I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Marc Solomon, national campaign director of Freedom to Marry, about the work he and many others have been doing to win the right for same-sex couples to marry nationwide.
It has not been a short or easy journey, but the efforts are most decidedly paying off. Support for marriage equality is at an all-time high in the United States, and there is much hope that the U.S. Supreme Court will make same-sex marriage the law of the land this summer.
What has driven a dramatic increase in support? According to Solomon, what has won hearts and minds has been “the real work of organizing couples to share their stories, and parents and children to share their stories with friends, neighbors and lawmakers.”
The stories of why their marriage — or their parents’ marriages or children’s marriages — were so important. Once people find out they know people who are gay couples, they know them and go to school with them and work with them, that’s when people really start to come around. They see it’s in sync with their value system of the Golden Rule and treating people with respect. It’s not people who want to uproot the institution of marriage. It’s committed people who want to get married to each other. At the heart of it, that’s been how it’s happened.
Read my full interview with Solomon over at Eclectablog.
[Image courtesy of Freedom to Marry.]
As a little girl, I’m pretty sure my first full sentence was “Tell me a story.” And I know I’m not alone in this. Storytelling is a vital part of the human experience.
I’ve always been a storyteller, and I think there’s no better way to educate and engage. As children, the stories we’re told activate our minds and our imaginations, and help us learn everything from new words to new ideas. Those stories stick with us, too. I’ve never forgotten the stories my parents and my grandmother told me about our family history.
Stories have the same impact on us at every age, and the principles of good storytelling are effective in any kind of messaging. At the 2015 Plain Talk conference, I gave a presentation on using storytelling to boost health literacy, but the approach applies to any topic you need to communicate about.
When facts are wrapped in a story, the audience is more likely to pay attention and stay interested. There’s even science behind it: Storytelling engages parts of our brain that facilitate learning and retention. Storytelling turns cold, hard facts into a dynamic, engaging experience.
I shared many storytelling tips — which work in every medium — in my Plain Talk presentation. Knowing the slides would be posted after the conference, I included enough detail to make them informative on their own.
See if there’s an idea or two in my presentation slides that you can apply to what you do. I also created a handout of some useful resources.
And if you need expert help telling some stories, all you have to do is ask.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal….”
The world knows these words from the U.S. Declaration of Independence well. It’s a foundation of our country’s vision of a land where everyone has an equal opportunity to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
In the years since those words were written, America’s leaders have amended our laws to make it clear that every citizen is entitled to the same rights, regardless of their gender, skin color or other characteristics. That work isn’t finished yet, though, because the LGBT community still faces discrimination in the workplace and in their personal lives.
Legislation like the “religious freedom” bill recently passed in Indiana is a giant step backward in the march for equality. Other “religious freedom” legislation already exists in some states, and is pending in others. Although I fully support laws that protect an individual’s right to practice his or her faith (or not to practice any faith) without government interference, I do not believe in laws that allow discrimination against anyone, for any reason.
So it does my heart good to see an outpouring of support for LGBT equality in the wake of the Indiana bill being signed into law. Across the country, people are standing up and being heard.
The most notable example is the “Open for Service” campaign. Here’s how the campaign website describes Open for Service:
We are a non-partisan, nonjudgmental group looking to provide a grassroots network for people to support businesses that open their doors for everyone – Black, White, Gay, Straight, Christian, Atheist, Disabled . . . well, you get our drift.
Open for Service’s mission is simple: to celebrate businesses that oppose discrimination of every type. For a $10 contribution, businesses can be added to the Open for Service roster and receive a window sticker to show their customers that they believe everyone is equal — and will serve everyone accordingly.
As a small-business owner, I’m proud to sign on to Open for Service. I may not have a shop window to display my sticker in, but I gladly join businesses across the country in saying I would never turn away a customer because of who they are, what they believe, or who they love. Open for Service also sends a positive message of unity and lets those who may fear discrimination know they are welcome.
I believe in equality, and I believe in the collective power of people to drive positive change. Together, we can make sure America remains a country that upholds the principle that all men and women are, indeed, created equal — and makes sure everyone is treated that way.
