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Document Type
Oral Presentation
Department
Women and Gender Studies
Faculty Mentor
Wendy Chapkis, PhD
Abstract
LGBT organizations in the United States differ in their assessment of who belongs in the community and face such questions as what tactics to use to meet their goals. This presentation draws on a review of existing scholarship to examine how organizations have addressed those issues and to explore whether there is a relationship between the strategies selected and the organization’s goals. The presentation then applies this perspective to a case study of the organization, the Maine Lesbian/Gay Political Alliance (MLGPA), now known as EqualityMaine (EQME) through an examination of meeting minutes, memos, mailings to the community, and interviews with employees and members. The presentation concludes that, similar to other organizations discussed in the literature, the MLGPA’s goals were created in response to the event that led to its founding, in this case the murder of Charlie Howard. The MLGPA’s goals included greater involvement by the lesbian and gay community in Maine’s political process and promoting civil rights through legislative action, endorsing political candidates, and building coalitions with local and national organizations.
David Kersey Presentation Transcript
D-Kersey_Transcript.txt (6 kB)
David Kersey Presentation Transcript (.txt file)
Open Access?
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The Decision-Making Process and Organizational Goals and Strategies in LGBTQ+ Organizing
LGBT organizations in the United States differ in their assessment of who belongs in the community and face such questions as what tactics to use to meet their goals. This presentation draws on a review of existing scholarship to examine how organizations have addressed those issues and to explore whether there is a relationship between the strategies selected and the organization’s goals. The presentation then applies this perspective to a case study of the organization, the Maine Lesbian/Gay Political Alliance (MLGPA), now known as EqualityMaine (EQME) through an examination of meeting minutes, memos, mailings to the community, and interviews with employees and members. The presentation concludes that, similar to other organizations discussed in the literature, the MLGPA’s goals were created in response to the event that led to its founding, in this case the murder of Charlie Howard. The MLGPA’s goals included greater involvement by the lesbian and gay community in Maine’s political process and promoting civil rights through legislative action, endorsing political candidates, and building coalitions with local and national organizations.
