...a grassroots organization that connects the country's activist lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Democrats and helps them lobby effectively for change. As the group's website notes, its members "do the hard work of calling voters, putting together campaign mailings, going door-to-door for our fair-minded candidates and having tough conversations with Democratic party officials about why our families need and deserve more support from our party and its elected officials."
Along with about ten other vendors and organizations, I had a table on the Saturday of their 2005 organizing convention, which was here in San Diego and featured speakers from the Stonewall group and other similar organizations as well as several state and local goverment officials, the media, the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and even a couple of U.S. congressional representatives from the San Diego area. Panel discussions and workshops listed on the event's agenda included Organizing at the State Level, Marriage Equality - What is on the Horizon?, and Party Matters - The DNC's 50 State Plan.
I was fascinated to see the Stonewall Democrats conference in action, and to get an inside look at the education, teamwork, and relationship-building that forms the foundation of the group's efforts to effect change. I also talked to several interesting people over the course of the day, most of whom seemed to get a kick out of my shirts. My sales weren't off the charts - in fact I didn't crack into the double digits, though I got close - but I had fun and got a new perspective on activism along the way.
