Why eQualityThinking: Thinking Bigger and Acting Differently

Let's have a free, open, virtual convention for Thinking Bigger and Acting Differently to get full LGBT legal equality now.

By Juan and Ken Ahonen-Jover Contact Juan and Ken are the founders of eQualityGiving, the online donor community for LGBT equality. They are also the founders of eQualityThinking, the free and open virtual convention for LGBT legal equality. For more information about eQualityGiving and their backgrounds, check the About section here.

With the change in control of the House of Representatives and in many state houses and governorships in January 2011, there is a growing concern about how much we will be able to advance LGBT legal equality now. Different people are using different strategies:

- Some people are writing off the next two years and concentrating instead on electing the right candidates in 2012

- Other people are debating whether we should focus on marriage equality or employment non-discrimination

- Other leaders are saying that we have accomplished two goals (Hate Crimes and DADT) and we have two to go (ENDA and DOMA)

 

We believe that we have to Think Bigger:

- We can achieve significant gains in LGBT legal equality now if we put our mind to it

- The debate should not be about marriage equality OR employment non-discrimination

- We cannot continue asking for only ENDA and DOMA, which are both limited. We need to ask for FULL equality. If we continue asking less than full equality, we will never get equal.

 And, of course, we need to Act Differently if we expect to get anything done now.

 

WHY eQualityThinking?

Since we are asking others to Think Bigger and Act Differently, we needed to apply it to ourselves.

In the past five years we have been very successful in implementing an online community of donors for LGBT legal equality. Our internet traffic exceeds all LGBT organizations except for HRC and GLAAD. We have organized conference calls with key members of the movement (including eight Members of Congress). We convened the Dallas Meeting that originated the Dallas Principles and later created - and entirely fund - Act On Principles.

So in trying to build upon this experience, we included the concepts of Thinking Bigger and Acting Differently in creating a virtual convention for LGBT equality which will be open to everyone for free.

Our movement already has some superb conferences. Some are open but not free and not virtual; while others are neither open, nor free, nor virtual. Each of these conventions has its necessary role in our movement and should continue.

But what we are trying to do here is something different: engage those interested in LGBT legal equality in thinking bigger and acting differently. To do so we have created, and entirely fund, this convention with three important aspects.

- Free: there is no cost to any participant

- Open: there is no registration; anybody can attend live; anybody can ask questions (even if not attending live); anybody can suggest panels and panelists (including themselves).

- Virtual: attend from anywhere, at any time. You can call in at the scheduled time and hear the panelists live (and be able to ask questions based on what they say), or you can participate at a later time by listening to the recorded audio. You can even download the audio and post it elsewhere.

To achieve these objectives we are putting together multiple panels, but the power lies in the fact that the discussion can continue elsewhere. Bloggers (or anybody else) can download the audio and extract relevant parts and engage their audiences in a discussion.

But the bottom line is simple: we need to be fully engaged in Thinking Bigger and Acting Differently.

eQualityThinking ran from January 24 to March 31, 2011. Check the audio of all panels at www.eQualityThinking.org The discussions hel are very relevant. Review a list of 20 actions you can take now for LGBT equality.

Respectfully,

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