Students vs. the Defense of Marriage Act

Activists working to dismantle the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) need all the help they can get. Enter a new entrepreneurship contest, which may just help one group of students with a $10,000 grant to organize for LGBT rights and nationwide marriage equality.

The National Marriage Boycott, a student-driven effort to encourage the Obama administration and Congress to repeal DOMA, is one of the finalists for a $10,000 grant from Ideablob – an entrepreneurial Web site that helps small businesses and organizations find the seed money they need to take their campaigns and initiatives to the next level. Now it’s a contest to see which of eight finalists will win $10K, and there’s just over one week left of voting.

As Nathaniel Whittemore, change.org's Social Entrepreneurship blogger, puts it, Ideablob's contest is yet another example of how the Internet is bringing activists together, regardless of geography, and making it easier than ever to organize passion.  The end result for the National Marriage Boycott could be a huge chunk of change to take their campaign to the next level, and build the type of networks needed to hammer home change.

The premise behind the National Marriage Boycott is simple: don’t get married until everyone – straight folks and LGBTQ folks – have the same rights to civil marriage. It’s a campaign that started at Stanford, but it’s growing fast. This year organizers want to take the campaign to every state, and engage college campuses and young adults across the country to work for marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples.

According to Boycott organizers, “Now is the moment in American history when same-sex couples have the opportunity to achieve equal rights under the law. However, in order for a minority group to achieve equal rights, progressive members of the majority must stand in solidarity with them.” What does that solidarity look like?

It looks like a pledge that activists can take that demands full equality now.

“President Obama has advocated for the repeal of DOMA, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages - and yet this discriminatory law still stands. Under this act, same-sex couples are denied more than a thousand rights, including the right to visit a dying partner in the hospital. To demonstrate our desire for an immediate repeal of DOMA, we choose not to participate in marriage until everyone can marry.”

In return for signing the pledge, folks also have the option of purchasing an equality ring to wear as a public show of support for the idea of civil marriage for all. Organizers hope these rings can serve as conversation starters for equality, as well as mobilize even more young people – straight and queer – to say “No” to the idea of marriage until everyone has access to it.

Now that sounds like a campaign worthy of $10,000. Here’s where you can vote on Ideablob for the National Marriage Boycott. To win they’ll need all the support from LGBT folks and straight allies that they can get. Help spread the word; and make sure to vote before August 31.