Slide show to accompany a guest lecture about issue advocacy and LGBTQ Rights.

1. Advocacy, Activism,
and LGBTQ
© Thomas C Waters
March 2012
thomascwaters.com
http://www.slideshare.net/tcwaters/

2. Advocacy, Activism, and LGBTQ
• State of things for LGBTQ
• Advocacy/Activism and You!

3. Advocacy, Activism, and LGBTQ
Blogger
– thomascwaters.com
– QLATB.com
• Advocacy Chair for the Delta Foundation of
Pittsburgh
• Member* of Pittsburgh Citizen’s Police Review
Board
• Highland Park resident, partner Brad

4. The State of things…
• LGBT
• What about the Q?
• Pennsylvania
– Employment, housing and public accommodations
– Hate crimes
– Safe schools
– Same-sex marriage/Domestic Partnership
– Other

5. http://equalitypa.org/maps.html

6. Employment, housing and public
accommodations
• PA HB 300
• 26 cities, towns or other entities offer these
protections
• 16 +DC (LGBT), 21+DC (LGB)
• Over 85% of people surveyed believe that
sexual orientation and gender identity are
already protected in employment.

7. Hate crimes
• 30 +DC (LGB), 13+DC (LGBT)
• 14 laws that do not cover LGB or T
• PA had a hate crimes law that was found
unconstitutional by the courts but has failed to
be passed ever since.
• Civil libertarians are generally opposed to hate
crimes legislation as it creates a two-tier
justice system which isn’t fair.

8. Safe schools
• 18+DC (LGB), 16+DC (LGBT)
• Some school laws protect sexual orientation: 5
states
• Some school regulations LGB 7 states (includes
PA)
• No protections 6 states
• Multiple approaches and types of legislation work
towards this end goal.

9. Same-sex marriage or CU or DP
• Marriage 8+DC
• Comprehensive CU/DP 9+DC
• Out-of-state recog. 3
• Nothing 30 states (includes PA)
• There has been a PA SB for the last 2 sessions
sponsored by Daylin Leach

10. Other issues
• Adoption/ Joint Adoption
• Second Parent Adoption
• Foster Care laws
• Parents using donor insemination
• Birth certificate laws
• Medical decision making laws
• Medical leave laws

11. Advocacy vs Activism
Photo by My Manatee

12. Advocacy vs Activism
• Advocacy: focuses on the the goal
• Activism: focuses on where we are
Photo by smaginnis11565

13. Advocacy University
• Curriculum:
– ADV101- mass digital efforts
– ADV201- send an email
– ADV301- make a phone call
– ADV531-letter to the Editor
– ADV532-hand written letter > legislator
– ADV632- meet your legislator

14. How effective are these efforts?

15. Activism vs Advocacy
• Training dogs…
• Changing fire alarm batteries

16. Advocacy University
• Curriculum:
– ADV101- mass digital efforts
– ADV201- send an email
– ADV301- make a phone call
– ADV531-letter to the Editor
– ADV532-hand written letter > legislator
– ADV632- meet your legislator

17. Successful Advocacy
• Part of an ongoing process
• Relies on relationship building
• Two-sided dialogue
• Win/Win focus
• My life is not an issue… it is my life.

18. Advocacy as empowerment
• LGBTQ Advocacy
– Allows real persons to share their own voice and
their story.
– Places a human face or faces upon controversial
issues.

19. Meeting with your elected official
• http://thomascwaters.com/contact-your-elected-officials/
• Commit to the meeting
– Send a handwritten letter
• Schedule an appointment
• Prepare
• The meeting
– Bringing others
– Introductions
– Tell your story
– Ask questions
– Offer assistance

20. Meeting with your elected official
• Meeting follow up
– Send a thank you note
– Follow through
– Report the meeting
• Ongoing work
• The next meeting

21. You are an expert about…
• What should you know?

22. Case Study: PA Voter ID
• PA HB 934