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For all of the hammering of what is known as "Gay, Inc." in online spaces, (although I prefer the term "legacy" organizations) it is nice to have some examples of how things could work better. I found one great example in my inbox today.
One Colorado Education Fund, an arm of the LGBT equality group in the state, commissioned two polls- one of 4,600 LGBT Coloradans (including special efforts to reach people of color and transgender individuals) as well as 1,000 non-LGBT Coloradans on their perspectives regarding issues important to LGBT people. Colorado is a moderately pro-LGBT state at the legislative level, enacting housing, public accomodations, employment and hate crimes protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as allowing unmarried same-sex couples to adopt each other's children and make certain medical decisions for each other. State employees also can have their domestic partners on benefit plans. But the polling demonstrated that about a third of those polled were unaware such protections existed. And the state both enacted a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage as well as defeating a proposal to enact domestic partnership benefits. There is still a long way to go on that front.
The poll is a smart endeavor at accomplishing several things. One is obviously to communicate how pro-LGBT Coloradans are to lawmakers and the rest of the public. But to me, the most interesting part is how the numbers get at what LGBT Coloradans face and how they live. The numbers include percentage of those with health insurance, income levels, employment that all elicit some concern, and even figures like 83% of LGBT Coloradans have given money, goods or services to non-profits in the past year, and 31% of transgender people have served on a committee or board for a charitable group. I view this as a great way to communicate that LGBT Coloradans and families face the same struggles everyone else does, and give back the same way, too. In many places I've traveled, there is a perception that the gays are all well-off, living in fabulously decorated condos and never spend time giving back to their community. These numbers push back at that.
Equally important is how the numbers describe startling percentages of those who are not out of the closet at home or work, or have faced harassment on the street, in a public place, or in school- also an important way to communicate how Colorado is still not "live and let live". It goes back to what I keep repeating on the national level, how people can be fired just for who they love in 29 states, and how they appear in 38 states. This is that, except on a micro-level. Very important. You can check out full results of the poll here.
What I like almost as much as the polling idea is the town hall meetings across the state to open the floor up for ideas on how to build a better LGBT equality movement in the state- and in partnership with other progressive groups across the state. From my inbox:
Dear Adam,
YOU spoke. WE listened. Check out the results!
Join One Colorado and our community partners for a series of townhall meetings throughout the state. We will present the findings from the recent Needs Assessment of LGBT Coloradans, engage in an open dialogue, and seek your input about the next steps for a fair and just Colorado.
Boulder - July 13: 7:00 PM - RSVP HERE
Fort Collins - July 19: 7:00 PM - RSVP HERE
Colorado Springs - July 20: 7:00 PM - RSVP HERE
Denver - July 21: 7:00 PM - RSVP HERE
Durango - July 27: 7:00 PM - RSVP HERE
Grand Junction - July 29: 7:00 PM - RSVP HERE
Invite your friends, family and neighbors. All are welcome to attend and help shape the future of a statewide LGBT equality movement!
Sincerely,
Brad Clark
Executive Director
Townhall Co-Hosts
Interfaith Alliance of Colorado, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado, Progress Now, New Era Colorado Foundation, ACLU of Colorado, 9to5, National Association of Working Women - Colorado, Healthy Colorado Youth Alliance, Latina Initiative, The Kaleidoscope Project, Two Spirit Society, Gender Identity Center, Colorado AIDS Project, LGBT Community Center of Colorado, Denver PFLAG, PFLAG Boulder County, PFLAG Durango/Four Corners, PFLAG Fort Collins/Northern Colorado, Boulder Pride, Western Equality, Lambda Community Center, Denver Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, Babes Around Denver, Inside Out Youth Services of Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak Community Center, Out Front Colorado, Four Corners Gay & Lesbian Alliance for Diversity, Denver GLBT Commission, Sisters in Lesbian Kinship, Men's Supper Group of Fort Collins, Fortitude Men's Group, OGLBT, City of Fort Collins Recreation Department, CU-Boulder LGBT Resource Center, Imperial Court of the Rocky Mountains, GLSEN Colorado
I mention this because one of the most frequent criticisms of national "legacy" organizations in our movement is the lack of openness and accountability. I suggested the idea of once-a-year town hall meetings in cities across the country to HRC President Joe Solmonese in person last November, and it's something I still strongly suggest his and other groups take up. There will always be vociferous critics of positions groups like HRC take, but I find much of the criticism is simply not grounded in fact. A simple example is "HRC hasn't done anything", which is one I hear a lot, and debunked here and here. I got a ton of e-mails after each of those pieces from pretty apolitical LGBT friends who said they didn't realize HRC did more than just concerts and fundraisers- and from political colleagues who admitted the group was better than the vociferous criticism leveled, in some respects at least. On top of that, Joe himself told me in an interview he welcomes constructive criticism. You won't always find well-informed or reasonable viewpoints from some who attend town hall meetings, but you will find many. And among those who aren't, you might find that minds are more open after engaging them. What I see from our community is a cry for more dialogue and being able to question strategies, have questions answered, and simply engage with our leaders who go to the White House and Capitol Hill and represent us. I'd love to see more of that, not just from HRC, but from groups across the spectrum- and One Colorado is setting a good example.
The point here is that you won't always win over those who disagree on strategy, but you will open a dialogue, and you will dissect and eliminate some misperceptions. I'm glad One Colorado is moving toward that, and it's something like to see on the national level, too.
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