I’m here, on the ground with the Yes on 3 campaign! I voted early and have spent the rest of my time here working with volunteers, organizers, and supporting the amazing teams they’ve built.
One of the things that really struck me about this campaign is it is largely led by trans people and gender non-conforming people who are working for their own liberation. Another thing that strikes me about this campaign: Yesterday was the anniversary of our loss 10 years ago on prop 8 in California. The campaign here in MA is a direct offshoot of the organizing practices that we’ve learned and built from that loss, including building strong teams of volunteer leaders and embracing the urgency of the moment to ask people to take action.
For me, as an organizer working on Prop 8, the loss was devastating. The hardest part was knowing we had not spoken to people who were undecided or leaning opposed. After the loss, I was involved in the work that EQCA and the LA LGBT Center did post-Prop 8 to learn how to talk to people in the moveable middle.
EQFED in partnership with FFAA and MAP conducted an experiment using deep canvassing techniques in the summer of 2016. It showed us that we can in fact be persuasive on trans issues when we engage in longer conversations. This tactic of deep canvassing has been incredibly useful and successful, most recently, propelling us to victory against an anti-trans ballot initiative in Alaska. This entire campaign was built on that principle and we’ve been working since last year to have tens of thousands of conversations with MA voters. All of it has led up to this moment, where we are turning out our staunch and new supporters to vote yes on 3.
The team here is doing everything we can to ensure a win tomorrow night. But regardless, we have so much to celebrate: young trans activists taking action for the first time, new leaders growing their skills to contribute to the future of the movement, and thousands of Bay Staters who have engaged on this issue for the first time — hopefully realizing how close to home this issue is and having changed their minds forever.
Fran Hutchins
