In a five-part recorded interview with Reddit.com, out Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) once again defended his criticism of the National Equality March, this time issuing a call-to-action to attendees of the march.

Citing the successful organizing efforts of groups such as the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), Frank urged marchers not to limit their activism to calling for change in the streets of Washington DC, among like-minded peers, but to pressuring your individual members of Congress.

Here’s a segment of the interview:

Every member of the NRA, and every member he or she knows, writes to members of Congress and calls members of Congress.  Members of congress respond to political pressure that is applied to them by people who live in their districts, or state of its a Senator, and writes them to say “This is important to me.”

What I really need people to do – you know, marching may be fun, and meeting with each other may be fun – but it doesn’t help me. Here’s what’s hard: make a list of all your friends, make a list of all the people who tell you that they care about you and love you if you’re gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender.  Say to them, “You know what, if you really cared about me you wouldn’t support people who are trying to make my life miserable. If you really love me then you’ve got to show that by telling people who you can vote for that they have to be there to protect me. Don’t tell me how much you care about me and then leave me in a legally vulnerable situation.” So get our your list of friends, get every one of them on the phone, or talk to them, and say “please write or call your Senator.  Send me a copy of the letter, cause you might forget and I want to be reassured.”

I would make this rule for people: if you care about an issue, and people have invited you to participate in a form of political activity that’s going to be really fun, be careful because it’s probably not helping.  Because if its’ really fun that means you’re with other people that agree with you, and you’re reinforcing each other’s views. That’s what they did at the March. “Aren’t we unfairly treated?” “Yes.” “Wouldn’t it be better if we were fairly treated?” “Yes.” It doesn’t bridge the gap that we have to to get to the people on the other side, and that’s what I’m focused on.

(Via Towleroad.)