There have been a lot of extraordinary videos posted opposing North Carolina's Amendment One, the proposed anti-gay constitutional amendment. The Protect ALL NC Families has 11 pages of them here. Their YouTube page has 116 videos and as of Tuesday night had over 200,000 views. (The opposition, Vote4Marriage have just 4 videos up that have just over 250 views. Yes, I didn't forget any zeros, 250. I guess they are not a social media savvy crew. Maybe they communicate by cave-painting?)
Tuesday evening NC Republican candidate for congress, Edwin Peacock posted a YouTube video just to express his opposition to Amendment One saying (in good GOP-speak) Amendment One is an "unnecessary government hurdle that is bad for business."
Tuesday afternoon, NC NAACP state leader Dr. Rev. William Barber released a passionate video calling on people to vote no. It's great. I especially appreciated how the Reverend tied the effort to pass this amendment to the very same people who have worked to disenfranchise voters, worked to disassemble public education, fought economic justice and torn the president down at every turn. The NAACP President asks, and now they want us to stand with them and help them write discrimination into the constitution? "Not on our watch," he says.
But the one that crossed my radar and really tugged my heart strings was made by Pam "Mommy Bear" Saulsby. I didn't know who she was when I first viewed it, but I recognized she had style, and I knew I liked her!
My friend Pam Spaulding, a resident of Durham tells me, she was "until last year, one of the most popular, longest-serving anchors of the news on WRAL-TV," the CBS affiliate. Pam's confident this will have a real impact in the "Triangle" viewing area, as "People, you know, are fiercely protective of their news anchors, who 'come into your home' every night."
Saulsby's message is light on policy, heavy on the heart. She invites the viewer to respect her daughter as she does herself. This is the kind of heartfelt testimonial that can only be delivered by a mom. It would take a heart of stone to be unaffected by it. She is demonstrating her family values by valuing her own family. This woman's message is sure to resonate with any parent who ever loved their child and dreamed the best things in life were possible for them.
Transcript after the fold.
Pam "Mommy Bear" Saulsby with daughter Ashley Marie
TRANSCRIPT
Hey everybody.
I am sitting in my front yard, where as you can see, I have posted a sign against Amendment One.
That's the constitutional amendment to provide that marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in North Carolina.
I'm saying "No" for one simple reason: my daughter. She is gay. She is gay.
And I'm going to take a stand against any measure, any measure, that will make this intelligent, strong, young, independent, beautiful young woman, feel unequal or somehow inferior.
I'm not even going to address the nuances of Amendment One, the myths, and how this amendment goes far beyond the obvious. I care about these things, don't get me wrong.
But on May 8th, I'm assuming my Mommy Bear posture. I'm in protect mode. And I will be that way when I go downtown to vote.
I want my daughter, Ashley Marie to have the same equal rights to marriage.
And in my Mommy Bear posture, I'm ready to fight if need be, and fight fiercely.
I want to show you an example of what I mean by my "Mommy Bear" posture.
There I am, my arms are folded, I'm ready to battle and there's my daughter Ashley Marie leaning against my shoulder there. That's the Mommy Bear posture that I'm talking about.
That child, y'all is my heart and soul. She is the best thing I've ever done.
I've taught her to be outspoken. I've taught her to take a stand, and to stand up for herself, and for her beliefs, no matter what.
Ashly Maire, that child, is a reflection of me.
My hope is that want her present in a world where she is free to marry the woman that she is in love with, and wants to build a life with and that includes, and that includes having children, yes.
Anything less than that, anything less than that, where I come from is unfair, and it is wrong. It is as simple as that.
Now, I would invite you to add your comments to what I've said here on YouTube, and if you don't cosign what I'm feeling, you can say that as well. And if you're the mom or dad of a gay son or daughter, I'd like for us to have a conversation as well.
Thank you for listening.
It is particularly kind and generous of spirit of her to close by offering to speak with other parents with LGBT kids. Many may not be as cool as she is, but maybe she can help them with that. It seems she's up to the task. Life's a happier experience when you embrace what it hands you, as Saulsby demonstrates.
Saulsby did not post this at the prompting of the campaign, or with anyone that I can see. There are scores of Facebook pages, YouTube videos Tumblr blogs and other social media hubs propagating all on their own. Is it possible come May 8, this odious amendment could get "SOPA/PIPA'ed" against all conventional wisdom?
Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage said Tuesday, "for the first time, I'm truly concerned that we could lose this battle."
Conventional wisdom had this amendment passing easily, now, Public Policy Polling is saying that may not be so. They say, the momentum is moving against it and "There is some reason to think a huge upset in two weeks is within the realm of possibility."
PPP says a "big part of that is a shift among black voters." That demo's support dropped from 61/30 to 51/39 in recent months. LGBT groups have forged excellent, collaborative relationships with NAACP and other groups. A look at the Protect ALL NC Families YouTube page shows many leaders of color are true champions the opposition, no matter what National Organization for Marriage tries to say. Hopefully there will be another piece of conventional wisdom we can put in the trash heap where it belongs on May 9.
What you can do to help defeat Amendment One:
- Contribute to the campaign on ActBlue so they have the resources they need to get our message out.
- Sign up for a Courageous Conversation about Amendment One with someone you know in NC.
- Follow the campaign on Facebook and Twitter.
- Download social media tools and yard signs to show your opposition to Amendment 1.
- Volunteer to Call for Equality – a national, virtual GOTV phone banking effort against Amendment 1.
If you'd like to blow a kiss to Mommy Bear over Twitter (like I did) she's here: @pamsaulsbyinc.
Breaking: Senator Kay Hagan releases a video condemnation of Amendment One. She argues at a time North Carolina is competing on the national market for talent and corporations "we cannot afford to pass Amendment One," because it's bad for business. She does not gloss over the harm it will visit on NC families, or the immorality of writing discrimination into the constitution however.
Well done, Senator.