Why I Support Voting for the National Marriage Boycott

Do you have one minute? Really, this is all the time it will take to click this link: http://www.ideablob.com/ideas/6032-National-Marriage-Boycott register, vote to support the National Marriage Boycott (NMB for short) and empower student activists.

This last year has been a flurry of activity, activism, and somehow between this time last year I’ve gone from passively accepting instructions at phone banks to… whatever you call whatever I’m hyperactively doing now. But when looking towards a lot of the issues being debated about LGBT issues I keep noticing the same trend of overly localized activism which ignores the bigger picture. Resources spread thin as people are donating to numerous state wide campaigns, rallying around every case, supporting multiple groups and finding those groups don’t always collaborate in the way we wish they could. This isn’t unique to LGBT issues – the same problems plague student groups on campus, environmental groups, advocacy groups, etc… And while this tends to make me cynical there are certain areas where I retain hope…

The National Marriage Boycott was founded by The Emma Goldman Society for Queer Liberation – an activist group made up mostly of friends and peers are Stanford. After Prop 8 passed in the wave of protests with signs proclaiming, “I’m not a second class citizen” I was amazed to see these students not only protesting prop 8, but working to raise awareness of the high suicide rate in LGBT youth. They didn’t just react to the current political circumstances, they used the climate as an opportunity to be proactive and raise awareness for an issue we too often are silent about. This same type of forward thinking rather than reactionary protest shaped the National Marriage Boycott – which is not only protesting the Defense of Marriage Act, it also showcases the optimism with which we approach the issue, highlighting the belief that there can and will be change in our lifetime.

As a student it’s often hard to remember what a great deal of power we hold. Organizations which constantly ask for funding and not time make us feel like we have nothing to offer and without the greater access enjoyed by those organizations even if you have something to say, it’s very difficult to get a platform to say it. When planning The National Marriage Boycott, students didn’t see these things and give up – they thought big, planned big, and worked hard. We got ourselves rings, personally committed ourselves to work tirelessly on the issue until full federal equality, and we only increased our commitment since then.

If we lose this contest and have little to no funding moving forward – we won’t stop. But if we win we’ll be enabled to act in a time that demands action. With seed money to help set up new chapters, promote the group, send people to have those vital conversations that help us build a real community of activists rather than a group of likeminded strangers – we can do so much MORE. Without aid we could get national press and 20 chapters in less than a year. With a few clicks of a mouse you can help us even if you’re unable to join the boycott, you can help put pressure to repeal DOMA and you can support students as we work to stay involved and hopeful in a climate that breads cynicism.

That’s worth 60 seconds for me. How about you?

If you have a minute to vote, please do so at http://www.ideablob.com/ideas/6032-National-Marriage-Boycott and leave a comment here when you do so. Nothing inspires me more than knowing good people are doing good work.

Exemplify the Activism you’d Like to See.

It sounds simple. Exemplify the activism you’d like to see. But it’s easier to say than be, and we have far too many talking heads which is not what we need.

Right now, I’m busy. Very busy... Okay, not as busy as some, but I’m averaging about 3 hours of sleep per night - which is my limit.

I am running for the Associated Students position of Off Campus Representative with Student Voice, a progressive coalition of campus leaders. The reason I am running is simple - I want a student government which is more active than reactive. I don’t just want to recycle our waste, I want to reduce it. I don’t just want resolutions against hate crimes a few weeks after each incident, I want proactive measures to create safe spaces. I don’t want to have to receive petitions in the arbor every time an issue comes up, because if that happens it means we’re protesting and reacting rather than actively setting an agenda. The fact that I need to be a part of protests to get my voice out there means the system as it stands fails to represent me, and I want to change that.

Tomorrow night I’ll preform in Take Back the Mic - a Take Back the Night event of spoken word, music and story telling which aims to bring awareness about sexual violence and aid the community in being proactive in preventing it.

Thursday there are several events I’ll be working on. First I’ll be off to the No on Hate march which seeks to raise awareness of the recent hate crimes in our campus community, until we admit our school has a problems it’s rather hard to address them. Then I’m going to be supporting the arts by MCing an afternoon Open Mic in Davidson Library for national poetry month. And later that night I’ll be going to Take Back the Night’s March. Somewhere in there I’ll be going to class too...

Friday I will be participating in National Day of Silence. Day of Silence seeks to bring awareness to the problems of social discrimination in our schools, an issue which is so often silenced by homophobia. If you think that this isn’t an issue consider the fact that less than a week ago an 11 year old boy committed suicide in reaction to being bullied regularly and being accused of being gay. One in three LGBT youth have attempted suicide. In 30 states in our nation you can be fired for being gay. And in 46 states same-sex marriage isn’t recognized. The fight for marriage equality is important because legal inequity is intolerable - but we cannot forget the students of today are the citizens of tomorrow. And if we can’t provide safe spaces in schools, where can we offer safety? I wouldn’t know what to shout into a microphone if I were asked why this is a problem because there’s so many reasons and few are willing to listen. Even while in a progressive university, we’ve got hate crimes in our community, we too should be reflecting - we’re guilty too.

This Sunday I’ll be at UCLA for 1Fest to celebrate the fight for civil rights, marriage equality and the artistic community that is a part of the struggle. Live music, information booths, politicians and activists will all contribute so that we can actively come together as a community energized, motivated, and with a sense of direction on how to work towards civil rights. The fight for civil rights and equality should not just be seen in angry protests, but also through positive community events such as this. I’ll also be volunteering with some Stanford activists from the Emma Goldman Society for Queer Liberation to work on a Vow Not to Marry ring campaign where participants pledge not to marry until everyone can do so. (I’m already wearing my ring if you ever want to see it.)

And on Monday, I’ll be back on campus working with Student Voice trying to get progressive leaders into positions on campus where they can actively enable organizations.

Am I doing everything? No I’m not. I can’t. I’m still a full time student with hundreds of pages to read, I have papers to write, and projects to do. I still need to eat, sleep, and have enough downtime to recharge to keep myself active. But I do what I am able to. Apathy and inaction are the greatest threats to societal progress. It doesn’t matter how much you are able to do if you’re unwilling to act. It doesn’t matter what the best green technology is unless we’re using it. And I could not stand with a clear conscious before a mirror if I were to ignore the problems I see in favor of a pleasurable apathy. If you’re interested in learning or attending any of the events written about here please check out the following links or send a message to me!

Be actively present!

Urvi

STUDENT VOICE Silvergreens Fundraiser - Wednesday on Pardall
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=71083390771

Take Back the Mic - Wednesday night IV Eclectic on Pardall
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=55913806500

STUDENT VOICE Deja Vu Fundraiser - Thursday on Embarcadero del Mar
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=91395497523

No on Hate Rally - Thursday in the Arbor
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=151384660161

Open Mic Poetry Event - Thursday in the Library
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=61085528380

National Day of Silence - Friday EVERYWHERE
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=13588438490

STUDENT VOICE Berrilicious Open Mic Night - Friday night Embarcadero Del Norte
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=163309975017

1FEST - Sunday afternoon at UCLA
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=65066260818&ref=ts

Emma Goldman Society for Queer Liberation
http://www.stanford.edu/group/emma_goldman/cgi-bin/site/index.php

Blatant Propaganda

I know many of you have already seen this video which the National Organization for Marriage is running across the nation - but I wanted to make sure it was made available for those who hadn't.

THIS is what we're up against. Despite the fact that today 46 of 50 states don't recognize same-sex marriages, when equal rights are granted in 2 (Iowa and Vermont) it triggered national attacks.

As a Film and Media student we see many theorists and film makers cynical about the medium based upon the propaganda of the times, but usually these discussions are contextualized in the past. If we allow these types of ads/attacks to go unchallenged, not only do we increase the resistance to equal rights, but we allow ourselves to tolerate the media illiteracy which allows fringe cases to be grossly exaggerated to reframe the issue.

I know this issue is an emotional one for many- but when ads seek to manipulate emotion rather than engage in discussion it hurts us all. I ask you today not only to show support if able to Courage Campaign's fund raising for activist training, but also if you're able sign up for one of them! (http://www.couragecampaign.org/action)

Furthermore if you see this ad on a TV station you watch, turn off the TV, and then SPEAK UP! E-mail the program director, head of advertising at the channel, publicity, and news hot line if those numbers/e-mails are available on the station website. If it is a show you must see - go watch it online because those ads are almost always for other movies, medications, or department stores - thus the money paying for your viewing won't be one that directly discriminates (Though depending on the ad- they might still be guilty, at least their main purpose is not discrimination). Adding a financial reason to drop an ad makes our debate enter the picture if enough people do something! Also if you'd like, let me know about any stations you see the ad on and I will update this post so others wishing to take action can follow your lead.

In solidarity for equality and media literacy!

Urv

Celebrate!

In one week two states have legalized same-sex Marriage!
Yay for Iowa and Vermont!

This brings our total to 4.
46 to go.