Charles Chan Massey
| Charles Chan Massey | |
|---|---|
 Charles Chan Massey in March 2017 | |
| Born | June 19, 1964 Charlotte, NC, U.S.A. |
| 🏡 Residence | Los Angeles, California |
| 💼 Occupation | Small business owner, activist, blogger, nonprofit organization executive, advocate for LGBT rights |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Joseph Chan (2013–Present) |
| 👴 👵 Parent(s) | Sue N. Massey (mother) Charles D. Massey (father) |
| 🌐 Website | www |
Charles Chan Massey (born June 19, 1964) is an American activist, blogger, nonprofit organization executive, small business owner, and advocate for LGBT rights.
Early life[edit]
Chan Massey was born in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1964. He graduated from the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy. He briefly moved to Atlanta shortly after graduation and relocated to Los Angeles in 1989.
Career[edit]
Chan Massey founded SYNAXIS Meetings & Events, a consulting firm specializing in meetings, conferences, special events and incentives, in 1994. He has been a frequent speaker at meetings industry conferences and events and has written articles for and been quoted in meetings industry publications including Meetings & Conventions [1] as well as featured in The New York Times [2] and USA Today, among other publications.
In January 2018 he was quoted in Meetings Today about Marriott International's controversial decision to cut commissions paid to third-party meeting planners from 10 percent to 7 percent for all of its hotels in the U.S. and Canada[3]
Prior to founding SYNAXIS, Chan Massey had worked for more than 10 years in the hotel industry, starting as a bellman during college in 1983. He was a member of Meeting Professionals International, a professional association for Meeting and convention planners and suppliers, for 25 years, serving as president of the Southern California chapter in 1998.
The "Accidental Activist"[edit]
His career and life took a turn in 2012 when he saw a video called It Could Happen To You that told the story of a young man named Tom Bridegroom's accidental and untimely death and the experiences his partner, Shane Bitney Crone, went through in the aftermath.
Several months later he received a message from the daughter of a high school friend who thanked him for being an openly gay and successful man, saying that had her mother not known him her coming out experience might not have gone as well as it did. A short time later his sister re-connected him with her friend whose son had recently come out as gay.
This series of events touched him on a deeply emotional level, and although he wasn't sure what shape it would take he told himself he felt called to do something to help the LGBT community. He had never considered himself to be an activist but now found himself an "accidental activist" and made plans to start an organization to help others in the LGBT community and their allies through the sharing of personal stories.
The Personal Stories Project[edit]
In late 2012 Chan Massey co-founded The Personal Stories Project [4] to promote activism, advocacy and support for the LGBT community and allies through the sharing of personal stories. One of the first original content stories shared was his own, about his journey from coming out at age 18 to where he is today[5]. He currently serves as Executive Director.
In January 2015 Chan Massey co-founded One Million Kids For Equality when he learned that The American Family Association and One Million Moms were launching an affiliate organization called One Million Dads. Knowing that both organizations had reputations for being vehemently anti-gay, they decided to harness the energy of that launch to turn the conversation from one of hate to one of love and acceptance.
In less than twelve hours they coordinated the launch of a website, social media accounts, a mailing list, and put out a press release announcing their new organization. Within hours One Million Kids For Equality had been covered in numerous news outlets including The Seattle Lesbian[6] and by the end of the first week, they had lined up a partnership with the Family Equality Council to support an upcoming amicus brief submitted to the United States Supreme Court in advance of the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges hearings.
Chan Massey and his husband Joseph Chan were present at the Supreme Court on April 28, 2015, for arguments in the Obergefell v. Hodges civil rights case in which the Supreme Court ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Personal Life[edit]
Chan Massey lives in Los Angeles with his husband Joseph Chan. Together since 1994, they were married on August 31, 2013 following the United States Supreme Court's decision in the Hollingsworth v. Perry case, which was remanded back to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, making same-sex marriage once again legal in California, and the decision in the United States v. Windsor case, which determined that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was unconstitutional under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. Their wedding was featured in the inaugural edition of LGBTWed Magazine.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Industry Backlash Against Anti-LGBT Laws Continues". Retrieved 1 May 2016.
- ↑ "Reading This While Walking? In Honolulu, It Could Cost You". Retrieved 23 October 2017.
- ↑ "Marriott Commission Cuts Spark Industry Outrage". Retrieved 25 January 2018.
- ↑ "One group is using the power of storytelling in the battle for LGBT equality". Retrieved 28 April 2016.
- ↑ "Project Helps People Share Their Coming – Out Stories". Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ↑ "One Million Kids for Equality Launches Before SCOTUS Ruling". Retrieved 22 January 2015.
External Links[edit]
- Official Facebook Public Figure Page
- SYNAXIS Meetings & Events
- The Personal Stories Project
- About The Personal Stories Project (video)
- One Million Kids For Equality
- Official LGBTWed Facebook Page
- Meetings Cut Back to Bare Minimum
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