Sen. Isakson Gets No Excuses

HRC took advantage of the recent summer recess for Congress by orchestrating its first-ever, nationally-managed in-district lobby campaign, No Excuses (also known as Demanding Equality Face to Face). While hundreds of HRC volunteers and members from across the nation visit their congress[wo]men and senators twice a year in Washington, D.C., the purpose of the No Excuses campaign was to bring the discussion about LGBT issues home to the members' districts, meet local staff who might not otherwise engage with us, and have an opportunity to connect real faces and real stories to the fight for LGBT equality. No Excuses was designed to empower every interested HRC member with the tools needed to schedule and conduct their own meetings with representatives or staff. It contains sample meeting request letters, talking points on key GLBT issues, leave-behind materials, coaching and tips on "lobbying" and a place to capture stories and report successes. Issues on the table included the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes legislation, ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act), DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act), and Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The intent is to have over 60,000 in-district visits across the nation.  Although Congress is back in session, No Excuses is encouraging people to continue to pursue meetings during the Fall when the politicians are home for long weekends. 

On August 31, two local steering committee members, Molly Simmons and Ed Westreicher, visited Senator Isakson's office in Vinings. They met with a district manager for the senator, Jordan Dawson. While the senator has a consistently poor voting record on GLBT issues, it was important to convey to the senator's staff how important these issues are to the several hundred thousand LGBT constituents in Georgia. The meeting was very cordial; they discussed the various pieces of pending legislation and conveyed personal stories of how the inequities impacted their lives and those of all LGBT people. The meeting closed with an offer to work with the senator in any way possible to find common ground (e.g. fighting tax inequities caused by domestic partner benefit tax rules) or provide information or perspectives that might help the senator reconsider his positions on LGBT issues. While we are not confident we will change Senator Isakson's mind, the most important outcome was that he and his staff know who we are, how many of us there are, and that we are watching...and, voting! It is truly an empowering feeling.

For more information, visit http://noexcuses.hrc.org or contact Ed Westreicher/Jonathan Russell, political co-chairs, at ewestreicher@comcast.net; dcjono@gmail.com.