CA Marriage Coalition Releases Messaging Study Results
Gay marriage strategists in California have released the results of a messaging study – to determine what works and what doesn’t when discussing marriage equality. The “Let California Ring coalition” is a public education campaign, led by Equality California, which includes more than 50 national, state and local groups. The coalition analyzed 75 research studies on marriage messaging to find the way forward.
Evan Wolfson is the executive director of Freedom to Marry, and a member of the coalition. He says the research showed that speaking in terms of justice and civil rights does not work, until people have had face-to-face conversations with others about the subject.
Wolfson: “Before people are ready to agree on an abstraction or a principle, such as a right, they need to have a human connection. They need to have that authentic, personal, emotional tug that awakens them to the justice arguments that you then make.”
Wolfson said another key finding was that the time to have those conversations is now. He said the only way to defeat the lies that WILL come out during a political campaign – is to arm people with the truth beforehand.
Wolfson: “When we get people during this opportunity to persuade them, when we have the conversations, when we move them to our side, they stick with us – even when the right wing begins throwing their scare tactics and diversions, as they did in Prop 8.”
The Let California Ring coalition says it will be holding online and in-person meetings where members of the community can learn more about the research, and how to engage people about the importance of marriage.
