On the heels of the national equality march and the momentous changes in our movement so evident from this weekend in Washington, DC, we want to share with you an update on our work around marriage equality in California.

The Courage Campaign knows that before we speak, we need to be prepared to listen – so we can truly understand how to affect the hearts and minds of Californians on important issues like marriage equality.

That’s why we have been conducting a comprehensive research project on marriage equality in order to better understand how to convince more voters to share our vision of complete equality. This work is crucial for winning back our rights at any point in the future. The Courage Campaign has consistently set four conditions for returning to the ballot, and they are:
1. Research that informs a plan for a clear path to victory.
2. A strong and well-respected governance structure.
3. An experienced campaign manager.
4. Enough money to win.
We want to update you on this research project. We have just completed our “qualitative phase” which included focus groups and one-on one interviews conducted around the state that allow researchers to take a close look at voter sentiments before conducting quantitative research – “the polling phase.”

We are proud to have two of America’s best researchers working on this project. David Binder, of David Binder Research, did exactly this same type of comprehensive early research for the Barack Obama campaign. David is also highly regarded for his work on LGBT issues. Working with David is Amy Simon, of Goodwin/Simon Research, who has conducted more in-depth research on complex social issues than perhaps any pollster working right now in California. Also part of the research team is noted psychologist Phyllis Watts, who has helped shape research into numerous successful California ballot campaigns, including the successful efforts to defend a woman’s right to choose. Dean Tipps, one of California’s most experienced ballot strategists, is also helping to shape the research work. Jenny Pizer, of LAMBDA Legal, provides her pro bono counsel based on her years of experience in the field. This entire process is being overseen by Steve Hildebrand, who was second in command of the Obama campaign field organization.

The early results from the qualitative phase are encouraging. David Binder says “the depth of our research allows us to explore the best path to changing hearts and minds. It is a long and complicated process, but well worth it given the complexity of people’s views on marriage. We are still gathering data – but the lessons we are learning will eventually guide us toward victory.”

Leading California elected officials and community leaders have hailed this research process as the key first step in winning back marriage equality. A joint statement released by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former State Senator Shelia Kuehl, San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty, LA City Council Member Bill Rosendahl, Assemblymember Tom Ammiano and SCLC’s Rev. Eric Lee said, “We must support the intensive public opinion research work necessary to provide reliable and useful information to the movement for equality. The Courage Campaign's plan for conducting this research, led by Steve Hildebrand, is exactly what we need to get that work started. These steps are critical to helping us understand how to move Californians to support marriage equality and how to change the way those who still don't support us think about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people."