NEWSBYKATE KENDELL

Kate Kendell is part of Change.org's Changemakers network, comprised of leading voices for social change. Kate leads the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

Like many others, I was not sorry to see 2009 come to an end. A lot of misery, great expectations, dashed hopes, deferred dreams, and daily anxiety were packed into those twelve months. While I’ve certainly had more difficult and personally painful years, 2009 was difficult and personally painful for a record number of folks in this country. As 2010 dawns, one can’t help but hope for better this year. But it feels to me that those hopes are not merely cyclically mandated, rather it may just be that we are about to turn a corner. I can’t say I possess irrefutable proof for my budding optimism, but there are some signs, both obvious and nuanced, that positive change may be coming our way.

There are of course some big indicators — an achingly slow, but nevertheless improving economy, finally movement in Congress on health care (what we end up with remains to be seen, but at least some improvements will be made), and, from my perspective, an active LGBT community that recognizes that our activism and engagement are essential if we are to see movement on LGBT issues at the national level. This coming year we must elevate our involvement in national and local politics, understanding that this is the only way we can hold our elected leaders accountable. I’m not the first to state the obvious — that enduring change only happens when we are personally engaged and invest our own future in making progress happen. But this past year has driven that point home. We voted for change, hoped for change, demanded change, but we will only realize the transformation we seek when we all sacrifice to make it so.

Kate Kendell is part of Change.org's Changemakers network, comprised of leading voices for social change. Change.org asked Ms. Kendell to respond to questions to provide context for her work and the causes she supports.

Change.org: What cause or causes would you most like to promote as a Changemaker and why?

Alliance and cross-cultural work to elevate the effectiveness of social justice organizations, highlighting federal policy work while we have a sympathetic administration to make serious gains.

Change.org: If you could ask 1 million people to all do one thing to advance causes that matter to you, what would it be?

Tell three friends or family why full justice and equality for LGBT people is important to you and ask them to join you in eliminating bias and prejudice based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Change.org: If you could ask President Obama and the U.S. Congress to do one thing to advance you cause, what would it be?

Eradicate all laws that stigmatize people based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Change.org: Briefly discuss a time when you were part of making real change and why that effort was particularly successful?

Acting as lead counsel in the California marriage case. The case was in so many ways the culmination of 30 years of legal and policy advocacy all over the country on a whole range of issues affecting the lives of LGBT people. If that early work has not been done we would not have been in a position to win marriage at the California Supreme Court, which, regardless of Prop 8, remains a significant victory for LGBT people in California and the rest of the country.

Photo credit: Celesteh