6/2/2014

Washington—Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) launched a story-telling campaign to discuss the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas. Summer of Conversations is part of the organization's newly launched Project One America and will gather neighbors, friends and fellow church-goers to tell their stories.

“Whether on the front porch or the dinner table, we want everyone to hear our stories and meet our families,” said Project One America Director Brad Clark. “Changing hearts and minds happen when conversations start -- especially with those we love.”

Summer of Conversations is meant for people to host formal or informal gatherings of friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, and loved ones on front porches, in backyards and over the dinner table.  People will share their own stories about their family, work, and church. 

Study after study shows that simply knowing someone who is LGBT dramatically increases support for measures that protect LGBT people from discrimination. A report by Public Religion Research Institute shows when Americans know someone gay or lesbian, they are more likely to favor LGBT protections. The study finds nearly two-thirds of Americans have a close friend or family member who is gay or lesbian, nearly three times the number reported in 1993. Also, roughly one in ten know someone who is transgender

Summer of Conversations is an outreach component of Project One America, a lasting investment concentrated in the Deep South by making progress on three fronts--changing hearts and minds, advancing enduring legal protections, and building more inclusive institutions for LGBT people from the church pew to the workplace.

Project One America is a community-based program focusing on building a stronger LGBT presence and infrastructure. A full time local staff and dedicated office space in Jackson, MS, Montgomery, AL, and Little Rock, AR will support this effort.