How I Learned to Love Shrimp David Cole on what we can learn from the marriage equality and gun rights movements
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Sep 24, 2025 
David Cole, a constitutional law professor and former ACLU legal director, shares invaluable insights on social change. He discusses how incrementalism played a crucial role in the marriage equality movement, contrasting it with the NRA's strategic political power. Cole emphasizes the significance of local organizing and in-person community in movements, exploring how identity formation aids in recruitment and mobilization. He also addresses the balance between symbolic campaigns and impactful policies, offering lessons applicable to various social movements.
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Change Happens Through Incremental Civil Society
- Lasting change usually comes from coordinated civil-society engagement across levels and incremental steps.
- David Cole argues thoughtful small wins can cumulatively produce profound legal and cultural shifts.
Prioritise Small Wins Over Big Early Lawsuits
- Do pursue small, winnable reforms that build legal precedent and public support before aiming for nationwide change.
- Avoid early high-stakes legal fights that could produce adverse precedents and set your movement back.
Tell Journeys, Not Sermons
- Messaging shifted from shaming opponents to telling personal journeys to change hearts and minds.
- That empathetic framing proved far more effective than moralizing in expanding support for marriage equality.
