“We should treat other people the way we want to be treated.”
This is what Timi Parker, a member of the group “Straight Women for Marriage Equality” recently told OregonLive.com. Parker and other members of the group are pushing to see Oregon’s Measure 36 overturned. Measure 36, which voters passed in 2004 defining marriage in Oregon as between one man and one woman, passed in all but two counties.
The idea behind Straight Women for Marriage Equality stems from research saying that the biggest single influence on conservative-leaning men when it comes to social issues, are the women in their lives. Could talking about equality with ones’ own family members possibly make a difference? Absolutely – we’ve seen such a major shift in attitudes as people have come out and spoken to their loved ones about who they are. What’s different here is that our allies are now jumping on board – seeing marriage equality as a matter of basic fairness.
Timi Parker is a grandmother who wants to see her grandchildren grow up in a world where people are equal – and so this ally is doing what she can to make a difference. Not unlike Friendfactor, Straight Women for Marriage Equality is all about asking our straight allies to speak up for us – not only be supportive, but actually do the work required to help us gain our equality.
We can’t win this without a little help from our friends and we can no longer be so timid as to only ask for a pat on the back when we tell someone the truth about who we are. We MUST begin engaging our friends and families and kindly ask that they stand up for us whenever possible. The more work we do now, the more freedom the next generation will have.
Pledge now to make a phone call to at least 5 friends or family members and ask them to stand up for you. You may even find an ally where you least expected.
Talk About Equality 