After reading the news that Indiana Governor, Mike Pence, signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law, I was confused. Same sex marriage was legalized in Indiana less than a year ago; it struck me as ill-conceived legislation at best, an intentional loophole for discrimination at worst.
In the interest of full disclosure, I went to college in Indiana. As a relatively recent graduate of Purdue, I took this regression hard, and personally. "How could we let this happen?" I thought. "There has been so much progress, we can not be complacent when laws like these get passed."
Then I imagined what I would do if I were still a student, living in Indiana, and how I would go about effecting change. Millennials have played an enormous role in social progression over the past decade, and we should be proud of that. Resistance to this progress should be met with resolve and courage. We are a very powerful demographic and we should use that power to enact change. This is an opportunity for our generation, the state of Indiana and our country to illustrate our commitment to equality and freedom for all Americans.
Use Your Wallet
Many companies have publicly spoken out against the law, with some pulling business and travel to the state as a result. Support local businesses that support the LGBT community. Avoid businesses that do not. According to the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, "Reports on Millennial annual purchasing power widely range between $125 billion and $890 billion. A more consistent estimate is $200 billion of direct purchasing power and $500 billion of indirect spending, largely due to the influence on the spending of their mostly baby boomer parents. With Millennials’ peak buying power still decades away, marketers would do well to establish relationships with this consumer force."
Facilitate Discussion
Information has never been more accessible, and communication has never been easier. Whether you are in an online chat room, part of a grass roots protest or simply having dinner with family and friends, talk about the issue, and most importantly listen to what others have to say. This is an issue people feel very strongly about, and it is hard to seek understanding if everyone is yelling at each other. Change will not happen in one conversation, it happens over time. So take it one conversation at a time.
Vote
Forbes contributor, Joel Kotkin, wrote in 2012 that millennials were a determining factor in President Obama's election. If millennials went to the polls for local elections, our demographic would be extremely powerful. Unfortunately we don't tend to vote in local elections, and that should change. If people running for office are not supportive of LGBT rights, do not vote for them. Vote for a candidate who does. If we are unhappy with what our government is doing, we need to take action and vote for change. We don't have to be spectators of our own government, we can stand up and take action. I hope we do.
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