What can I do in Hayseed, OH to advance civil rights?

[Deep13]

I work for a Dem. district attorney in a rural to suburban county in Ohio (not far from Akron). Well, talking to him about party matters gave me a depressing insight into just how deeply bigoted people around here are and to the extent that bigotry infects the D. party here. Essentially, the local party will not do even the most trivial move toward inclusion of gays. Tolerance on our part will somehow hurt the party--or so the thinking goes. What's worse is that for the boss, this isn't just a matter of political calculation. The man is deeply homophobic and it is based on his up-bringing.

Well, I'm not going to march in parades or do anything else that will ultimately get me fired. What can I do that is a bit more low-keyed? I know about P-flag and I'll check them out. I also have a friend who is pretty liberal and works for the human rights committee in Cleveland I can contact.

Any suggestions?

[Ian David]

1. Lots of organizations have programs where you can phonebank from home.

Or from one of their local offices.

[Deep13]

4. That assumes there is a campaign in progress.

There isn't.

Besides, I gottah tell yah, that is the one campaign activity I won't do. I went door to door for John Kerry, but I would not make phone calls. I know it is extremely intrusive (a least a door is a natural boundry and I can judge how I'm received in person) and knowing that, my anxiety just won't let me do it.

[Ian David]

6. Here's my advice for phone canvassing:

1) Ignore the opening to the script they give you.
2) DO NOT FOLLOW THE SCRIPT which almost always calls for you to ask, "Hi, may I speak to so-and-so?"
3) INSTEAD, first, give YOUR NAME (first name, not necessarily last name).
4) IMMEDIATELY Tell them who you're calling from.
5) RAPIDLY make a quick statement about WHY you're calling.
6) If it makes sense (and if it's true) VERY QUICKLY let them know you are NOT going to ask for money.
7) If they say something like, "You're the third person who's called me today about blah blah blah" immediately tell them you're sorry, and assure them you'll try to do something about it.

I used to have a terrible time phone canvassing until I learned this.

Also, if you're calling from MoveOn.org, it helps to avoid sounding like you're calling from Mo Vaughn.

[BR_Parkway]

2. Make sure the closet cases who fight against GLBT's can't hide in

those closets - and there's always some around.

[Deep13]

5. Closet bigots you mean?

I'm afraid most of them are out in the open here. :-( They can afford to be since in OH anyone can be fired or denied housing simply because of orientation.

[BR_Parkway]

7. Them too, but I mean the closet cases - the Larry Craigs, Mark Kirk's

the guy from CA who just got busted leaving the gay bar.

I've known a few homo-bigots who were also able to say that gays shouldn't be treated differently even though they were personally opposed because of their religion.

I'll take that over these married creeps who are playing around on the side and have to vote for every anti gay thing that comes their way to keep people from suspecting anything about them.

[donco6]

3. We're in exactly the same boat here in Adams County, Colorado.

Adams County is a traditional Dem county, but very conservaDem. One of the county commissioners, who used to be a state rep., is DEEPLY homophobic. In fact, I honestly think she's a little off her nut. I've heard her talking to a coworker on speakerphone about Jared Polis, and she was horrible about his being gay. I just stood there with my mouth open while the person she was ranting at sat there looking at me (this person knows I'm gay). She wanted me to hear it so I'd know what this crazy woman is like. And she's not the only one. We may be majority Dem, but it's a blue-collar, redneck kinda Dem. No Gays Need Apply.

(Jared got elected by Boulder - different county next door, but his district slops over into Adams Co, too.)

[Dragonbreathp9d]

8. I organized a No on Prop 8 protest in my small town

http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/localnews/stories/DRC_protest_1116.1b8c46e2f.html

Talk to your friends in the gay community, get involved with their normal, daily hangouts and spread the word. In most communities (outside of bum-fuck red towns) the gay community is fairly tight-knit, so spreading word of marches, protests, votes, etc. is actually very effective. Word of mouth is a powerful thing.

[Deep13]

9. I'm inside a bum-fuck red town.

If there is a gay community, I don't know about it. I'm not gay myself so I'm out of the loop.

I'll probably contact some of the statewide groups and ask them. This is a state where about half of the Kerry voters (and nearly all of the Bush voters) also voted for a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in Ohio. It wasn't legal in the first place. I blame the churches.

[Dragonbreathp9d]

10. hit college campuses too

[Deep13]

11. I think I'll start with the local party itself.

The state party by-laws say that it "should" not discriminate based on orientation (nothing on atypical gender identity), but it doesn't say it "shall not" discriminate.

I wonder if the local charter contains anything like that at all. I sent an email to a contact in the local party I know to ask about it.

[Deep13]

12. A contact in the local D. party is receptive to adding ...

... nondiscrimination language to the county party charter. He wants me to draft a proposal.