The nationwide battle for marriage equality has certainly triumphed in waves of victory in federal courts throughout the past couple of weeks and the possibility that Ohio may be among the next to achieve that equality is not out of the question.
According to the Human Rights Campaign’s website, Ohio HRC organizers have been active in Southwest, Northeast and Central Ohio over the past several weeks to educate voters on human rights issues at stake in the upcoming Ohio election. One of their main goals has been to encourage their supporters to go out and vote.
Until election day, phone banks that support open discussion on equality in Ohio will be open more often, primarily in large areas like Columbus, Dayton, and Cleveland. These lines are open for Human Rights Campaign members only, so sign up and become a part of the movement. Their actions prove that anyone can be an activist, and the outlets for local and occasionally global activism are limitless.
The most recent states to lose their bans on same-sex marriage were West Virginia, Alaska, Arizona, North Carolina, and Nevada. Marriage Equality Ohio is a grassroots organization that was created on Facebook in 2010 by 17-year old Adam Hoover to spread the message of acceptance and equality to all Ohioans. You can also follow them on Facebook by searching “Support Marriage Equality in Ohio.” In light of the growing popularity of this issue, the group recently created a pledge to vote out anti-gay politicians in the upcoming election to support marriage equality in Ohio.
I often write about LGBTQA rights for this column because I firmly believe that people have the right to stay informed on these topics, especially with a very important election around the corner.
As a Women’s and Gender Studies major whose primary focus is media influence and human rights, I often find that the media overcomplicates and dehumanizes the fight for gender and marriage equality. The human experience is not a political statement. LGBTQA activists are not out to hurt or oppress anyone or use undesirable tactics to get what they want. They are a passionate, loving, well-informed variety of people who have one goal: equality for all.
I’m happy that Ohio University cares about these issues as much as its students do. OU is widely known as an open and accepting university community for all backgrounds and lifestyles. The Ohio University Women’s Center and LGBT Center are just a couple of locations on campus where students can get involved, get educated, and become a part of a supportive community.
Jordan Williams is a junior studying English and women’s and gender studies. Email her at jw719111@ohio.edu.
