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J U N E 1 8 , 2 0 1 1

M I C H A E L S U T P H I NL G B T FA C U LT Y / S T A F F C A U C U S

V I R G I N I A T E C H

ICEBREA

KER• Name• Institution• What does

“grassroots organizing” mean to you?

AGENDA

1. What is grassroots organizing?2. Will it work for us?3. What steps should we take?4. How do we take action?5. What is the end result?6. What issues need grassroots support?

WHAT

IS G

RASSROOTS

ORGANIZIN

G?

P AR

T O

NE

DEFIN

ITIO

N “…collective action by community members drawing on the strength of numbers, participatory processes, and indigenous leadership to decrease power disparities and achieve shared goals for social change.” –Lee Staples, Roots to Power: A Manual for Grassroots Organizing

APPROACHES TO CHANGE

T R A D I T I O N A L

• Top-down• Elite• National• Party-led• Relies on

money

G R A S S R O O T S

• Bottom-up• Community-

based• Local• Volunteer-

driven• Relies on time

and people

From the gay liberation activists of the 1970s, to the ACT-UP organizers of the 1980s and 1990s, to the marriage equality advocates of the 2000s, our community has used grassroots organizing to effect change and respond to crisis.

GRASSROOTS AND LGBTQ

GRASSROOTS V

S.

ASTROTU

RFING

“What exactly is Astroturf supposed to mean? Typically, that, in the absence of widespread support for a position, some unseen entity manufactures the appearance of it.”—Ryan Sager, “Keep Off the Astroturf,” New York Times, Aug. 18, 2009

WILL

IT W

ORK FOR U

S?

P AR

T T

WO

THE

IVORY

TOW

ER

Decen

tral

ized

, slo

w to

chan

ge, tr

aditi

on-b

ound, r

elie

s on

outs

ide

fundin

g, nee

ds al

umni s

upport

• Politically and fiscally conservative

• Republican-controlled

• Behind-the-curve on social justice

• Business-oriented

• Changing demographics

THE OLD DOMINION

YES W

E CAN Grassroots organizing has

worked at colleges and universities around the country—both public and private—for a number of causes, including ours. We can build on this past success by understanding the art and science of “grassroots.”

CASE STUDIES

V I R G I N I A C O M M O N W E A L T H U N I V E R S I T Y

In 2010, following the attorney general’s recommendation that Virginia’s public colleges and universities not offer protections based on their sexual orientation, VCU students, faculty, and staff raised attention to the issue with a large rally.

U N I V E R S I T Y O F R I C H M O N D

With the help of community members and allies, a new LGBTQ student organization successfully petitioned the board of trustees to add gender identity and expression to UR’s nondiscrimination statement in 2011.

WHAT

STE

PS S

HOULD

WE TA

KE?

P AR

T T

HR

EE

STEP 1: CREATE A PLAN

• Goal—a desired outcome (e.g. win the war)

• Strategy—an idea to achieve the goal (e.g. divide and conquer)

• Tactic—a specific action to implement the strategy (e.g. invade France with paratroopers)

ANATOMY OF A CAMPAIGN PLAN

• Campaign structure• Timeline• Message• Targeting• Budget• Fundraising

STEP

2: DEV

ELOP

A MESSAGE

Craft a

sim

ple, e

asy-

to-u

nderst

and m

essa

ge th

at p

rese

nts

a co

ntras

t. Li

ke s

pokes

on a

whee

l, yo

ur suppor

ting p

oints

shou

ld e

xten

d from

this

cen

tral

mes

sage.

ACTIVITY: TULLY MESSAGE BOX

What we say about ourselves

What our opponents say about themselves

What we say about our opponents

What our opponents say about us

WHO IS YOUR BEST SPOKESPERSON?

Message: The university should include gender identity and expression in its nondiscrimination policy because everyone deserves to be treated fairly and equally.

Supporting message Spokesperson

We all deserve equal and fair treatment on this campus.

Trans student or employee

The change in policy would not hinder public safety.

Law enforcement officer or women’s group representative

Many other colleges and universities have already passed such protections.

Job recruiter from peer institution

STEP 3: BUILD COMMUNITY SUPPORT

• Speak with student, faculty, and staff groups

• Hold a town-hall meeting or host a house party

• Create a website or social media presence to share information

• Pass out fliers or informational sheets• Promote your cause with the campus

newspaper or radio station

• Other LGBTQ and ally groups

• Other minority and diversity-related groups

• Women’s organizations

• Progressive political groups

• “Welcoming and affirming” communities of faith

• Other grassroots campaigns

THE USUAL SUSPECTS

THE IMPORTANCE OF ALLIES

• The Williams Institute reports we are only 9 million strong, or 3.5 percent of the U.S. population.

• In 1996, the year Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act, one in four Americans supported same-sex marriage.

• Today, all recent polls count a majority of Americans in favor of marriage equality. What changed?“A Resource Guide to Coming Out.” Human Rights Campaign. 2011.

Online.

STEP

4: TAKE

ACTION

By this point, you are ready to implement your plan, communicate your message, and leverage your community support.

HOW D

O WE TA

KE

ACTION?

P AR

T F

OU

R

ACTIVITY: VISUALIZE POWER ON YOUR CAMPUS

Board of trustees

President

Provost

College deans

Student affairs

Dean of students

Public relations

Alumni relations Finance

A university organizational chart represents authority, not power.

“THE

MAN” You can’t know the answer until you ask the question. The best, and easiest, way to effect change is to use traditional power structures.

COMMON TACTICS

• Petitions• Canvassing• Information booths and visibility• Letter-writing, phone-calling, and email

campaigns• Paid and earned media• Social media and viral marketing• University and college governance

systems

DEMONSTR

ATIO

NS, RALL

IES,

AND PROTE

STS

Anti-gay

pro

test

sig

ns in

War

saw, P

olan

d: “Beg

one

the

inso

lent p

ropag

anda

of h

omos

exual

s!,”

“Say

sto

p to

rapin

g our m

oral

ity u

nder th

e nam

e of

free

dom.”

THIN

K OUTS

IDE T

HE BOX

• Find good leaders

• Have clear roles and responsibilities

• Support and encourage volunteers

• Do your research

• Seek outside expertise

• Stay focused

• Remain open and transparent

• Understand the difference between necessary and unnecessary conflict

• Know the risks

• Leverage the power of students

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

WHAT

IS T

HE END

RESULT?

P AR

T F

I VE

COMMUNITY

ORGANIZIN

G

“Community organizing creates durable institutions to give relatively powerless individuals a collective voice.”

Wher

e do

we

go af

ter o

ur gra

ssro

ots

cam

paign e

nds?

• Activism• Mobilizing• Legal action• Pulling self

up by bootstraps

• Advocacy• Direct service

• Community governance

• Movement building

• Nonpartisan dialogues

• Lifestyle changes

WHAT COMMUNITY ORGANIZING IS NOT

Schultz, Aaron. “Core Dilemmas of Organizing: What is Community Organizing?What isn’t Community Organizing?” Open Left. March 22, 2008. Online.

• Policy statements

• Bias reporting process

• Student, faculty, and alumni groups

• Support groups• Regular events• Training

• Academic programs

• Safe spaces• Housing options• Advisory

committees• Resource centers• Scholarships and

endowed funds

DURABLE POWER STRUCTURES ON CAMPUS

IS CONFLICT NECESSARY FOR SOCIAL CHANGE?C O M M U N I T Y O R G A N I Z I N G

Yes, conflict and social struggle are necessary because there will always be individuals who benefit from the status quo.

C O M M U N I T Y B U I L D I N G

No, conflict and social struggle are not necessary because communities can find consensus to bring about positive change.

WHAT

ISSUES N

EED

GRASSROOTS S

UPPORT

?

P AR

T S

I X

OUR JOBS

T H E F A C T S

• In 2010, Virginia’s attorney general issued a letter to public colleges and universities that challenged the legality of protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

• In this year’s General Assembly session, proposed legislation to protect public and state employees from discrimination and offer partner benefits passed in Senate with bipartisan support but failed in the House.

OUR JOBS

W H Y D O E S T H I S M A T T E R ?

• Discrimination still exists.• Lack of partner benefits puts LGBTQ faculty

and staff at Virginia institutions of higher education at an economic disadvantage.

• Virginia’s colleges and universities are losing qualified candidates to peer institutions that protect employees from discrimination and provide partner benefits.

OUR FAMILIES

T H E F A C T S

• This spring, the State Board of Social Services voted against a proposed rule change to Virginia’s adoption and foster care policies that would prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation.

• The outlines for the 2012 legislative session have already begun to take shape, with adoption rights likely to be back in the forefront.

OUR FAMILIES

W H Y D O E S T H I S M A T T E R ?

• Our colleges and universities will have difficulty attracting prospective faculty and staff in a state that questions their right to start a family.

• When the state challenges the basic rights of public employees, we lose LGBTQ faculty and staff at our institutions.

OUR SCHOOLS

T H E F A C T S

• According to The 2009 National School Climate Survey, 84.6% of LGBTQ students were verbally harassed, 40.1% physically harassed, and 18.8% physically assaulted in the past year because of their sexual orientation.

• Recent headlines of gay teen suicides and the “It Gets Better” campaign have brought national exposure to this perennial issue.

OUR SCHOOLS

W H Y D O E S T H I S M A T T E R ?

• When LGBTQ youth enter college, their perspective, outlook, and needs differ from their straight peers.

• Bullying and harassment still happens at the collegiate level.

• Public colleges and universities have an obligation to assist the community at large.

RESOURCES

• Equality Virginia, www.equalityvirginia.org

• Virginia Organizing, www.virginia-organizing.org

• People of Faith for Equality in Virginia, www.faith4equalityva.org

• Campus Pride, www.campuspride.org

RESOURCES

• LGBT Democrats of Virginia, www.lgbtvadem.org

• Log Cabin Republicans of Virginia, www.virginialogcabin.org

• Human Rights Campaign, www.hrc.org

• National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce, www.thetaskforce.org

RESOURCES

• PFLAG, www.pflag.org• Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education

Network, www.glsen.org• Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against

Defamation, www.glaad.org• Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund,

www.victoryfund.org

CONTACT

& QUESTI

ONS

Michael Sutphin

(540) 257-4951michaelsutphin@ gmail.com