The Door-to-Door Technique That Actually Changes Minds

O ne weekend, a canvasser — let’s call her Cindy — was out door-knocking and found a gentleman at home. After establishing that he’d heard of gender transition surgeries for minors, a topic that’s become a major focal point across the U.S. in the run-up to the midterm elections, Cindy asked him where on a scale of zero to 10 his views were, where zero meant he was against banning procedures for minors and 10 meant he was in favor of the ban. “I’d be about an eight,” said the man. Let’s call him Ethan. Reasons to Be Cheerful · Deep Canvassing: “About an Eight” Then ensued an open-hearted conversation during which Ethan admitted he thinks minors don’t always know what’s best and Cindy divulged that she is transgender. She went on to share her experience of how she had come to recognize she was trans — how she had felt like she was wearing a costume that didn’t fit. “I actually like clothes now, which is crazy,” she said. “Now I get to just pick something that’s me.” “Good!” Ethan replied. “That’s good.” Reasons to Be Cheerful · Deep Canvassing: “A Costume That Didn’t Fit” Only towards the end of their conversation did they get back to the ballot measure. Cindy explained that gender-affirming care for minors typically follows a multi-stage, developmentally-paced model, starting with visits to doctors and counselors with family in tow, and then “social transition,” where individuals change their name and pronouns. Personal storytelling and active listening, rather than debate, are at the heart of deep canvassing. Credit: JJ Lane / Be Lovely Photography Only then can they start taking puberty pausing medication, which is reversible, and after a couple years of that, usually from the age of 18, they can begin taking hormones to go through the puberty that aligns with how they want to live their life. “I wish that I had been able to access this kind of care when I was younger,” Cindy said. Reasons to Be Cheerful · Deep Canvassing: “I Only Have One Go-Around” At this point, she asked Ethan where he would now put himself on the scale they’d discussed at the start. “I’d probably be more like a three,” Ethan said. “Boy, you gonna have me thinking the rest of the day. I probably won’t sleep tonight!” Reasons to Be Cheerful · Deep Canvassing: “About a Three” Cindy and Ethan, canvasser and voter, are engaged in what’s known as deep canvassing, a technique of going door-to-door where the canvasser does more listening than talking. The idea is to have an open-minded, non-judgmental conversation about a hot-button issue, be it abortion, trans rights or mass deportations, and have the canvasser share their own vulnerabilities while asking questions about the voter’s life. The hope is to connect on an emotional level and find out what’s really going on for folks. The post The Door-to-Door Technique That Actually Changes Minds appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful .