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One of the best tools you have is the opportunity to write Letters to the Editor.
Writing a Letter to the Editor:
A letter to the editor is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to get your opinion out to a large and varied audience. An average newspaper receives hundreds of letters daily but will only print a few of them. You, therefore, need to write a letter that best expresses a unique and powerful point of view. Following are suggestions for getting your letter published:
First, organize your thoughts:
- What is the subject you want to write about?
- What is the one opinion/point you want to make about that subject?
- Why do you want to write this letter?
- What facts, stories, and examples can you think of to show that this is important?
- What are the best arguments, facts and expert opinions you can use to convince the audience?
Then write the first draft, revise it and proof read it:
- At the top left of the letter include your name, address, phone and the date.
- Start the letter with the salutation “Dear Editor:”
- Try to link your letter’s topic to a current news event. You might refer to an article or to another letter to the editor. You might start with words such as “Yesterday, you reported that…,” “As a ____, I…,” and so forth.
- Keep your letter short and simple. Most newspapers do not want you to write more than 150-200 words. Use plain and simple language.
- Stick to one single point you want to make.
- In the first paragraph, hook the attention of your audience and make your point clear. The rest of the letter will present the arguments for your point. An opinion is only good if you can support it with facts and expert opinions.
- Refer to specific person, places, events, dates, facts and so forth. Think of the who, what, when, where, why and how of the issue.
- Be polite and calm, but be forceful and assertive. Avoid sarcasm, profanity, the calling of names and so forth. Do not write in an overly emotional manner.
- End the letter with a sentence summary.
- Check for proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Type the letter.
- Be sure to follow the newspaper’s policy for contact. Most will require a signature, address, phone number, etc. You will find the policy on the editorial page of the newspaper.
Following are some I have written about GLB issues:
- According to the August 3 article, “Petitions seek vote on gay marriage,” the Ohio Campaign to Protect Marriage will submit signatures to the Secretary of State’s Office to put on the November ballot a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriages, and even civil unions in Ohio. It is sad that members of this group believe their marriages are so damaged by the loving relationships of committed, monogamous gay couples that they feel compelled to write discrimination and bigotry into the Ohio Constitution. This proposed amendment asks Ohioans to cast a vote for hatred and intolerance and to drive even more people from this state which is already in trouble. Since over half of all marriages already end in divorce, shouldn’t the group look for other solutions to their problems rather than for scapegoats?
- Since the majority of the Supreme Court struck down the Texas ant-sodomy law, Canada announced the intention to legalize same-sex marriages, and Bill Frist and others have said they would support a Constitutional ban on gay marriage, we again hear how same-sex marriage would be a threat to the institution of marriage. Though I do not follow this argument for many reasons, I especially see one major irony. First, statistics researched and compiled in 2002 by Gulnar Nugman of the Heritage Foundation show that 54.8 marriages out of 100 ended in divorce in the United States. Out of 93 countries, this is the highest rate. Secondly, an old study conducted in 1994 by the National Opinion Research Center states that 15-17% of married persons admit to infidelity while William P. Wilson, M.D. writes in a February 12, 2002 article, “Comments on the current scene: a contemporary look at events in our society,” that 50% of married partners commit adultery. Finally, so many persons who argue about the sanctity and beauty of the institution of marriage do all they can to prevent gay persons from living together in loving, celebrated, recognized monogamous relationships. The irony is clear. Maybe it is not gays and lesbians who are the threat to the institution of marriage
- Americans held a conversation when they debated, and voted on gay marriage issues. The people of this country argued whether or not we really believe that all persons are created equal and are entitled to equal rights under the law. We discussed whether or not we want liberty and justice for all. On election night, many states loudly decided that some people are deserving of second-class status and that some people are not worthy of liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Americans, the conversation is only beginning for, as Thomas Jefferson so eloquently stated, those rights are inalienable and are granted not by people but by the Creator. We gays and lesbians are not going away but will more loudly demand the same rights others possess.
- In response to Sarah Strain-Smith’s letter of November 9, marriage is a civil contract that need not be sealed in a place of worship. The struggle of gays and lesbians to enjoy the rights and responsibilities of marriage has no connection with churches or other religious institutions. This great effort is for the right to visit a loved one dying in a hospital, to make decisions for a life-partner who is incapacitated, to have family health insurance to help our families in times of catastrophic illness, to receive pension benefits given a husband or wife upon a partner’s death and thus help prevent bankruptcy. It is a fight for these and many other rights and responsibilities given to heterosexuals who marry. In a government that is to honor the separation of church and state, the struggles we gays and lesbians endure and the oppressions we face daily, are very much about civil rights. The passage of Issue One made this oppression the law of the state. It also encouraged us to fight harder to bring to fruition truths upon which this country was founded.
- As a gay man who loves this country and who believes in its ideals, I continue to read with dismay comments from the Bush Administration about people like me who are born gay or lesbian. The Republican Party clearly is using gays and lesbians to create division within this country. Shouldn’t Bush and the GOP strive to unite the citizens of this country rather than to divide us? Shouldn’t government work to bring more and more persons under the umbrella of the Constitution and the ideals expressed in statements such as “liberty and justice for all” and “We the People?” From the many comments I hear and read, I truly feel that this administration does not believe in equality for all persons and that it considers me, and those born like me, to be inferior second-class persons. Is this the message the President of the United States wants to send to the citizens of this country? It is the message many of us are receiving. This is not the message Kerry and Edwards would send. I urge the Bush administration to end its attack on the gay community and to work, instead, for unity and for the ideals of this country.
- Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Stuart Friedman ruled this week that a woman’s domestic abuse charge against her live-in boyfriend could not hold since it "would recognize a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals" which would conflict with the Issue 1 amendment approved by Ohio voters in November. (“Ruling in domestic-violence case could set precedent,” Dispatch March 24). First, no one should ever be subjected to abuse. Yet, I am ashamed to admit that I read of the ruling with some amount of glee. A large majority of Ohio voters did not care that their amendement stripped me of rights and protections. They did not care that they voted to make thousands of Ohioans second-class citizens. They did not care that they made it legal to discriminate against thousands of Ohioans because of who we are born to be. They did not care that they voted hatred and bigotry into the state’s constitution. Now, they reap what they have sowed. No one deserves abuse, but maybe that is what it will take to make the majority of Ohioans understand their own hatred and bigotry. So, sadly, I read this ruling with glee but also with hope.
I urge you to follow the issues and write your views for other people to consider.
I urge you to join organizations fighting for equality and I encourage you to stand up for freedom, justice, and democracy for all persons. What we see happening in Ohio WILL spread.
http://www.gaypeopleschronicle.com/stories05/october/1021051.htm
http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemID=19778
http://www.bgnews.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/10/19/43585c4783cca
http://www.independentcollegian.com/media/paper678/news/2005/10/24/News/Domestic.Debate-1031202.shtml
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