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Blogger, Sue Kerr,  Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents, and I have been exchanging some ideas about advocacy since she posted the other day. Sue expressed frustration that face to face meetings with legislators was difficult. I replied, and she has expanded on her thoughts on this.

My concern is that this is pushed to the forefront so much that is unintentionally perhaps excludes significant groups of people who simply do not have the privilege of taking a lunch meeting or a half-day vacation.

I don’t want to go into the entire Wednesday program, but I want to say, that no one is suggesting that face to face meetings is the only needed form of activism. The session is described:

GLTBQ Civil rights: How you can change government for your rights. A town hall forum and training session.

A groundswell of activity is happening across the country to provide GLBTQ Americans with their civil rights ranging from hate crimes and nondiscrimination legislation to marriage equality battles. There have been successes, setbacks, and many big hurdles to come. Allegheny County and Pennsylvania are in the middle of such battles, and your rights may be placed in jeopardy! If we are not successful now, it may be a long time before we have basic civil rights in employment, housing and public accommodations.

It is easy to think about democracy being about the right to cast a vote, but there are other ways that you can assure passage of needed        nondiscrimination legislation like PA HB 300 and the local county ordinance. Democracy is a participation activity! In this town hall forum, learn about the status of pending legislation and the things you can do to assure passage of these critical protections. You will leave with step-by-step ideas about how you can make a noticeable difference towards achieving equality.

Sue, did you possibly jump to some conclusion that this event was only about face to face meetings? The session isn’t in any way limited to talking about face-to-face meetings. So, I believe that anyone who is interested in affecting government for change can find something of value in this session.

I wonder if a fallacious “class” argument is being created here?

If the truth is that weekday meetings are what it takes, then acknowledge that our fate is in the hands of the more elite in our community and figure out how to make them accountable.  Perhaps dues to the member organizations could be lowered to allow more people to vote on the leaders?

For me the term “elite” is a red flag. A friend who busses tables at an economy restaurant, working the dinner shift. Is he a part of the elite? A young mother who works a factory line midnight shift. Is she part of the “elite?”  These are just hard working, real people, both capable of finding 15  to 30 minutes to meet with their legislator. To get caught up in a struggle of who can or cannot meet on a weekday really misses the real issue at hand.

I’m of the opinion (others may disagree with me) that each of us can use whatever opportunity we have (big or little) to make a difference. It isn’t about organization membership. It isn’t about having to meet some set of requirements. It is truly about having individuals find whatever way they can be involved, and then doing that. for some, just getting by takes all their time, energy and whatever they have to offer. However for very many more at whatever level of socioeconomic capabilities, they can affect change.

More however needs to be said about the notion of face to face meetings:

My comment is just meant to remind the organizers that a myopic approach will necessarily leave some people behind and urge them to be sensitive to the message they send with a “this the BEST way” approach, especially those are making good decisions for themselves and their families about getting involved.

I have written so much about this in my blog over time. The key to change in legislation comes by building relationships with your elected officials. Like how my representative Joe Preston suggested stopping by a few times a year to chat. Most legislators care about what their constituents want and want to know how the things they do in Harrisburg influence their daily lives. Now, how can the average person develop that relationship with their elected official? That’s the question worth answering! And that is the topic of the Wednesday event!

If you sit down and talk to legislators, especially at the state level, they will tell you that they are not influenced to vote for a bill by getting a mass email or mass text messages. These type of actions add noise to the discourse, but do little to assist a legislator in knowing how legislation impacts real people’s lives.  They are influenced by hearing from real people who are their constituents who are wiling to share their own story, and express how legislation will impact them. It isn’t some myopic organization that has decided this- it is the reality of being a legislator.

I was in a meeting with a state legislator with one of his constituents who is transgendered. I’m sure it was the first time, this legislator had ever heard someone say they were transgender. The first time they had knowingly shaken the hand of a trans person. and the first time they consciosly thanked a transperson for what they had to say.

Real people make a difference.