As gay pride month draws to a close, I came across a really amazing story this morning:

The story of the rainbow flag.   Have you ever sat back and wondered:

• Where did the rainbow flag come from?
• Who created the rainbow flag?

I know I never really thought about it, but, there is a really cool, TRUE story about the rainbow flag’s birth, it’s creator, the events surrounding it’s creation, etc.

The rainbow flag’s creator is a man named Gilbert Baker and you’re going to love this seven minute video explaining it all.  Do yourself a favor and watch the gay ‘Betsy Ross’ as he tells the story…

Today, in recognition of current holidays such as Passover and Easter, Donna Tara Lee and I covered the topic of dealing with anti-gay relatives during the holidays.

We agree today’s show was one of our best (so far)!  Please feel free to listen and forward the link to anyone you wish.

We talked about the varieties of disapproval GLBT’s face, why people become anti-gay (it’s not them it’s their beliefs) and we talked a great deal about how to address this issue if it presents itself in your life.

We also touched on the serious issue of suicide and the holidays.  I offered a great resource called the Suicide Prevention Hot Line at 1-800-723-TALK.

Click here to listen now.

Your presence is often the best present.
- Quote on a piece of Dove chocolate I ate today

Now that we are past Labor Day and, in fact, living the day of 9/9/09, I just have to ask you…

Will you take time today, with all the hustle ‘n bustle (hehehe – I know silly ol’ saying), to enjoy the present? Yes it sounds so trite, however, I am just reminding you that you always have a choice to slow down and savor whatever it is you are doing, anytime YOU choose today.

When you do, notice what you ‘love’ about that moment.  And, make note of it.  Are you enjoying as many ‘presents’ as you can?  Are you enjoying what you are doing and, choosing to do more of what you enjoy? (more…)

I’m so glad to share with you a video excerpt from the big event that happened yesterday at the White House:  President Obama and First Lady Michelle held a reception for the GLBT community in recognition of the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots.

As usual, Obama was a masterful speaker.  He stated his case for what his administration has already done for GLBT’s since taking office.  I only hope that Obama can continue to follow his words with more actions, as he promised yesterday with his words…

Certainly while we are frustrated and want to see bigger gains, we must look at what we can be thankful for, in terms of Obama’s stated respect for our community as compared to previous presidents and, obviously, we are much better off in terms of ‘promise’ as compared to what we would have had with a republican president.  For example, we probably wouldn’t have seen this type of reception if John McCain were president.

By the way, if you want to watch the official White House video and get a transcript of Obama’s speech, you can do so by clicking here.

I’m pleased to announce that we have several lucky winners (I’ve listed their first names only here) who will take home prizes from Coach Sappho as a result of visiting our booth at Daytona Beach Pride and playing our pride contest!

As a matter of fact, I’ve made the ‘executive decision’ that EVERYONE who played in the raffle will win something!!!  So, if you stopped by Coach Sappho’s booth, be sure to look for your first name below and, expect an email or call from me soon to award you YOUR prize!

Again, I want to thank the following Daytona Beach-area gay and gay-friendly businesses who donated these wonderful prizes.  I am in the process of notifying winners and businesses right now:

• Kathy won a two night stay at The August Seven Inn luxury guesthouse (estimated value – $350 – donated by owner/operator Peter Williamson)
• Cecily won a  ‘just in time’ Coach Sappho coaching package for one (estimated value $200 – donated by Barb Elgin)
• Joan won a $50 gift card for a massage (donated by Greg at New Age Touch Therapy Practice)
• Taz, Noel and Marla each won a $50 each gift certificate (total value $150 – donated by the Fantasy Shoppe Bookstore)
• Eileen won a wine tasting for 10 by Designing Wine in Deland (value – $50)
• Elizabeth won a $25 gift certificate from John’s ‘Stress Free’ Dog Grooming Shop in Holly Hills
• Christi won a dinner for two at the Daytona Beach Clubhouse Restaurant (value – $20)
• Amy, Maria, Liz, Ansley, DeAnna, Annette, Claudette, and Marvel each win their choice of a dating or relatonship book (donated by Barb Elgin/Coach Sappho – value – $10-15)

I want to thank everyone again who participated.  We had a lot of fun with the raffle and Daytona hosted me well, both at the ‘Just Us’ dinner by Dee at The Aquarium Saturday night and at Daytona Pride Festival the next day!

Yesterday, I shared with you Part 1 of this 2 part post on ‘The connection between celebrating your sexuality and deeply satisfying, lasting love’.  Today, in Part 2, I continue to describe the ‘celebrating who you are’ continuum and adopting a celebratory attitude about yourself and your life.

TOLERANCE OF ONE’S LESBIANISM

Tolerance is a stage most gays and lesbians also go through.  When you tolerate something you are acknowledging it (versus denying it).  However, all of us know the feeling of ‘tolerating’ something.  It’s not usually fun, and the attitude is akin to ‘grinning and bearing something’ or ‘putting up with someone or something unpleasant’.

Kind of like the friends and/or family members who choose, after many years of knowing the ‘truth’ about us, to continue to say they aren’t happy with our ‘chosen lifestyle’. People who tolerate us may let us bring our partners to family events and, they may even become fond of our partners.

However, it is less likely they will openly acknowledge our partners fully as our ‘spouses’ and they most likely do not view our love relationships as equal to theirs. (more…)

Last night I happened to be closing down for the day and as I walked past the TV, a report came on one of those entertainment shows about a new commercial campaign being run by the Ad Council educating teens on the harm their thoughtless, negative use of the word gay can create.

I just want to say…

Thank you – Ad Council, GLSEN (Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network), Hilary Duff and Wanda Sykes for standing up for me!

It’s really nice to see some of my allies ‘come out’ in such a positive way.  It’s often a challenge for many gays and lesbians to speak up in public settings.  It’s particularly difficult for teenagers who know a gay person or gay teens to speak up when they hear their friends and school mates utter words like ‘that’s so gay’ when they are putting something or someone down.

Be sure to check out the campaign’s website now: thinkb4youspeak.com – and spread the word!