Bigotry is alive and well

Indiana.

Georgia.

North Carolina.

The bigots in power are coming for us. By the way, I'm sure I'm missing some states.

A huge breathe of relief swept the country when the US Supreme Court legalized same sex marriage. We celebrated. I cried.

The bigots also took a breathe and got to work creating plans on how they could continue battling us, mainly in the name of religious liberty and safety.

If you offend by religious beliefs, I don't need to do business with you.

Because I am worried about my five year old daughter, a trans woman should not be able to use a restroom labeled for women.

These are the arguments, and bigotry is the reason. Plain, simple bigotry.

In South Dakota the governor actually vetoed the anti-trans bathroom bill. The governor in Georgia has not signed their anti-gay bill yet, and I am happy that dozens of business have criticized the bill and even my beloved The Waling Dead cast will leave Georgia if the bill is signed.

I love the support. But can we get in front of this? Are there enough of us who believe that these bills are ludicrous to ensure they are voted down? If we as communities voted in droves would less bigots come to power, even in states that are filled with bigots like Georgia and North Carolina?

Dan is going back to voting, you're thinking. Yes I am.

We have the power. We have the power to crush bigotry. We have to act.

Please speak out. Please register to vote and vote. Please email your state representative if they are considering voting for a bigoted bill.

Thank you for reading.

Expo West and the Natural Foods industry

It has been eight years since I was last at Expo West and my has the world changed. I will write more about this incredible trade show, and wanted to pass along what I experienced just yesterday while walking amongst the hundreds of booths promoting every natural food product one could imagine.

I decided to come to Expo West to learn about the newest amazing vegan food offerings and to start  a long-term process of finding out how companies in this industry, an industry that Mike and I financially support every day, are in welcoming transgender people to work for them. More specifically, I want to see if companies have gender identity and/or gender expression in the non-discrimination policies.

For those of you who are vegan or love vegan food, I can tell you that your food choice world is expanding even more than what I had thought prior to coming to Expo West. Companies like Daiya, Gardein, Tofurky, Miyoko's, Nada Moo, Bull Dog, Follow Your Heart and Vega blew my mind (and taste buds) with new products. Although many of these products won't land until later this summer or fall, I guarantee you you will not be disappointed.

There were several booths where I literally camped out for several minutes while continually "tasting" their new product. The same one I had just tried. They were that good. Of course after five tastes of the new Gardein breakfast pocket I decided that I should really move on. And yes, I will be back today!

From chickpea snacks to vegan caramels to juices and nutritional drinks, I continually walked away from booths with a huge smile on my face.

I also had dozens of conversations with companies about non-discrimination policies and will write more in-depth on those later. I will say that when you gather so many companies there are an equal amount of opinions and human resource-relayed policies. I will also say that wearing a press badge that has "The Gay Vegans" on it helped me many times in remembering that I live in a world that, even in a professional setting like a trade show, anti-gay bigotry and discomfort towards gay people exists.

More to come!

Thanks for reading!

Flipping out over a birth certificate

This week in Colorado politics saw a bill in front of a state senate committee that would allow transgender Coloradans to change the gender on their birth certificate.

To me, this is a common sense matter. It's a matter that doesn't affect anyone other than the person wanting to make the change official. Right now the process is pretty close to a nightmare. including needing to get a court order.

I quickly learned that the parts of this bill that freak people out are in the details. After I sent a tweet about being disappointed that this bill did not make it out of a Republican-majority committee, I quickly received this from someone who doesn't live in Colorado:

"people w/ penises dont get to change their B.C. to female. Wanna change it? remove the boy bits, morons"

I asked her a question about the bill and about who she was referring to as a moron. Her response didn't include who the moron was but did inform me that this bill allows folks in transition to make the change.

That freaks some people out. After reading about this, I totally get why someone in transition would want to already have their birth certificate changed.  Documentation is very important when transitioning and the birth certificate is a huge part of that.

The clear issue for me is that this bill would make life easier for the one person who is transitioning. It has no affect on anyone else.

What is also clear to me after reading testimony against this bill is that some people just don't like trans people. As an article from the Colorado Independent about the bill not passing through committee exclaimed, "Transgender birth certificate bill crashes against anti-gay lobby." One of those testifying against the bill was from the Alliance Defending Freedom, an anti-gay, "religious freedom" group based in Arizona.

I hope this bill comes back next year.

Thanks for reading.

Letting the ugliness go

A few weeks ago some of my friends went to hear Janet Mock speak in southern California. I had never heard of her but instantly became interested as my friends wrote about being changed by meeting her. Janet is a trans woman and I am reading her book "Redefining Realness".

A quote on the cover says "You will be changed by the book".

Indeed.

I am only in the first few pages. As she discusses seeing trans women out and about (before she came out as trans) she writes "They were dismissed and dehumanized, which made an overwhelming majority of them vulnerable to the harshest treatment, exclusion, discrimination, and violence."

She is writing about trans women but those lines hit me hard.

The man I am today is not the man I have always been. While reading this I was jolted back to the days when my life was what Janet was writing about. Not as a trans woman but as a closeted gay man struggling to come out.

Experiencing unkindness and serious hatred from those in my inner circle and even family members. Not knowing how someone would react, especially when thinking that all would be OK because this person or that person loves me so much.

At 21 being in the middle of the ocean on a US Navy ship and being called faggot, with nowhere to go. The idea that people would be violent towards me was one that took me a long time to get used to. I just could not understand it. At first.

Of course the self-imposed hate and shame are the worst. Yet as I struggled through coming out, I kept being in awe about how hateful human beings could be. And at this point of my story it wasn't the hate and unkindness from strangers, but from people who knew me.

As I kept reading the words that Janet so perfectly wrote, my eyes filled with tears remembering the unkindness. Wanting so badly for my family members to just love me, regardless of what they felt about gayness. Wanting friends in the Navy who knew me so well, knew me as a good person and a good sailor, to take back the hateful words.

It took a long time to let the ugliness go.

As a gay, vegan blogger I get to experience the ugliness of hate and unkindness a lot. These days it doesn't bother me. Those who perpetuate hate and violence and unkindness towards anyone are small people, cowards actually. They are most likely dealing with their own demons. And their pathetic use of anti-gay slurs or threatened violence are sad attempts to break out of whatever crap is going on in their own lives. Don't get me wrong, I call anyone on their bullshit bigotry, but them being a bigot has much less affect on me than it did those many years ago as I was struggling.

(Except when they try to legalize their bigotry. That's a different story!)

Still reading "Redefining Realness". And today I say thank you, with a heart filled with love, gratitude, compassion and passion, to all of those who stood by me in those darkest of days and to all of those who have stood by me and loved me and been a part of my incredible journey ever since.

Thank you for reading.

Who represents you on city council?

I write a lot about getting active politically and getting to know those who represent us throughout political levels.

Watching so many people protest in cities around the country for or against issues that are local, I decided to write about being active with one's city council.

Who is the city council member that represents you?

In Lakewood, Colorado, where we live, we have two folks on city council who represent our part of the city. Some cities have one for their area and then some who can be elected city-wide.

The city council has more power than you might think. A lot of politics is local.

I have met with our city council members about issues as diverse as chain laws for dogs kept outside, marijuana stores in town and seeing what can be done to make sure our police officers are trained in a way that they never feel they need to shoot and kill a dog.

Some cities have hundreds of employees. Do they honor same-sex couples? Smaller cities may not even have considered how animals labeled as "pets" are treated. A locally-supported Meatless Monday?

Recently a city council of another suburb of Denver, Castle Rock, were inundated with citizens who wanted them to hold off on slaughtering a colony of prairie dogs so a mall could be built. Those pleading with the council were only asking for time to move the colony. The way some council members treated those speaking for the prairie dogs made me sick.

Find out who represents you on city council. Let them know what issues are important to you. You never know what amazing difference that can make or what voiceless being you could support.

Thanks for reading.

A is for Alien

I wish I was writing about ET but I'm not.

I recently attended the Creating Change conference and sat in several sessions about federal detention centers that are packed with people who are undocumented. I was learning about the how transgender folks are treated, but learned so much.

I left each session horrified. And angry.

Regardless of how you feel about immigration, how we treat human beings in the federal detention centers is abhorrent.

First, when one is brought in they are given a nine-digit number. The number begins with an A, which is for Alien.

Seriously.

Alien 987654321 has a visitor.

Alien 123456789 is not breathing.

I also learned that on any given day there are 75 transgender folks in a federal detention center. Their gender identity is not honored and they are put with what to them are members of the opposite sex. Imagine a trans woman being put with men.

Yes, violence happens. And so does death.

I guess now is a good time to remind you that we are talking about human beings here. Just a few weeks before this conference I was telling readers about a Saudi blogger in jail and being beaten. Now I am asking you to consider what is happening right here.

I still have so much to learn.

I'll share what I learn with you. I hope you find this as interesting as I do and I hope it makes you as angry as it has made me. Then we can make change and be a voice for these voiceless brothers and sisters.

Thank you for reading.

Speaking out

I have used my blog many times to urge people to vote and to become politically active.

So much is going on in our world, in our communities. So many battles going on to support causes we believe in or to fight against issues we believe are wrong.

I believe we have a better chance of being listened to when we get to know those who represent us. Whether it's our local city council member or school board member or those who represent us at our state capitol, we should get to know them.

It starts with a simple email.

"I live in your district and would like you to know that I think ______ ."

Or "I live in your district and would like you to vote yes on this bill."

You get the idea. I send notes to our state rep and state senator when our annual session begins in January. And I keep in touch with them throughout the session.

We can be a much stronger voice for the voiceless when those in political power know who we are.

Now it doesn't always help. Some of you live in areas where your representation is totally against most of what you believe in. I still say to connect with them and let them know how you feel.

Speak out to those in power.

Thanks for reading!

The killing of trans women of color

Note: I woke up this morning to the news that yet another trans woman has been murdered, this time in Ohio.

Last week I was one of about 4,000 LGBTQ activists gathered in Denver for the annual Creating Change conference.

I love this conference. This year I presented a session on fundraising and went hoping to meet activists outside of my circle who I could learn from.

Boy did I. I spent most of time in sessions learning about trans women of color in federal detention centers because they are undocumented as well as learning about the epidemic of violence against trans women in this country, focusing on violence against trans women of color.

I met many trans women and I listened to their stories. I spent a lot of time chatting with a group of trans Latina women and by the end of the conference had made a promise that I would help them and support them in any way I could. I promised to do all I could to make the world safer for them.

First things first. Taking a look at my own communities and making sure trans women are safe in the gay, vegan, animal rights, human rights, fitness and homeless communities.

Part of that is educating folks. I found this article and want to share it with all of you. It is a great account of what is happening in  our country and how dangerous it can be for trans women of color. Please read it. I would be grateful if you shared it:

Five transgender women murdered in past five weeks

One of the groups I have committed to supporting, and have already donated to is the Trans Latina Coalition. Here is a link to their website if you would like to learn more and/or donate:

Trans Latina Coalition

Thank you for reading and for the taking the time to learn about this tragic issue.

Start with one action.

I am currently attending Creating Change, an annual conference held by the National LGBT Task Force. Creating Change is the largest LGBTQ conference in the country, with 3,000+ activists coming from all over to collaborate, meet each other, learn from each other, love on each other and become stronger together.

It has been great seeing old friends and making new ones. The sessions here are incredible, and my head is filled with ideas of how to be a better activist. My head is also filled with blog post ideas.

Before I start writing about all of those ideas, I wanted to share something that I think is critical in creating change and being an activist.

Do something today.

Just one thing.

Take one action.

Don't get overwhelmed with everything that is going on in the world.

Take a deep breathe and act!

It could be as simple as posting an idea on Facebook.

As simple as donating to an organization that is rocking it for a cause you support.

Or making a call to a political person who represents you.

It could be volunteering, reaching out or reading up on an issue that concerns you.

Just one action.

I'd love to know what you did!

Thanks for reading!

7 - 0 victory in Sterling Heights!

It happened around midnight in the City Council chambers in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The Council voted unanimously, 7 - 0, to pass an ordinance that will prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. The ordinance will "apply to all persons seeking employment or housing in the city, but specifically would extend civil rights protection based upon sexual orientation and identity."

I am ecstatic.

7 - 0.

I had the honor of speaking with Mayor Pro Tem Mike Taylor before the vote. With allies like him and others on the Council who spoke about equality and prejudice, I feel even more hopeful about the future for those of us who do not fit into the heterosexual norm than I did before.

Said Mayor Pro Tem Taylor in a prior vote that brought us to last night, "“For those of you concerned that your ability to practice religion is being taken away, that is not the case. We can argue and debate many things, but this is not one of them,” he said. “The First Amendment is your shield and it protects you and your ability to practice religion, but it is not a sword to be used to strike down your fellow citizens because they do not agree with you.”

I agree.

I most likely won't get to speak with all of those on the Sterling Heights City Council who voted last night so will pass this message along:

Thank you. Thank you for being a voice for the voiceless. Thank you for shining light onto bigotry in any form. Thank you for doing the right thing and acknowledging all of your citizens and those who want to be part of the greatness that is Sterling Heights. As one of your citizens said "Discrimination is real and it happens every day. It is subtle, it is rarely overt, and it is laws like this that are necessary to protect LGBT people…Freedom is for all of us not just some of us who fit into a preconceived norm. Sometimes freedom for all makes us uncomfortable, that is the challenge of freedom."

I have a huge smile on my face and even more hope in my heart. Sterling Heights is where I came of age. I lived there during elementary school and junior high school, the years that I began to realize that I was different. It is a very special place for me.

Based on the vote last night, the City Council also thinks so.

Thank you for reading.

Loving on Cassidy Campbell, first transgender homecoming queen!

I am thrilled to take a break from VeganMofo and write a brief post about what just happened last night at Marina High School in Huntington Beach, California!

Sixteen year old Cassidy Campbell had the guts to enter the contest for homecoming queen.

That courage blows me away. When nationwide, hate and violence are shown towards many in the transgender community, a young transgender woman enters a school-wide contest.

And she won.

As one who was miserable in high school I don't get the whole homecoming thing. I do get courage. And honesty. And honor. And I definitely get the feeling of who you are on the inside does not jive with who you present yourself to be on the outside.

"If I win, it would mean that the school recognizes me as the gender I always felt I was," Cassidy said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. "But with all the attention, I realized it's bigger than me," she said. "I'm doing this for the kids who can't be themselves."

With all of the hate in the world, with all of the hate just in our own country and our own communities, I just had to share this.

Thanks for reading!

Vegan pancakes for a cause

Last Saturday, July 9th, Mike and I went to the fourth-annual pancake breakfast sponsored by the Colorado Anti-Violence Program. This was our fourth time, and as always, we had an incredible time.

You might be thinking, well why would the gay vegans go to a pancake breakfast? Pancakes aren't typically vegan. Well that's the cool deal here: the pancakes are, and always have been, vegan!

They get it! An anti-violence group that gets it!

Let me back up. First a little bit about CAVP. Since 1986 the Colorado Anti-Violence Program has been dedicated to eliminating violence within and against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) communities in Colorado, and providing the highest quality services to survivors. They do an incredible job. The annual pancake breakfast is my favorite fundraiser of the year.

I'm sure many of you have either personally experienced or heard of a fundraising dinner or event for an anti-violence group, animal shelter, rape crisis line, etc., where you sit down to a meal that includes meat. At first thought this may not seem like a big deal.

The big deal is that you are financially supporting a group that works against violence, against cruelty to animals, against torture or intimidation, and yet they are supporting those very things by serving meat. This of course could become an entire series of blog posts, yet I'll keep this one to the point of how ecstatic Mike and I are to support a group that we love that entirely understands the connection and serves only vegan pancakes at their big, annual fundraising event.

And by the way, the pancakes are scrumptious. And all you can eat. And they are served right to your table! Oh my, how could we not love this event!

If you would like to know more about CAVP or even make a donation to support their life-changing work, here's a link to their site: http://www.coavp.org/

What can you do? Have a conversation with the shelter you work with or volunteer at and ask them if their annual event has a vegan menu. You can make a big difference in educating their cause. Imagine all of the bridge building and goodwill that can happen when organizations that work towards ending suffering of any kind make their events suffering-free!