On Tuesday California’s Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8 which bans gay marriage—but the marriages of 18,000 same-sex couples before the ban took effect are still legal. If there is any silver lining to be found, I suppose it’s the divorce rate of these same-sex couples will not be 50%. But what about all the other same-sex couples in California that deserve the same federal rights as married heterosexual couples?
Between now and the next regularly scheduled election June 8, 2010, Californians – even the slacktivists! – have social media working in their favor. Here is a how-to guide for gaining the necessary momentum for overturning Proposition 8.
Effortless: Twitter your elected representatives
Through the magic of the internet (amazing, I tell you!), the California State Senate has a homepage for each Senator. This part is somewhat tricky, meaning physical exertion such as typing is required: search Twitter for your Senator and do two things:
- Follow your Senator
- Send a tweet to your Senator (@Senator) about Proposition 8 (#Proposition8)
If your Senator isn’t a fanatic Twitter user as you (and your friends), tweet your Senator’s e-mail address and ask everyone to send an e-mail. Ask your Senator what steps are being taken to guarantee federal rights of all couples, regardless of sexual orientation. Make sure all of your friends where you live do the same.
Effort-full: make a video for YouTube
It’s almost summer which means television gets awfully boring until the fall season. And it’s not as if Hollywood is going to use this time wisely for creating shows that aren’t reality-based atrocities (I’m looking at you, NBC). With so many writers and composers in Hollywood, certainly one has some time to donate for fighting Proposition 8. (Now, for those of you who know someone that knows someone who got busy with a celebrity, it’s time to call in favors and ask for a little star appeal.)
How hard is it for a handful of people to come together and write a video for YouTube? The question is, of course, rhetorical. Meet at a café or organize a coffee klatch (don’t skimp on nice cookies). Put your heads together and write a story to hook people’s interest whilst sparking a conversation about equal rights for everyone. Incorporate music! Dance! Dramatic stage lighting! Celebrities! Make a video then upload it to YouTube.
You can send the link to your video to everyone you know, but you can also go one step further.
Some effort required: have a come-to-Facebook meeting
According to Facebook, more than 100 million users log on at least once each day. Leverage the community that already uses the site and contact groups that oppose Proposition 8. Contact the admins & officers of these groups, show them the video you and your friends made on YouTube. With all the traffic your video will generate, it would be a waste not to direct those people to a place where they can lend their efforts in fighting Proposition 8—get people to donate their time or a dollar to help in the fight.
Now remember
Nobody wants to be preached to if ain’t Sunday. I can’t tell you how many times I attended political gatherings and prayed to Sweet Baby Jesus for the organizer/orator to turn blue and pass out, if only to stop talking. If you want to win people over, you gotta get ’em laughing.
I am sure there are other social media tools at your disposal, but the aforementioned three at the top of the list. I’m also pretty sure everyone and their mother has accounts on these sites. But if you know of other sites, do tell.
We can win this battle, together, slacktivists et al.