The issue of marriage equality has been the subject of much debate around the world, but in Hungary the issue of rainbow families and the rights of same-sex couples has been particularly acute in recent years. In this context, the Rainbow Families Foundation organised the conference "A family is a family: International Conference on Marriage Equality 2024". The aim of the event was not only to express support for marriage equality, but also to demonstrate through international examples and experiences that equal marriage is not only a fundamental human right, but can benefit society as a whole.
The conference was organised with the participation of international and local actors, all of whom stressed that family, love and belonging are fundamental human values, regardless of who makes it up. The preparation of the event was not a smooth process, as in Hungary the room for manoeuvre of civil society organisations is becoming increasingly limited, especially when it comes to sensitive issues such as the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
The biggest challenge was how to deliver a relevant yet inclusive message in a divided social environment. We wanted to create a platform where everyone who believes in equality can find inspiration and strength to continue. We work not only for rainbow families, but for society as a whole, because inclusion is in the interest of all of us.
One of the most important outcomes of the conference was the creation of a common language through which same-sex couples and their allies can engage in dialogue with wider society.
In recent years, the Rainbow Families Foundation has continuously sought opportunities to engage in dialogue with those who oppose equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community. With this conference, we wanted to create a platform with an academic background that could start a social discourse on this topic and an opportunity to review the way ahead, also through successful examples from abroad. Our long term strategy is to put pressure on legislators through social support to achieve a change in the Hungarian Basic Law on this issue in the medium to long term.
Our target group is all Hungarians who support, oppose or are neutral on the issue of marriage equality. We would like to help the supportive community by providing them with more information to become our personal ambassadors in their daily lives. To convince neutral people with arguments and numbers to support our cause. And to provide opponents with answers to the arguments they often repeat.
The event was promoted through pr communication, social media platforms and key opinion leaders before the conference day. After the conference, we will produce a publication, videos and quotes from the presentations, which will be presented and distributed online (on our own website and through PR partnerships).
The biggest challenge was that we had much less time than we would have liked to plan the preliminary communication. A lot of the tasks of the small team were focused around other organisational tasks for the conference, so we started relatively late.
The press release was sent out 1 month before the event on 14 October, and received relatively few responses. Our overall communication was not helped by the fact that the US presidential election was also around the same time, the press focus was elsewhere, and the social media communications had already started to "buzz" with Christmas ads and campaigns.
From here on, the social media posting schedule started (21 posts) every 2 days or so, and the website was also up and running.
Access to the conference was possible in two ways: through a ticket purchase platform for those who wish to support the initiative, and through a Google Form registration platform for those who are interested in the event free of charge. Unfortunately, because of the free option, there were some applicants who sent in their application but did not attend the event, but we can't complain, we still had a good number of people interested.
As for press interest, we gave journalists and press representatives the opportunity to choose a speaker or topic of interest beforehand and we connected them during the event. This was useful because they didn't have to sit through the whole 7-8 hour series of presentations to get the information they wanted to their readers.
We launched an ad on the social media platform last week, which was more or less successful (despite the above-mentioned complicating factors).
Our team was expanded by 1-2 volunteers during the conference, who mainly complemented the core team in the fields of event management and communication. The internal communication of the team was smooth, with everyone contributing according to their own expertise.
Our biggest reach and sign-ups were due to Instagram story shares and "cold calls", the latter targeting university departments, politicians, influencers, LGBTQ organisations, human rights or other peer organisations, religious leaders, and colleagues in the social sciences, among others, in the form of newsletters.
The International Conference on Equal Marriage proved that even in a divided society it is possible to work together for a more inclusive and just world. The event was not only a milestone in the fight for marriage equality, but also an inspiring example of how local action can become part of a global movement.
Links to the organisation's website/social media page and related content:
https://www.acsaladazcsalad.hu/hu/a-csalad-az-csalad-konferencia-2024