Last evening, I received an email from someone who had been at a recent advocacy presentation I did. I provided to each person at the meeting, a PDF that showed their PA Senator, and asked everyone to write to their legislator as well as the members of the PA Senate Judiciary Committee. Here was a small part of the email:

I apologize for the delay but this is a first for me.  And I am proud of it.  Now that I have taken the time to do it, I feel much more energized to do more personal letters.

Receiving this really made my day! It is exactly the type of response to an advocacy training that we want to see happen, and it reminded me of how I felt the first time I wrote a letter to my elected official.

Last Friday, I spent time down at the ACLU of Western PA office working the phone bank. we were calling ACLU members and asking them to call their Senators. Being in the day time, I reached plenty of answering machines, but I also spoke directly to a number of people, most of whom were older- possibly retired. I have to admit, that on almost every phone call, I worried when I heard an older person say “hello.” Even though I knew these were ACLU members, I still felt this hesitation. Would they say, “Yes, I believe in civil rights, but not Gay marriage”? Every time I worried about that. but the answer I received over and over again was quite different:

Q: Can you call your Senator and ask them to oppose PA SB 707″

A: Yes, I can do that!

Fiascos like the Prop 8 vote or the Maine referendum have created an unfounded worry that most people, and especially most older people are opposed to gay civil rights. But this is unfounded. It just isn’t true! People of all ages see value in Equality and are willing to step up and take action to stop the eroding away of civil rights.Everyday people are sending personal letters, making phone calls, and meeting with their elected officials. They are saying, “I can do that”!

Will you say “”I can do that,” and add to the voices for equality?