It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you want to get involved in LGBTQ rights and/or LGBTQ parenting issues but don’t know how you can help. It can also be overwhelming to figure out how you can use your talents and voice to make a difference. But don’t be discouraged: get involved by starting small, using your talents and interests to make a difference, and staying informed about issues that you want to know more about and that keep you interested.
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines the word “activism” as “a doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue.” That word can be pretty intimidating to those who don’t have much experience voicing their opinions of controversial or political issues, let alone taking “direct vigorous action” on behalf of these ideas. Luckily, being an activist can mean so many different things today. You have the freedom to create your own kind of activism, or be whatever kind of activist you want to be.
Start Small
The easiest way to get involved with LGBTQ rights and parenting issues is to talk to people about these issues. This might seem obvious, but it’s easy to overlook the way a simple conversation can open people (including you!) up to new viewpoints. If your parents identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer, you might feel comfortable sharing with your friends or other members of your community about what your experience has been like growing up in this kind of family. If you know people whose parents identify as LGBTQ, you might want to ask them more about their experience, talk about the similarities that your families share, and perhaps discuss some of the differences as well. One of the simplest ways of getting to know about LGBTQ issues is to ask questions, be respectful, and consider other people’s perspectives, no matter if you want to educate people about LGBTQ rights or want to learn more about these topics.
Use What You Know
Another way that you can become an activist for LGBTQ family issues is by using your talents to educate people and raise awareness about these topics. Are you an artist? Create a poster campaign or art exhibit or design flyers that educate and inform. The best creative projects are genuine and often have a personal touch—think about how you can creatively tell your story or help others tell theirs. Need inspiration? An organization called COLAGE (Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere) put together a group called the Youth Leadership and Action Program (YLAP) for youth with LGBT parents to gain leadership, advocacy, media literacy, and public speaking skills. The group created the exhibit “That’s So Gay: Portraits of Youth with LGBT Parents” to give people a glimpse into the lives and experiences of children with LGBT-headed families. YLAP now shares its exhibit with the public, and provides ways for activists to bring the exhibit to their own communities. For more information about the exhibit, check out http://colage.org/ylap/exhibit.html, or visit COLAGE’s main website at www.colage.org.
Maybe you like writing—you’re on your school’s newspaper staff, you write many letters to your friends and family, or you like to write stories or poems just for fun. You might think that activists have to be extremely outspoken, good public speakers, and very social to have any success. But behind good speeches there are good writers, and whether these writers have great public charisma, they know that much of a speech's’ effectiveness comes from the power of the writing. You can also use your writing to share your family’s stories, inform others about how they can get involved in LGBTQ activism, or keep fellow activists informed about current events. The power of writing is endless. Take a look at the articles that activists Marina, Jeff, and Megan wrote for previous issues of Rainbow Rumpus. If you have a story, an article, or even just a good idea that you want to share with Rainbow Rumpus, we would love to hear about it. Send articles, ideas, and all other inquiries to nonfiction@rainbowrumpus.com.
You can also use your writing skills to contact your state representatives, inform them about your position on a particular issue, and advise them about what actions they should take regarding a particular issue. Handwritten letters are particularly effective because they will be read and catalogued by legislators and their staff. For more information about how to write a letter to your legislator, visit http://www.familypride.org/contactyourlegislator.html.
What if you’re not particularly interested in writing and don’t really have that much artistic talent? Activism can come in any form you want it to. If you’re good at sports, you could organize a sporting event to raise money for a particular organization or charity. If you’re a particularly musical person, you could write songs that convey strong and meaningful messages, or collaborate with people who also share your interests in music and activism. If you like to make videos using a digital camera, you could create your own documentary about your family or a family close to you and debut it on a blog or website like Rainbow Rumpus. If you have an interest in theater, you could write a play about an LGBTQ family or a play that deals with issues related to LGBTQ families. Whatever talents you have, you can use them as an outlet for your interests as an activist. The possibilities are endless!
Some Useful Websites
Many of these organizations have volunteer and even internship positions that are great opportunities for people with a wide range of activist experiences.
COLAGE (Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere): www.colage.org
Family Pride Coalition (national LGBT-headed family organization): www.familypride.org
Rainbow Families (LGBT-headed family organization in Minnesota): www.rainbowfamilies.org
The Human Rights Campaign’s Action Center: www.hrcactioncenter.org/actioncenter/home.html
