Community Service and Social Change
Equality Camp SF 09
How do you humanize what people demonize?
Andrea: Volunteers post-Katrina, no one knew we were queer in our volunteer work
Carlos W: We can't do service and not be out about ourselves
Kip: Service is good but what is the long-term experience if there's an agenda to the service—how about the continuity and consistency? Consistency is everything.
Chaya Rivka: prop 8 campaign had lots of misinformation around religious issues and rules…like Church marriages for gays…
Leila: Service projects are very much about just doing the support work, helping. How many gay people you know is a factor for Pro 8 views. Political trading and favors.
Maiki: Activism needs to feel off the communities….talk to some churches and organizations and find out what we need.
Hillary: What if everyone went to church in all your gayness? Showed who you were.
Hillary 2: Am I out enough? How visible does one need to be to make change to move the 8 vote?
Nursing home visits as a way to make a difference.
Kip: 5 day march to Sacramento to see "regular people"…along the way to do service projects like visiting a nursing home, also chance to meet with local groups with specific justice issues..
Tran..discussing Vietnamese community and how gays are hairdressers….
Leila: What is the message that makes people understand and accept the marriage equality issue. Humanizing as the change factor…
Jade: Equality action now had an idea of an action plan..how do you make suggestions for how people can help….
Andrea: how do queer bi people participate? How do we come off as not being obnoxious loud activists?
Hillary: Turn it into a game!
Leilia: What are the service organizations in LGBT to affiliate with? Would be great to do a range of things, unaffiliated activists are not enough.
Maiki: Lets' out the data out there and make it transparent (plea for RSS feeds)
Hillary: How qualitycamp can be a dataware house, central space..
Chaya: need to be strategic and clear what the outcome is we are shooting for as we take action
Action Items
- created a sign up sheet to join a queer service organization
- compile list of contacts
- create google group
- disseminate info / get started
