Pam Spaulding at the NN Prop 8 panel

The small workshop room is almost full for one of the first morning panels at Netroots Nation. The panel is “From Prop 8 to full equality,” and the panelists are Julia Rosen, online director for the Courage Campaign; blog mistress extraordinaire Pam Spaulding; Michael Wilson from Americans for Democratic Action; Monique Hoeflinger, from the LGBT Mentoring Project.

Marriage equality and other LGBT equality issues are showing themselves to be the definitive civil rights issue of our day. To win equality across America, in all 50 states, we’ll have a lot of work to do, including organizing and strategic action. But we’ll action from more than just LGBT folks. We need allies, Michael Wilson says.

“The LGBT movement can’t win this alone and shouldn’t have to,” Wilson says. “We will be an ally and will help to corral other allies and join effort to help advance the cause.”

Wilson added, “Prop 8 will be seen as the Dred Scott decision of our time.”

Click down below the fold for a run-down of the some of the conversation. Don’t want to have my face in my laptop the whole time, I’m folding it up. Look for updates on Twitter.

Marriage in Maine
Among the states facing tough marriage battles this year is Maine. Monique Hoeflinger is organizing on the ground there. She says the state’s battle isn’t yet on the national stage the way California was.

Hoeflinger says we need to think differently about equality campaigns. “We should take local organizing seriously and invest in these campaigns early,” she says. In Maine, Hoeflinger says state and local groups began working early to organize amongst the community. In their field campaign, they organized tens of thousands of supporters, she says — all of it long before the opposition began their own organizing.

On the national opposition and their battle in Maine, Hoeflinger says:

The national opposition sees Maine as where they will halt this new momentum. Maine is the only state out of [other Northern states] that has to defend their marriage at the ballot box. They [the opposition] have said Maine is ground zero and they are highly motivated to put an end to this momentum. They know we have never successfully defended marriage at the ballot box. The good news is, as national community, we care about this more than they do. We will rally together as a national community put Maine over the top.

Want to help Maine? Hoeflinger has some suggestions:
1. Early money matters: Don’t make the same mistake as California, raise money early, don’t donate late. $40 million came into California but it came in too late.
2. Phone Bank: There are teams of remote phone bankers!
3. Volunteer Vacation: Maine’s motto is “Vacation land.” Join Maine activists in October and become full-time volunteer campaign staff for a week or longer.

Learn more: ProtectMaineEquality.com

Repealing Prop 8 in 2010 or 2012?
“The community is split, no bones about it,” Rosen says.

The split over a 2010 or 2012 repeal is pretty even. Some folks want to wait a little longer for the general election. Others are worried about losing momentum and waiting too long to go back.

“Some major donors have said, ‘Come back to me when [the polls] its at 60 percent,’” Rosen says. “That’s a decade from now, folks.” Announced recently, Equality California recommends a 2012 repeal, but would be supportive of a 2010 repeal if a ballot initiative were approved.

“The infighting is not quite as bad as has been portrayed in the media,” Rosen says.

Spaulding says she is concerned about the outreach efforts to minority community. “There has to be a commitment not only to addressing the religious issues but have an outreach campaign that can reach minority community and people of color,” Spaulding says. “The communities were ignored last time.”

The right wing has no fear of reaching out to minority communities, Spaulding warns. If we’re going to do outreach, we need to do it. If we don’t, the right wing will.

Fundraising: Right v. Left
D.C.’s Phil Attey asks, “How much are we being out-fundraised by the Right?”

Hoeflinger on Maine:

We in Maine are a cheap date. They have been out spending us from the beginning. They were up on TV before the public hearing ever happened in Maine. This was back during hte legislative campaign in March. They have been out-organized by us from the beginning. Now that we are in a referendum phase of this campaign the stakes become different. They will be on TV not just a little but a lot. They continue to outspend us. They have four major donors, including national organizations. Money is coming in from out of state. We have done very very hard work to actually have this campaign, the intitial funding come from local Mainers. There has to be high enthusiasm among the ground. But we cannot win alone in Maine. This is not a much bigger state. We really do need you as a national community.

Hoeflinger anticipates a campaign needing between $3 million and $5 million.