Tell your governor and state representatives to repeal any anti-cohabitation laws. 

Dear Governor ___ / Representative ___:

Please propose repealing [your state's] anti-cohabitation law.

Only six U.S. states, including [your state], still have anti-cohabitation laws in effect.  The majority of households in America are unmarried; in fact, the majority of households in 23 states and over 389 cities are unmarried.  Yet in [your state], non-marital households still face housing discrimination. 

[Your state's] anti-cohabitation law is in effect despite being outdated and no longer actively enforced.  Cohabitation is no longer viewed as a "crime against public morals and decency" by most people in [your state]. Let's repeal this archaic law so that a man and woman who love each other can live together in [your state] without being called criminals!

[add your personal story here]

It is completely unfair for any U.S. state to prohibit unmarried couples from living together. Repealing [your state's] anti-cohabitation law would properly reflect [your state's] current policies and concerns; it would demonstrate that [your state] respects the reality of people's lives and would make [your state] a better place for different-sex couples to live.

Sincerely,

Name

Address

City State Zip

Phone number or email address

Tell your governor and state representatives to prohibit marital status discrimination.

Here is a sample letter you can use.  (Unmarried households are the majority these states: AL, AK. AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, LA, MD, MA, MS, NE, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, VT, WA.  If your state is on this list, be sure to mention it in your letter!) 

Dear Governor ___ / Representative ___:

Please propose prohibiting marital status discrimination in [your state].

Unlike [your state], approximately half of U.S. states already prohibit marital status discrimination.  This makes sense because the majority of households in America are unmarried; in fact, the majority of households in 23 states and over 389 cities are unmarried.  Yet in [your state], non-marital households face discrimination when seeking a place to live.

In [your state], landlords can legally refuse to rent to an unmarried couple or non-marital family. Some towns in [your state] might also prohibit unmarried households from living in certain neighborhoods.  The Federal Fair Housing Act does not prohibit marital status discrimination; the burden is on the states to protect residents from discrimination based on their marital status.

[add your personal story here]

It is completely unfair for any U.S. state to permit housing discrimination on the basis of marital status because there is no correlation between marital status and being a good tenant, homeowner or neighbor.  Prohibiting marital status discrimination would demonstrate that [your state] values justice and diversity, and would make [your state] a better place for all families to live.

Sincerely,

Name
Address
City State Zip
Phone number or email address

Tell Congress to amend the Federal Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of marital status. 

One good place to send the same letter to multiple legislators (e.g. Congress person, both senators, your state legislators) and the President is at http://www.congress.org.  Here is a sample letter: