Love, Penelope - a 10 year old girl with two moms writes letters to her on-the-way baby sister

Love, Penelope by Joanne Rocklin, Illustrated by Lucy Knisley

Penny is excited to welcome her new sibling, so throughout her mom's pregnancy she writes letters to it (not it, YOU ). She introduces herself (Penelope, but she prefers "Penny") and their moms (Sammy and Becky). She brags about their home city, Oakland, California (the weather, the Bay, and the Golden State Warriors) and shares the trials and tribulations of being a fifth-grader (which, luckily, YOU won't have to worry about for a long time).

Penny asks little questions about her sibling's development and starts to ask big questions about the world around her (like if and when her moms are ever going to get married "for real").

Add your review of "Love, Penelope" in comments!

#LoveWins - A Fun, Celebratory Music Video

Enjoy this music video, "Love Always Wins" by Mikey Wax:

BREAKING AWESOME NEWS: MY MARRIAGE IS LEGAL EVERYWHERE IN THE U.S.A.!

Love this news (and my husband and daughter!)





It's an historic, wonderful step – Cheers for our country bending that arc of history toward justice!

Lee

Until We Could - Poetry and Video Come Together To Create A Powerful Celebration of Love and The Right To Marry

Richard Blanco wrote the beautiful poem, and then it was made into this remarkable video:



You can find out more at The Daily Beast, where I found this video.

GSAs - what a great discussion prompt, about the power of poetry, the power of video, the power of our stories well-told. How can you tell your stories to change your school - and our world - for the better?

Namaste,
Lee

Duncan's Bar Mitzvah Speech Inspires Me!

This 13 year old is brilliant!

  

Inspiring. 

What can YOUR voice do?

Namaste (the light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in each one of you),
Lee

ps - thanks to my awesome husband for sharing this with me, so I can share it with all of you...

Vows: Mr. Duckett and Dr. Jones - A Love Story From the New York Times

This piece from the "Vows" section of the New York Times by Samantha Stark, about Lewis Duckett and Billy Jones, their 46 year relationship, adopting a baby, becoming grandparents and now, finally, getting married, was so moving.

It was also really interesting how they "wrote coded letters to each other during Dr. Jones’s deployment in Vietnam."

Watch. Share. Discuss.

12 Year Old Daniel, Raised by Two Dads, Has a Message For US Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts as the Gay Marriage Case is About To Be Heard

This video is inspiring and remarkable, especially as gay marriage (what I think we should be calling same-love marriage) will be debated next week in the US Supreme Court.



Bravo, Daniel!

And cheers to you, your sister, and your dads!

You can read more about Daniel here at Advocate.com, and follow their family's story as they tell it on Youtube in their Gay Family Values video series!

Namaste,
Lee

ps- thanks to my husband for sharing this with me so I could share it with all of you!

The WE DO Campaign: Standing Up For Marriage Equality in the American South

Watch this, it's very powerful:



Find out more about the Campaign for Southern Equality and the efforts being made to change the laws that in many states keep marriage for two men, and marriage for two women, out of reach.

This discrimination will change, but as the video says,

"People change, and laws change, and our country can change, but it never ever happens on its own."

Namaste,
Lee

Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Justin Mikita announce their engagment... and a new marriage equality organziation!

Jesse Tyler Ferguson (from TV's Modern Family) is Funny.

And what he says here is True.

And Funny!




Man, this line cracked me up:

"Who wouldn't want to see us get married?  We're as cute as puppies—puppies with bowties!"

Find out more about Tie The Knot, and cheer Jesse and Justin on!

Namaste,
Lee


ps - extra love and thanks to my husband, who shared this with me so I could share it with all of you!

Jesus Would Back Gay Marriage - an excellent article by Bishop Gene Robinson

Check out Jesus Would Back Gay Marriage, on Salon.com, by Bishop Gene Robinson.

It reviews the history of marriage from the Old Testament to the New through the Reformation, Slavery, to Today... and makes an excellent argument that

Marriage for gay or lesbian couples is not an undoing of the meaning and purpose of marriage but rather its natural and appropriate evolution.

It's an excerpt from "God Believes In Love: Straight Talk About Gay Marriage" by Gene Robinson

Namaste,
Lee

A Father Finds His Understanding... Travelling to his Lesbian Daughter's Wedding

This three minute mini-documentary from Expedia is really moving:



My wish for everyone brave enough to come out (Yesterday was National Coming Out Day in the USA!) and live their authentic life...

moments like this one, when you are embraced and loved for being just who you are. 

And remember, the first person that has to love you is you. The rest will flow from that.

Namaste,
Lee


ps - love to my husband, who made sure I saw this.

Dan Savage Debates Brian Brown On Gay Marriage

For an up-to-the-moment view of the current Gay Marriage debate, check out this hour long video of Dan Savage debating the National Organization For Marriage's Brian Brown, in Dan's home on August 15, 2012.





There's an overview article here at advocate.com, and an after-the-debate commentary by the moderator, Mark Oppenheimer, here in the New York Times.

I think Dan represented the pro-gay marriage side very well.

It was interesting that Dan's idea of inviting Brian into his home to have dinner with Dan's husband and teenage son before the debate didn't have the impact Dan had hoped... rather than impress upon Brian the day-to-day reality of our gay families, Dan felt it hampered him by imposing a "host" mentality, making him more conciliatory than he intended.

I wish Mark or Dan had asked Brian if he believed there is a civil realm of marriage, separate from the religious.  With Brian repeatedly falling back on "natural law" and marriage being the bringing together of the "two sides of humanity," he was arguing a religious point of view when the debate is over civil marriage rights.

And that idea that gender is so binary is really due for re-thinking!

Brian's scoffing that marriage focused on adult wants (rather than the needs of children) would lead to the destruction of marriage altogether (gay marriage would then lead to polygamy - marrying more than one person) ignored the reality of the family whose home he was in - two married men, raising a child.  A family much like mine.

It was also fascinating to read in the New York Times article that Brian's wife didn't join him on the trip, though she was invited - she was home, pregnant with their eighth child.

At the end of the debate, Mark asked both Brian and Dan if anything could ever shake their view on Gay Marriage. 

I'll let you listen to their answers, but if found myself wondering...

If, statistics being what they are, one of Brian's children grows up and realizes they are gay, and comes out, and finds love... will Brian attend that child's wedding?  Will it change his religiously-based view of marriage when keeping gay people out of his 'marriage country club' affects someone he loves?

Because right now that's what it feels like.  Marriage is a country club that Brian and his fellow country club members would like to keep just for people like them.  And if they let us in, they're sure it will destroy marriage - destroy the club - completely.

And then they complain of being called bigots, when all they want to do is keep the club pristine and unsullied by the likes of us.

There's one word for that desire:  Prejudice.

Watch it, and let me know your take on the debate...

Democratic Party Platform Drafts Plank Including Support - Unanimous Support - for Gay Marriage!

This is pretty cool news.  Sources are reporting that on Sunday July 29, 2012, the Democratic Party platform drafting committee included language supporting gay marriage, opposing the "Defense of Marriage Act" and supporting the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

This puts pressure on the Democratic party as a whole to accept these steps forward for equality on their final plank, which they'll be voting on in September in Charlotte, North Carolina.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi commented:

By including marriage equality in our platform, the committee has reaffirmed the fundamental American value of equal protection and civil rights for every American. After working to advance the cause of marriage equality for many years, it is a point of personal pride to see Democrats unite around the principle of respect and dignity for all families. ... Our platform will be based on the values of the American people and will keep moving our country forward to progress and prosperity for all.

We'll see what they do in September, but for now, it's a Great moment for equality.

Namaste,
Lee

President Obama's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month Proclamation!

Check this out: President Obama included support for gay marriage in his 2012 Pride Proclamation...

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release June 1, 2012

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2012 -------

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

From generation to generation, ordinary Americans have led
a proud and inexorable march toward freedom, fairness, and full
equality under the law -- not just for some, but for all. Ours
is a heritage forged by those who organized, agitated, and
advocated for change; who wielded love stronger than hate and
hope more powerful than insult or injury; who fought to build
for themselves and their families a Nation where no one is a
second-class citizen, no one is denied basic rights, and all of
us are free to live and love as we see fit.

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)
community has written a proud chapter in this fundamentally
American story. From brave men and women who came out and spoke
out, to union and faith leaders who rallied for equality, to
activists and advocates who challenged unjust laws and marched
on Washington, LGBT Americans and allies have achieved what once
seemed inconceivable. This month, we reflect on their enduring
legacy, celebrate the movement that has made progress possible,
and recommit to securing the fullest blessings of freedom for
all Americans.

Since I took office, my Administration has worked to
broaden opportunity, advance equality, and level the playing
field for LGBT people and communities. We have fought to secure
justice for all under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr.,
Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and we have taken action to end
housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender
identity. We expanded hospital visitation rights for LGBT
patients and their loved ones, and under the Affordable Care
Act, we ensured that insurance companies will no longer be able
to deny coverage to someone just because they are lesbian, gay,
bisexual, or transgender. Because we understand that LGBT
rights are human rights, we continue to engage with the
international community in promoting and protecting the rights
of LGBT persons around the world. Because we repealed "Don't
Ask, Don't Tell," gay, lesbian, and bisexual Americans can serve
their country openly, honestly, and without fear of losing their
jobs because of whom they love. And because we must treat
others the way we want to be treated, I personally believe in
marriage equality for same-sex couples.

More remains to be done to ensure every single American is
treated equally, regardless of sexual orientation or gender
identity. Moving forward, my Administration will continue its
work to advance the rights of LGBT Americans. This month, as we
reflect on how far we have come and how far we have yet to go,
let us recall that the progress we have made is built on the
words and deeds of ordinary Americans. Let us pay tribute to
those who came before us, and those who continue their work
today; and let us rededicate ourselves to a task that is
unending -- the pursuit of a Nation where all are equal, and all
have the full and unfettered opportunity to pursue happiness and
live openly and freely.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in
me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do
hereby proclaim June 2012 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the
United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists,
and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
first day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve,
and of the Independence of the United States of America the
two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

###

Happy Pride, everyone!

Namaste,
Lee

Everybody Wants To Say I Do - an awesome music video by Town & Country

For my husband,

15 years!  And every day I still want to say...

 I do!

And for everyone else, enjoy!






To find out more about Town & Country's singer/frontman Rob Shapiro and songwriter/producer Brian Woodbury, check out their website here. 

And my thanks to Suzanne for sharing this with me, so I could share it with all of you!

Namaste,
Lee

HUGE News: President Obama Supports Gay Marriage

He's evolved!

Barack Obama promised to be a "fierce advocate" for the GLBTQ community while running for office.

Once in office, that advocacy has felt, at times, tepid.  Hesitant.  More concerned with political expediency than with doing what was right.  What we believed he felt was right.  And yet progress was made.  Slow progress, but progress.

But on Wednesday May 9, 2012, President Obama finally stated, (you can watch the video here or here at the Obama campaign site)

"I have to tell you that over the course of several years, as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors, when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don't Ask Don't Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married."

Hurray!

While there is a lot of talk and conjecture about the possible damage this might do to his re-election campaign, by standing up for us GLBTQ members of the community and saying that he supports our equality, he's gained more than my tepid support.

He's gained me as an advocate.

And millions of other GLBTQ and Allied and fair-minded people.

This is a good thing.

Namaste,
Lee

Fantastic Video for Same-Love Marriage Equality

Enjoy this,




Love. Is. Powerful.


Namaste,
Lee



Thanks to my husband for sharing this with me. I love you.

"We Put Fear And Prejudice On Trial and Fear And Prejudice Lost" 8: A Play About The Fight For Marriage Equality

This is remarkable.

Screen captures show some of the stars of "8"

Last Saturday, the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) and Broadway Impact presented the West Coast premiere reading of the play “8” before a sold-out crowd in Los Angeles and a worldwide audience watching on YouTube.

“8” is an unprecedented account of the Federal District Court trial in Perry v. Schwarzenegger (now Perry v. Brown), the case filed by AFER to overturn Proposition 8, which stripped gay and lesbian Californians of the fundamental freedom to marry.

“This play will continue to show Americans—one by one—that truth and justice can prevail over prejudice and fear,” said AFER Board President Chad Griffin.  “Try as they might, the anti-marriage proponents of Proposition 8 cannot hide their discriminatory arguments from the American people.  The fight to secure marriage equality is at the heart of our generation’s search for greater freedom—this play shows why.”

Dustin Lance Black, who penned the Academy Award-winning feature film Milk and the film J. Edgar, based “8” on the actual words of the trial transcripts, first-hand observations of the courtroom drama and interviews with the plaintiffs and their families.  

Watch. (The performance starts 30 minutes in, and is about 90 minutes long.)



Witness.

And resolve to continue to fight for marriage equality.

Namaste,
Lee

Washington State gets one GIANT step closer to Gay Marriage

In the debates, Rep. Maureen Walsh, a Republican, spoke about her take on gay marriage:





The bill passed, and on Feb 13 was signed into law by Governor Chris Gregoire. Gay marriages can't start until June 7, and there's the possibility they might not start at all, with opponents asking for the law to be delayed until the outcome of a referendum vote in November.

We'll see, but for now, this is good news.

Maryland also recently passed a Gay marriage law, with a similar caveat.  Their

Gov. Martin O'Malley is set to sign legislation approving same-sex marriage in Maryland on March 1 - but it won't take effect unless Maryland voters approve it this fall.

And in New Jersey, which also had its legislature pass Gay Marriage this February, their Governor Christie has vowed to veto it, also saying that voters should decide the issue.  Steven Goldstein, chairman of gay-rights group Garden State Equality, said of the Governor's decision:

“I don’t think Chris Christie has an anti-gay bone in his body,”... “He won’t veto the bill because he’s anti-gay. He’ll veto the bill because the 2016 South Carolina Republican Presidential primary electorate is anti-gay.” 

In the face of this Progress (and setbacks and obstacles to that progress), it's inspiring to see politicians like Maureen Walsh with backbone on this. 

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/02/27/3454764/maryland-same-sex-couples-travel.html#storylink=cpy

Namaste,
Lee

ps - My thanks to Kathryn for making sure I saw Maureen Walsh's speech!

The New Jersey Politics of Marriage Equality: Mayor Cory Booker calls it like it is, And Good News From 9th Circut Court of Appeals: CA's Prop 8 is Unconsitutional!

This video clip is awesome.

Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, New Jersey, shares his thoughts on New Jersey Governor Christie's idea to put marriage equality in their state up to a popular vote:





He talks about the shame that our country still has second-class citizens, and says,

"Thank God, Jackie Robinson, wasn't a popular vote on whether he should join and be a professional baseball player."

Well said, sir!

And this news broke yesterday: the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that

Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples. The Constitution simply does not allow for “laws of this sort.”

You can read the full text of the court's decision here.  And in the American Foundation for Equal Rights press conference yesterday they explained the next steps... including their plan to argue against the stay continuing, which might open up gay marriages in California again, as the case makes it's possible way to the US Supreme Court.

We'll be watching developments closely, but to paraphrase Ted Olsen (one of the lawyers heading up the case FOR gay marriage),  it's hard to over-state the significance of this ruling.

Namaste,
Lee

ps - my thanks to Cay for sharing the Mayor Booker video with me!