Coming back to it’s supports and asking for more tens of millions with a promise to get it right, this time, won’t work.

Courage Campaign had the right formula from the very beginning and I think that they are on the right track today.

Sorry, ECQA. You had your chance and you failed. And that’s putting it nicely.

My money’s going to Courage Campaign.

Ben,

Thank you for your email. I am sorry that you are upset and disappointed with Equality California.With your past support, we supported the No on 8 campaign.

The campaign hired the best strategists and pollsters and we were able to move California 20 points on same sex marriage but we were not able to win.
You are correct. More of the same will not work.

I hope that you will see our new ads and the field campaign that will engage voters face to face, door to door as a first and strategic step in changing course and winning back marriage. Again, your past support and your feedback are most appreciated.

My response was perhaps less than perfectly gracious. Let’s see what they do with it.

Dear Sean:

Thank you for your email. I’m not sure which email you are referring to. I’ve sent a number of them over the past few months.

I will say this. I spent a lot of time and energy trying to get someone, anyone, to listen to me on this. No one was interested. The disdain was palpable. I got treated like a crazy person by no less a person than Mark Leno. I’m not. I finally just gave up and did what I could on my own.

As I wrote in a piece that was published in the BAR, that closeted attitude from which the campaign was run was the problem. It may make sense for people immersed in that political culture, but it makes no sense in my world, and never has. The enemy is The Closet, not the religious right, not social conservatives. The strategists you hired were far from the best– they were just available– if they could not understand that simple fact, and failed to notice that it hasn’t worked but once in ten years. I 100% believe that we did as well as we did not because of that closeted campaign, but despite it. That horrible Harvey Milk ad was just more of the same– closeted. I didn’t know him, though I did meet him a few times, and he influenced me tremendously. He would have hated it.

I am glad to see that EQCA is beginning to get this, and I am still willing to work with you. I am a professional photographer with 25 years experience, and would be happy to offer my services. I also wrote extensively against Prop. 8, and was published in several newspapers. I was very active against Brigg 30 years ago, writing the speaker’s bureau book that was eventually used statewide, and doing a great deal of public speaking. I am very presentable, very good at public speaking, and very knowledgeable on the issues.

Please let me know if there is something I can do.

Ben

Mores the point, it’s the opposition that has to prove how wrong all this is for society and just how much harm is done by showing these caring, normal and committed people who are and have always been a part of the human race for all time.

We know they can’t. It doesn’t exist to the extent these couples and families do.

And boy…do they know that…

This is the campaign that should have run. Beautiful job.