Saturday, December 13, 2008

Lambda Legal: 35 Actions To Take for Equality!

35 Actions To Take for Equality!
Lambda Legal's 35th Anniversary

Lambda Legal is making the case for equality in the courts and out in the streets. But we can’t do it alone. Here are 35 actions you can take for equality. Tackle one of these a week and you’ll be an activist for equality in no time!

1. Host a house party to spread the word.

2. Ask your friends to become Lambda Legal members.

3. Volunteer! You can help at Pride marches, be on an event committee or help in an office during an important campaign.

4. Attend a Lambda Legal event. Visit our site’s events page for a fun event near you.

5. Volunteer time at a local LGBT or HIV organization. Roll up your sleeves and invest some “sweat-equality” time in Lambda Legal, your state’s LGBT political action group or another local LGBT organization.

6. Join the LGBT or HIV organizations of your choice. Subscribe to their newsletters and participate through their websites in petitions, calls to Congress and letter-writing campaigns.

7. Create a program or presentation about LGBT rights for a school or classroom activity, workplace, community organization or place of worship.

8. Write your local, state and federal government elected officials a personal letter about how lack of full rights for LGBT people and people with HIV has affected you and the people you love.

9. Tell your story. When people get to know LGBT people, they become more outspoken about fairness and equal rights for the LGBT community.

10. Stay informed. Read the LGBT press, monitor websites like 365gay.com and sign up for Lambda Legal’s e-Newsletter.

11. Honor an Ally. Say thank you to the people who support our community and, in turn, support the issues important to them.

12. Join our online community so you can “take action” when one of Lambda Legal’s Action Alerts appears in your in-box.

13. Vote. The LGBT community will be stronger if we’re all at the polls on Election Day. So register to vote and get to the polls.

14. Get your affairs in order. Most states don’t recognize gay and lesbian relationships. If you want your partner to inherit your home, care for your children or make medical decisions when you can’t, you must make that happen. For some tips on how to begin life planning, log on to www.lambdalegal.com.

15. Part with some cash. Less than one-tenth of one percent of all cash donations in America support LGBT organizations. Every little bit helps. Make a donation when you pay your monthly cell phone, satellite TV or Internet bill. Learn more at www.lambdalegal.org/donate.

16. Share your Pride pictures on Flickr or Picasa. Then link your account to pictures of other Pride events around the country.

17. Speak up. Write letters to the editors of magazines. Be familiar with the positions of your local officials and tell them in a letter why you agree or disagree.

18. Raise HIV awareness among your friends. Discuss the importance of safe sex and know your options for HIV testing. Take some time to learn the high-risk behaviors that might spread HIV to protect yourself and others.

19. Learn the proper definitions of transgender, transsexual and gender identity.

20. Question religious leaders who use defamatory or discriminatory language in sermons and lectures.

21. Donate to or get involved with a group that fights for HIV prevention and treatment services.

22. Put LGBT Pride announcements in your place of worship bulletin.

23. Support LGBTQ youth by joining a mentoring program at your school or university.

24. If you feel you’ve experienced discrimination because of your sexual orientation, gender identity or HIV status call Lambda Legal’s Help Desk.

25. Visit and support your local LGBT bookstores. Check literary sites like www.lambdaliterary.org for bookstore locations, or contact them to list your favorite LGBT bookstore.

26. State your case and create your own blog! Weblogs are powerful tools that can inform and educate. And they’re free!

27. Read the official biography of or learn more about historical gay or lesbian role models, like Leonardo da Vinci, Jane Rule, James Baldwin, Oscar Wilde or Tammy Baldwin, the first out lesbian Congresswoman.

28. Keep in contact with your friends in other cities and countries. Stay in the loop about what’s happening in the LGBT community where they live.

29. Make schools safer for transgender youth. Whether you’re transgender or gender nonconforming, just coming out, questioning or simply an ally, read Lambda Legal's Bending the Mold action kit and tell your friends about it. The kit offers creative ways to combat discrimination towards gender nonconforming people.

30. Know your rights at school. Our Out, Safe & Respected toolkit and public service announcement give students the tools they need to make sure their rights are respected.

31. Know your rights at work. Lambda Legal’s Out at Work toolkit will help guide you through your work life.

32. Shop at gay-friendly stores and support gay-friendly companies. To learn more about how companies rate with their policies and practices, visit HRC’s corporate equality index

33. Know your history. Learn about civil rights cases like Lawrence v. Texas, the case that affirmed an essential constitutional liberty for all LGBT people and changed our community forever.

34. Work Collectively. Support all cross-sections of the LGBT movement. LGBT seniors, people with disabilities and youth in out-of-home care are often under-served.

35. Make a video telling your story and post it on YouTube!

http://www.lambdalegal.org/about-us/35th-anniversary/35-actions-for-equality.html

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