As the November election draws near, many in the GLBT community are getting more involved this time around than in 2000. While the Federal Marriage Amendment was defeated in the Senate, a similar motion called the Marriage Protection Act was introduced in the House last week and passed with a vote of 233 to 194. The Ripple of Hope Campaign, run by David Mixner and former Human Rights Campaign Director Elizabeth Birch, is one of the latest groups to take up the ongoing fight against the legitimization of anti-GLBT discrimination.
Ripple of Hope's mission is to deliver Bush an unequivocal electoral defeat in November and help elect the Kerry-Edwards ticket. In order to do so, they are seeking donations of $25 or more from individuals who are opposed to the current administration's position on issues of concern to the GLBT community. Those include the nomination of young right-wing judges, the decrease in tangible HIV/AIDS funding, the focus on abstinence instead of proper condom use in sex education programs, and the exclusion of sexual orientation from equal employment protections.
Out Loud Illinois is the new organization's local chapter. Their goal is to get 5,000 people in the Illinois GLBT community to contribute. On Thursday, July 29 they are holding a special event at Sidetrack, where people can pay $25 to go and listen live to John Kerry's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.
Here is a short interview with Caroline Soodek, spokesperson for Out Loud Illinois.
Marie-Jo Proulx: How did the idea for Ripple of Hope come about? Is it a coincidence that the name came from an RFK speech, or was it designed to hint at the similarities between John Kerry and the Kennedy brothers?
Caroline Soodek: The idea behind Ripple of Hope comes from the Robert F. Kennedy speech given to South African Students in 1966. 'Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.'
Several national LGBT leaders, including Mixner and Birch, were inspired by the words and spirit of social justice of Robert Kennedy, to establish the Ripple of Hope campaign.
The LGBT community has, for the past 40 years, relied on creativity, determination, and the small and large contributions of each of us to achieve social and legal progress. As we near the tipping point of full equality, we face a backlash, so it is more important than ever to provide people with a focal point for involvement and activism. ... A representative democracy depends upon the small, daily contributions of millions and millions ... .
MJP: Is Out Loud hoping for specific policy changes from the Democrats?
CS: The number of specific policy changes we hope and expect to see from the administration of John Kerry is too numerous to mention. Specifically, we expect that HIV/AIDS prevention would be restored as a specific policy goal; we expect the Federal Marriage Amendment to lose the support of the federal executive branch. We expect that President Kerry would appoint enlightened judges to the federal bench and justices to the Supreme Court; we expect that President Kerry will work to increase the minimum wage, will work to fully fund protection of our harbors, power plants, police and fire departments; and we expect President Kerry to reverse the current administration's tendency to name LGBT families as a danger to the security of American families.
MJP: What is Out Loud's view of the Kerry-Edwards position on gay marriage?
CS: Sen. Kerry is a longtime friend to the LGBT community. As early as 1985, when few leaders supported LGBT rights, Kerry introduced one of the first gay civil-rights bills in the Senate. In 1993, Kerry vigorously opposed 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' arguing that gay and lesbian soldiers should not be barred from military service. In 1996, Kerry was one of only 14 Senators who voted against the Defense of Marriage Act. Kerry is also the co-sponsor of the Employment Nondiscrimination Act. Although we disagree with their position on same-sex marriage ... Sen. Kerry and Sen. Edwards are true friends of the LGBT community.
MJP: Will Out Loud continue to exist in a different form after the election?
CS: We have been very fortunate to receive the support of many people in the Illinois LGBT community. Because of that support, the tireless work of so many people, and the LGBT community's determination to play an active role in effecting change, we believe that Out Loud Illinois is well on its way to establishing a solid reputation for community activism and political involvement. We hope to continue the work of Out Loud Illinois after our fundraising work is done.
The Sidetrack event starts at 6:30 p.m. See www.rippleofhope.org, www.outloudillinois.org .