Sep 21st, 2006
Online activism that could actually be effective.
The Task Force has set up an online system that makes it really easy for you to spread the word about horribly discriminatory amendments that will be on the ballot in various states in 2006. Here’s the email that came from Matt Foreman, Executive Director of The Task Force:
I am writing to urge you to participate in our new Phone Home campaign! It’s a campaign to mobilize fair-minded people everywhere in the fight against the anti-LGBT constitutional amendments that will be on the November ballot in eight states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.
If you come from or know anyone in any of these states — and surely you do — then you can take action today.
Just go to the campaign Web site, www.PhoneHome2006.org, where you’ll find all the tools you need to quickly and easily contact your relatives, friends, classmates and former co-workers in these states and tell them you need them to do the right thing on Nov. 7. You can also donate to the state campaigns through this site.
Your LGBT community members back home need all the help they can get — so take action today. Please also forward this message to everyone you know. There’s no time to waste.
My Dad’s family lives in Wisconsin, so I emailed my cousins and aunts and uncles, and Russ’ family lives in Colorado. My cousin Andy (who I really only see at weddings and funerals) replied: “Already on it, thanks.”
Check the states involved and think hard about who you know who lives there. Then go to the website and sent them a note.
My tips:
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Personalize the message. The site gives you a basic outline, but it will have more of an impact if you name names. It’s one thing to say “this amendment is an attack on gay families;” but it really hits home to say, “this amendment is an attack on your Uncle Lee and Russ.”
Preview the message and proofread. Make sure your message is logical and coherent before you send it off to Grandma.
Gather the emails addresses ahead of time. Figure out who are are going to send the message to before you start personalizing the message so you don’t get sidetracked while having to dig around for email addresses. (Not that I’d know anything about that.)
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If you are worried that taking a stand might make your friends/family feel uncomfortable, do it anyway. If it’s tough talking about how personally anti-gay discrimination affects you now, imagine how impossible it will be if these amendments actually pass.
Already on that bandwagon and helping to promote someone who will soon be speaking on this issue in our church. We are having a night of “dessert and discussion” which will be open to the public and widely advertised in this area by my pastor. The UCC church has taken a stand to be open and accepting and that is the background from which this lady is coming. The really aggrivating part about this bill and their methods of advertising it is that they are pushing only the gay end of it–they want people to vote for it not realizing it will also affect male/female couples who happen to be living together. I was most happy to see a commercial just the other day presenting THAT end of it. [see similar ads here] The lady in the commercial had nothing when her male partner died because they had never been married. I’m already campaigning, but thanks for including me on the mailing!