Last week, thousands of LGBT activists gathering in Dallas at the Creating Change conference, hosted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Of course, a few of the staff members at Equality Texas made their way to Dallas for the five-day-long colloquium. As a blooming LGBT activist, I didn’t know a lot about Creating Change, so I looked it up. Wow. With day long institutes like “Focus on OUR Family” and “Empowering People of Faith,” and a variety of smaller sessions, including “Using Monologues as an Educational Tool,” featuring UT-Austin’s Peers for Pride program, I had decided: I wanted to go. But with only a few days left before the conference kicked off and no plans made, I came to the realization that it wasn’t going to happen, at least not this year.
It got me thinking, though: How can the people who aren’t there make equality happen? Well, the answer is pretty simple. All it takes is YOU. Whether you are an educator, a student, a businessperson, or an ally, YOU are the key to creating change. How do you do that? Stay informed; stay active. Talk to your legislators about the issues that are most important to you.
I know, talking to an elected official can seem intimidating, but it shouldn’t be. They are there to push the agenda of their constituents, and all it takes for that agenda to become your own is to speak up. As the Field Intern at Equality Texas, it is my task to further the development of the Equality Project, which will teach you how stand out and speak up in order to make equality happen! The Equality Project is a public education program on policy issues and their effect on Texas citizens (that’s you!). The Project also trains participants to establish relationships with their state representatives and senators, and to advocate for policy changes with their elected officials. Our goal is to facilitate continuous conversations between Texans and their representatives about public policy that directly affects their constituents’ lives. We believe that these conversations are the driving force behind policy change that will end the discrimination of Texans based on their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.
There are so many important issues at hand, and these issues affect our friends, family, and fellow Texans every day. Anti-discrimination policies, safe schools, and relationship recognition are just a few; if these issues affect you, speak up! If these issues affect people you know, speak up for them! You make equality happen. It’s never too late for you to become involved; that’s how you can create change.
Interested in our Project Equality program? There’s more on our website under Programs: The Equality Project.
For more information on Creating Change and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, click here: http://www.thetaskforce.org/events/creating_change
For more information on Peers for Pride, check out their blog: http://pfpaustin.blogspot.com/
Posted by Darcy Kues, Field Intern
Darcy is a Sociology and Women's/Gender Studies student at The University of Texas at Austin.
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