I’m not so sure about this;
I have some questions
Here are some questions we thought you might have.
If you have other questions that aren’t answered
here, contact us at info@militaryequality.org.
I have a limited amount of time and I can’t
take time away from work or travel very far. Can I realistically
do this?
We’ve tried to make this process as easy and
convenient as possible for people in your situation.
Many GLBT activist organizations that train activists
to lobby Congress require them to travel to Washington,
DC for organized “Lobby Day” events at their
own expense. We think it’s great if you can attend
events like that, but we have developed the MEA Grassroots
Handbook as a means of taking the training out to you
instead of requiring you to go to training events elsewhere.
Each chapter can take you anywhere from 90 minutes
to several hours to complete—but you decide when
and how to complete the assignments, whether it’s
all at once or a few minutes every night. We’ll
encourage you to complete the exercises as soon as possible
because we want to get you out there lobbying, but you
set your own deadlines.
You don’t have to travel, at least not very far,
and you don’t have to miss work. Go to http://www.house.gov
and look up your Congressional representative’s
website. You’ll see that he or she has an office
in Washington, DC, but also one or more “district
offices.” Find the district office closest to
you. That’s how far you’ll have to travel
(you can do the same with regard to your two senators
at http://www.senate.gov).
Most members of Congress spend Tuesdays through Thursdays
in Washington, but Fridays through Mondays in their
home districts or states. Why? To make themselves available
to constituents like you. Any in-district meetings you
have will be scheduled according to your availability
and convenience. Remember, these folks work for you,
not vice versa.
So, we think we’ve made lobbying as easy and
convenient for you as we can. If you still think this
is a time commitment you just can’t take on, we
respect that and refer you here [cross-link to Activist
Toolkit] and here [cross-link to “easy things
you can do”] for smaller, more limited ways you
can help us.
I was never in the military. Can I be an effective
advocate on this issue?
Of course! You just have a few extra things to learn,
that’s all. And we hope you can enlist a few of
your friends who are military veterans to help you in
your lobbying efforts.
If you really feel that you are so ignorant of the
military that you can’t discuss it intelligently,
we have a special extra-credit chapter of the MEA Grassroots
Workbook just for you that will teach you the basics
that civilians really need to know about the military.
I’m not gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
Can I participate too?
Please do! We need people like you to tell your Congressional
representatives that you would have no problem serving
alongside GLBT servicemembers in the military, or with
your children doing the same.
I’d love to do this, but I’m not “out”
to friends/family/co-workers. Is this going to be a
problem?
That’s something you have to decide for yourself,
but here are two things to consider:
First, there’s a big difference between meeting
with a member of Congress about an issue that concerns
you and appearing on the six o’clock news. If
you don’t want to talk about your life publicly,
don’t.
Second, who says that you have to tell your Congressional
representatives or anyone else about your sexual orientation
or gender identity? Sure, we like it when GLBT veterans
are willing to talk openly to members of Congress about
their firsthand experiences. But at the end of the day,
all they need to know is that (a) you’re a constituent;
and (b) you want them to vote to repeal “Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell.” You don’t need to
throw open the doors to your private life in order to
get that message across.
I’m still active duty military. Is that going
to be a problem?
Actually, yes, not just because coming out as gay or
lesbian violates the “Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell” policy, but because federal statutes and
military regulations prohibit many lobbying and/or partisan
political activities by military personnel. Each branch
of the military has slightly different guidance. You
should obtain more detailed guidance before engaging
in any lobbying or political activities.
BUT…this doesn’t stop your friends, family
or partners from lobbying on your behalf!
I’m an experienced political activist and I
don’t need your help or advice or any sort of
training. Why should I go through this certification
process?
Wow, if you’re an experienced activist, you’re
exactly the type of person we’re looking for!
Look, nothing is stopping you right now from advocating
as a private U.S. citizen in any form or manner you
choose. But here are a few reasons why we’d really
like it if you gave our certification process a try:
First, your interactions with MEA Mentors are exactly
that—interactions (as in, two-way). They are not
“quizzes” or “tests”; they are
a means for you and the MEA Mentors to exchange tips
and advice. What activist would pass up the opportunity
to network with other activists in the field?
Second, some of the exercises we will ask you to do
will produce information that is as useful to us as
it is to you. For example, the exercises at the end
of Chapter 2 ask for detailed information about your
Congressional representatives—how long they’ve
been in office, who their local political allies are,
etc. This is information we don’t have. Therefore,
your completion of this exercise will provide MEA and
possibly other national GLBT activist organizations
we work with some very useful intelligence.
Third, if you are as experienced as you say you are,
this certification process will be a great opportunity
for you to demonstrate that to us. Maybe we will then
be able to take advantage of your expertise in other
ways, such as by putting you to work mentoring other
activists, or even in helping us formulate and refine
political strategy.
Fourth…we’re willing to bet you’ll
learn something from this experience that will be useful
to you as an activist.
I am not an experienced activist. In fact, I’m
scared to death of meeting with a member of Congress
by myself. I’m afraid I’ll screw this up.
Can I really pull this off?
Relax. You won’t be by yourself. We don’t
want you to do an in-district meeting without at least
one other person to accompany you, hopefully another
constituent. If we have to we’ll fly someone out
to accompany you.
And remember, all you really have to convey to your
Congressional representative is that (a) you’re
a constituent; and (b) you want him or her to vote to
repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
If you get some of the details wrong, that’s okay.
I was personally affected by “Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell,” so this issue is very emotional
for me. Can I really cope with the stress of doing political
advocacy on this issue?
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is
a very emotional issue for a lot of us, and it’s
a continuing challenge not to get upset when discussing
it or taking homophobic, ignorant or hostile comments
personally. You have to decide for yourself whether
you can “take it.” However, a lot of us
who have been harmed by “Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell” have derived immense benefit from connecting
with other people through our activism who have had
similar experiences.
If you think you could use professional counseling
to deal with some of your experiences, we’re here
to help. Click here [cross-link to MCSN]
Okay, you’ve convinced me. Sign me up! [Click
here]
If you still have more questions, contact us at info@militaryequality.org.
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