a little activism

[redbird]

I went out this evening, and selected a spot a couple of hundred feet from my polling place (the legal minimum is 150) where I could see people coming down the side walk and ask them to fill out pledge cards to vote YES on proposition 3 in the November election. (YES=keep the existing law that prohibits discrimination against transgender people.)

In half an hour, before the heat got to me, I got four signed pledge cards, one person who said she'd already sent one in, and several people who gave a quick yes to the opening "Hi, do you support transgender rights?" but kept going, or said they didn't want to sign anything, and one "I support it, but I'm not a Massachusetts voter." If anyone I talked to opposes transgender rights, they didn't say so; I suspect this is a combination of "it's Somerville" and that people didn't want to get into an argument.

In the end, having spent a bunch of time over the last couple of days working on memorizing (most of) the script we were given, I used almost none of the phrasing after the introductory "Hi. Do you support transgender rights?" I was also less aggressive than the organizers asked us to be during the training webinar. If someone had "leave me alone" body language as they walked past, I didn't intrude: I've been on the other side of too many similar interactions.

Comments

[minoanmiss]

Go you! Thank you fo doing this.

[redbird]

As of about 9 o'clock last night, we'd gotten 673 pledge cards; given >100 volunteers, my four isn't much below the average.

[bibliofile]

Yes, go you! It sounds like you had a reasonably good session.

Also, congrats on your new congressperson.

[rmc28]

Another "hurrah for you" from me.

[pameladean]

I'm very impressed. I think four cards in half an hour in that wilting heat is awesome.

P.

[redbird]

Thank you.

[thnidu]

Good on ya, mate!