Question on Marriage Amendment

[Jennifer5]

okay one of you was talking about addressing these questions on another thread regarding marriage ammendment....

have you spoken about all the other effects the amendment would have besides just banning "gay" marriage? Does it affect straight people? Does it take away partner benefits? (people's health care coverage? How many children would lose medical coverage if this amendment passed? What about domestic violence protections stripped away from straight women with abusive boyfriends?).

....is there a way to address these things and maybe find a good way to share them with people who need to hear it...

[Zerbie]

Howdy sis! I recognize my blabbermouth quoted above.

Thank you Jen, for bringing this up again. We need to tell everyone we know what the repercussions of these state by state "marriage" amendments are. They are nearly identical in wording, in every state where they have passed or are being considered. So we can refer to consequences in states that have already passed an amendment as strongly likely or maybe even inevitable to happen in the next state to pass one as well.

Here is what I have done: I have spoken to *almost* every acquaintance in my day to day life about our state's amendment which WILL BE VOTED ON in November. In the coming few months, I plan to approach those few I've been hesitant about, as time grows short.

For 12 months after the amendment was announced, I wore a "gay marriage" button every single day, and a rainbow wristband (until they broke) every day - and those items made for a conversation-starter daily. Most people reacted supportively, and many others were curious/uninformed/undecided. I asked them if they knew about our state's proposed amendment. Usually they did not know about it at all, or they had only heard something vague. SO I told those folk what the amendment's wording was, what it would do. How it would hurt people, gay AND straight, AND their minor children, and personally ASKED THEM to please vote no.

I carried brochures from the Vote No campaign with me every place I went all year long, and passed them out to friends, colleagues, and even strangers. Eating at a restaurant once I got on the subject with the waitress, handed her some fliers I had with me, and she signed up to be a volunteer for the campaign!

When it became clear that the opposition was going to get their signatures in, I spent a few days literally pulling every aquaintance aside one on one to hand them a brochure, tell them I was opposing the amendment, and - since I live in SUCH a conservative area with many Mormons, I would usually say, "I don't know what your views are on this subject, but it goes way beyond 'gay marriage' and harms many people, both gay AND straight. So I hope you will vote NO this November." Then invite them to approach me later if they had any questions about the amendment, our campaign, or our opponents. A lot of people DID have questions. I even had a gay aquaintance get visibly uncomfortable when I handed him a flier titled "FAQ about Protect Marriage Arizona." He looked upset and asked if I was FOR the amendment. I said no, and proceeded to hand him web addresses for LGBT rights' groups and our NO campaign, but I have to say I felt bad that he even had to ask which side I was on.

Anyway - I hope others who have nothing to lose in doing so will approach their friends/colleagues/aquaintances too. We have many people who WOULD be our allies, but who are not informed on these issues. Who still have never heard how a lack of legal protections impacts a relationship. How these amendments impact straight people too - don't forget that for most of the folk you run into, the fact that it impacts STRAIGHTS is going to be a tipping point. Sad, but true. I ran into those who tuned me out with blank faces until I said unmarried straight women are being denied domestic violence protections. Suddenly, they cared.

So - that's what I've done. And I'd love to do more if anyone has suggestions.

[Jennifer5]

Yeah, I hear what you're saying Zerbie... I hadn't realized it was you I was quoting.... we seem to think a lot a like, it's kind of weird.

I agree that the work you've done is really important. I was thinking, maybe there's a way to write this all into like a flyer... so everyone could send it out to everyone they know... send it out on all different web-sites and e-mail and spread the word as far as we can....

thanks for bringing it up Zerbie

[Zerbie]

Thinking alike: is it weird?

Nah.

We're both geniuses.



Okay, first resource I can point ya to is our local NO campaign.

Go to www.aztogether.org, and click on "how does this affect me?" for a list of repercussions these amendments have.

I'm sure other sites already have these points listed out as well.

Every so often, I collect web addresses and updated relevant info and then personally write an info-email that I then send to dozens of people I know. I try to provide as briefly as possible the essentials of what is going on, and provide useful resources too, like the link to voter registration online services. I write it in a chatty, emotive style, and try to be as quick and clear as possible since I send something every few weeks or month or so.

Said emails are typically the result of a couple/few hours of research that I do on my own collecting the info and links. That way all my friends who support our issues but don't have time/energy for following all this stuff themselves are kept up to date vicariously through the things I am doing.

[Jennifer5]

do you know where I might be able to find one for washington state? I don't know if there's a site or not... I was hoping that when I get a little more educated on the material that maybe a couple of us could put together a flyer or something... something that could be printed and given to churchs or just e-mailed out... because people don't have a clue what it effects them and just how much damage it could do....

Zerbie... I just think it's weird because, we say we're sisters... but then we really start sounding the same and thinking the same... just kind of freaked me out when I realized I quoted you, because it's not the first time that I've done things like this...