5 Petitions Not Doing As Well as the One for ‘Making a Murderer’

Sorry, nongender bathrooms: Steven Avery is more popular than you

Steven Avery Brendan Dassey Making a Murderer Netflix
Netflix

Americans lobbying the White House care plenty about hate speech, immigration and gender equality– but maybe not as much as they care about Netflix’s “Making a Murderer.”

The petition asking President Obama to intervene in the case of Steven Avery has nearly 118,000 signatures — more than those for petitions to fund care for autistic children, condemn Donald Trump for his comments on Muslims and create nongender public bathrooms.

The official registry allows for all kinds of petitions, like one demanding that Kellen Moore be named starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Probably not what Obama had in mind when he imagined the petitioning process as a way to directly respond to his constituents.

Here’s a look at five petitions that — despite their societal importance — couldn’t muster nearly as much as support as a case highlighted by the Netflix phenomenon.

Cause: “To recognize Donald Trump Statements about Muslims and Islam as a hate speech.”
Signatures: 766

This plea takes aim at Trump’s comments about denying all Muslims entry to the U.S.

Cause: “Create nongender restrooms. Beginning with schools, then working up to public restrooms.”
Signatures: 2,115

This petition wants to make life easier for “those who identify as a different gender” when they use public facilities.

Cause: “Include a federal autism mandate to cover ABA therapy for all children with autism, regardless of insurance or location.”
Signatures: 329 signatures

The creator of this petition wants to enforce a mandate that insurance companies must cover Applied Behavior Analysis in autistic children.

Cause: “Protect Immigrant Children Being Separated From Their Families Due To Aging Out”
Signatures: 456

“Many immigrant families petition to receive permanent residency decades before actually receiving their permanent resident cards,” the plea reads. “Is it fair that due to the lengthy process of immigration procedures, that one child (who may have reached the age of 21) gets denied to receive the green card while the rest of the family gets approved?”

Cause: “Nominate Brandon Stanton, creator of HumansofNewYork.com, for the Nobel Peace Prize.”
Signatures: 2,135

This one may not match the others in terms of its real impact on people’s day-to-day lives. But Stanton has a staggering 16 million Facebook likes on his ongoing photo series, one that highlights an emotional and diverse Manhattan.

Intrigued by one of the petitions above? They’d probably appreciate your signature.

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