Do Protests Work?

Following on from May 17’s International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, we asked our members: do protests work?

This is a tricky question; hard to define and harder to answer for someone who has never participated in one.

There are things I’m passionate about and this question makes me ask myself why I have never walked along George St waving a banner or singing my convictions. I suppose it’s because really, I don’t believe protests work; or, more correctly, I don’t believe they alone work to achieve the justice they call for.

However, if it were as simple as that, my answer would be a simple ‘no’. But it’s not.

I don’t think being in a protest will change legislation or move the hearts of politicians; one act by a small crowd is not going to change the perspective of a nation’s leaders. I do, however, believe protests achieve something else.

The gathering of like-minded people who share something as strong and foundational as belief, is, in my eyes, an invitation; a call for those of similar persuasion but quiet voice, to find refuge, protection and most of all strength in the voices of many.

Protests serve as a flare of hope in a dark night of judgment and ostracism for those seeking a bright future in which they are proudly accepted for who they are. Even further, through this invitation, the eyes of the ‘ignorant’ public are opened to - if not encouraged to join - the cause of the minority, acknowledge it and broaden their perspective of society as a whole, and hence they are encouraged to explore its many facets to find something that they believe in and would stand for.

The motto of this year’s International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia is “strength through diversity.” I believe this resonates throughout history, the arts and science, and is a strong ground on which to base the declaration of one’s convictions, and indeed a society.

So, whilst a protest may not achieve its immediate goal of turning a political act or opinion on its head, I believe that through the examples of those walking the streets, those watching from their lounges are introduced to a new face of the people with whom they share their offices, lives and world.

This is how I believe protests work: by opening the eyes of a people, you can change the view of its leaders. The more diverse and accepting a culture is, the better it will function, and this diversity and acceptance is only achieved through exposure, by one person’s assertion of beliefs acting as the catalyst for the movement of many people and the shift of ideas towards a better future. Yes, protests do work – but for a much bigger purpose than we think marches are for.