Hello there!  I’m so glad to be back home after my amazing trip north for a niece’s wedding, visiting with family and colleagues, enjoying Maryland steamed crabs, etc.  Ahhh…look to the left, here I am at the close of my trip enjoying the hot, hot Baltimore Gay Pride Festival!

One of the many emails I returned to after my trip contained a very important article I really want you to read because it simply reminds all of us how UNEQUAL the tax laws are for gay and lesbian couples in the United States.

The article reminds us that only 65% of Americans in general have a will, and it often takes a crisis such as a death to spur us to act.  According to the article, entitled ‘Gay Couples Caught in Financial Limbo’, gay and lesbian couples must now spend thousands of dollars putting into place the protections legal marriage confers easily and straight married couples take for granted.

Even so, when a partner dies, gay partners can still be charged estate taxes on their partner’s estate and we can’t receive social security benefits (as well as many other benefits married heterosexual couples enjoy).

These FACTS should concern everyone.  Money is always a major area of concern and stress for couples, even in the best of circumstances.  Imposing these additional financial losses, penalties and burdens on gay and lesbian couples is another reason why achieving marriage equality is so important, not only for individual gay and lesbian couples, but for the health and vitality of our entire country in these trying economic times.

Bill Daley of The Chicago Tribune reports a celebrity gay couple has spoken out publicly in response to recent homophobic comments made at a college talk by 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.

During the talk, Huckabee said he believes gays shouldn’t be allowed to adopt.  He dissed gays as parents by complaining that when it comes to parenting children, ‘we aren’t dealing with puppies’.

Well now, there is much I can say about that comment, but, suffice it to say (more…)

Wow – Donna and I were blown away on our radio show last night while interviewing Janice Langbehn.  If you aren’t yet a subscriber to Coach Sappho’s podcast, I would highly encourage you to become one, just so you can hear Janice’s heartfelt story.

All subscribers are invited to the live shows and can receive free downloads of all shows.  Once you become a subscriber, you can pick up your free recording of last night’s show.

If you don’t know about the ‘Janice Langbehn/Lisa Pond’  story, now is time for you to find out.  Janice’s story has been in the national spotlight recently as well as much of the last few years since her life took a dramatic turn.

In 2007 Janice’s partner of 18 years, Lisa Pond, died suddenly and unexpectedly due to a brain aneurysm, while they were getting ready to enjoy a family vacation together.

As if Lisa’s death wasn’t tragic enough, (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!

More important than materialism, giving yourself and your loved ones (and maybe sending one or two to people like Rick Warren!) the priceless gift of an HRC membership is my wish for you this holiday season.  I had the pleasure of meeting HRC’s big cheese – Joe Solomonese – on a beautiful winter day in Orlando early last year.  Joe invited me to speak on his radio show, which of course I did (and hope to return soon!).

Of course I follow Joe however and whenever I can.  I believe he is one of the great leaders of our day.  Here’s an excerpt from his email message to the community today.  I found it quite powerful and I know you will too…

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You know, it never ceases to amaze me that there are individuals and groups in our country who claim, on one hand to be about love, humanity and equal rights, but then act just the opposite.  I can understand the motivation of some of the bloggers out there who are exposing the many forms of hypocrisy or, ‘inauthenticity’ some of these individuals, groups and/or organizations are caught up in.

Now, before you go and think I’m being ‘preachy’, let me just say, some of us are just more inauthentic more often!  None of us is perfect.

I know that the religious right believes they are truly doing ‘the right thing’ or ‘being authentic’ by denying me my authenticity/equal rights.  But they believe they are doing the right thing, according to their religious belief.  As such, their influence and power should be limited to the practice of their religion, and their religous community, just as I have the same freedom and right to do the same. 

I don’t get to tell someone else how they should believe and practice their faith and vice versa.  I don’t bother them.  I don’t try to get laws passed to deny them their equal rights to live their life as they wish.  How do I know for sure if they aren’t being authentic?  And, how do they know, for sure, that they aren’t denying me my right to live my truth?  What if they are wrong?  What do you think god would think of that?

Ultimately, aren’t we supposed to be a democratically diverse or pluralistic society that has defined a true separation between church and state???  Since when is denying someone their equal rights under the law loving, humane or democratic?  What does either of our religious beliefs have to do with civil rights?  I know, the relationship gets complex.  I just heard on the nightly news that, while we say we are a country that values the separation between church and state, a majority of Americans would not vote for a candidate that claimed no religious practice.

I really don’t blame the religious right entirely.  How about the great, vast ‘middle’ of America who is supposed to be more fair-minded and just than Christian Fundamentalists (sorry, but it’s true)?  Where are the Bill Clinton’s of the world when it comes time to put your money where your mouth is? 

Sorry Bill, but when it came down to it in the mid-1990′s when you had a chance to be fair, you instead fell prey to the silly fears of a small, yet powerful and vocal minority, who want to walk around believing that gays in the military just can’t exist, somewhat like the Iranian president blabbered on about last week.  Instead of drawing a rational, loving and authentic line in the sand you played politics and signed ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’…What can I say?  A lesbian never forgets….

And, the coming presidential election?  I hear that both democratic front runners, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, are keeping a ‘safe distance’ from me too. 

I know it sounds like I have a bad attitude but I have a hard time getting excited about any of the candidates when I know that none of them is truly looking out much for me.  Yes, it’s a bit exciting to think that perhaps we’ll have a democratic president for a change and, perhaps a woman.

However, I don’t have very high hopes that it will much matter.  Then, another more hopeful side of me says that I’ve got to believe that, while I can’t ‘get what I want exactly when I want it’, a democratic president will have a positive impact for me between 2008-2012 in ways that a republican president won’t.

Okay, so I finished my rant!  Let me tell you the main message I wanted to offer today:  Next November anti-gay elements in the State of Florida will try to join the cadre of other states who’ve added a ‘marriage protection’ amendment to the books. 

This past week I was introduced to an organization here in Florida who is working to throw out that nasty, ‘Marriage Protection’ Amendment these unloving forces in Florida are advancing.

I received a call last week from Patricia Ireland, a nationally-known activist who used to head up the National Organization of Women (NOW).

What a pleasure talking with her one-on-one!  I have to say:  how nice to be noticed!  Patricia is asking our help in supporting an organization called Florida Red and Blue.  Honestly, I’d never heard of Florida Red and Blue until about a week ago.  That’s a shame because they are fighting for my rights as a Floridian.

So, if you are a Floridian (and even if you aren’t), please be sure you go to Florida Red and Blue’s site ASAP and make a donation to help the cause and spread the word.  This is not the time to get complacent!  Apparently, there are some very strong forces (and deep pocketbooks) here in Florida coming together to try and prevent you and I (and other same sex couples) from marrying.

I’m not a legal expert, but I think that if these anti-gay forces have their way and the state of Florida passes such an amendment it will be doubly difficult for us to change that state of affairs.  Imagine – living in a state where both gay adoption and gay marriage are illegal.

If you aren’t a Floridian, why should you care?  Because the ‘relationship rights’ battle for gay and lesbian love is now being fought out in the states.  We need to help each state fight back those who want to deny us our human rights.  There are already too many other states with such amendments on the books.

Those who want to deny me my rights, that’s bad enough.  But what they also don’t realize is that they would also be harming those hundreds of thousands of heterosexual, unmarried but partnered, seniors in Florida who are in committed relationships but choose not to marry because doing so would strip them of the social security benefits they’ve spent a lifetime earning and send them to the poor house.  That’s right:  In addition to the impact this horrible amendment would create for gays, if this amendment becomes law, it will even impact our ability to establish domestic partnership arrangements, gay and straight.

Now is the time to ally with an organization such as Florida Red and Blue.  You can help them fight for you while there is still time.  Don’t wait!