Chris Hauk: Camp Courage Sacramento - family and where we go from here

Guest blogger Chris Hauck has been very active in fighting for LGBT rights and marriage equality for the last two years. He was a volunteer trainer, fundraiser and recruiter for the No on 8 campaign – working 4-5 days a week on top of his regular job. He currently serves as the Marriage Equality Chair for the Stonewall Democrats and Stonewall Young Democrats. He is also an active member of the OUT West coalition, Equal Roots, LoveHonorCherish and the Courage Campaign. Chris is still training phone banks and coaching canvasses for both Vote for Equality and Equality California. Recently, he also was the co-organizer for the OUT West Campaign Boot Camp, lead organizer for Camp Courage Sacramento which took place this last weekend and one of the co-leaders for the “Why Messaging Matters” think tank series. (This post first appeared on the Courage Campaign blog.)

“Camp Courage Sacramento was and inspirational and transformative weekend for me.”

Hearing that statement from a Camp Courage attendee is nothing new. However, for me, it carries an entirely different meaning as this was not my first Camp. After attending the Camp Courage in East LA and seeing a number of my friends share the experience with their families, I immediately ran home and signed up to come to the Camp in Sacramento with my Mom and Dad.

See, I grew up in Sacramento and moved to LA for college and have stayed there ever since. When I first came out to my parents, they were very supportive. However, I, like many young LGBT people was still either too nervous or too ashamed to fully share my life with them. It took me a good 3-4 years before I was comfortable enough with myself to share the details of my life, my cause, and my relationships with those I was close to. Slowly, that changed for me as I started to fight for LGBT rights and that shame dissipated. The result is that I am now as closer to my family than I have ever been and the culmination of this was bringing my parents to Camp Courage.

The weekend played out as most Camp Courage’s do – effectively teaching hard and soft skills, educating participants on where the movement stands and inspiring action. Having been through Camp before, the main focus for me this weekend was on my parents and how they were feeling and what they were learning. And they genuinely seemed to enjoy themselves and were really engaged in the materials. However, for me, the crowning moment came on the car ride home. My Dad told me he had three reflections on Camp and what he had learned there that I will share with you now:

1. He had no idea the pain that LGBT people had felt over discrimination and losing initiatives like Proposition 8 and Question 1 until he saw people speaking about them openly and honestly at the Camp. See, I have always been a more stoic, let’s “focus on what we can do in the future” type of person, so for my Mom and Dad, they had never truly appreciated the pain this had inflicted on our community until they heard the stories of personal pain from others.


2. My Dad shared with me his “Story of Self.” He had a gay cousin who had died of AIDS when my Dad was in his 20s. He had a lesbian sister who had come out to him and was now married with her wife. And he had me, his gay son, who was fighting for equality and who he hoped could one day get married in front of friends and family. LGBT issues had slowly intertwined their way thought his life and had always handled them decently (very supportive of me and his sister), but now realized his previous actions had been woefully inadequate and that he could no longer sit on the sidelines while people he cared about suffered and were discriminated against.


3. He needed to get involved today. He wanted to sign up to canvass and to join California Faith for Equality, provided they had a means for him to contribute to meaningful action.
   

As stoic as I may be, I found myself fighting back tears as my Dad related this to me and my Mom agreed with him. Then at dinner, as my Dad related to other family members what he had learned and why it was so important for us to proactively work for change – I fully understood the importance of Camp Courage. Yes, it is a great experience for LGBT leaders and organizers.

However, I missed an important opportunity in East LA, when I went to Camp but neglected to recruit my straight friends and family in LA to attend with me. This experience is not just a meaningful skills training for gay people - it is an opportunity to teach, empower and share ourselves and our struggle more fully with friends, straight allies and family. It is an opportunity to bring new faces and perspectives into the fight for equality.

And perhaps within this there is a greater lesson for our movement. Winning true equality in CA and beyond is going to be complex and will take a lot of hard work. It is not something we can win on our own, but we will need the help of those people who love and support us. And much the same way, my Dad now realizes that his response to his LGBT family was good, but inadequate – I realize my work during Proposition 8 was the same. I was happy to call voters, fund-raise money and talk to strangers – yet I neglected to have real conversations with the people I could most easily move on the issue.

The Briggs initiative was largely defeated by LGBT people “coming out” and talking to their friends and family. Winning marriage equality will require us to do the same thing. No longer can we be afraid that we might cause some discomfort with friends, family or strangers by having candid conversations about why we NEED equality. That discomfort is not because of anything that is wrong with us, but is because of a lack of knowledge or familiarity on the part of others. And if we are too scared or too ashamed to push through those difficult moments and make this an issue that can be a normal and comfortable part of conversation, then we are doomed to keep failing at the ballot box no matter how good our commercials are and how flawless our field campaign is.

So thank you again to Courage Campaign for all they do with these Camps. They are giving us the skills and the keys to gain full equality in California and beyond. And now, it is up to us to use them.

For more on Camp Courage Sacramento, read Syd Peterson posts on LGBT POV: Day One, Day Two

Crowd Image by Courage Campaign.

A Burnt Out Activist Finds Rejuvenation at Camp Courage East Los Angeles

Contributor Anne-Marie Williams is Co-Chair of the West Hollywood Lesbian Visibility Committee, Board Member of the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives, HRC Diversity & PAC member. An Angelino and activist that has been involved with POC empowerment for over ten years, she was active in the past No On Prop 8 campaign and has organized several events to empower the lesbian and POC communities.

I must share that I was not going to go to Camp Courage East Los Angeles because I was burnt out. I had grown annoyed with the know-it all-conversations. I felt exploited and unappreciated. I was sick of surveys, expensive polls, circular conversations and didactic rants of a few. I had worked so hard for an organization and the No on 8 campaign without much support from my peers. I was ad nauseam with egos. I went to certain organizations to get plugged in again but to no avail. I was done and I was tired of the complaining, the characters and the math of it all.

Yet, Camp Courage kept calling and e-mailing. The Camp Courage trainers and alumni kept contacting me and including me. Pulling me back into the folds.

Camp Courage East Los Angeles took place this past weekend. Yes, I went! It was an amazing collection of nearly 240 people from all walks of life that gathered at the L.A. County Library for training to win over hearts and minds for marriage equality.

Just in case you have not heard of Camp Courage here is the gist of it. Camp Courage is an intensive two days training designed to teach the principles and skills of community organizing to activists working to restore marriage equality in California. It teaches empowerment, team building, leadership development and grassroots organizing skills. Now that makes sense!

As a facilitator it was my job to ensure the practical skills were practiced and to guide each one in my group to find their voice. This can be very challenging at times but the reward is huge. To watch a person find their voice and story through the exercises is motivating to say the least. I watched two of my group turn from shy voices of color to roars of equality.

Ten strangers (Group 22) walked into the room and by Sunday night ten friends embraced and vowed to stay connected. The sense of community is the most important gift Camp Courage gives to its Campers. To feel that you are connected to the rest of the group and that you are welcomed to what ever Camp Courage does is more than what most organizations do. The most important assets that Camp Courage offers are the tools it freely offers you for productive activism and empowerment. They give it to you - not tell you.

I have been a personal witness from past camps and have seen many campers turn into facilitators, trainers and outstanding community activists. Camp Courage Fresno turned Fres-no into Fres-yes with Meet in the Middle (MITM). Fresno Camp Courage Alumni were the driving force behind the success of MITM.

As an advocate for POC (People of Color) empowerment, I appreciated the approach that Camp Courage East Los Angeles utilized - by the people for the people was the mode of training. Community leaders spoke about their work and shared their experiences. Roland Palenica, Kristal Vick, Javier Angulo, Derrick Mathis, Stella Wong and Lt. Daniel Choi, spoke from their hearts and histories to send a new group of activists on their path.

I must admit this weekend reignited this cynical and burnt-out-on-marriage-equality soul. I appreciated when the trainers Torie Osborn, Lisa Powell and Mike Bonin kept the 2010 and 2012 issue at bay and made the weekend about the empowerment. I was re-motivated when I listened to Stella Wong, a new Camp Courage attendee in my group, speak about her path of coming to accept then celebrate her daughter’s life and wife. My activist heart was moved by Robert Gomez’s story of self which is a story of most Latino LGBT – silence, lies, silence, lost of self, silence then discovery! To be part of his activist transformation was an honor.

Thank you Camp Courage, campers, staff and my Group 22 for putting this heart and mind back on track. Keep posted next week. I will give you an update on Group 22 of East Los Angeles Camp Courage.

Oh, one last thing: STELLA!!!

Photos by Marta Evry of VeniceForChange.com

Away at Camp Courage East Los Angeles This Weekend

Hi UTF Readers,

I will be facilitating at Camp Courage East Los Angeles this weekend. This doesn't mean I won't be posting, but it does mean a lot less than the usual weekend pace. But don't worry, I haven't forgotten you.

Keep checking back as I do plan on posting a few items, and the site will be back full steam ahead Monday.

Cheers!

Courage Campaign Proposes "Four Principles for a United Movement."

Reiterating Courage Campaign COO Sarah Callahan's statements to Unite the Fight, the Courage Campaign has formally proposed the "Four Principles for a United Movement" -- the foundation of a campaign to restore marriage equality to California:

1. Our campaign to win must begin now, regardless of when the movement decides to place a marriage equality initiative on the ballot.
2. To unite the strength of activists across California, the campaign must be independent, accountable, and not dominated by any one organization.
3. To gain the trust and full commitment of supporters, the campaign needs a representative and functional governance structure.
4. Victory on election day requires a strong, experienced campaign manager who understands California politics and has won battles like this before. Our opposition is well-organized, and we need exceptional leadership on our side to prevail.

"Following on these principles, the Courage Campaign does not expect and does not intend to run the next campaign to repeal Prop 8," said the organization in a press release. "Although we expect to have a voice at the table."

After this past Saturday's Summit, this is music to my ears. Though Sarah proposed these principles earlier, Courage Campaign has now officially gone on record with a proposal to unite our movement. Our fractured approach and in-fighting has been the cause of much distress for this blogger who truly means to stick by his mission to help unite the fight for equality. The question remains - Will the other organizations - EQCA, Love Honor Cherish, Prepare to Prevail, MEUSA and more - sign on to these principles?

"Winning a campaign to repeal Proposition 8 will take hard work and sacrifice from thousands of activists, community leaders, contributors and volunteers," the press release also said. "The marriage equality movement is powerful and determined. The next step for the movement is to add structure that empowers the grassroots and netroots to win as soon as possible..."

ACTION: Courage Campaign is continuing its great work this weekend of training and empowering the grassroots and community. They, along with API Equality LA, Bienestar, California Faith for Equality, Equal Roots, HONOR PAC, Latino Equality Alliance, Somos Familia, and The Wall Las Memorias Project will host their fifth Camp Courage in East Los Angeles this weekend August 1 and 2.

For more information and to sign up, go here.

I will be there myself. Hope to see you there, too.

Courage Campaign: "How the Marriage Equality Movement Will Win"

Rick Jacobs, Chair of the Courage Campaign, the massive online organizing network that empowers nearly 700,000 grassroots and netroots activists to push for progressive change in California, and whose organization recently announced its support for a 2010 initiative to repeal Prop 8 if the state's Supreme Court upholds it, issued a strategy statement on how marriage equality will win.

The tide is turning. Marriage equality is spreading from state to state. It is coming back to California. It's a matter of how and when.

Regardless of how the Supreme Court rules on the challenges to Proposition 8, we will win equal rights here in California and nationwide -- if we, in the grassroots, take ownership of the process and engage the broader progressive movement.

With more than 700,000 members and growing, the Courage Campaign's members embody the new, post-Prop 8 grassroots energy that fueled Barack Obama's victory in November. The Courage Campaign's goal is to provide these progressive activists with the tools, skills and infrastructure to build a permanent grassroots movement that will win, defend and protect marriage equality.

Winning marriage equality in California can only be accomplished by building and waging a campaign fundamentally different than the one run last fall. Together, the grassroots will build a coalition from the start, including the decision on when to go back to the ballot.

The Courage Campaign is ready to go back to the ballot in 2010, assuming the Supreme Court rules to uphold Prop 8. But before we can make the ultimate decision to support an actual ballot initiative, the Courage Campaign will survey our members and consult with our allies in the polling group formed by several organizations a few weeks ago. Based on a vote of our members, we will move forward on a decision along with our partners in the marriage equality movement.

This will be the most important decision we make as a movement -- and it must be made after thorough and open deliberation with everyone who wants to have a role in the campaign.

Together, we will launch an initiative campaign when we are certain we have all the pieces in place to ensure victory.

That said, the first step to victory at the ballot, no matter the date, is training and empowering marriage equality activists across the state -- serving the organizations and individuals that are fueling this movement.

So far, more than 700 activists have taken part in "Camp Courage" training camps in Los Angeles, Fresno, San Diego and Oakland designed to teach the basics of telling their personal stories as part of one-on-one campaigning (see articles in the Wall Street Journal and the Sacramento Bee.)

These Camp Courage organizers have already begun meeting with voters one-on-one in 23 local canvassing Equality Teams in 15 counties across the state, using the Courage Campaign's Equality Hub -- the same toolkit used by Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

More...
The second step is organizing together, county-by-county, working in collaboration with our partners across the marriage equality movement, from LGBT rights organizations to labor and progressive movement organizations.

We all must work together on the variety of progressive issues in this state that are part and parcel of full equality for all Californians.

Another way we will build that movement is by using conventional tools in an unconventional way. With our partners, we are engaged in an opinion research project that will be "open-source," meaning the coalition will collaborate on the poll's content and share the information openly with marriage equality supporters as we move forward. We're doing this research together to gather baseline information and to inform the broader community's decision about when and how to go back to the ballot.

It's no secret campaigns use polling to refine and target their messaging. But the difference here is we aren't going to keep it locked away for proprietary purposes. We are going to put it to use by getting it in the hands of people closest to their communities. The goal of this project is to become an informational clearinghouse so our efforts are effective and focused.

The Courage Campaign is also providing access to the voter file so that any group that wants to talk with voters about marriage equality can do so -- regardless of its size or budget. The Courage Campaign is using this project as an opportunity to develop a coalition that coordinates voter contact programs and activities. We are building a movement for marriage equality by giving tools away.

By training community organizers and sharing resources like research, access to the the voter file, we can win -- not just in Los Angeles, or San Francisco, but in the heartland of California.

Winning marriage equality will not be easy. It will take time, talent and treasure. But we know in our hearts that time is on our side, that justice will prevail, and that equality will be ours.

Together, as a new movement, we can, we must, and we will win.

Equality California Joins Grassroots in Fight for Marriage Equality

Equality California (EQCA) announced yesterday its new campaign Win Marriage Back. Make It Real!, their first public step in joining the grassroots in laying the groundwork for a new campaign to repeal Prop 8 if the California Supreme Court rules to uphold it.

Just this past weekend, the Courage Campaign announced its support for a 2010 initiative, and now with the EQCA joining in on the call, these two organizations among many other grassroots groups have given a solid signal to California that marriage equality will beckoning the state once again. And soon.

On a phone call with donors today, EQCA's new Marriage Director Marc Solomon and Executive Director Geoff Kors said their new campaign push will be two-fold. First, joining in the grassroots efforts in community organizing, and second, telling the stories of LGBT families who were adversely affected by Prop 8, the lack of which was a major criticism of the No on 8 campaign in which EQCA was major player.

The first point will be met by hiring 25 field organizers in all parts of the state to reach out to their communities and neighborhoods. In the call, a reference was made to Courage Campaign's amazing Camp Courage, a two-day training event designed to teach the principals and skills of community organizing to activists working to restore marriage equality in California. Courage Campaign has invested over a $100,000 in these camps, raised by on-line matching grant donations from the Dolby Family among others.

EQCA will be relying heavily on the hundreds of camp graduates. The camps have so far been held in Los Angeles, Fresno, San Diego, Oakland and coming up soon in Sacramento and East LA, all areas that EQCA plans to do outreach.

Graduates of the camps have set up successful Equality Teams throughout the state that engage the electorate in phonebanking, canvassing and more, with voter information provided to them through the Courage Campaign's Equality Hub. This giving away of information has been hailed as unprecedented because it gives anyone who wants to make a difference for equality in their own area the chance to succeed.

EQCA plans to contribute to the canvassing efforts starting this weekend with a goal of reaching 45,000 doors in 100 days. With the resulting information that is gathered, it will be used alongside other grassroots organizations, such as canvassing experts Marriage Equality USA, to build a stronger campaign.

The second point of the new push are two new tv ads that feature LGBT families. Having heard the sharp criticisms of the No on 8 campaign's refusal to show the faces of the LGBT population and its variety, and seeing how successful the Courage Campaign's record-breaking video, "Fidelity, Don't Divorce Us" has been, EQCA will be releasing their own ads on TV this weekend.



See the second ad here.

EQCA working alongside grassroots is a remarkable change since the No on 8 campaign during which the grassroots felt shut out. The failure of the campaign woke a sleeping giant throughout the nation, but particularly in California, displayed prominently in the massive rallies and protests that followed.

Even more remarkable is that EQCA, along with Courage Campaign, Marriage Equality USA, FAIR, Equal Roots and more, have all chipped in together on the costs of polling, and with the resulting information, all groups will be armed to work together on the new initiative campaign if needed.

Since the November election, the grassroots has grown stronger and more organized, its full force to be seen on the Saturday following the Supreme Court's ruling on Prop 8. Win or lose, thousands will Meet in the Middle in Fresno, CA, the heart of Yes on 8 territory, not only to show numbers, but to stand in solidarity for equality for all.

Just recently, academy award winning actress Charlize Theron issued a letter through the Courage Campaign, urging everyone, especially straight allies, to show support by meeting in Fresno.

EQCA has taken its cue from such organizing. Despite some growing pains in working alongside the grassroots, they will be showing their support by appearing at Meet in the Middle, an event that is sure to launch either a statewide effort to repeal Prop 8 if its upheld, or a nationwide movement for LGBT equality if Prop 8 is thrown out.

Torie Osborn of Courage Campaign Says of Repealing Prop 8, "If Not Now, When?"

"We are the ones we have been waiting for," quoted Torie Osborn, a respected leader in the movement and one of the founders of Camp Courage, borrowing a line from African American, lesbian poet June Jordan's "A Poem For South African Women."

In her closing speech at the two-day grassroots organizing camp in Oakland, CA on Sunday, Torie channeled the energy of the movement when she announced that the Courage Campaign would be there to support and empower the grassroots for a November 2010 initiative to repeal Proposition 8 if the state's supreme court didn't overthrow it.

Rick Jacobs, founder and chair of the Courage Campaign, summed it up in a statement to Unite the Fight:

"At Camp Courage Oakland over the weekend, Courage Campaign staff conducted a series of conversations with various marriage equality activists, progressive organizers and grassroots leaders. As Torie Osborn's closing speech demonstrated, the consensus was clear: We are ready to go back to the ballot in 2010, assuming the Supreme Court rules to uphold Prop 8. But before we can make the ultimate decision to support an actual ballot initiative, the Courage Campaign needs to survey our members and consult with our allies in the polling group formed by several organizations a few weeks ago. Based on a vote of our members, we will move forward on a decision along with our partners in the marriage equality movement."

This is no small announcement.

Even though the organization is still waiting for more information from polling in regards to the technical aspects of submitting an initiative, their commitment to support the grassroots if they choose to go for a 2010 initiative speaks volumes.

Many a debate has waged within the LGBT population in California and abroad about whether an initiative to repeal Prop 8 should happen in 2010 or 2012. Pros and cons for both are numerous, but a lot boils down to one, do we have a enough time to organize a campaign for 2010? Two, can we persuade enough voters to swing the small percentage that gave the Yes on 8 campaign the majority to vote on our side the second time around?

But Torie pointed out that the grassroots, which was denied a role in the No on 8 campaign, is ready for the daunting challenge to take on a 2010 initiative. If the grassroots is ready to go, the Courage Campaign will be there to support them every step of the way.

This underlines the fact that a new campaign would be different, she noted. Instead of being ran top-down like the No on 8 campaign, it would be run from the bottom-up. Indicating the crowd that attended the camp, she added "by the grassroots."

One could definitely feel the electric energy at the Camp Courage site, with exciting discussions peppered throughout about the inevitability of 2010. In a conversation with Rick Jacobs this weekend, he remarked that it was obvious where things were heading and that if Prop 8 isn't overturned, that the grassroots was ready to go full steam ahead for November 2010.

Another fact that makes this a big announcement is that it comes from the Courage Campaign, the organization responsible for the record breaking "Fidelity: Don't Divorce Us" video.

The organization is an online organizing network that empowers nearly 700,000 grassroots and netroots activists to push for progressive change in California. Engineering online tools and giving voter information to anyone motivated to to make a difference, they provide a way for individuals to make a change in their neighborhood. It's as simple as logging in.

The network enables grassroots to set up their own "Equality Teams" to reach out to the electorate either through canvassing, phonebanking and more in order to change hearts and minds for equality. It's an unprecedented giving away of information that empowers the community to run a campaign on their own. Even if they belong to another organization.

Truly grassroots. And the key difference between victory and defeat.

Overwhelmed by the massive amount of work and strategy needing to take place for 2010, Torie admitted she was in denial about the need for an immediate campaign. But after seeing the passion and drive from hundreds of activists eager to repeal Prop 8, she knew justice couldn't wait.

With tears in her eyes, Torie made the announcement, alongside co-facilitators Mike Bonin and Lisa Powell, that the three of them and the Courage Campaign would be committed to working side-by-side with the grassroots for a 2010 campaign.

They were greeted with thunderous applause.

Rick Jacobs then took to the stage and read from MLK's "A Letter From a Birmingham Jail":

"We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was "well timed" in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied."

Learning from the mistakes of 2008's No on 8 campaign, the leaders of the Courage Campaign and Camp Courage envision a new campaign for marriage equality that includes everyone - grassroots, big organizations, small organizations, LGBT, allies, young and old and of all races. Keeping to the mantra, "Respect. Empower. Include," everyone will be responsible for winning their rights back and spreading equality for all. Most importantly, it will be sooner than later.

Are you up for the challenge? Because if not now, when?

Photos by Marta Evry who blogs at VeniceforChange.com.

Unite the Fight at Camp Courage in Oakland, CA This Weekend

Hello UTF Readers,

I will be facilitating another Camp Courage this weekend, this time in Oakland, CA.

Yes, I am that big of a fan. (If you hadn't figured that out yet!)

But if you're new and didn't know, you can read about why I'm a fan and find out what Camp Courage is all about.

Read about my experience at the first Camp Courage in Los Angeles, CA and then about how Fresno, CA moved me at their Camp Courage.

Since I'll be facilitating, I won't be able to blog as often as usual, but I will have an occasional post pop out, so don't go away.

You can also keep track on Twitter with the hash tag #campcourage.

Have a great weekend!

EVENT: Camp Courage Spreading Empowerment in Oakland, CA May 2-3

If you're a regular reader, I don't need to tell you how big of a fan I am of Courage Campaign's Camp Courage, a two-day weekend event that trains equality activists in community organizing based on the principals that drove Sen. Barack Obama to become President Barack Obama.

I gushed about Camp Courage, Los Angeles and later wrote about how being a facilitator at Camp Courage, Fresno became more of a learning experience than a teaching experience for me. And just this last weekend, I facilitated again in San Diego.

Now Camp Courage is making its way to Oakland, CA in the Bay Area, Saturday, May 2 (8:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m.) AND Sunday, May 3 (8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.).

Camp Courage will cover basic community and political organizing skills, including:

• Finding your voice by telling your “story of self”
• Leadership development
• Principles of successful organizing
• Developing collaboration and building effective teams
• Techniques of voter persuasion
• Organizing a phonebank
• Canvassing
• Tabling
• Throwing house parties
• Online organizing
  

You may rightfully ask, "Why do I need to learn all this?"

The California Supreme Court is about to issue a ruling any day now on the validity of Proposition 8, which endangers the rights of every minority group.

If they uphold it, we will need to create an army of equality activists to support a new initiative campaign to overturn it, and you will need these skills.

If they do the right thing and throw it out, you'll still need these skills to help fight other discriminatory measures here in California and in other parts of the country.

Apply to Camp Courage, Oakland, CA. Get involved! I'll see you there!

Dolores Huerta to speak at "Meet in the Middle"

The amazing Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers of America with civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, will be speaking at the major event Meet in the Middle in Fresno, CA. It will take place the Saturday after the California Supreme Court rules on the validity of Proposition 8.

Huerta, who is currently nominated as a Voice for Equality, has a long, stellar history of community organizing and recently spoke at the Courage Campaign's Camp Courage in Fresno, CA.

In the following video shot during Camp Courage, she clearly states her support for LGBT equality.


She is also the President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, a "non-profit organization whose mission is to build active communities working for fair and equal access to health care, housing, education, jobs, civic participation and economic resources for disadvantaged communities with an emphasis on women and youth."

A strong supporter for equality, Huerta has a long track record of fighting for human rights, including 22 arrests from civil disobedience.

A powerful speaker, you don't want to miss this opportunity to hear her live at Meet in the Middle.

Read the Advocate's article on her appearance at the 21st Creating Change Conference this past January.

Hello UTF Readers

A quick explanation about the absence of posts over the weekend. Currently, I am facilitating at Camp Courage San Diego. Upon arriving, I discovered the venue's internet to not be working.

I finally found a connection! I will be back to blogging as usual tomorrow, if not sooner.

Stay United!

Still Mad About Those Ads? Another Action Against Them!

The now infamous National Organization for Marriage ads that spew anti-gay lies about same-sex marriage are now headed to Iowa where the organization's agenda to end all same-sex marriage rights suffered a major defeat.

Watching the ads is like watching a child throw a hissy fit.

One Iowa is starting a petition opposing out of state groups from using their money and influence to take away the rights of Iowans. Which makes sense, since NOM is the same group that pumped tons of money into ads supporting Proposition 8 in California.

Use your anger productively. Sign One Iowa's petition and let it be known that NOM is not welcome in the Hawkeye State.

Yesterday, I also told how you can fight back in a more strategic since by supporting Camp Courage, or even better, by attending. The more tools we have to fight with, the less we'll see of groups like NOM.

Fight Back Against the Anti-Gay Marriage Ads

The Dolby Family of Dolby Sound is challenging the LGBT community to raise $25,000 for a matching grant to support Courage Campaign's Camp Courage.

"Why?" you ask. The answer can be found in an email from Rick Jacobs, Chair for the Courage Campaign:

"This morning, the National Organization for Marriage launched a disturbing ad using actors to push lies claiming that marriage equality threatens personal freedoms. The ad is going up on the airwaves across America -- eight times a day in California -- as NOM seeks to build what they are calling a "rainbow coalition" against equality.

"We need your help to fight back right now against this deplorable ad. With many legal experts expecting the California Supreme Court to uphold Prop 8, our only option will be to place an initiative on the ballot to restore marriage equality. To repeal Prop 8, we will need to build a grassroots army for change in every county of California.

"In response, the Dolby Family is challenging our community to raise $25,000 as a matching grant to fund Camp Courage trainings for marriage equality activists."

Readers will know that I wholeheartedly support Camp Courage and believe that it is extremely effective in building an educated and trained grassroots army to combat the type of bigotry found in the NOM ads.

Camp Courage survives off of donations. If you want to help meet the Dolby Family challenge, click here to give to Courage Campaign.

See you in the field!

Camp Courage in San Diego April 18-19

Frequent readers of UTF will know how enthusiastic I am about Courage Campaign's effective Camp Courage. Its community building essentially coalesces the equal rights movement in a way that I haven't seen elsewhere, and I have had the pleasure of being both an attendee and a facilitator.

Taking many cues from the Obama Campaign, Camp Courage does hands-on training in empowerment, team building, leadership development, and grassroots organizing skills.

Having started in Los Angeles, CA, followed by another successful session in Fresno, CA, both events received phenomenal reviews from participants, with evaluations averaging 9.36 (on a scale of 1 to 10) in Los Angeles and 9.56 in Fresno.

Camp Courage is now coming to San Diego, CA!

Here's a glimpse of what you can expect. In this video you'll witness Lisa Powell, the amazing lead facilitator, doing what she does best.



I urge you to go. Not only do you gain practical tools, you'll leave inspired and connected to many other individuals eager to work alongside you in the growing equal rights movement.

DETAILS

WHAT: Camp Courage, for marriage equality activists and organizers
WHERE: San Diego, venue TBA
WHEN: Saturday, April 18 (8:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m.) AND Sunday, April 19 (8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.)

Camp Courage is free but donations are accepted. Application for Camp Courage, San Diego can be found here.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

If you can't make this session, Camp Courage for the Bay Area is in the works! Stay Tuned.

Camp Courage Coming to San Diego, CA and Oakland, CA

Over 150 leaders attended Camp Courage Fresno on March 7-8 with amazing results. Fresno is humming with activity, gearing up for the continued fight for LGBT rights.

Wishing you were there? Well now you have another chance. Camp Courage is headed to San Diego next on April 18-19 followed by Oakland, CA, May 2-3. If you're interested in attending, contact CampCourage@couragecampaign.org for more details. You don't want to miss this!

Camp Courage in San Diego and Bay Area

Over 150 leaders attended Camp Courage Fresno with amazing results. Fresno is humming with activity, gearing up for the continued fight for LGBT rights.

Wishing you were there? Well now you have another chance. Camp Courage is headed to San Diego next, quickly followed by the Bay Area. If you're interested in attending, contact CampCourage@couragecampaign.org for more details. You don't want to miss this!

KSEE Fresno News on Camp Courage

VIDEO: Dolores Huerta and Cleve Jones at Camp Courage, Fresno, CA

The Movement is Headed to Fresno, CA

In preparing this post, I can't but help use the first-person perspective because the impact that Camp Courage in Fresno had on me personally as a facilitator is so profound that distancing myself from it would, not only be difficult, but wrong in how I should communicate what needs to be told about the amazing change that is happening in Fresno, CA.

For the sake of time in telling this story, I first need to direct you to my Op-Ed on the first Camp Courage in LA so you can know what Camp Courage is and what it's about. This exact same model was brought to Fresno, but effectively expanded upon over the course of two days.

On Saturday morning, we facilitators anxiously waited for our pre-assigned group to arrive through the conference room doors, excited to know who we would be working with for the whole weekend. The expected 160 and more attendees were randomly divided into groups to help mix it up, and I was curious to see whom I and the rest of the facilitators would get. Many of us had either been to the energized Camp Courage in LA or had worked at several Camp Obamas, whose model Camp Courage has adopted. So we were expectant of the same amount of energy.

The attendees, many from Fresno and the large surrounding Central Valley, trickled in and quietly sat down. Immediately, we could feel that there was energy, but it was definitively different from what we experienced before. Trying to put my finger on it, I observed my amazingly diverse group - a lesbian in her 70s, a middle-aged gay man, a lesbian in her 20s, a straight woman (yeah, straight!) and a bisexual girl of just 16. Though we were talking, you couldn't miss the initial impression - "What do I have in common with these people? What have I done by coming here?" As the Camp kicked off, it hit me what the energy was - "Caution."

As I grew to learn, these residents of the Central Valley had been let down so many times before. Fresno, CA is practically the capitol of the Bible belt in California (and yes, there is a Bible belt in California), and the local LGBT population has continually and constantly experienced discrimination and hate from their own city. But worse, they have reached out to their own LGBT community in other cities, raising their voices that they needed help only to get no response. (Fresno doesn't even have a center for the LGBT population to meet at, let alone organize.) During the No on 8 Campaign, they cried out that they needed help, that they were prepared to act, only to receive a few yard signs to put out in response. And even more, they have witnessed the burgeoning movement blooming in their neighboring urban cities only to be forgotten about. Again.

No wonder they attended Camp Courage with caution. "Who are these urbanites coming to our town? Are they going to let us down again? Are they going to "train us" only to take off, yet again, to forget us?" Many probably came only to see their opinion of us, which up to this point was correct, validated.

When we opened the camp, Lisa Powell, the amazing head facilitator, asked the attendees, "Who here is uncomfortable? Who here doesn't know anyone? Who here is wondering, 'What am I doing here?'" Quite a few hands went up, and I could tell by the faces of others, they wanted to raise their hands, too. One 16 year old had been dropped off by their mom, to come to the camp all alone, not knowing anyone. A sure sign of the desperation and the need for community in the area.

One of the first exercises at Camp Courage is for each member of each group to answer one simple question about themselves. This easy exercise slowly began to break the thick layer of ice. It began to dawn of everyone that they're not just going to sit around listening to a droning speaker talk down to them - they were going to be engaged.

But what was the turning point? What melted the ice wall? The brilliant but difficult exercise, "The Story of Self." This exercise asks the camper to distill their story of how they came out, about how they overcame a challenge that put them on the path of equality, a story that is extremely personal, a story they may have never told, down to two minutes. Why? Because the Story of Self is a powerful tool in connecting with people emotionally, and to help bring them into the movement, to connect even with those who oppose us.

I heard stories about the mistreatment from hospitals keeping partners apart while facing fatal circumstances, about children not relating to their gay parent, about a teenager rising above her difficulties at her school, about a straight woman raised in a religious environment who came to realize that her stance in support of the LGBT community could cost her, about a woman and her partner who can't get full coverage for their daughter 's disability. I heard more stories about a trans woman who went to school and had to wet her pants everyday until she was allowed to use the woman's restroom, how others were spit in the face by their fellow Fresno residents simply for being who they were, and so much more.

As I was sitting there, listening to these stories, not being able to keep the tears from welling - it hit me. I'm not here to facilitate. I'm here to learn. I'm hear to listen. I'm here to show these amazing people that they are not alone. They have truly been on the front lines, the real soldiers, facing hate in a town in which the residents are not ashamed to show it, actually proud of it, literally spitting it in their faces. I live in the cush bubble of LA where, if someone does hate me, they're not about to fling it in my face.

I knew so little. But I walked away knowing so much more. And not just that, I left with a greater sense of community way beyond the Los Angeles city limits.

After these brave campers told their stories not just to their groups, but to the whole convention, the ice melted. These people, many of whom didn't know each other until this day, exposed their hearts and realized that they were not alone. They had a community that had shared experiences, not only from far away cities, but within their own neighborhoods. This was the turning point. The energy transformed from "caution" to "trust" and "community."

Over the course of two days, with campers driving miles and miles to return, with speakers like Cleve Jones and Dolores Huerta of the union movement to add to the inspiration, with the Story of Us bringing everyone even closer together, with solid friendships between people who were recently strangers developing, with commitments to change and action being made, the sense of community building was tangible.

The recurring them of Camp Courage Fresno was, "I thought I was alone. Now I know I'm one of many, and I never have to feel that way again."

But here's the amazing thing about Fresno.

They're not alone simply because we urbanites came along and said sincerely, "We'll never make the mistake of not listening again." The truth is, these amazing people are not alone because they have each other. They have strength from each other. They're planning outstanding events and actions (which I will talk about over and over and over in many posts to come - hello MeetintheMiddle4Equalty.org!!!). They have built their community. And the movement is headed their direction!

And if there's one thing I can take away from this experience this past weekend, it's the sense that I too am a part of a greater community that's driving an even greater movement. It's not just an LGBT community, it's not just an LGBT movement. It's a community of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, intersexuals, queers, straights, union workers, African Americans, Latinos, Asian and everyone in between.

It's a movement of change.

And I have Fresno, CA to thank for that.


Thank you, Marta Evry, for these amazing pictures!

Away for the Weekend . . . Working Hard for the Movement

I will be away facilitating at Camp Courage in Fresno starting today. As a result, I won't be able to do in depth blogging over the weekend, but there will be an occasional post. So stick around!