My latest article for Outlook Weekly...before it hits the presses

California ’s Proposition 8 - Allies are the key to stopping it but LGBT organizations are failing to attract them with tired strategies

Have you seen the 60-second 'Garden Wedding' advertisement released by Let California Ring, a project of the Equality California Institute, which asks “What if you couldn’t marry the person you loved?” If not, you can view it online at www.letcaliforniaring.org.

The multi-million-dollar ad is currently being aired on cable stations in California which attract younger voters who are thought to be most likely to support same-sex marriage. Which begs this ally to ask the following questions; Is this specific commercial the best use of their money? Aren’t they just preaching to the choir by only airing it on stations which target youth audiences? If they are truly concerned about “changing the climate in California ” as their website declares, then shouldn’t they be reaching out to the undecided crowd? And last, but certainly not least, what is up with this terrible commercial?

Now I’m no marketing expert, and I’m sure there are many much smarter people making the decisions in this all-important ballot initiative, but this commercial makes zero sense to me as an ally (their targeted audience). The obstacles the heterosexual couple face in this ad are trivial…tripping over cans, getting blocked by wedding attendants. It certainly left no impression on me to link the commercial to the upcoming ballot initiative. For the amount of money Let California Ring spent on this ad, I think they should have showcased the real issues in a 'non-political way'…like perhaps showcasing the same heterosexual couple's evolution from just meeting to racing to the court house to apply for a wedding license - only to discover that the doors won't open for them.

I'm sure that the fine people of Let California Ring have the best of intentions, but when we are talking about finite resources (like time and money) they need to get the most bang for their buck. This commercial isn’t that - and since every LGBT organization from here to San Francisco is asking us to send contributions to California to help stop Proposition 8...well, shouldn't we be assured that our money is being spent wisely?

For as long as California has been fighting for same-sex marriage, I feel like the LGBT organizations and community should have been spending their time and money educating the general public on this issue much earlier. It is a classic mistake that I see ‘gay organizations’ make all the time. They wait until a proposition is on the table before they go knocking on John/Jane Q. Public’s door.

Let’s face it – the LGBT community is just not large or rich enough to stop or pass an issue (which directly affects their lives) without the help of straight voters. That’s why a substantial amount of time, energy and money needs to be set aside by these groups to reach out to the straight community (not just straight politicians) in order to build lasting relationships and accepting mindsets. Then they would have an established base to reach out too when anti-gay legislation comes up for a vote.

Instead, most groups spend the majority of their resources within the LGBT community – only venturing outside the ‘triangle community’ as a reaction to a volatile situation. If we want to succeed in preventing anti-gay legislation, however, we need to do so by purposefully creating a base foundation within the straight community through constant proactive outreach and education beginning as early as middle school.

The equality issues that the LGBT community faces are too important to leave up to chance. We cannot hope that every straight person out there is going to have an “ah-ha moment” and go through a social awakening without prodding.

Here in Ohio we have our own issues to address – one being the removal of “Issue One” from our state constitution. We activists have been told by the powers that be to be patient, to allow the court cases to form our path…but one thing we know is that in the end it will likely take a ballot initiative to remove this blight on our state, and that means we will need all the allies we can get. I just hope that Ohio’s LGBT groups won’t wait until a few months before the vote to spend any money or energy reaching out for help. (That's how we got into this mess in the first place!)

Ohio's LGBT organizations should be doing the ground work now…years before the actual vote occurs. I’ll leave it up to my readers to decide if this is happening here in Ohio or not, but I encourage each of you to think about the main reason we are in this boat to begin with...hint: it has more to do with a lack of education than actual bigotry. When it's our turn in the national spot light - let's make every effort (and every penny) count by not making the same mistakes.