1. Introduction
   1. SMA stands for SM Activism or SM Advocacy
      • Existing SMA's include NYSMA, DCSMA, Haven, BAASE, SDLLC, and GMSMA.
2. This presentation is based on the DCSMA experience.
   1. Example: District of Columbia Sexual Minority Advocates
      • DCSMA provides a forum for advocacy, education and empowerment for the SM/leather/fetish community in metropolitan Washington, DC.
      • This forum works because community leaders come to DCSMA meetings in search of volunteers and because volunteers come to DCSMA seeking work.
      • This networking of volunteers with leaders, and the fostering of new leaders, are two of the primary functions of DCSMA.
3. How to Start an "SMA" in Three Easy Steps
   1. Do activism: learn about what is going on in the SM community and contribute to it.
   2. Talk about and promote what you are doing in local community forums.
      • Example: gather, print and distribute information on the "San Diego Six" to promote the Club X Party Legal Defense Fund within your local community.
      • Example: print and distribute the NCSF Weekly Media Update in your local community. Write letters "to the editor" and encourage others to do the same. For greater impact, edit it to focus on the stories you consider to be the most important (If you believe in what you are doing, others will believe it too).
   3. Find someone else in your local community who is also doing activism.
      • If your activism is highly visible within your community, someone will find you.
      • Get together with your new activist friend for to discuss and coordinate your efforts. Keep things informal (formality takes time and effort - don't bother until you have to).
4. Focus on Advocacy Projects That Other Groups Are Not Doing
   1. Activism. It may be difficult to promote local activism in a community where many folks are closeted. Start by supporting national causes.
   2. Empowerment. Provide one-on-one mentoring of new activists. Discuss individual efforts and how they can be supported. Your goal is to help each member identify and achieve his or her own goals as a community activist.
   3. Education. Few SM/leather/fetish organizations do leadership or organizational training.
      • If there is a demand for these workshops in your community, provide them.
5. Support and Respect Your Local Community
   1. Many communities have established charitable, social and educational organizations. Learn about the activism that is already going on in your community so you can promote it instead of duplicating it.
   2. Establish contacts with local organizations and listen to what they have to say. Especially respect closeted groups.
   3. Promote inclusion. By networking community leaders and by being as inclusive as possible, new ideas and opportunities can be generated.
   4. Support local organizations. If a local group asks for your support, try to provide it.
6. Keep it Simple, Keep it Focused, Keep it Honest
   1. Decide everything by simple-majority vote until you have to do otherwise.
   2. There are techniques for conducting an effective meeting, facilitating, and creating consensus: learn them.
   3. Keep finances simple, but accountable. If possible, do all of your banking through more established groups.
      • Example: NCSF fundraiser - all Checks were made out to NCSF and all expenses were reimbursed from cash proceeds. No DCSMA bank account was needed.
      • Example: SigMa doing business as DCSMA. We found we needed a bank account to handle funds for the DCSMA-LLC Scholarship Fund. An established and incorporated SM group, SigMa, kindly created an account for us which is registered as "SigMa doing business as DCSMA". This came with the requirement that some DCSMA officers be SigMa members. Good will between SigMa and DCSMA has allowed this arrangement to work.
   4. Focus on activism.
      • If you need to argue about policy, hold a separate meeting for the policy wonks.
      • The idea is to have fun while accomplishing specific goals. When personality conflicts arise and egos clash, focus on the work.
      • Evaluate each effort. If it isn't working, try something else. Focus on working together, learning together, and learning to work together.
7. More Examples
   1. The DCSMA Education Program produces seminars as requested. Whenever possible, experienced presenters are paired with less experienced folks. This increases the number of skilled presenters in DCSMA (and in the community).
   2. DCSMA marches for equality. DCSMA members attended the Equality Begins at Home rally in March 1999 and joined Bi Insurgence and other groups in protesting a religious right conference.
   3. The DCSMA-LLC Scholarship Fund was created in 1998 as a way of investing in the local leather community in Washington and Baltimore. Scholarships have been awarded to members of Black Rose, dc boys of leather, DCSMA, DC Spanking, Highwaymen TNT, Men of Discipline DC, Phoenix, Potomac MC and SigMa. So far, 16 scholarships have been awarded.

 

 

 

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