell her/him, "We want the DOMAs to be defeated. Thanks for your support for all New Mexico families." That's all you have to say! The phone calls really help the legislators to develop a sense that we care about this issue.

Why aren't you giving me a link to send a form letter via email? Glad you asked. Those don't work. If you can't be present on Thursday for the hearing, and you can't come to visit on Monday the 21st either, please call your legislator. If you can't do that, email works, but only if you did it yourself. Your email can be as simple as 'New Mexico doesn't discriminate, so let's keep it that way! Please vote NO on any definitions of marriage.' or as personal as you feel moved to write, but to be effective it has to come from you. (See, calling and leaving a message sounds easy now, doesn't it?)

If you aren't sure who your legislator is, click here.

If you want to read more about how to effectively contact your public officials, check out this essay from Pat Davis at Democracy for NM.

Jan. 25, 2011: Here in New Mexico, the Legislature is in session--which means anything can happen! State Senator Bill Sharer (R-Farmington) has once again filed a constitutional amendment that would re-define marriage to exclude same-sex couples.

But this time he's not alone. Rep. Nora Espinoza has also filed a familiar amendment in the House.

Rep. David Chavez, of Valencia County, is new to the House. He filed both a constitutional DOMA and a statutory DOMA that would divorce New Mexico's hundreds of married same-sex couples--not to mention any who might visit our beautiful and friendly state.

So far these bills are the only anti-marriage items on this session's calendar--but we'll update as needed.

For a DOMA to become the law, it has to pass both the House and Senate, then be signed by the Governor. For a proposed DOMA amendment to become the law, it would have to pass through committee and floor votes in both sides of the Roundhouse. If that happened, it would go onto the next ballot for a vote.

We will email an action alert when any of these bills is going to be heard in a committee.

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Our roundup of what's happening across the US is here.

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Just New Mexico is a working group of New Mexicans united to move our state toward marriage equality.

We need practical, concrete solutions to the problems related to our families' legal status. We believe that this is the time. With your help, we can get equal treatment for same-sex couples under New Mexico law.

If you're wondering who we are, how we see the problem and our mission to solve it, what our plan is, or why anyone would want to be married, use the links at the top to explore.

If we've made the sale--you know what marriage means and you want it for yourself or your friends/relatives/colleagues/same-sex couples in NM--all we ask of you is that you join us.