ACLU Urges LGBT People To "Get Busy, Get Equal" using New Online Toolkit, WWW.ACLU/GETEQUAL

NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union today launched a new version of its Get Busy, Get Equal online activist toolkit, www.aclu.org/getequal. Get Busy, Get Equal now incorporates new technology to make it easier for LGBT people to work for change in their communities. The website offers tools for ending gay and transgender discrimination, making schools safe, and winning recognition for LGBT relationships.

“Partly because of all the awful anti-marriage initiatives of the past few years, Americans are aware of and talking about LGBT issues more than they ever have before. We need to take advantage of that and make the case that the only fair treatment for LGBT people is equal treatment,” said Matt Coles, Director of the ACLU LGBT Project. “There is no better way to move people than to have conversations between LGBT people and other Americans. And there may be no better way to make those conversations happen than to work together on proposing nondiscrimination laws or domestic partnership policies in towns, cities and counties, or even in workplaces.”

The new toolkit includes a blog to give users insight into how to make local change a reality. It also includes a five-day-a-week roundup of LGBT news from across the nation. Short videos of ACLU clients that users can share with friends and family members put a human face on the issues and help spark meaningful conversations about what it means to face discrimination because of sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBT Project staff will record podcasts to give users an insider perspective on what is happening in the movement. MORE