Boycott Nationals??

[puroshaggy]

I know this is a knee jerk reaction, but I am having a hard time justifying spending money in a state that has just banned Gay Marriage.  PuroSlam is seriously considering how to deal with this FUCKED UP (excuse my French) action by the state of North Carolina.  Sorry NC poetry people- but coming to your state and supporting your businesses is a hard call right now. 

PSI-> Action needs to be taken.  PLEASE do not sit idly by and let NPS occur without some sort of action.  This goes against everything PSI should stand for.

North Carolina is a sad state.

[plunderphonics]

what better way to show idiots who is boss by having a bunch of informed people come to your city and speak the truth?

[HoustonRH7]

Instead of avoiding the state, why don't we try to make a huge impact in it? It's always good when we go into a community and have some kind of service project; is there some way we could organize some kind of poet protest? With the right PR on our side, a few hundred poets doing that could be huge deal, especially if we coordinate with a few local groups.

[hsampson]

Unfortunately, from what I've read, NC is the last southern state to put this in to the state constitution.  I also read that the language does not only apply to gay marriage, it bans civil unions of all types.
    I like Houston's idea of doing service that somehow helps the community this bill attmpts to harm. 

[karen_g]

With the DNC a few weeks after NPS, why not take the chance to do some real activism instead? Hang some flyers, take an afternoon to campaign, stay a little longer and volunteer for a progressive candidate, register a kiss in, protest with the local occupy movement, find out where the government buildings are and organize a mass mailing or get a permit for a demonstration/poets' march?
Avoidance of going into places is part of the problem.More gets done by showing up than being dismissive.

Check out this:
http://vimeo.com/41802835
   Thanks to Southerners on New Ground for their vision.The answer is not to move away in the hope that "it gets better" somewhere else, the answer is to make it better in our own backyards.

For the record, 33 states have put marriage up for a vote, 32 have voted to enshrine discrimination in their state constitutions. While I am disappointed in North Carolina joining that list, I encourage folks who live in other parts of the country to not fool themselves into thinking this is some isolated southern bias. You can't win this fight if you think you are above it."
-Elizabeth Anderson

(Sorry, I posted elsewhere at first because I didn't have access to general, thanks Erik for fixing me ;-)

[HoustonRH7]

A side note: IWPS this year will have an underground team competition, and will be held in one of the two southern states where gay adoption is legal. Just saying 

iwps.poetryslam.com

[HoustonRH7]

PS, my previous statement wasn't meant as a reason to not go to NPS, but rather an assurance that there is no reason to avoid IWPS. I still stand by the idea of going to North Carolina and being the loud and opinionated people that we are.

[karen_g]

PS, my previous statement wasn't meant as a reason to not go to NPS, but rather an assurance that there is no reason to avoid IWPS. I still stand by the idea of going to North Carolina and being the loud and opinionated people that we are.

Hell's yeah.

[Scott Woods]

I'm sorry, THIS is the issue that should make us pull out of a state wholesale? This issue over all others is the one that should cause us to pull up stakes and boycott our own event?

Ridiculous.

[puroshaggy]

Sorry you find it ridiculous Scott but I have found that just by expressing my concern (extreme, yes, but sometimes extreme is necessary), I have already motivated people in SA and here to possibly do something in protest.


Sorry you don't find it worthwhile.

[simone]

Sorry you find it ridiculous Scott but I have found that just by expressing my concern (extreme, yes, but sometimes extreme is necessary), I have already motivated people in SA and here to possibly do something in protest.

Shaggy! I don't agree with Scott's tone, but I think it's worth trying to understand his sentiment: you have suggested that to punish conservative voters we disagree with, our group of primarily liberal individuals should boycott the showcase event of an organization that strives to be open-minded. I feel like you are suggesting that we punish all the good guys because some of us live in a bad-guy state.

I empathize with your distress and personal affront at NC's ban on gay marriage. I am personally disgusted with the legislation as well. But the LGBTQ and allied community there is an oppressed minority in need of support, not abandonment by the rest of the country. I think the best thing we can do is arrive and support them with the art and work we are already doing: NPS, and the subsequent DNC, both offer amazing opportunities to do so that we might not otherwise have taken advantage of.

I, too, would prefer to avoid giving my vacation money to bigots. Is there a queer organization we can ask to provide us with a list of allied businesses, like restaurants and hotels, that we would like to give our dollars to? Inkera or Karen, I would love your suggestions on how to make this possible.

[karen_g]

Sorry you find it ridiculous Scott but I have found that just by expressing my concern (extreme, yes, but sometimes extreme is necessary), I have already motivated people in SA and here to possibly do something in protest.

I, too, would prefer to avoid giving my vacation money to bigots. Is there a queer organization we can ask to provide us with a list of allied businesses, like restaurants and hotels, that we would like to give our dollars to? Inkera or Karen, I would love your suggestions on how to make this possible.

This is a great suggestion, thank you Simone. I will drop a line out.
I also encourage people to check out S.O.N.G. as they really bring issues together:

http://southernersonnewground.org/home/

[karen_g]

I dropped a note to S.O.N.G. to see if they have anything going on during that time/see if they could share some resources.

[puroshaggy]

Hey all- Thanks for responding.  I completely understand the ridiculousness of calling for a boycott of Nationals.  BUT I also have enough experience organizing protests and rallying people to action to know that you need to aim far and high to get something every moderate.  Yes, BOYCOTT DEMANDS may ruffle feathers and incite cries of ridiculous, but hey, the means justify the ends, as far as I am concerned.

So sorry if I offended and MANY MANY THANKS if you feel inspired to do something in protest.  We are working on ideas here in SA and will do what we can to let our feelings be known.

[inkera]

The NPS 2012 Planning Team respects the rights of all people and we understand the concerns that some have expressed about the approval of Amendment One in the state of North Carolina.
 
As a result of Tuesday's vote, we know that some of you may feel that you are not welcome in North Carolina, but that is not the case, and we hope that you will keep in mind that the Amendment was defeated in both the city of Charlotte and in Mecklenburg County.
 
Also, we feel that now, more than ever, the voices of those affected should be heard. We believe that NPS 2012 will be the perfect forum for this, especially when you consider that the 2012 Democratic National Convention will take place in Charlotte just 4 weeks after NPS 2012.
 
And what better group of people to raise their voices to be heard than poets, large groups of poets?
 
We need you to come to North Carolina and let your voice be heard. And to help facilitate this, we are planning a special opening event for NPS 2012 on Monday, August 6:
 
Spit LOVE~SLAM Amendment One
 
More details about Spit LOVE~SLAM Amendment One will soon follow, but our goal is to involve various organizations in the Charlotte community and invite every media outlet that will come.
 
If you disagree with Amendment One, then we invite you to make a stand by joining us in Charlotte for NPS 2012, where you will have a chance to let your voice be heard.

Many thanks_

The NPS 2012 Planning Team