http://www.couragecampaign.org/page/community/tag_rss/camp+courage This weekend's Camp Courage in Sacramento was a good tonic for the loss in Maine and part of our collective path forward to restoring marriage equality to California. The heart of Camp Courage is learning how to craft your "story-of-self" a personal, emotional version of who you are and why this issue matters so much to you. The goal is to empower activists to use their personal narrative to bring about political change. Stories-of-self can be used to recruit volunteers, to inspire a crowd or to change a persons' vote one door at a time. It isn't easy to have people open up and share the most painful, scary, raw parts of their lives. But those are the stories that are the ones that need to be told the most. The power of Camp Courage comes from people risking sharing their stories of pain thus forming community and strength. Adam Bink over at Open Left quotes Harvey Milk's famous "come out come out" speech and writes: The same tactic Milk used for school employees everywhere must continue to be used in these communities. We have to encourage people in these towns to come out of the closet and say they want the right to marry. State Representative Mike Carey, who represents heavily Catholic downtown Lewiston and voted in favor of marriage equality in the legislature, pointed out to me that in these kinds of votes, the default vote is for fear, and it is a huge barrier to reach one's conscience if they have no personal knowledge of the issue. For all the "gay marriage will be taught in schools" ads our opponents ran in Maine and will run in other states that tap that fear element, we have to counter with people who can give voters that kind of personal touch on the issue. It isn't just gay people that we need to come out and tell their stories, it is all of our wonderful straight allies. No, there is no application to become a straight ally, just start telling everyone you know your personal story of why you support equality for all. One of our amazing volunteers that helped put together Camp Courage Sacramento Chris Huack brought his parents to Camp. He blogged about the experience at the Courage Campaign. Here is Chris relaying the three reflections his dad had about Camp. (more on the flip) 1 – He had no idea the pain that LGBT people had felt over discrimination and losing initiatives like Proposition 8 and Question 1 until he saw people speaking about them openly and honestly at the Camp. See, I have always been a more stoic, let’s “focus on what we can do in the future” type of person, so for my Mom and Dad, they had never truly appreciated the pain this had inflicted on our community until they heard the stories of personal pain from others. 2 – My Dad shared with me his “Story of Self.” He had a gay cousin who had died of AIDS when my Dad was in his 20s. He had a lesbian sister who had come out to him and was now married with her wife. And he had me, his gay son, who was fighting for equality and who he hoped could one day get married in front of friends and family. LGBT issues had slowly intertwined their way thought his life and had always handled them decently (very supportive of me and his sister), but now realized his previous actions had been woefully inadequate and that he could no longer sit on the sidelines while people he cared about suffered and were discriminated against. 3 – He needed to get involved today. He wanted to sign up to canvass and to join California Faith for Equality, provided they had a means for him to contribute to meaningful action. As stoic as I may be, I found myself fighting back tears as my Dad related this to me and my Mom agreed with him. Then at dinner, as my Dad related to other family members what he had learned and why it was so important for us to proactively work for change – I fully understood the importance of Camp Courage. Yes, it is a great experience for LGBT leaders and organizers. However, I missed an important opportunity in East LA, when I went to Camp but neglected to recruit my straight friends and family in LA to attend with me. This experience is not just a meaningful skills training for gay people - it is an opportunity to teach, empower and share ourselves and our struggle more fully with friends, straight allies and family. It is an opportunity to bring new faces and perspectives into the fight for equality. One by one we are building an army to repeal Prop 8. It is not easy, or fast, but it is absolutely critical to our success. The best way we change hearts and minds is having everyone supportive of equality speaking from their hearts. We have to be vulnerable. It is wrenching to know that as a gay person that the best path to earning the right to get married some day is if I share my most painful moments of my life with strangers in order to win their vote. It shouldn't be that way, but that's what it takes and it is what I will continue to do. Will you join me? http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2ZZ http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2ZZ/commentary#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:52:36 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2ZZ Julia Rosen, Online Political Director http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/0ca8c47d776c223f85_zb4mv24s8.jpg Julia Rosen, Online Political Director 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2ZZ/ Camp Courage Sacramento “Camp Courage Sacramento was and inspirational and transformative weekend for me.” Hearing that statement from a Camp Courage attendee is nothing new. However, for me, it carries an entirely different meaning as this was not my first Camp. After attending the Camp Courage in East LA and seeing a number of my friends share the experience with their families, I immediately ran home and signed up to come to the Camp in Sacramento with my Mom and Dad. See, I grew up in Sacramento and moved to LA for college and have stayed there ever since. When I first came out to my parents, they were very supportive. However, I, like many young LGBT people was still either too nervous or too ashamed to fully share my life with them. It took me a good 3-4 years before I was comfortable enough with myself to share the details of my life, my cause, and my relationships with those I was close to. Slowly, that changed for me as I started to fight for LGBT rights and that shame dissipated. The result is that I am now as closer to my family than I have ever been and the culmination of this was brining my parents to Camp Courage. The weekend played out as most Camp Courage’s do – effectively teaching hard and soft skills, educating participants on where the movement stands and inspiring action. Having been through Camp before, the main focus for me this weekend was on my parents and how they were feeling and what they were learning. And they genuinely seemed to enjoy themselves and were really engaged in the materials. However, for me, the crowning moment came on the car ride home. My Dad told me he had three reflections on Camp and what he had learned there that I will share with you now: 1 – He had no idea the pain that LGBT people had felt over discrimination and losing initiatives like Proposition 8 and Question 1 until he saw people speaking about them openly and honestly at the Camp. See, I have always been a more stoic, let’s “focus on what we can do in the future” type of person, so for my Mom and Dad, they had never truly appreciated the pain this had inflicted on our community until they heard the stories of personal pain from others. 2 – My Dad shared with me his “Story of Self.” He had a gay cousin who had died of AIDS when my Dad was in his 20s. He had a lesbian sister who had come out to him and was now married with her wife. And he had me, his gay son, who was fighting for equality and who he hoped could one day get married in front of friends and family. LGBT issues had slowly intertwined their way thought his life and had always handled them decently (very supportive of me and his sister), but now realized his previous actions had been woefully inadequate and that he could no longer sit on the sidelines while people he cared about suffered and were discriminated against. 3 – He needed to get involved today. He wanted to sign up to canvass and to join California Faith for Equality, provided they had a means for him to contribute to meaningful action. As stoic as I may be, I found myself fighting back tears as my Dad related this to me and my Mom agreed with him. Then at dinner, as my Dad related to other family members what he had learned and why it was so important for us to proactively work for change – I fully understood the importance of Camp Courage. Yes, it is a great experience for LGBT leaders and organizers. However, I missed an important opportunity in East LA, when I went to Camp but neglected to recruit my straight friends and family in LA to attend with me. This experience is not just a meaningful skills training for gay people - it is an opportunity to teach, empower and share ourselves and our struggle more fully with friends, straight allies and family. It is an opportunity to bring new faces and perspectives into the fight for equality. And perhaps within this there is a greater lesson for our movement. Winning true equality in CA and beyond is going to be complex and will take a lot of hard work. It is not something we can win on our own, but we will need the help of those people who love and support us. And much the same way, my Dad now realizes that his response to his LGBT family was good, but inadequate – I realize my work during Proposition 8 was the same. I was happy to call voters, fundraise money and talk to strangers – yet I neglected to have real conversations with the people I could most easily move on the issue. The Briggs initiative was largely defeated by LGBT people “coming out” and talking to their friends and family. Winning marriage equality will require us to do the same thing. No longer can we be afraid that we might cause some discomfort with friends, family or strangers by having candid conversations about why we NEED equality. That discomfort is not because of anything that is wrong with us, but is because of a lack of knowledge or familiarity on the part of others. And if we are too scared or too ashamed to push through those difficult moments and make this an issue that can be a normal and comfortable part of conversation, then we are doomed to keep failing at the ballot box no matter how good our commercials are and how flawless our field campaign is. So thank you again to Courage Campaign for all they do with these Camps. They are giving us the skills and the keys to gain full equality in California and beyond. And now, it is up to us to use them. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/chrishauck/C2Zq http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/chrishauck/C2Zq/commentary#comments Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:27:02 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/chrishauck/C2Zq User from Los Angeles, CA User from Los Angeles, CA 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Zq/ (Closing speech I delivered at Camp Courage Sacramento at 4:45PM today. Camp Courage Sacramento burst forth with warmth, embrace and power. What great folks!) This past Monday morning, I found an envelope in my front yard. It was addressed to “Courage Campaign.” A year ago, in the wake of Prop. 8, I was afraid to open some of those envelopes, not sure if they’d contain hate mail or something worse. People on the other side were unhappy that we had called them to account for their lies during the campaign. But this note was very different. Let me read it to you: “Courage Campaign, I just turned 3 and I told my friends that I didn’t want any presents. Instead, I asked them to make a contribution to you. My Dad tells me that you give a voice to those people that don’t have one and what you do changes the world. I hope that more of my friends contributed on line. Love, Libby.” http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2Zt http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2Zt/commentary#comments Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:09:08 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2Zt Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Zt/ Note: this email was sent to our members this morning from Mike Bonin, one of the founders and now Program Director of Camp Courage. Dear friend -- I never could have imagined it. As a kid growing up scared and closeted in New England in the 1970's, I never could have imagined that the issue of gay marriage would ever be seriously debated, let alone hotly contested. I never could have imagined a day when gay people would have been in television ads, when WWII veterans emotionally spoke out in favor of their gay children, when people of faith stood up for LGBT rights, when armies of people -- gay and straight alike -- would descend into a small New England state to say gay people should be equal. I know that the news from Maine is depressing. But it is not the end. It is just another bump in a long road. Let's not forget how far we've come as a country, while recognizing how far we need to go to achieve full federal equality, fighting for it at every level: in the courts, at the ballot box and in Washington, DC. Equality will be ours, but we will have to fight for it. And I can't imagine a better opportunity to learn the secret to our future success than Camp Courage -- an experience that graduates say is one of the most powerful and transformative events of their lives.. If you want to join more than 200 people who have signed up for Camp Courage Sacramento this weekend, you have less than 24 hours to do so. On Friday at 12 p.m., registration will close. Click here now to sign up: http://www.couragecampaign.org/CampSacramento While marriage equality did not come to Maine, it will surely come to America, and when it does, events like Camp Courage will be where the seeds of equality were planted. On Saturday morning, Camp Courage Sacramento will begin. Within minutes, the room will be buzzing with energy, as participants learn how to tell their "story of self" -- the foundation of changing the hearts and minds of our friends, family and neighbors. By the end of Camp Courage on Sunday, lives will be changed, powerful friendships will be forged, and a community will be connected. Time is running out. If you want to experience this transformative event, sign up now for Camp Courage Sacramento before it's too late: http://www.couragecampaign.org/CampSacramento When I was a kid, I never could have imagined a day in America when full equality would be the law of the land. But one day, from sea to shining sea, that change will come. Come to Camp Courage Sacramento this weekend and learn how to be that change. Mike Bonin Camp Courage Program Director http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zn http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zn/commentary#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:58:46 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zn Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Zn/ We sent the following email out today about Camp Courage Sacramento - and telling a remarkable story about an experience one of our campers had at Camp Courage East Los Angeles back in August. Dear friend -- Before we see you at Camp Courage on Saturday, we want to share a story with you. Take a moment to read what Theresa Wang, a Los Angeles activist, said about her experience at Camp Courage and how transformative it was for her mother: My mother, Stella, has always been the stereotypical Asian woman, not drawing any attention to herself and for the most part keeping quiet. When I came out, she was devastated, but dealt with it on her own, prioritizing my happiness over her own discomfort. Eventually she grew to be completely supportive, even attending protests and on this particular weekend, attending Camp Courage East LA. The heart of Camp Courage is about telling your "story of self," and as I facilitated my group's stories, I peeked over to see my mother telling hers. She was crying. As this was an exercise completely foreign to her, I immediately began to question my judgment in bringing her to camp. Telling her story out loud appeared to be too much. After group sharing, a few people were asked to share their story on stage and I was surprised to see my mother getting up to tell hers. I watched in shock as my mom's group stood behind her as she talked about her coming-out process as the mother of a lesbian who was getting married. In that moment, I watched my mom turn into a storyteller on stage, grabbing the attention of the whole room. Near the end of my mom's story most of the audience was crying as well. As she finished, the entire room gave my mom a moving standing ovation while chanting her name -- "Stella!" "Stella!" "Stella!" -- in a moment of unbelievable joy. The people attending Camp Courage that day were not the only ones moved by my mother's story. A few weeks later, my mom wrote her story down and had it published in the China World Journal -- the most widely-read Chinese language newspaper in the United States. There are so many "Stellas" in our lives -- people who want to learn how to support us in our activism or become an engaged activist themselves. Do you know someone like Stella -- a friend, family member, co-worker or ally -- or anyone who would enjoy sharing Camp Courage with you? If so, please ask your friend to come to Camp Courage Sacramento. Just give them a call and tell them how important it would be for them to come with you on Saturday. Or forward this email to your friend or loved one and let them know that you want to share this experience with them and that you need their help in bringing marriage equality -- and full equality -- to California. Here's the link for your friends to RSVP: http://www.couragecampaign.org/CampSacramento We all have a place in this movement. See you on Saturday at Camp! With gratitude, Daniel Segura and Billy Pollina Camp Courage Coordinators http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zg http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zg/commentary#comments Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:53:09 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Zg/ We're delighted to share this message with you from Sheila Kuehl, elected in 1994 as the first openly gay or lesbian state legislator in California history, and the first woman to hold the position of Speaker pro Tempore. Sen. Kuehl attended Camp Courage Fresno in March and would like to share her experience with the Courage Campaign community in anticipation of Camp Courage Sacramento. Rick Jacobs Chair, Courage Campaign Dear eden -- "We were all amazingly moved. We cried. We didn't want it to end. Maybe most unexpected of all, we were profoundly changed." That is what I wrote in 2004 after flying to San Francisco to officiate at the weddings of eight of my closest friends, following Mayor Gavin Newsom's historic decision to -- at least temporarily -- legalize same-sex marriages. I could just as enthusiastically have written those words about Camp Courage Fresno, the transformative training event for marriage equality activists that I attended in early March -- just over five years after the "Winter of Love" in San Francisco and a few months after the shocking passage of Proposition 8. I was there as a camper and loved every minute of it. We all -- experienced organizers, or not -- learned so much and came away very fired up. We've come a long way. But we still have a long way to go, if we want to repeal Prop 8 and restore marriage equality to California. That's why I want you to sign up for Camp Courage Sacramento on November 7-8. Spots are filling up fast and I don't want you to miss this wonderful opportunity: http://www.couragecampaign.org/CampSacramento People ask me when I first became an activist, expecting me to say that I experienced some great tragedy because of my sexual orientation that lit a fire, ignited a bulb, or wound up the spring leading me to devote a good part of my life to the lesbian and gay movement. Imagine their surprise when I say, "It was the week I spent as a camp counselor at UCLA's UniCamp for 'underprivileged' children." The pain expressed by these kids -- a feeling of being unworthy -- affected me deeply. I realized that I needed to start working to make things better in the world. That was the root. The tree took a little longer to grow. That is the beginning of my "Story of Self" -- the training model used by "Camp Obama," and adopted by Camp Courage, that transforms each participant's unique inspiration for supporting marriage equality into compelling and authentic narratives that can be used to persuade undecided voters. To discover your own Story of Self and gain so many skills and committed new friends, please come to Camp Courage Sacramento on November 7-8. Space is limited for this special training in Sacramento, so please sign up ASAP: http://www.couragecampaign.org/CampSacramento For most of our lives, gays and lesbians have been part of a community that couldn't even dream of full equality. But that afternoon in 2004 on the steps of San Francisco City Hall -- and later, when the couples came home to balloons in their yards, flowers in their homes, celebrations at work, presents, notes, and endless congratulatory e-mails -- we saw how marriage allows society to recognize our equality. For the couples, and for me, it was like a dam opened. That place where all of us had buried any hope of marriage -- where we had dutifully registered as domestic partners and convinced ourselves marriage wasn't worth having -- that place cracked open to the sun. It was a revelation. No matter your level of experience or skill, Camp Courage can be a revelation for you as well -- gay, lesbian, straight, bisexual or transgender. I hope you will be at Camp Courage on November 7-8. Sheila Kuehl NOTE: Please note that it is necessary for participants to bring their own lunch to Camp Courage on both Saturday and Sunday. As lunch time is limited and there will be no time to leave the Camp venue to purchase lunch, please make arrangements before you arrive at Camp to bring lunch with you. Thank you. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2qY http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2qY/commentary#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:19:22 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2qY Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2qY/ I'm in the Danceboutique at 2009 8th Street, NW in Washington, DC. Yes, the bar is open even though it's only 2:30 in the afternoon. But no one is drinking. No one is dancing. There's no music, no thump of house music banging away. In fact, you can hear a pin drop, and even my the noise from my typing. It's Camp Courage DC. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2vs http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2vs/commentary#comments Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:39:09 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2vs Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2vs/ Camp Courage Day Two. It's Sunday at about 1030 and the room here at the Gloria Molina Community Center is electric. After the Courage Lounge hosted by Javier Angulo and his colleagues at HonorPAC last night, I joined my partner Shaun for dinner with an out of town friend. At 11:30 or so, Lt. Choi arrived at our house, which is sort of his house now, too. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2rk http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2rk/commentary#comments Sun, 02 Aug 2009 10:23:26 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2rk Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2rk/ I'm sitting in the Gloria Molina Community Center in East LA with 250+ Camp Courage campers. Sixty two people here are monolingual Spanish speakers. We're brown and black and white and Asian and gay and straight and lesbian and bisexual and transgendered. Forty or so people here self-identified as knowing no one else in the room. They just showed up to learn, to experience, to experiment. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2r8 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2r8/commentary#comments Sat, 01 Aug 2009 10:15:12 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2r8 Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2r8/ One of the key tasks facing the marriage equality movement as we plan to return to the ballot and restore equal rights is to include communities of color as a central part of the movement. That includes outreach to those Californians that speak a language other than English. The Courage Campaign is beginning to undertake that work through our upcoming Camp Courage in East Los Angeles, to be held the weekend of August 1-2. Today we are launching Camp Courage East LA Español , a site that provides information about Camp Courage in Spanish, including Camp registration. In addition, we will be having on-site translation into Spanish for attendees at Camp Courage East LA. A significant number of monolingual Spanish speakers have already signed up to attend. There is still space, but it is going fast -- be sure to sign up now to attend. Camp Courage East LA Español builds on our previous outreach to the Spanish-speaking community. In May we released the Spanish language version of our Fidelity video, set to the song "Volar" by Jaime Ciero: Several amazing organizations will be co-hosting Camp Courage East Los Angeles, including API Equality LA, Bienestar, California Faith for Equality, Equal Roots, HONOR PAC, Latino Equality Alliance, Somos Familia, and The Wall Las Memorias Project. Our East Los Angeles training is the fifth of several planned around the state in the coming months. If you are interested in our future trainings, please email CampCourage@couragecampaign.org . http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Xp http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Xp/commentary#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:35:02 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Xp Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Xp/ I just got back from Camp Courage Oakland. And my group was amazing. They inspired and motivated me so much. Being a facilitator was great. I was nervous because I was younger than a majority of my group but I powered through and I really accomplished my goal. My goal going in was to really work on my skills as a leader and to learn to listen more. I still talked a lot but that's what I do when I am nervous. In the end I felt like my campers really grasped the knowledge and really taught me some things as well. I took the leadership 2.0 break out session and it helped a lot. Torie really helped me learn some things about how to be a good leader. I also took the Campaigns 2.0 but at that point I was exhausted and took some notes but definitely needed a ton of coffee! http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/jackkih/C2WW http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/jackkih/C2WW/commentary#comments Wed, 06 May 2009 01:32:33 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/jackkih/C2WW Jackki http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/4014829ee44048eb60_4esqmv5kp.jpg Jackki 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2WW/ Camp Courage San Diego closed with an amazing speech from the legendary Torie Osborn. In the grand tradition of Marshall Ganz, this is the California marriage equality movement's Story-of-Now. Please share widely and leave your thoughts in the comments. Here is: "It's Time to Make Hope and History Rhyme" by Torie Osborn as prepared for Camp Courage San Diego April 19th. You probably think this weekend is about marriage equality. That's why you signed up. Left your weekend plans, your partners and family to come here. Sorry. You've spent the last 36 hours at Camp Courage under false pretexts. This is not about gay marriage. What is being launched at Camp Courage is about something bigger. As enormous as history. And you are the force for change. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2rL http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2rL/commentary#comments Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:40:32 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2rL Julia Rosen, Online Political Director http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/0ca8c47d776c223f85_zb4mv24s8.jpg Julia Rosen, Online Political Director 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2rL/ Last week we asked our members to turn fear into hope and match the Dolby family's $25,000 donation to support our marriage equality campaign. We've had stunning success with this, raising over $70,000 to hold Camp Courage grassroots training events and other marriage equality actions around the state. Our success has even attracted the attention of Tina Daunt at the LA Times , who wrote about our campaign in her column yesterday: Political professionals like to say that all politics are local, but for those involved in the fight to reverse Prop. 8's ban on same-sex unions, it's become deeply personal, as well. This week, Rick Jacobs, who chairs the Courage Campaign -- the focal point of the reversal efforts -- began circulating an e-mail by author Tom Dolby that indicates how these new politics may play out in the months ahead. Dolby's letter is at once a fundraising appeal and a passionate account of what Prop. 8's passage meant to him, his partner Drew Frist and their families. "My partner, Drew, and I are getting married this Saturday," Dolby writes. "But not in California, where I grew up and my family has lived for more than 30 years." Instead, the couple will marry in Connecticut, where same-sex marriages still are recognized. "That is why we will be legally married this coming Saturday in the state of Connecticut, where lawyers tell us we'll always have equal rights. However, according to the state of California, our marriage will be meaningless. This is not acceptable. Equality belongs to everyone and same-sex marriage should not be reserved for those who can only travel to another state, 3,000 miles away. "That's why I asked my family last week to make a $25,000 challenge grant to support the Courage Campaign's transformative 'Camp Courage' training program for marriage equality activists -- a personal action in direct response to the [pro-Prop. 8] National Organization for Marriage's $1.5 million 'Gathering Storm' national TV ad campaign." Can we make it to $100,000? That's what Tom Dolby and his partner Drew Frist want to know. They sent the following email to our members yesterday to challenge them to meet the $100,000 mark and ensure that our Camp Courage trainings can continue across the state. Click here to help us make the match! Below is the email from Tom Dolby and Drew Frist: ------------------------------------------------- http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2rH http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2rH/commentary#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 06:57:53 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2rH Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2rH/ The wonderful Marta, one of our facilitators was kind enough to upload her photos from this weekend onto our Flickr photostream. There are some absolutely wonderful shots of Camp Courage Fresno. I've noticed that a number of campers/facilitators have already made the photos their facebook profile pictures. Enjoy! And here is the local NBC affiliate's story from Saturday night on Camp Courage Fresno. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2n2 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2n2/commentary#comments Tue, 10 Mar 2009 09:24:10 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2n2 Julia Rosen, Online Political Director http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/0ca8c47d776c223f85_zb4mv24s8.jpg Julia Rosen, Online Political Director 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2n2/ I just finished Day 2 of Camp Courage Fresno yesterday. I have never been so fired up to get started and get out there! I came into Camp Courage so angry and with no where to go. I was thinking this is going to be a place where we are all going to be angry together. Even though that was true I learned to take my anger and make it positive. I now know that when I get angry to take that energy and get out there and do something about it. And thanks to Camp Courage and couragecampaign.org I have the tools, resources and support that I need to make a change. I want to thank all the campers, facilitators [especially Mike Ai], organizers and everyone who helped me get to the point I am at now. I can't wait to see you all in the future!! My four commitments were: 1. Join the efforts of Democrats in Action with what I have learned [which I am doing today. If you want to add the facebook page go to http://www.tinyurl.com/FresnoDemocrats] 2. To ask my friends to join Courage Campaign and pledge to stop No on 8 [also to educate them and recruit them] 3. To phone bank and get at least 150 calls done in the next 30 days 4. To get at least 75% of my Facebook Friends to come to Meet in the Middle http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/jackkih/C2nL http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/jackkih/C2nL/commentary#comments Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:12:43 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/jackkih/C2nL Jackki http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/4014829ee44048eb60_4esqmv5kp.jpg Jackki 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2nL/ This weekend in Fresno we collectively changed lives. Everyone was Respected, Empowered and Included. Fresno, thank you for welcoming us into your community. We learned so much from you and are so grateful that you got so much out of the weekend. We did too. As Mike Bonin said in an email to the Camp Courage team this morning: "It is changing those creating it as much as it is changing those who are attending it." The best way for those who were not there to get a feeling for Camp Courage Fresno is to hear directly from the participants and the facilitators. By and large the wonderful participants were from the Central Valley. The incredible trainers and facilitators came from all over CA (and even one person from NM) and were either Camp Courage or Camp Obama alumni. The testimonials from the Campers are humbling and inspiring: Camp Courage was definitely one of the greatest experiences of my life thus far. To reiterate what another participant said, it feels so good to finally be PROUD to live in Fresno. One sentence conveys so much: this was the best thing that has happend to me in my life and i will continue this movement in my life thank you http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2n3 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2n3/commentary#comments Mon, 09 Mar 2009 11:36:17 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2n3 Julia Rosen, Online Political Director http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/0ca8c47d776c223f85_zb4mv24s8.jpg Julia Rosen, Online Political Director 1 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2n3/ The Sacramento Bee, one of the most influential newspapers in California, sent a reporter to the first Camp Courage training in Los Angeles last weekend - and his report demonstrated the power and effectiveness of the transformative event. His story opened with an account of Cleve Jones' inspirational remarks: "If you think you're going to win your rights by clicking a mouse, putting on a black tie and going to fancy parties and fundraisers, you are wrong," Jones said. "We win this by going door to door and saying, 'I am a gay man, I am a gay man, I'm a lesbian, (and) if you don't vote for this, it will hurt me.'" And that's exactly what Camp Courage is about - giving marriage equality activists the tools they need to not just win another ballot initiative campaign, but to protect fundamental rights and connect their personal stories to those of voters. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2CH http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2CH/commentary#comments Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:01:11 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2CH Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2CH/ We sent out an email today, including some wonderful testimonials from Camp Courage attendees. That is below the fold, for those who didnt. I encourage you to take a look and also check out the photos and videos that we have up on the page . There is a short Local Fox 11 segment on Camp Courage, a slideshow of pictures, video of Cleve Jones' impassioned speech from the kickoff reception and pictures from that event. Even if you weren't there, you can have a small taste of the experience... Don't forget to sign-up for a Camp Courage near you and volunteer to help put one on in your area. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2Cc http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2Cc/commentary#comments Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:37:19 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2Cc Julia Rosen, Online Political Director http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/0ca8c47d776c223f85_zb4mv24s8.jpg Julia Rosen, Online Political Director 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Cc/ It was awesome. The camp really kicked off the night before with a Saturday night evening reception with inspiring words from Rick Jacobs, Torie Osborn and the incredible Cleve Jones. Jones highlighted our need to build coalitions and the need to keep fighting. I hope I get to see him speak again. I have to admit, I did not have the highest expectations for Camp Courage when I saw the word "training". I was pleasantly surprised throughout the day as we went through trainings that were not condescending or rigid. They split us up into random groups and met new people and taught us that our biggest weapon was our own stories (which is exactly what we were trying to emphasize in our pre-election rally emphasized). We did ice breaking activities, told our stories, heard other people's stories, learned how to recruit others, and learned how to make baby steps with the opposition. I would usually hate these activities but the way in which they were run was surprisingly empowering even though they were sometimes tough. The lessons learned from Camp Obama are too late for prop 8, but will be an incredible resource for 2010. We went away from the day's activities refreshed, excited, and confident for the tough road ahead. I highly suggest you check out the next Camp Courage whenever it is scheduled and check out their new equality hub. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rootsofequality/C2xy http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rootsofequality/C2xy/commentary#comments Mon, 26 Jan 2009 10:53:31 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rootsofequality/C2xy Roots of Equality http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/7b7cbf3ea11df80469_rlm6bnv9g.jpg Roots of Equality 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2xy/