I volunteered yesterday afternoon for America Votes (a coalition of Democrat/Liberal interest groups) and canvassed much of an unwalkable precinct on foot. Around noon I headed over to a Union Hall in Norwood staffed by the Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood, Equality Cincinnati etc. I was registered as a volunteer by members of Equality Cincinnati, our local gay rights group.
Accompanied by a local teacher, I canvassed in Sedamsville, a hilly area down by the Ohio River. This was not a Democratic area – I was actually asked if I could provide a photo of Rep. Steve Chabot (R, OH-01) and politely informed the lady that I voted for Rep. Chabot’s Democratic opponent, Mr. Cranley. When we were exhausted, we returned to the union hall. Equality Cincinnati provided lovely green T-shirts for its volunteers.
As I left the hall I overheard an African-American volunteer complaining because she’d been asked to sign a postcard thanking Cincinnati’s City Council for its opposition to discrimination against GLBT folk. So I spoke with her and said I was one of those gay/lesbian Democratic volunteers. She somehow thought that she had been asked to support gay marriage, which she thinks is wrong. I explained about the legal rights, responsibilities and benefits which automatically come with marriage and why they are important. She understood about the benefits – it seemed to be the concept/word “marriage” which freaked her out. She said that she faced discrimination every day – I let her know that I’ve been fired for my religion as well as my sexual orientation and that bigots don’t consider Jews to be white either. I’d say it was a teaching moment.