Join the Impact
Encyclopedia
Join the Impact is an American LGBT
political movement in support of gay rights which rapidly developed a national coalition after the passage of Proposition 8
in California
. The website for the group was established November, 7th, 2008 after founders Amy Balliett
and Willow Witte decided to utilize a website to try to galvanize attention for the cause. The level of success the two women had orchestrating a nationwide protest only a week later, may have benefited from the recent historical success the Obama campaign
had with the medium.
Join the Impact held November 15, 2008 anti-Proposition 8 protests
against the California State proposition in every state in the U.S. The group's website claims that hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered that day with as many as 10,000 in NYC alone.
Facebook
played a pivotal role in organizing, allowing headquarters for events to form, and communicate with participants locally. Additionally, the use of sites like Facebook prevented the website failures that happened early on due to the high numbers of users accessing the site. Despite given larger and larger server for free from Hostdango the site continued to crash. Wetpaint
, a free website wiki community, offered to allow the group to develop a site page for each state.
Not long after the Wetpaint website became online, another site powered by Wetpaint
was created in opposition of the site. The site, ProtectMarriage.wetpaint.com, encourages people to join protests against same-sex marriage
.
Join the Impact has organized the National Day of Protest on November 15, 2008. The protest took place in over 400 cities in every state in the country and in ten countries around the world. The protest was attended by an estimated one million people worldwide. Join the Impact also helped organize Day Without a Gay on December 10, 2008. The event encouraged same sex marriage supporters to call in to work "gay" and do community service in their communities. Also many participated in an economic boycott that day by not spending any money. On December 20, 2008 Join the Impact organized Light Up The Night For Equality and the National LGBT Food Drive for Equality in cities across the country. Candlelight vigils were held in commercial centers and shopping malls in remembrance of the 18,000 same sex marriages performed in California between June and November 2008. An estimated one million people were educated about five rights not afforded to one in ten citizens simply because they are gay. The event garnered national attention, even the attention of the Fred Phelps clan of GodHatesFags.com, who held a counter protest at the Light Up the Night for Equality vigil in Chicago, IL. The event had pre and post event promotion from Equality California,The Human Rights Campaign, Courage Campaign, Marriage Equality USA MEUSA, LOGO,365Gay.com, Students for Equality, LezGetReal, and many other amazing organizations and groups.
There was a National DOMA
Protest on January 10, 2009. The protest brought together signatures on a letter to President-Elect Barack Obama about his promises to the LGBT community. The signatures and letters are planned to be delivered to President Obama by Amy Balliett and Join the Impact on January 21, 2009.
The Repeal DoMA Rally in Louisville, Kentucky specifically appealed to Kentucky's 3rd District Congressman John Yarmuth
to introduce a bill to repeal the Act. The Facebook cause Yarmuth:Repeal DoMA!! had 296 members as of January 21, 2009.
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
political movement in support of gay rights which rapidly developed a national coalition after the passage of Proposition 8
California Proposition 8 (2008)
Proposition 8 was a ballot proposition and constitutional amendment passed in the November 2008 state elections...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The website for the group was established November, 7th, 2008 after founders Amy Balliett
Amy Balliett
Amy Balliett is a gay activist living in Seattle, Washington and is responsible for starting the Join the Impact organization in response to the passage of Proposition 8 in California during the 2008 US elections....
and Willow Witte decided to utilize a website to try to galvanize attention for the cause. The level of success the two women had orchestrating a nationwide protest only a week later, may have benefited from the recent historical success the Obama campaign
Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008
Barack Obama, then junior United States Senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in Springfield, Illinois, on February 10, 2007. On August 27, 2008, he was declared nominee of the Democratic Party for the 2008 presidential election...
had with the medium.
Join the Impact held November 15, 2008 anti-Proposition 8 protests
November 15, 2008 anti-Proposition 8 protests
On November 15, 2008, 1 million people in 300 cities across the United States and ten countries protested California voters' approval of Proposition 8, which changed the state Constitution to restrict the definition of marriage to opposite-sex couples and eliminated same-sex couples' right to marry...
against the California State proposition in every state in the U.S. The group's website claims that hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered that day with as many as 10,000 in NYC alone.
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
played a pivotal role in organizing, allowing headquarters for events to form, and communicate with participants locally. Additionally, the use of sites like Facebook prevented the website failures that happened early on due to the high numbers of users accessing the site. Despite given larger and larger server for free from Hostdango the site continued to crash. Wetpaint
Wetpaint
Wetpaint is a Seattle, Washington-based company, founded in 2005, that hosts both user-generated and professionally created content. Wetpaint began as a wiki farm, hosting wikis using their own proprietary software. In 2010, the main site was rebranded as Wetpaint Entertainment, a website focused...
, a free website wiki community, offered to allow the group to develop a site page for each state.
Not long after the Wetpaint website became online, another site powered by Wetpaint
Wetpaint
Wetpaint is a Seattle, Washington-based company, founded in 2005, that hosts both user-generated and professionally created content. Wetpaint began as a wiki farm, hosting wikis using their own proprietary software. In 2010, the main site was rebranded as Wetpaint Entertainment, a website focused...
was created in opposition of the site. The site, ProtectMarriage.wetpaint.com, encourages people to join protests against same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
.
Join the Impact has organized the National Day of Protest on November 15, 2008. The protest took place in over 400 cities in every state in the country and in ten countries around the world. The protest was attended by an estimated one million people worldwide. Join the Impact also helped organize Day Without a Gay on December 10, 2008. The event encouraged same sex marriage supporters to call in to work "gay" and do community service in their communities. Also many participated in an economic boycott that day by not spending any money. On December 20, 2008 Join the Impact organized Light Up The Night For Equality and the National LGBT Food Drive for Equality in cities across the country. Candlelight vigils were held in commercial centers and shopping malls in remembrance of the 18,000 same sex marriages performed in California between June and November 2008. An estimated one million people were educated about five rights not afforded to one in ten citizens simply because they are gay. The event garnered national attention, even the attention of the Fred Phelps clan of GodHatesFags.com, who held a counter protest at the Light Up the Night for Equality vigil in Chicago, IL. The event had pre and post event promotion from Equality California,The Human Rights Campaign, Courage Campaign, Marriage Equality USA MEUSA, LOGO,365Gay.com, Students for Equality, LezGetReal, and many other amazing organizations and groups.
There was a National DOMA
Defense of Marriage Act
The Defense of Marriage Act is a United States federal law whereby the federal government defines marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman. Under the law, no U.S. state may be required to recognize as a marriage a same-sex relationship considered a marriage in another state...
Protest on January 10, 2009. The protest brought together signatures on a letter to President-Elect Barack Obama about his promises to the LGBT community. The signatures and letters are planned to be delivered to President Obama by Amy Balliett and Join the Impact on January 21, 2009.
The Repeal DoMA Rally in Louisville, Kentucky specifically appealed to Kentucky's 3rd District Congressman John Yarmuth
John Yarmuth
John Yarmuth is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party.- Early life, education and career :...
to introduce a bill to repeal the Act. The Facebook cause Yarmuth:Repeal DoMA!! had 296 members as of January 21, 2009.
See also
- Arizona Proposition 102 (2008)Arizona Proposition 102 (2008)Arizona Proposition 102 was an amendment to the constitution of the state of Arizona adopted by a referendum held in 2008. It added Article 30 of the Arizona Constitution, which says:"Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state."- Overview :On...
- Briggs Initiative
- Civil unions
- Florida Amendment 2 (2008)
- LGBT rights in the United States
- List of LGBT rights organizations