Freedom to Marry goes to Netroots Nation

This week, Freedom to Marry's New Media team will be attending Netroots Nation, an annual conference where progressive voices exchange ideas, organizing tactics, and goals for the future. This year, Netroots celebrates its seventh national conferene in Providence, RI, coming together with bloggers, organization leaders, advocates, and activists to learn more about the best ways we can use the Internet to increase support for the freedom to marry.

Freedom to Marry's Michael Crawford and Cameron Tolle will be attending the conference, which kicks off on Wednesday, June 6 with Netroots Connect LGBT, a smaller, pre-convention specifically dedicated to discussing LGBT issues and how community organizers and online activists can come together to produce change. Freedom to Marry is cosponsoring the pre-convention with ten other groups dedicated to the LGBT community. 

Freedom to Marry will also be using the opportunity to facilitate and moderate a number of events for the Netroots crowd. 

  • On Wednesday, Freedom to Marry kicks off Netroots with Netroots Connect LGBT, the LGBT-specific pre-convention that we are sponsoring. Michael Crawford will be co-moderating activities and discussions the entire day. 
  • On Thursday, Michael will sit on a panel entitled, "Marriage Equality: Past, Present, and Future." He will be sharing information about legislation to advance the freedom to marry, strategy surrounding ballot initiatives, and judicial cases about marriage. Michael and his fellow panelists - Richard Carlbom of Minnesotans United for All Families and Dave Fleischer of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center - will discuss how we can learn from previous marriage campaigns and brainstorm ways to apply these lessons in the continually evolving 2012 landscape.
  • On Friday, Freedom to Marry will be facilitating the Marriage Equality Caucus, a meeting of campaign managers from states facing marriage ballot initiatives and bloggers. The goal is to develop relationships between bloggers and these staffers so that we can work together between now and Election Day to ensure victory for the freedom to marry. 
  • On Friday night, Freedom to Marry is hosting the Marriage States Reception, where leaders from each state facing ballot initiatives (ME, MD, MN & WA) will be on hand to discuss developments in the campaigns. The reception will be held at Gracie's, which is located nearby the conference hotel. Tell us you're coming on Facebook!
We are excited to take advantage of this year's Netroots Nation conference to connect with other online activists and organization staffers and explore how we can win marriage in 2012 and beyond.