Activism
The first step in protecting your rights is to express your opinion to the people who are supposed to be representing you in the government. On the national level, that means the President, the two Senators from your state, and the Representative from your district. These people want to hear your opinion -- because they are afraid you will vote against them. They'll weigh your views against the others that they hear and what they think the "silent majority" will tolerate, but if they don't know what you think they can't take it into consideration.
Below the national level, you can contact your state and local governments. Those vary widely in the details of their organization, so we can't offer direct links to contact them. We have links to selected state government websites below. If your state isn't listed, email us with the URL!