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Planning For Lobby Days 1998
By Dana Priesing
Ed. Note: Dana Priesing is Gender PAC's hardworking lobbyist in Washington, D.C. We thought her memos would be of interest as they give some insight as to what is really happening on Capital Hill.
To: GenderPAC Advisory List
From: Dana Priesing
Date: 12/12/97
Re: Planning for Lobby Days 1998
In an effort to plan ahead & improve the event, we've been doing
some preliminary thinking & outreach work around Lobby Days 1998. Here's a
brief report on the upcoming event & how you can help if you're interested.
THEMES & ISSUES
We would like to begin laying the foundation for an annual event
that addresses issues of gender, racial & affectional equality, and
addresses areas of oppression *functionally* rather than by emphasizing
individual identities and rights claims. Moreover, we want to touch the
next generation of stakeholders & leaders in activism around these issues,
starting with students from the more than half-dozen major universities in
the local Washington D.C. metropolitan area. With that goal in mind, we
have met with, and will continue to meet with, student activists, to discuss
issues & mechanics.
At this point the selected issues are tentative, but we'd like to
concentrate on perhaps three to five of the following:
1. Hate Crimes/Tolerance: Dana suspects that the companion
hate crimes bills will still be pending when next Spring rolls around,
providing a vehicle for discussion and the opportunity to show support for
the work of the D.C. hate crimes coalition. If the bills remain pending,
the issue will be one that will attract some interest on Capitol Hill. On
the downside, the D.C. area universities are fairly tolerant environments.
Bashings are rare, therefore this issue may not have great pull for
potential student participants.
2. Job Discrimination/ENDA: This issue has alot of pull among
folk who identify as or are perceived to be TG, TS or gender-different --
including students who have encountered difficulty finding work because of
their gender expression (dress, manner, style, or the like). On the
downside, unemployment is at a 25-year low, & interest in ENDA on the Hill
is marginal at best. Therefore this issue may not attract the sympathetic
ear that we would prefer.
3. Freedom to Marry: This issue is hot hot hot, with DOMA
having been passed last year by Congress, and further moves likely in Hawaii
and other states. It strongly pulls folk from across the queer spectrum,
including students. There's no current vehicle to use as an entre to
discussion, but expression of disapproval for DOMA provides an entre to
discussion of the disbenefits associated with inability to make legal
unions. (Dana loves this issue, but that doesn't count.) Downside: it
could be like poking a stick in a bees' nest.
4. Solomon Amendment: A little background about this: the
military bars GLBT folk from serving. In response, many universities barred
on-campus military recruiting. In retaliation, Congress passed the Solomon
Amendment denying certain types of federal financial support to universities
barring on-campus military recruiting. This issue seems to pull law
students pretty well. Downside: Perhaps a bit complex.
5. Other Issues: Hopefully the ISNA team will be back to talk
about IGM. In addition, we're investigating and chatting with students
about appropriate issues involving race, Title IX, and HIV. And who knows
what will come over the transom between now and next Spring. Got any good
issue ideas? Let Dana know at 202-347-3024 or danapriesing@earthlink.net.
For those of you who are nervous about broader scope, let me
emphasize: Lobby Days 1998 *will* deal with issues of gender-difference.
So even if your main thang is job discrimination & you could care less about
hate crimes or anything else, you oughta be there, & GenderPAC will not
silence your voice. We like multiple voices, standing together.
WHEN
Easter is 4/12. We can expect contemporaneous Congressional and
college recesses. Exam periods begin in late April. Situated between
Scylla and Charybdis we find Monday 4/20 & Tuesday 4/21, which follows D.C.
Youth Pride Day (4/18).
***So, tentatively, let's say Lobby Days 1998 will be 4/20 &
4/21.*** Good chance for a warm couple of days. Perky students & staff
just returning from recess. The possibilities look good.
MECHANICS & HELP
Here's a rough timeline:
Between now & Spring 98:
Resolve the issues to be covered
Continue outreach to local students & develop materials
Resolve the likely number of attendees & plan for any
support needed (hotel reservations, etc.)
Develop searchable target/issue databases
Develop talking points & fact sheets to be left with targets
Week before:
Key the databases into separate laptops (one for the House,
one for the Senate)
Rent or borrow a couple of cellphones
Photocopying of materials
Sunday 4/19:
Brief conference to admire our collective strength & discuss
issues to be covered, Capitol Hill advocacy, do's & don't's, etc.
Monday & Tuesday 4/20 & 21
Hit the Hill. After each person or group makes a visit,
they visit a payphone & call the cell number for the person stationed at the
laptop for the associated body (House or Senate), who then marks off the
target just visited, & assigns the next convenient target. Monday evening
meeting to debrief, discuss problems, etc.
Tuesday: more of the same.
Finally: Declare victory & retreat, crack open the beer, &
debrief.
ACTION ITEM #1: Last year several folk offered to help with the
next event. Those of you who want to help with this (actually it's alot of
work -- last year Riki & Dana put in four weeks of person time -- it would
be nice to spread the load), let Dana know at 202-347-3024 or
danapriesing@earthlink.net.
ACTION ITEM #2: Those of you who plan to come, let Dana know. She
wants to start a rough attendance list.
Best wishes to all,
Dana Priesing
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