How a Minority achieved a Majority

Posted on May 12, 2016 
Filed under Culture wars, Resources

how_a_minority_achieved_a_majority“For years leading up to Ireland’s civil partnership legislation, a small nongovernmental organisation (NGO) – the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) – along with its many supporters and collaborators, worked quietly and methodically toward this day. …

In 2005, GLEN received a sizable long-term grant from The Atlantic Philanthropies that allowed GLEN to increase its organisational capacity and to pursue its ambitious advocacy strategy for advancing equality for gays and lesbians in Ireland.

The story of how Ireland’s landmark legislation was achieved for same-sex couples holds insights and lessons for any advocacy group trying to achieve legislative change…”

– This PDF document, available on The Atlantic Philanthropies website, charts how minority groups were able to achieve the goal of Civil Partnership in Ireland back in 2010.

We posted a link to this, and related material, last year. It’s well worth revisiting to be aware of the methods used to shift public sentiment, which resulted a vote to change the definition of marriage in 2015.