A few days ago, I was talking to a straight ally and friend of mine about the role social media plays in the equality movement. He asked me why I felt social media was such an important tool. My response to him was simple, “Social media provides a platform that sparks conversations which otherwise may never have occurred.”
My friend is relatively new to the social media “scene” and is discovering the power that it has in moving and shaping the opinions of the people around him. I use social media everyday and have a strong opinion of what these powerful platforms can do, which I’m always happy to share.
Almost daily, he posts an article on Facebook about the LGBT equality movement, or an issue that the community is facing. I know this because his articles populate in my News Feed, which makes me smile, because I know that these articles reach his broader online community, and possibly further still, affecting the hearts and minds of others within his network. His support for LGBT equality is amplified by affirming to his Facebook friends that he is a straight ally.
Straight Ally Support Grows
My friend is just one of thousands who have stepped forward to announce themselves as straight allies with the intent to bring awareness and resolution to the discrimination that the LGBT community faces. Recently, musician Jason Mraz came forward as a straight ally, and actress Anna Paquin came forward as a bisexual ally in Cyndi Lauper’s ‘We Give A Damn’ equality campaign, which launched on April 1, 2010.
‘We Give a Damn’ isn’t the only straight ally campaign to hit the scene. When I participated in the National Equality March in Washington DC on October 11, 2009, I met Sue Sena, founder and president of ‘Swish‘, a non-profit with the mission to involve straight allies in the LGBT movement.
I decided to give Sue a call and ask her to provide ‘Kraus Notes’ readers with the mission of ‘Swish’ in her own words.
“Swish has been creating opportunities for straight allies to become active in the LGBT civil rights movement since 2003. We are inspired and encouraged by the recent outpouring of support by prominent straight allies, post-Prop 8. For Swish, our motivation is simple and clear - love is love. Until every citizen of this country – and the world – is treated equally under the law and celebrated by his or her friends, neighbors, colleagues and loved ones, our society will remain deeply flawed and un-evolved. “
More information on how you can join ’Swish’ is found at the end of this blog.
Why the ‘Straight Ally’ Message Is Important
The loss of gay marriage in California and New York proved to the LGBT community that we couldn’t win the fight without the active support and involvement from our straight ally peers. Non-profits like ‘We Give A Damn’ and ‘Swish’, and even individuals like my friend, are paving the way for straight allies to get involved in the movement.
I encourage you to take a moment to ‘Give a Damn’, ‘Swish’, or share an article or two on your page about why it is important that the LGBT community deserves equal rights.
Become a Fan of ‘Kraus Notes’ on Facebook
Information from Sue on how you can “Swish”
Straight allies interested in becoming more involved with Swish through volunteerism and awareness-raising events, or if you would like to share your story in our Why Do You Swish? campaign, visit our web site at www.swishpride.org or look for us on Twitter (@swishpride and @iswishbeacuse) and Facebook.
no matter what the cause social media outlets can be effective when it comes to spreading information, however, it’s one thing to post a link to your twitter and yet another to engage a friend, coworker or whomever that may have an opposing view on the issue at hand. is social media furthing the art of extemporanious debate (is it supposed to?) or does it diminish one’s ability to articulate a stance face-to-face… or are we in unchartered waters of human interaction?
Posted by skeeball | April 3, 2010, 9:00 pmTrue, social media does take a way a lot of ‘face-to-face’ debate, but it opens the door to broadening your reach to engage others with your feelings on an issue. The most recent example of this in action is the Constance McMillen cancelled prom. We may never had heard the story had the ACLU not leveraged Facebook to engage a following and to educate the Facebook community with the facts of the case. Because of this, hundreds of bloggers began to cover the story and offer their perspective and stance on the issue and hundreds of thousands joined to Facebook page to follow the case. Because this story received so much social media attention and national news attention, conservative areas nationwide are beginning to second guess whether or not they will prevent another gay couple from attending their prom.
Just check out this story: http://www.macon.com/2010/03/23/1069261/bleckley-school-officials-allowing.html
I don’t believe change like this could have occurred without the power of social media.
Posted by Leone Kraus | April 4, 2010, 9:51 am