Since the moment Donald Trump and Mike Pence walked into the White House, they have attacked the progress we have made toward full equality for the LGBTQ community and undermined the rights of countless Americans. Several of those attacks have come straight from Donald Trump's thumbs, tweeting out outrageous attacks at all hours on LGBTQ people, immigrants, people of color and more.
The LGBTQ community is as diverse as the fabric of our nation. We are Muslim. We are Jewish. We are women. We are black, white and Latino. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.
But since Trump was inaugurated, we haven't stayed silent. We have formed unbreakable bonds with partner organizations and allies unlike ever before. We have united at rallies and at protests, at congressional hearings and conferences.
HRC was looking for a new platform to showcase the diversity of our community, the dynamic leaders we are currently working with and how we can work together in the age of Trump.
We wanted to introduce our community to civil rights leaders and advocates, growing their knowledge and understanding about what we can do - and must do - to advance equality for all. And thus the #HRCTwitterTakeover was born.
HRC has utilized the #HRCTwitterTakeover over the past year to key-in on the foremost issues facing our community. We frequently work with leaders from partner organizations, advocates and allies to take over our Twitter account and share their stories, meeting Donald Trump on his favorite social media platform.
We find a moment - whether it be an anniversary, breaking news, a congressional hearing or Supreme Court hearing - and plot a strategy.
Each #HRCTwitterTakeover ranges from 10-20 tweets. They are digestible, diverse and dynamic tweets, featuring photos, videos, link articles, quote tweets and more. No #HRCTwitterTakeover looks like another.
We identify a strong voice and expert on the issues - someone our LGBTQ audience might not necessarily know, but should know.
The person doing the #HRCTwitterTakeover usually has their own Twitter account and works with an organization that also has a strong social presence. HRC makes sure we work with both the person and their organization to elevate the #HRCTwitterTakeover to maximize reach and visibility.
With the creation of the Twitter thread feature in December, HRC has been able to utilize the new tool to tie together our content and organize these posts in an easily accessible manner.
We attempt to connect with a trending hashtag or issue to make sure our #HRCTwitterTakeover is as relevant as possible and shared with a wider audience that is already discussing these issues. We post the #HRCTwitterTakeover(s) on our best performing days and times.
Over that past year, we've hosted several #HRCTwitterTakeover(s). Some of the people we've featured include:
Our #HRCTwitterTakeover(s) have become a dynamic part of our social media strategy and cover a wide array of topics, all of which intersect with the LGBTQ community. Each #HRCTwitterTakeover reaches millions of people and has a shocking amount of impressions.
For example, Sherrilyn Ifill's #HRCTwitterTakeover had 16 million impressions; Kimahli Powell's had 17.2 million impressions; Robbie Kaplan's had 15 million impressions; and Charlotte Clymer's reached 4.7 million people and had 24.7 million impressions.
In fact, following Charlotte Clymer's #HRCTwitterTakeover, more than 2,000 LGBTQ people and allies from across the nation joined HRC in responding to a request for public comments regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs' current discriminatory policy prohibiting the VA from providing gender affirming surgeries to veterans. This is just one example that demonstrates how our #HRCTwitterTakeover(s) drive people to take action and affect change.
Whether he meant to or not, Donald Trump has awakened a sleeping giant---HRC's Twitter audience. Our followers, members and supporters are eager to participate, to learn, to advocate and to fight back.
Together, we will keep uniting against hate, fighting for our community and taking a stand (especially on Twitter) against Trump, Pence and their administration. We've shown how far and wide our #HRCTwitterTakeover(s) can reach, and together we can turn resistance into action and use our collective voices to better our community and our country.
