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7.3. Methods and Tools of Advocacy
We have just mentioned two examples of advocacy methods, citing the Constitution of
Ukraine: petitions and appeals to government authorities, and organization of peaceful
gatherings. However, advocacy campaign may use much more different methods.
The notion of method is closely related to the notion of tool. The difference between
two lies in the magnitude and broadness: more comprehensive, general and broad
implies to methods, while more marrow, targeted and specific describes tools.
Let us start with methods. We should remind the reader, that methods are directly linked
to the tactics of the advocacy campaign. In fact, the tactics of such campaign can be
brought down to the selection of appropriate methods.
Such methods may include:
• Political lobbying.
We already discussed lobbying in the Section “Definition of Advocacy”. Lobbying can
be effective method of the campaign, if it is enough to pass specific, advocacy-related
official regulatory or normative document, or some one-time executive decision by the
government authority or local self-government to resolve the issue, addressed by the
advocacy. Lobbying always means personal contact between the representative of the
advocacy agent (lobbyist), and the person, who is the target of advocacy, or mediator,
capable of influencing the target (public official). In theory, lobbying could have helped
to complete a number of advocacy objectives at the national level — through the
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. One of examples of successful lobbying is the submission
of the draft Law of Ukraine No. 8590 “On the Protection against Discrimination Based
on Race, Nationality, or Ethnicity” for consideration of the parliament (submitted on
December 15, 2005, on behalf of the Ivan Myhovych, Member of Parliament, Communist
Faction). This draft law envisaged criminal responsibility for discrimination of citizens
on the basis of their sexual orientation. Successful submission of proposals regarding
such discrimination, which were officially brought to the attention of the people's
deputies, can be viewed as a success of advocacy campaign.
• Activities inside business community, where certain members represent
“targets” of the advocacy campaign.
This method of advocacy presupposes influence from inside. Speaking about protection
of interests of LGBT community in the country coordination mechanism on HIV/AIDS,
this method can take the form of introduction of representative of LGBT community in
the National Council on TB and HIV/AIDS. If we talk about parliamentary level, it would
be quite expedient to seek aides, assistants and consultants of people's deputies of
Ukraine, who belong to LGBT community, and through them — to influence legislative
initiatives and the course of consideration of various important draft laws.
• Organization of measures and events that would bring together “targets” of
advocacy (or their representatives), and representatives of target groups.
LGBT and MSM-servicing organizations often utilize this methodology. For example,
roundtable ”stigma and discrimination of MSM and other representatives of LGBT
community in Ukraine: current state and possible solutions”, held on March 21, 2008,
has brought together experts, representing LGBT community on the one hand, and
representatives of key government structures — on the other.
• Work through mediator organizations.
Benefits of this method lie in the following: it can be very effective, when certain
entity of social and political process, explicitly not belonging to a particular social
group, starts public speaking about rights of this group. For example, the practice of
involvement of various powerful human rights organizations (e.g. Ukrainian Helsinki
Human Rights Union, Amnesty international in Ukraine, Human Rights Watch and many
others) in different gay and lesbian advocacy campaigns seems extremely promising.
As a rule, mediator organizations represent target audiences indirectly. For example, it
is established practice in Ukraine — as well as in other countries — that LGBT interests