hand to hand combat at the Texas capitol
admin on Mar 16th 2007
Did you know that a hand shake and a brief hello from a constituent is the most highly valued contact a legislator can receive? There is, in fact, a ranking system by which legislators decide how much weight to give to constituent requests. The more time-consuming and personal the form of contact, the greater weight it’s given. This makes sense. On average, legislators receive very little direct feedback from voters. So when an LGBTQ person shows up in their office doorway, asking for a minute of their time, you can imagine how seriously the legislator takes this. To emphasize the point—if an e-mail is given 10 points on the “contact scale,” an in-person visit is given 10,000!
All forms of contact are important and follow-up is key. But participating in lobby days is by far one of the most important things you can do to support pro-LGBTQ legislation and oppose anti-LGBTQ legislation. Lobby days occur when groups of like-minded people get together to ask legislators to support their cause. It’s that simple.
Just last week I had the privilege of traveling to Austin, TX to participate in Equality Texas’s 2007 Lobby Day. The Texas legislature meets only briefly once every two years, so it’s very important that LGBTQ and ally Texans come out in force when their day rolls around. And come out in force they did! I’m proud to report that the combined efforts of Equality Texas and some 15+ partner organizations (including Family Pride) brought 200+ Texans to the capitol for Lobby Day!
The building was abuzz with our work. Some legislators were visited multiple times by different teams; all were amazed with our turnout. We made personal and group impressions on ally, moderate and arch-conservative legislators.
Lobby Days are great community-builders. You learn so much about your neighbors and the people you work with, whether locally or from afar. I lobbied with some wonderful folks from around the state of Texas. My group was made up of me; a gay dad, his ex-wife and their two outspoken little girls; a straight ally who started a foster and adoption agency for LGBTQ parents (Families by Choice); and a pair of transgender friends whose stories were particularly poignant in a session in which the transgender community in Texas could make some real gains toward acceptance and equality.
Family Pride is committed to supporting our families and the wider LGBTQ community at lobby days around the country. We can’t always be there in person, but we’ll do our best to get you there. Subscribe to our blog and our enews to get the latest updates on what’s happening in the states. And for more information on legislation in Texas, including a potential attack on gay and lesbian foster care, visit the legislative watch page on Equality Texas’s website.
In the meantime, set up an in-person visit with your representatives. Often you can catch them in their home office, which should be easier for you to get to. Regardless of how they vote on our issues, they truly value your visits. And being visible as a family can go a long way in changing the hearts and minds of the people who have so much power over our families. Find out who your representatives are here. Download the OUTSpoken Families Toolkit and flip to pg. 97 to find out everything you need to know about making your visit a success!
