One-on-one lobbying is what triggers voting
The meanderings in last week’s column led me to conclude that “the best way to ask for equality for everyone is to have everyone asking.” What does that look like, though? How do we each ask for and advocate for fair treatment of all people? For me, it means becoming a lobbyist.
No, I’m not moving to Olympia or Washington, D.C. Nor am I suddenly on the payroll of a nonprofit or corporation seeking a permanent presence in the capitol. Some of the most important lobbying work, I now know, is done by individual voters in our neighborhoods. To be a lobbyist is to talk to and build a relationship with my elected representatives.
The makeup of the Washington state Legislature is incredibly conducive to doing this kind of localized advocacy. Nearly half of the legislators have careers, other than politics, back in their hometowns. They are professors and farmers, nurses and lawyers. At the most, lawmakers spend six months in Olympia completing a legislative session, then they head home. That’s when it’s my turn to offer a perspective, to ask my representative or senator to consider my viewpoint.
The professional lobbyists working for Equal Rights Washington, who were in Spokane for the United We Win Power Summit earlier this month, asserted that activism, such as rallies or marches, builds a base of support, but lobbying is what gets votes. I can hope to change state Sen. Brad Benson’s mind, for example, about the nondiscrimination bill HB1515 by asking to meet him in his local office, or better yet over coffee, for a simple conversation about where I stand as a voter. If he gets to know me and my family as examples of the folks living in his district, he will know exactly who is affected by his decisions.
Lobbying in this form is precisely the kind of work that fits my personality. I’d much prefer one-on-one conversation than loud marching or even door-to-door talking with other voters. And more than one conversation about more than one issue will show my legislators that I’m a thoughtful, concerned citizen who thinks about the community as a dynamic place to live and work. To show my dimensions and interests over a period of months or years can only help the representatives better understand their constituents.
“It’s about relationships,” the ERW lobbyists reiterated. “You’re not going to change minds in 15 minutes.”
Something not political or academic
With all this serious talk, I’ve realized that the time I take to play a little, relax, do something distinctly non-political or non-academic, has been shrinking in recent weeks. Luckily, Spokane’s GLBT Film Festival is just a week away and a perfect opportunity for diversion.
The seventh annual event is set for Nov. 4-5 at Riverpoint Auditorium, 668 N. Riverpoint Blvd. The Friday evening show begins at 7 p.m. and features five films, one of them animated. A 3 p.m. matinee on Saturday includes four films and the final Saturday evening show of five films begins at 7 p.m. The lineup for each show and descriptions of the films are available at www.spokanefilmfest.org or 216-0366.
Tickets for the evening shows are $8 and $5 for the matinee. Student and multiple show discounts are available. Tickets can be purchased at the door.