EVERYONE CAN VOLUNTEER FOR EQUALITY
The 4 Hour A Month Plan
GOAL: To get ALL LGBT Community Members and Allies who are not Involved, to become active and aware community members WITHIN their busy schedules. This is a work in progress. Make positive suggestions to (Mark) btmenw@live.com or btmenw at Twitter, search/hashtag #4HourPlan.
1st MONTH: Getting Organized
Hour 1- Boycotts Work
* Write a shopping list of ALL products you buy & services you use weekly.
* Download list of companies friendly/not friendly to the LGBT Community.
- HRC Buyers Guide to businesses who are LGBT friendly. www.hrc.org/buyersguide2009
- Queers United Blog's Gay Friendly & Unfriendly Companies queersunited.blogspot.com
-Prop 8 Supporters www.hrc.org/news/11542.htm gayboycotts.org www.afterellen.com/node/39787 (I will find best lists & update).
* Compare your list to the HRC Boycott List & Queers United List, then Skim Prop 8 Supporting Business Owners in your area. Know what products and services you may need to stop using.
* Example: May want to replace your Poptarts because Kellogg's is around 60% (Yellow). Definitely want to not buy a Butterball Turkey for dinner, because they are in RED group.
Hour 2- Be Informed
YOU READ, SKIM & SCAN
* Find & Bookmark Key Online Sources
- The Advocate www.advocate.com
- Huffington Post www.Huffingtonpost.com Skim Headlines, Then Search G- for Gay & C-for Civil Rights under (button down page on right named) More Big News Pages. Liberal & Not so liberal news & blog articles.
- Queers United Blog queersunited.blogspot.com LGBT News, Vocab, & Events
*Grassroots organizations, Events & Protests in your area.
- Join The Impact jointheimpact.com Protests & Events/Search Your town
- Courage Campaign www.couragecampaign.org A grassroots organization of LGBT and Straight Allies working for Civil Rights.
NEWS COMES TO YOU
* Join These Organization Sites & News will come to you by email.
News
- www.advocate.com Advocate, Gay news from around the country.
- www.Huffingtonpost.com Huffington Post, Sign Up & you get emails & you get a profile & can comment on news stories on all topics.
Grassroots Organizations
- Join The Impact jointheimpact.com Protests & Events/Search Your town
- Courage Campaign www.couragecampaign.org A grassroots organization of LGBT and Straight Allies working for Civil Rights.
- SDEC= San Diego Equality, www.sdequalitynow.com
- SAME= San Diego Equality & Peaceful Protest Group, www.samealliance.com
- DOD FED GLOBE= DADT Lobbying, www.dodfedglobe.com
- Young Democrats, www.sdcyoungdemocrats.com
Non-Grassroots Organizations
- www.sddemoclub.org SDDC=San Diego Democratic Club has a monthly newsletter of information for Democrats, Local & National News Items, Comedy from around the web and campaign information.
- www.hrc.org HRC=Human Rights Campaign
- www.aclu.org/lgbt ACLU=American Civil Liberties LGBT issues.
- www.eqca.org EQCA=Equality California
- www.marriageequality.org MEUSA= Marriage Equality Outreach
* Create a profile by signing up. You can Comment on News Stories & Blogs.
* You may create a new free email account under fun screen name for anonymity at www.hotmail.com.
* You Can use this account to join organizations & sites like Twitter as well if worried about excessive emails or anonymity.
LET SOMEONE ELSE FIND THE NEWS
* Twitter twitter.com Quick Prescreened News. Each person or group you follow will give you links to current updated news, information of upcoming events, & quick comments on news.
* Join Twitter For Quick News Links:
* Do search of #4HourPlan for hints on an extended list of who to follow & why.
Short List:
News You Can Use
@TheAdvocateMag The Advocate
@queerunity Queers United Blog News Alerts
@davidbadash Online Blogger
@GayMarriage Gay Marriage News
@GayRainArmy Gets to the Heart of things.
@btmenw (My Screenname) News, Event Info, & Comments on Gay Rights Issues.
Protesters/Events & Grassroots
@JoinTheImpact Upcoming Events & Protest News
@YesOnEqualiy Yes on Equality & Ballot/Proposition in CA
@CourageCampaign Courage Campaign
@sarabethbrooks Grassroots Organizer
@sdequalitynow SDEC San Diego
@dayofdecision Protest Events
National & Non-Grassroot
@HRCBackStory Human Rights Campaign
@MEUSA Marriage Equality USA
@ACLU American Civil Liberties Union
@eqca Equality California
YOU Chatroom?
* Twitter allows you to reply to others, add comments, & enter subject areas by searching and adding a
#hashtag (#LGBT, #DADT, #4HourPlan), and you can “chat” back and forth with people on topics.
#4HourPlan
#LGBT
#DADT
#Prop8
#MITM4E
* Give feedback on Tweets (Twitter messages) or pass along a good one by copying & pasting it in upper comment window. Type RT (A Retweet) before it & a “@” in front of senders name. It gives recognition to the original sender.
Hour 3- Know About Upcoming Events
* Find protest events in your area and mark them in your CALENDAR & Set-up an ALARM on your phone calendar.
- @JoinTheImpact
Hour 4- Spreading Your Story
* Come out to your family, friends, and co-workers. They will be more likely to help us if they know.
* Take five extra minutes & ask the stores you shop at & the clergy you hear at mass, where they stand (Come out to them). Decide if you can do outreach to them and change their opinion on LGBT Rights OR decide if this is the place you should spend your money or time.
2nd MONTH:
You already know where you stand as a gay person with your products and your service providers and where your church stands. You know what businesses to avoid. You know what events are coming up. You have your calendar ready & you know where to find your news.
Now:
Hour 1- Skim Your News & Emails
* Check your gay websites a few minutes a day & Read them while you are waiting for your mail to open.
* Update your calendar of events.
* Check your email.
Hour 2- Inform Others
Have a drink at a gay establishment, talk to family, talk to co-workers, straight or gay, and talk to your friends and acquaintances about upcoming events. Tell them what is happening in our country about DADT, DOMA, LGBT Rights, and (Gay) Marriage Equality. Keep the conversation alive, while interesting others in taking part in their futures & their Civil Rights. Have fun, but keep the conversation alive.
Hour 3 & 4- Go To An Event
* Spend two hours at a LGBT rally, event, meeting, or protest this month, even if that is an excuse for a sunny day road trip to an event in a town nearby. Courage Campaign’s Camp Courage may be a nice day or weekend event.
* Look For Local Organizations
- Jointheimpact.com For Events.
- Check your local LGBT Center or organizations listed above.
* Based in San Diego, With California & National News & Influence- Join:
- SDDC=Democrat Issues, www.sddemoclub.org
- SDEC=Equality, www.sdequalitynow.com
- SAME= Equality & Peaceful Protest Group, www.samealliance.com
- DOD FED GLOBE= DADT Lobbying, www.dodfedglobe.com
- Young Democrats, www.sdcyoungdemocrats.com
- MEUSA= Marriage Equality Outreach, www.marriageequality.org
Or join all at Marriage of the Minds 1st & 3rd Sunday at 5:00 for information on all group activities & upcoming events, & event planning.
* Check Organization’s Website Calendar or your LGBT Center’s Community Calendar for meeting times & dates.
3rd MONTH & All Future Months:
Hours 1 & 2.
* Repeat 2nd Months hours 1 & 2.
Hours 3 & 4
* Volunteer those two hours that you go to the event to an organization at the event or jump get emailing.
- Event Volunteer or Peace Keeper
- Event Planning
- Outreach
- Phone Outreach
- Emailing Congressman, The President, & Companies (Can do fill in letters at most national sites, i.e. ACLU, HRC, MEUSA, EQCA, etc.).
* Meet Other Members of Community
* Ask Questions on what is happening with future Events & Outreach.
You may:
* Have people coming to you to ask what you think about an issue.
* Your Experiences Are Important and may shed light in an area we are struggling with. (Share at your Twitter account or hashtags #4HourPlan #DADT #LGBT or other related topics).
You might:
* Get a date or meet a new friend.
* Find a great new social group.
* Receive a feeling of being an active member for your rights and those of others.
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