During the Prop8 campaign, everyone complained about the horrendous ads. Oh, not the ones from the other side, which were predictable, but the ones from ours. No gay people in sight. Our own side talking ABOUT us, not with us, and focused on "legality" and "unfairness". Studies since then show over and over that focusing on legal issues is a turn off. What makes a difference is the human connection.
The LA Times has a story on this:
Wade Kach, left scrambling for a seat in a packed committee hearing last month, found a spot near the witness table.
"I saw with so many of the gay couples, they were so devoted to one another. I saw so much love," said Kach, a member of the (MD) House of Delegates. "When this hearing was over, I was a changed person in regard to this issue."
Putting a human face on same-sex marriage reflects a strategic change — one that can pack an emotional wallop and, as Kach's experience shows, win over the undecided or even opponents.
The message "used to be one that focused on rights, parity in benefits," said Fred Sainz, vice president of communications and marketing for the Human Rights Campaign, a national gay rights group based inWashington, D.C.
Since about 2008, Sainz said, same-sex marriage activists have begun "talking about love, honor and commitment."Because it's about people.
Harvey Milk was right. We have to come out. Over and over again, we have to come out and tell our stories. Because we never know who is listening and what hearts can be changed.
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