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Nate: I agree with you. As a lifelong unionist, I honor boycotts and picket lines alike, and urge others to do the same. Groups should not sponsor events at boycotted properties, nor should people attend such events. We should continue to advocate that position. However, it seems AHA will go forward with the conference and that a good many people less committed or knowledgeable about labor rights plan to attend. Given that, I do believe that AHA holding workshops on gay rights and doing some consciousness-raising among attendees would be, as I wrote, "better than nothing." From an organizing standpoint, I think, too, we need to understand there is a different psychology at work when people decide whether to honor a boycott or to step across a picket line. The first is a personal act of conscience and solidarity; the other, is an overt act in defiance of the collective actions of a group of workers. More education and moral suasion is needed to win public support for a boycott. The question of "Which side are you on?" is posed much more starkly and immediately in the case of a picket line. That is why I believe people can and should be held to a higher standard of behavior when it comes to honoring picket lines versus joining in boycotts. So, at one level boycotts and strikes are equivalent. But how we approach people and organize around these things is likely to require some different tactics and psychological appeals. And yes, using a non-picketed entryways to gain access to a campus during a strike is a transparent cynical dodge. No question about that. Matt
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