Equality Camp

3 responses so far ↓

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  cathybrooks // January 26, 2009 at 8:09 am

  Actually I think that comparing the two is paramount to the old apples and oranges metaphor. Yes they’re both fruit but therein the similarities end.

  These were never intended to be anything resembling the same, and if anything I think that was a superb thing. I’d been penning a rather in-depth review of this per a Tweet I sent at the start of Camp Courage yesterday but as this was already posted, I’ll merely proffer my perspective here:

  The bottom line is simple – Equality Summit was a fact-finding, old-school gathering designed to address what happened with the No on 8 Campaign and attempt to begin moving things forward. Those two things were at odds during the day and as a result I think the whole focus of the Summit’s proceedings ended up really being tantamount to a day-long group therapy session. There was anger. A lot of it. Mostly I heard people venting frustration that the Exec. Committee from No on 8 seemed unable (or unwilling) to accept responsibility and take accountability for having failed. More to the point not acknowledging that they had made mistakes – some very big ones.

  For those in the audience who were listening, there was a touch of this accountability – but for some people’s taste not nearly enough … and in particular there was at least one Exec. Committee member whose almost delusional avoidance of responsibility shocked me.

  That said, I spoke with several others from that group and every one of them said they know mistakes were made, and that as a result powerful lessons were learned as well …lessons that will serve us in the next chapter of this battle.

  This is all good.

  As for Camp Courage, it was like waking up one morning after having a good long cry from heartbreak and feeling as though a weight had lifted.

  The entire day was focused forward, positive and looking towards a true Obamafication of the marriage equality movement. I did overhear one rather petulant fellow on a tirade over lunch demanding that the Exec Committee members be forced to publicly state an apology for their mistakes.

  While I do not discount peoples’ need for “closure” and I also fully support the practice of accountability, I think of the situation a bit like this …

  You know those relationships where you’re treated like sheer and utter crap by someone. They are mean, they lie, they’re abusive … then the relationship ends and all you want is an apology … So you wait … and you wait … and you hold on to your anger, waiting for that individual to do the right thing, the adult thing and apologize.

  If you’re lucky you get that apology, but holding on to the anger and waiting for that moment it not only foolish but it’s also unrealistic. Will we ever get a public apology from the Exec Committee? I’m not holding my breath. But I’m also not wasting my time looking backwards.

  If people are not pleased with the Exec Committee (and I would also posit that blame across the committee is not likely equal and in my opinion there are several people in that group who have no business being the voices of our community – but *that* is another topic), then they should step up, get involved and more actively do their part towards this fresh perspective on the movement that Camp Courage represents.

  And THAT is what yesterday’s proceedings were about – empowerment, inclusion and responsibility …

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  MPetrelis // January 26, 2009 at 9:10 am

  hi,

  since i obtained the names of the Exec Cmte last week, i’ve thought there’s one thing i would like from each of the 16 individuals, to start some real accountability and dialogue with them:

  create an interactive web site and have each EC member post a letter, say, maybe 1,000 words, what went right/wrong on their part in the campaign.

  let’s have 16 statements from each member, and then allow for comments.

  of course, build in registration to control who can post, but still allow comments, and ask folks to keep the comments civil.

  ask the 16 members to open an online discussion with us and help us have a better understanding of what their jobs were on the EC.

  we need some communication from the 16. maybe they did some things right and we don’t know it. maybe they want to apologize in writing for keeping gay INvisible in the ads.

  we may face another ballot initiative or other reason to have a state-wide campaign, that will require some sort of body to make decisions.

  future gay decision-making bodies could learn a lot from the 16, if they build a web site and explain themselves in their own words.

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  heather gold // January 26, 2009 at 12:07 pm

  @Cathy

  I think your description of the purpose, emotional and info experience of the conferences is bang on. I was noting the user experience of both aside from their purpose.

  But perhaps each event was put together in ways that are probably impossible to separate from their purpose (ie. hashing out No on 8 campaign inevitably involves many orgs and they know committees as the way to organize).

  It is worth noting that there was definitely a conscious effort on the part of both events to be inclusive in terms of race and faith, but Equality Summit tended to do so in a way I found more self-conscious. (eg. we need an African-American keynote, a Latina keynote etc)

  I think this is generational and that the shift that Equality Camp is part of isn’t just about using the Internet but in being able to spend more time on problem solving and less time on process. This may be the benefit of being a gay “Joshua” generation. Or it may be a reflection of the difference in Courage Campaign (and our ) backgrounds around entrepreneurship which also seemed to share more in structural outlook with union organizing that non-profit structure.

  I don’t know that the committee / process-thing is an issue limited to any No on 8 Exec Committee group. It may be a general non-profit issue. I am aware of younger non-profits (ie. taproot foundation)

  @Michael, I think that’s your idea would enable the Exec. Comm. leaders to have more community engagement in a way that helps them be publicly transparent and communicate with a lot of people.

  Equality Camp’s focus is different. After everything we saw this weekend, we have a great deal of clarity of what we need to do with Equality Camp and we are focussed on infrastructure creation and connection between geeks and activists + everyone that will allow the movement to work in a decentralized fashion.

  There is so much work to be done. We are going to do it and set an example of transparency and help spread those geek cultures and tools that can help the movement cohere and be effective. We have offered our help to the folks on the Exec Comm. and that offer will stay open but our work is in building.

  We will take your suggestions into account as we move forward since any way to help any group increase their transparency and accountability will build their trust and community and thus effectiveness.