Marriage Equality Rhode Island

Get Involved / Take Action

Become an Ally

If you identify as straight or heterosexual, you can still make a difference for equality — even if you don’t have any family or close friends that identify as LGBTQI.

You don’t have to be political

If you don’t feel comfortable defining yourself as an activist, and can’t envision yourself taking part in a march or rally, that’s OK! There’s still a lot ways you can get involved to make real positive change in your community.

Make everyday changes

Sometimes the smallest things you do can help bring the biggest changes. Raise an objection when a friend or co-worker tells a gay joke or uses a derogatory term. Don’t omit mentioning your friends’ same-sex partners when discussing them — and don’t make a big deal of it either. Simply be open about being an ally and about having LGBTQI friends or family members.

Join MERI Friends & Neighbors

MERI Friends & Neighbors is our campaign to identify friends, allies and community members that support marriage equality — both here in Rhode Island and across the nation. There’s strength in numbers. Take a stand by lending your name, your photo and a statement of support to our growing gallery. Join now »

Educate yourself on the issues

You can start with the material on the MERI site — we’ve provided talking points to the major arguments against marriage equality, and we’ve explained how we’re fighting for it here in Rhode Island. Subscribe to our blog’s RSS feed to keep current with developments on both the local and national level. There are other challenges that LGBTQI people face in their lives, and many of our partner orgs have websites that will help you learn more.

Make supportive choices

Before voting, check the candidate’s record on issues that impact equality for LGBTQI people. If you belong to an organization that openly discriminates, quit and let them know why. Support national and local businesses that have inclusive policies or are LGBTQI-owned, and make it a point to avoid companies that have discriminatory policies or give money to opponents of equality.

Promote a safe workplace environment

Encourage and support policies that are inclusive for LGBTQI employees at your workplace. If your company has a networking group for gay employees, join and encourage them to reach out to other straight allies.

Ask respectful questions

If you’re not sure how your LGBTQI friends and family refer to themselves or their partners, take the time to politely ask them. It’s better to ask a question in a supportive way than to simply make assumptions or avoid acknowledging their relationships.

Talk to your kids

You don’t have to talk about sex to talk to your kids about a LGBTQI relative or family friend. Family is something that children understand — so don’t be afraid to talk to them about different kinds of families. Be mindful of intolerant messages your children might be getting from television, movies and even the other kids at school — and talk to them about assumptions they may have encountered.

Take Action

If you are ready to take your support of LGBTQI people and marriage equality to the next level, there are a variety of other ways to take action right here in Rhode Island. Get involved »

PFLAG

Some of the information on this page comes from PFLAG: Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. Visit their Straight for Equality website for even more information about how to become an ally and get involved in the struggle for LGBTQI equality. There are also two chapters of PFLAG here in Rhode Island: PFLAG South Central RI and PFLAG Providence.