Good News To Start The Week: Bo Jackson

I remember when he was a big shot athlete and all the ‘Bo knows’ commercials, but this is better than any ad or athletic accomplishment.

It has been revealed that former sports superstar Bo Jackson  helped pay for the funerals of the 19 children and two teachers killed in the Uvalde school massacre in May. Jackson, whose rare success in both the NFL and Major League Baseball made him one of the greatest athletes of all time, said he felt compelled to support the victims' families after the loss of so many children:

"I don't know if it's because I'm getting old, [but] it's just not right for parents to bury their kids. It's just not right. I know every family there probably works their butts off just to do what they do. ... The last thing they needed was to shell out thousands of dollars for something that never should have happened."

Jackson felt a personal connection to Uvalde after it became a regular stop for him, for a bite to eat or the grab groceries, before driving further west to visit a friend's ranch.

It was that familiarity with Uvalde, and the people he'd met on those stops, that touched him deeply after hearing the news of the shooting, and three days after the attack, Jackson and a friend went to Uvalde, briefly met with Governor Greg Abbott and presented a check for $170,000 with an offer to pay for all funeral expenses. Jackson declined to name the friend who went with him and also contributed to the donation.

"Uvalde is a town that sticks in your mind. Just the name. I don't know a soul there. It just touched me."

Jackson said he followed news coverage of the funerals, but he declined to say if he has been in direct contact with any of the families.

"I don't want to turn this into anything [but] what it is. I was just trying [with the donation] to put a little sunshine in someone's cloud, a very dark cloud. [Still] the last thing you want to hear is there's an active shooter in your child's school. It's happening everywhere now. It's the children. ... It's the children. ... It's the children. If it doesn't bother you, something's wrong with you."

Bo knows compassion.

Of note:  Greg Abbott didn’t to attend a single funeral.

The Monday After Pride

Carlos and I attended SC Pride in Columbia this week. We’ve attended Prides before, everywhere from Key West to Ft. Lauderdale to West Palm Beach, and even here in Columbia twice. I’ve attended Pride in Sacramento and San Francisco while living in California.

But this time we attended Pride as part of a group with an agenda; The Will of the People Fund had a tent along Main Street to promote our cause: to help defray the non-attorney costs of the lawsuit filed by Katie Bradacs and her wife, Tracie Goodwin-Bradacs, to have the state of South Carolina recognize their marriage.

And Katie and Tracie were the Grand Marshalls in the parade, and spoke at Pride, as did Carrie Warner, one of the attorneys — along with John Nichols — who have taken their case pro bono because, well, it’s the right thing to do.

People, straight people, the not-so-gay-friendly straight people, always ask why “Pride”? What’s there to be proud of? If being gay is normal and y’all want the same rights as everyone else, why Pride? My usual answer is this:

We’re not proud to be gay, because if we’re born that way, then it’s just part of who we are, like eye color, hair color, and since we don’t have Tall White Guy with Blue Eyes Pride, then what have I got to be proud of? Well, it’s this: I am proud to be living my life as an openly gay man, saying quite clearly and loudly, and yes, proudly, that I won’t hide any more, that I won’t be closeted any more, that I won’t be told that my life, the man I love, our relationship, is somehow less than yours.

I am proud to stand up, be counted, be equal; that’s Pride.

And what a Pride it was; a huge crowd overflowing the streets of Columbia — Main Street was closed so there were all kinds of vendors and LGBT-friendly businesses and causes along the way; Some Dudes Marry Dudes, Get Over It t-shirts; petitions asking Hillary to run booths; Carlos bought a kilt at the Out of Bounds tent — his paternal grandfather was an Englishman and since England is just a hop, skip and a jump from England, well, kilt.

Lesbian couples each wearing matching I’m With Her shirts; gay men in Whore t’s; some guys in underwear, some women in leather, some folks looking like they’re just out for an afternoon stroll.

That was Pride, too; all the different kinds of people we saw, and spoke to, and cajoled into coming to The Will of the People Fund tent to donate to the cause, to sign our mailing list, to hear the story of who we are and why we fight, to just say Hello. We raised a nice chunk of change, and really spread the word. The Facebook page boomed with new ‘Likes’ and, as of yesterday, we were able to add a ‘Donate’ button to the page; that’s tight, head over to Facebook, look for The Will of the People Fund page … like us … and if you can, click the Donate Social button to send a little financial support to the family for whom we are fighting for and working for and supporting.

And speaking of the family, of Katie and Tracie and their three children, this is one of the best pictures from SC Pride … 

... the family, along with Tracie's niece, and Carrie Warner, standing in front of the anti-LGBT protesters, saying We’re a family, and we want to be treated as such, and seen as such. I find it funny, you know, seeing the Bradacs family, all smiles, surrounded by people using their faith as a weapon. It won’t work because Love always wins.

And that makes me proud, too.

photo credits:Abby Beckley Cobb [Pride flag], Allen Wallace [Pride photos] and Sheryl McAlister [Bradacs family photo]

Pass The Donation Plate

Hello friends ...

I’ve got some good news and some bad news … let’s go good, first.

On October 17, 2014, after fourteen years together, Carlos and I will be getting married in Washington State. It’s a big deal, and a long time coming, but there is bad news …

When we return to South Carolina our marriage will not be recognized in our home state, or in thirty-one other states around the nation, but our fight, right now, is in South Carolina.

Carlos and I recently helped form The Will of the People Fund, a grass roots group with a singular focus on South Carolina’s marriage equality fight. The catalyst for our organization is the pending lawsuit by Katie Bradacs and Tracie Goodwin-Bradacs against the State of South Carolina in Federal District Court. Their suit seeks an order requiring the state to recognize their legal marriage in Washington, DC in 2012.

Our mission is both pure and simple: To raise funds for non-attorney costs, such as filing fees, legal brief writings, clerical work, photocopying and binding, etc, in support of that suit and future marriage equality litigation in our state. No attorney fees will be paid from this fund as the attorneys in the current suit, Carrie Warner and John Nichols, are donating their time.

So, while we are happy to finally get married, and have our marriage recognized by the federal government, we still wish to be seen as a married couple here at home, which is why I am writing to you now.

For money. Yikes! 

I was thinking that, since Carlos and I have been together for these many years, we really don’t need any wedding gifts; we have the blenders and the sheets and the carving sets. What we don’t have, and could really use, is recognition that we are a married couple in South Carolina.

And to that end, we’re asking our friends, family and blog followers to consider being a part of history by supporting The Will of the People Fund with a generous, tax deductible, contribution. The Will of the People Fund has little to no overhead since all of our work is being done by volunteers; nearly 100% of the money raised will be used for filing fees, legal brief writings, and clerical work in the ongoing fight for marriage equality in SC.

If you’d like to donate, please mail a check, made payable to The Will of the People Fund to:

The Will of the People Fund

P.O. Box 5006

Columbia, SC, 29250

Carlos and I would consider that the greatest wedding present ever! And please let us know, on the check, that the donation is given in our names because we'd like to acknowledge you, and thankyouthankyouthankyou!

Monday Bits ... And A Heartfelt Thanks To The Dog's Mother

Today, Carlos and I are off to Raleigh, North Carolina because we, and by we, I mean he — and a plus one, which would be me — have been invited to attend a cocktail party given by the Mexican Consulate in honor of Hispanic History Month.

Though his job Carlos met, and worked with, several members of the consulate and helped get some of the undocumented immigrants in South Carolina started on the path to citizenship.

And so, as sweet and as nice as I am, I have ordered Carlos to work the room tonight and secure himself a job with the Mexican Consulate … somewhere … anywhere. Europe, America, I don’t care.

He asked what I might be doing if he was offered, and accepted, a job with the consulate, and I politely responded that I would play the part of consulate wife, and have lunches with other consulate wives and have an affair with our pool boy.

Duh.

Oh ... and I'll be back Wednesday.

We are now just a little more than a month from Carlos and me getting married. We're going to keep it simple, with a couple of witnesses — my father being one — and a courthouse wedding. But I think we'll have some sort of reception after we get back home to celebrate with friends.

A new person started working with me this week, and was standing by my side when I was speaking to a friend of mine who was asking about the wedding. My friend and I talked about marriage and rings and all that jazz, and then this new co-worker chimed in that she was getting married, too, but that she wasn't a girly-girl so she wasn't into all the gowns and hoo-haw of a fancy wedding.

She asked me, Is your fiancée a girly girl?

I replied, Well, sometimes he is, and sometimes he isn't.

Asked and answered I guess.

Also on the news of wedding and dame-sex marriage, The Will of the People Fund will be marching in SC Pride this weekend in Columbia, so Carlos and I have our walking shoes lined up. We'll also have a tent at the festival and will be raising money for the lawsuit filed by Katie Bradacs and her wife Tracie Goodwin-Bradacs to have South Carolina recognize their marriage.

And so, on that note, I'll once again remind you all that The Will of the People Fund was created by fifteen gay men and women — including Carlos and myself, and some of our closest, gayest friends — to raise money for the non-attorney costs of the Bradacs lawsuit.

If you'd like to donate toward making South Carolina a marriage equality state, you can mail a tax-deductible donation, check payable to The Will of the People Fund, to:

The Will of the People Fund

P.O. Box 5006

Columbia, SC, 29250

And, on that note, a special thank you, and shout out to, The Dog's Mother, for the donation she and her husband, The Engineer,  sent, in Carlos' and my name, to the Will of the People Fund.

A lovely surprise, a grand gesture, a great gift.

ThankyouThankyouThankyou!

It's Time For Fundraising!

As many of you already know, having followed ISBL for a while now, Carlos and I recently helped to form The Will of the People Fund, a grass roots organization formed with a singular purpose in mind: to fight for marriage equality in South Carolina.

The catalyst for our group is the pending lawsuit by Katie Bradacs and her wife, Tracie Goodwin-Bradacs, against the State of South Carolina in Federal District Court. Their suit seeks an order requiring the state to recognize their legal marriage that was performed in Washington, DC in 2012.

Our mission is really simple: to raise funds for non-attorney costs in support of that suit and for any future marriage equality litigation in South Carolina; The Will of the People Fund hopes to provide assistance for ongoing costs such as filing fees, legal brief writings, clerical work, photocopying and binding, etc.

Again, no attorney fees will be paid from this fund as the attorneys in the current suit, Carrie Warner and John Nichols,are donating their time. 

Recently, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit struck down a similar state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in Virginia, which paves the way for South Carolina to allow marriage equality for its gay and lesbian citizens.

And this is where the money comes in ... please consider being a part of LGBT history by supporting The Will of the People Fund with a generous contribution. Since there is very little overhead, all of our work is being done by volunteers, 95% of what we raise will go towards those non-attorney costs in our ongoing fight for marriage equality in South Carolina.

If you wish to donate, please mail your tax-deductible donation check, made payable to The Will of the People Fund to:

The Will of the People Fund

P.O. Box 5006

Columbia, SC 29250

And help spread the word by liking us on Facebook [at The Will of the People Fund ... you can click our icon at the top right of this page] and sharing our story with others.

Carlos and I, as well as Katie and Tracie, and all other same-sex couples in South Carolina seeking equality, thank you.

Is Target Still Funding Anti-LGBT Politicians?

Is Target at it again? Y’all remember, way back in 2010 when the Target Corporation was forced to apologize after stories surfaced that it had funded campaign ads for anti-LGBT Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer? And remember how Target kept saying they are big supporters of the LGBT community while giving big cash to Emmer and his ilk? Well, now it turns out that Target’s apology wasn’t real, and that Target is still giving money to anti-LGBT anti-gay candidates.

In fact, even during the same time period that Target was apologizing, the corporation donated some $31,200 to anti-LGBT candidates in that election cycle, and now we find out that Target is funding, albeit indirectly, the campaign of virulently homophobic Ken Cuccinelli in his bid to become Virginia’s next governor.

And this is how they do it: Target, in the first six months of 2013, contributed $50,000 to the Republican Governors Association, a group which has spent, wait for it because this is an example of the GOP’s new inclusiveness, almost $3 million on Cuccinelli‘s gubernatorial campaign. Now, to be fair, Target also gave $50,000 to the Democratic Governors Association, which is supporting Democratic candidate for governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe.

But, how does the LGBT community overlook Target’s money going in Cuccinelli‘s coffers? And should we look the other way? This isn’t about supporting Republicans or Democrats; it’s about giving money without a care as to where it goes, and to whom.

When the shiz hit the Target fan over the Emmer contributions, Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel apologized, then backed off his apology and then apologized again. Then Steinhafel promised to launch “a strategic review and analysis of our decision-making process for financial contributions in the public policy arena” and to start “a dialogue focused on diversity and inclusion in the workplace, including GLBT issues.”

It doesn’t sound like Target is coming through on that promise, but if they wanted to, they could begin donating only to those candidates who are LGBT-friendly, and deny support for those like Cuccinelli. But I hate that Target keeps calling itself a friend to The Gays when they are giving money to people who seem to have one goal, which is to deny us equality.

Of course, in damage control mode, Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder released a statement:

Target’s commitment to the LGBT community is long-standing and unwavering.       

We also believe strongly in our civic responsibility to engage in a bipartisan manner at the state and federal level in order to learn about public policy priorities and advocate on issues that affect our business, such as fairness legislation. One of the ways we do this is through membership in both the Democratic and Republican Governors Associations, both of which include several hundred other corporate members.  When paying for our memberships, we explicitly require that our dues not be used for any individual electoral campaigns or other electioneering efforts. It would therefore be wrong and inaccurate to associate our membership dues with any particular political candidate or campaign.

This sounds like a heaping pile of ignorance to me. Target is saying that they give money, in the form of membership dues, to both sides, and yet require that their monies not be used “for any individual electoral campaigns”.

That’s kinda hard to do, Target. You can’t hand someone a check for dues to their organization and then ask that the money not be given to certain parts of the group. Target is trying to play the Ignorance Card, but they know, as most folks know, that the GOP is still, by and large, and anti-LGBT political group so when you give them money—even for dues—you are paying for their candidates reelection and for their agenda.

Ignorance is n o excuse.

via  Right Wing Watch

Show Of Hands....Who Donates To NOM? One......Two......Bueller? Anyone?

NOM, the National Organization for Marriage, which works tirelessly and overtime, to prevent equality from becoming the law of the land in this country, also spends an inordinate amount of time and energy telling everyone how many supporters they have, and followers and goosetseppers.
I think they're overcompensating.
And now, it seems, there is proof that they are nothing but a handful of bigots and homophobes with loud mouths, and a couple of deep pockets.
Back in 2010, NOM reported with great flourish that they'd had the highest individual donations it has received since its inception in 2007, and they strutted like peacocks and brayed like asses, that the people of America are on the side of NOM because they give their money to NOM.

Well, not exactly.

See, according to NOM’s own, most recent, income disclosures to the Internal Revenue Service, there are just two individuals who have contributed more than $6 million to the organization’s political arm. Two people. Two; who account for roughly 66% of NOM’s 2010 bigot revenue, while single donations below $5,000 covered only 8% of revenue.

Think about that the next time you hear NOM's Brian Brown and Maggie Gallagher crow about how many NOM'er's there are, and how powerful they are, and how much they hate The Gays and equality.

It isn't NOM. It's just two people.

Now that's rich!

Go HERE to read all about NOM, and it's lies, and it's battle to keep it's list of donors, especially the Big Two, from being made public. See, keeping their names out of the limelight is exactly the same thing as setting a cross on fire of a Black family's lawn, while wearing a wearing hood.

Put Your Money In The Hands Of Those That Fight For You

David Mixner is not such a fan of the DNC these days, given the mess that just occurred in Maine and New York, so he's offering some guidelines as to how we should spend our Big Gay Dollars. And I tend to agree with him.

from DavidMixner.com:

"The year is wrapping up with some success, disappointments and real important lessons. If we ever had any doubt about the need to fend for ourselves in our struggle for freedom, this has been the year to reinforce that premise. Our faith in the Democratic party as a 'be all, end all' solution for us has been shattered with the inaction in the Obama team and from the Democratic National Committee.

So what is a major or minor donor to do?

We must refuse to contribute to anyone that has not proven their loyalty to the LGBT community. The Democrats claim that strategy will only elect right wing Republicans. For the lack of our support, they would like to make us single handedly responsible for their serious flaws. If they support us, they blame us for their problems and if we don't support them, they blame us for their problems. Nice game they have going here.

Well, there are places that we can effectively place our money and still be good citizens. Plus, in the process send a powerful message. Here are my guidelines five guidelines to giving:

1. Do not contribute to Democratic party committees like the DNC, DSCC and DCCC. They will use the funds to not only elect our allies but also Blue Dog Democrats. Even if they set up a 'special committee' for us that will enable them to loosen funds for candidates who are opposed to our freedom.

2. Contribute directly to only those candidates who have proven by either by vote or sponsorships of legislation their commitment to our issues.

3. Contribute to LGBT candidates who most often know how to fight like hell for us. The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund is one of the most effective groups in Washington,DC.

4. Contribute to our own community and its battles for freedom especially as our young resort to more traditional civil rights tactics.

5. Contribute to defeating our enemies at the local level which is a very powerful message to send those that oppose us.

Finally, do not be charmed by fancy appeals, hot parties, invites to special places and personal attention. Hold strong and let them know your five guidelines for giving. For nearly two decades we have poured money into the political process only to be ignored or betrayed time and time again."

I Thank You, Phillip T. Ragon

We all do our fair share of ranting about the injustices done to the gay community.....the Mormon church, Prop H8, Fred Phelps.....well, maybe I do more than my fair share. But I was reading today about a man who donated $100 million to AIDS research.

Yes.

One. Hundred. Million.

Phillip T. Ragon, who gave the money--$100 million--to Massachusetts General Hospital, is the chief executive of a software company called InterSystems Corp. This $100 million gift will establish the Phillip T. and Susan M. Ragon Institute. Ragon's $100 million--and I'm going to keep talking about the amount because it's huuuuge--will be shared between Massachusetts General, MIT and Harvard.
Said Phillip T. Ragon: "By providing flexible funding [to the tune of $100 million] and by connecting science and engineering at MIT and Harvard with the research and clinical resources of MGH, we intend to empower many of the world's best researchers to focus on what they view as the most promising research."

This gift--this $100 million--will be used to bring scientists and clinicians together to better understand how the body fights infections and ultimately to apply that understanding to a broad range of infectious diseases and cancers.

I ain't never heard of Phillip T. Ragon, but, in this day and age, when we watch these Wall Street big-wigs pocket multi-million-dollar bonuses without giving a good goddamn to whom they hurting, Phillip T. Ragon is a hero.

I don't know how many people have told him, but Thank you, Mr. Ragon. Thank you.

The article is HERE.