Another post about voting

One theme clear in many of my blog posts is to encourage activists of every kind to engage in politics and to vote.

This is just as important as it every has been.

With primaries and caucuses getting close, each one of us has an opportunity to create change in our own way, to voice our opinion and to be the voice of those who do not have a voice.

Please vote.

Please caucus.

Wear one of your favorite activist t-shirts that promote a cause near and dear to you.

Bring a friend.

There is so much going on in our world and I believe that the more of us who actually give a shit participate and vote, we have a good chance of making things better.

Just a pipe dream? I don't think so.

Thanks for reading.

Let's just attack each other.

A lion was stalked and killed.

A trans woman was beaten to death.

A four year old boy was killed by a stray bullet.

Supporters of #BlackLivesMatter met in Cleveland to discuss strategy.

These are the news items I paid particular attention to in the last week or so. Not in any particular order.

The story that hit me the hardest was a couple of weeks ago, and that is the story of Sandra Bland being pulled over in Texas for not using a turn signal. She was jailed and died in her cell three days later. She had been unable to pay the $5,000 bond to get out of jail. For not using a turn signal (and for what I think, knowing her rights).

Each of these news items touched off debate, conversation, and unfortunately, judgment.

Before I could get to my second coffee, people in different groups were attacking others for not seeing things as they see things, not taking the correct kind of action, or condemning people who could not possibly help or relate.

Oh my.

My activism is not neatly boxed into one issue. I give a shit about many issues and I try to use my voice to make the world a better place for all living beings. I have been a fighter of injustice since I was a kid.

Yes, a white gay guy living in privilege who gives a shit about others, and I'm not alone. I'm not into fighting and being told I don't belong. There are definitely discussions I stay out of when I think it's not my place, but there are so many issues where my voice can be powerful. I don't write that just because I think my voice is stronger than yours. I write it because I believe everyone's voice can be powerful.

When we use it.

I Periscoped earlier this week with the title "Talking about Sandra Bland" and most folks were not interested, a couple had no idea who she is is, and one said it was funny seeing someone living in white privilege talking about Sandra Bland. Yep.

It is so easy for activists, or humans, to attack other activists rather than asking questions, having a conversation or opening one's mind to learn something about an issue that is equally as powerful as yours, but one you might not know much about.

But it's not impossible.

Thanks for reading.

Kindness, decency, family. Ireland said yes!

The referendum on civil marriage in Ireland is done.

Votes are being counted. The numbers coming out remind me of the percentage numbers while watching states in the U.S. vote against marriage equality, yet reversed.

In some areas over 70% voted yes to support equality.

I have followed this story for some time. I've watched both campaigns closely and yesterday morning I could barely contain myself as people went to vote.

They went to vote with their families, with their parents, their grandparents, their neighbors, their rugby clubs. They traveled from all over the world to, as one man put it, "mark a box". One photo I saw was of three generations of a family after they had all gone to the poll to vote yes.

One thing that I noticed while watching all of this was the huge amount of conversation around kindness. And decency. And family.

Meaning, a yes vote was the kind thing to do. The decent thing to do. After all, we are talking about rights for our family.

Young people rocked it. They campaigned and they voted. Imagine what our equality laws would look like if young people in the U.S. did the same.


As Ireland's Minister of Health, Leo Varadkar said, "I wanted to be an equal citizen in my own country and today I am".

I am ecstatic.

I guess I should also add here, in case this is the first of my blog posts you have read, that I am Irish. In the 1920's my grandfather left County Mayo for the U.S. He settled in Detroit, married my grandmother, became a U.S. citizen and was a dad to my dad and his six siblings.

Thanks for reading.  Éirinn go Brách!

A huge day in Ireland!

I made a quick video to share my thoughts on today's vote in Ireland that could bring marriage equality to the land of my ancestors.

Huge day for Ireland!

I have been emotional all week. I have many times thought that the Irish blood that runs through my veins is part of why I am an activist and one who fights to make the world a better and safer place for all living beings.

The Vote Yes campaign has been incredible. Lots of families talking about supporting a son or dad or nephew or neighbor. Lots of people talking about kindness. And love. And liberty.

And today is the day!

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.

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!

Is your place of faith anti gay?

So many churches and other places of faith express that they "welcome all". Many have cool pastors or clergy or whoever leads them. They are friendly, loving and seem like awesome places to worship.

But many of them are anti gay. To be specific, they believe that gay people are going to hell. To be a little more specific, they believe that gay people who have sex are going to hell.

They might not talk about it. They might try to convince you that no matter what you believe, no matter how many gay friends and/or family members you have, that being in a sexual gay relationship means hell.

They say things like "we're not against something we are just for Jesus" and "it's really between the person and God". Yet invariably something negative will be said about gay people. My favorite is when these same people refer to our marriage as "so called gay marriage".

I acknowledge that this is a difficult topic for many, and that biblically speaking it is a topic with a lot of feelings and emotions.

I also believe that it is well past time for equality-loving folks to stop supporting anti-equality places of faith.

One of the most difficult things for me to experience in my life is watching people I love, and who I know love me, support places of faith that teach that I am going to hell.

I see this often. I am reminded by it all of the time by posts I see on Facebook. It's heartbreaking.

It's heartbreaking because I know these folks love me, and Mike. I know they support us 100%.

Financially supporting places of faith that denigrate gay people, in any way, is taking action against gay people, against equality.

Our church does not believe that we are going to hell. There is absolute love for us as a married couple. Those who preach at our church believe fundamentally that our love, our marriage, is not "sin".

This is a tough topic for both of us. We both have experienced hate and persecution from religious people.

Please don't support them. As with many things, we can vote with our dollars.

Thanks for reading. 

The 19-year vegan

19 years!

Holy cow!

This month, 19 years ago, I decided to go vegan.

My decision was based on the animals. I had the information and it was time to take action.

In no way does my veganism stop cruelty completely. My being vegan is a way to do the least harm possible to all living beings while I am on this earth.

I realized that my passion and compassion could go beyond my taste buds.

I realized that my passion and compassion could extend from human suffering and take a look at my dinner plate.

I love animals. If I have any control in it, I don't want them to be harmed. I certainly don't want to be  a part of paying others to kill and torture animals so I can eat.

Now 48 (49 next month), I am super grateful that I am vegan. It is definitely the way for me.

It's not enough. But that is for another post!

If you have any interest in veganism, we have links to websites that we feel are helpful.

Thanks for reading!

Meet Panti Bliss: She is fed up!

I have shared this video throughout my social media and decided it was one of those videos that I just had to share on my blog.

Panti  Bliss is fed up. I watched this video emotionally, at times with tears.

Because I am fed up too.

It is 19 minutes long, and I enjoyed every second.





Panti shares her personal story and thoughts, and those are what so many are feeling or have felt.

Thanks for reading and watching!

My 14 faves of '14: Legal marriage!

#14! Thanks for reading my list!

By far, my favorite thing of 2014 is that Mike and I got legally married on February 14th.

What a day. I still tear up just thinking of it.

We were first married on April 30, 2005, yet that marriage was not legal. That was the best day of my life, marrying my love, my best friend in our church in front of 160 friends and family.

Yet as laws were changing we decided we wanted to be legal. So we went to our favorite spot, Torrey Pines State Beach, and got married. Our dear friend Jim did the honors.

The experience blew my mind. Just getting our marriage license was amazing, and emotional!

Here are a few photos:

Since then legal marriage has come to Colorado, so our marriage is recognized here!

Definitely my favorite thing/day of 2014!

Thanks for reading!

My 14 faves of '14: #13

I am saving the top two for last of my list of faves for '14.

I realize this is very general, but I have to say that my friends and family totally make my list of faves for '14.

To my friends, you are my chosen family.

To all of you, I simply cannot imagine my life or this world without you.

You love me. You support me. You call me out on my craziness.

You say the sweetest, kindest things.

You are a huge part of why I love my life so much, and why my life is so amazing.

And you know who you are. You called me. You dropped by my office. You hung out with me and Mike. You dropped a note on Facebook. You made a donation to one of my causes. You spoke out for those with no voice. I might not have seen you in years, but I know you are there.

And I love you.

Thanks for reading.

My 14 faves of '14: #7

Legal marriage makes my list of my faves for '14!

2014 was an AMAZING year for marriage equality!

Check this out!

This about says it all. There still is not national marriage equality, yet more than half of the population in the US live where there is marriage equality.

And right at the kickoff of the new year, the first week of January, marriage equality will come to Florida!

Please continue to be the voice for justice and equality. As so many of us can get married, we still have to fight ignorance, intolerance, and hate.

Thanks for reading!

Don't forget what the bigots did.

What an amazing week!

Watching gay couples get married in Oklahoma, Virginia, West Virginia, Nevada. Legal marriage is now in a majority of the states. I wept as I watched couples who had been together 20, 30 years finally being allowed to legally marry.

Of course many are not happy. As I write, the state of South Carolina is doing everything they can to not allow gays to marry.

And as hundreds of couples marry around the country, I ask each of you to not forget.

Please don't forget the bigots and the religious extremists. Please don't forget those who used every waking breathe to keep marriage from us.

Please don't forget those who had the power to simply say yes, or vote yes, and instead said or voted no.

Please don't forget those who demonized us, and continue to demonize us.

Which brings me to my point.

Many of these same people are running for election or re-election across the country. Some of them want people to forget their horrible words and votes against gays and lesbians. Some of them think they will get more votes by demonizing us.

Don't let them do it. Don't let them win.

We have the power. It's called the vote.

Vote. Make sure they know we haven't forgotten. Make sure we speak with a loud voice.

Thank you for reading!

The JeffCo School Board fiasco - Part I

Evergreen High School students protesting the JeffCo School Board.

If you are connected with my blog on social media at all, you might already know about what is happening with our local school district. We live in Lakewood, which is part of Jefferson County, Colorado. Since last week thousands of students from high schools throughout the county have walked out of class to protest, mainly, a school board member's proposed curriculum committee that would start out by making changes to AP History.

There is no way I can give this story justice with just one post. This will be a series. My first! Seriously, this issue is of huge importance to me and as I have closely followed this I have learned  a lot that I want to share with all of you.

To give you a little background, there are five school board members and last November three new "reformist" board members were voted in. They have a majority and have used that to promote their seemingly right-wing agenda. Now there are those who say that the previous board majority did the same with a left-wing agenda, yet somehow our school district became one of the top in the country.

With each side trading barbs, this is one thing I believe everyone can agree with: That JeffCo Public Schools has a reputation throughout the country as being one of the best school districts nationally.

We are also one of the largest, 85,542 students. And unlike some school districts in Colorado that are very wealthy, ours is a for sure mixture of class, ethnicity and race. We have a very high percentage of students, 34%, who qualify for free or reduced lunch yet we also have many students who come from upper middle class and up families. About 10% of K-12 students in Colorado attended a JeffCo school.

99.86% of our teachers are considered "highly qualified" according to federal standards.

We have the third best graduation rate of the nation's 50 largest school districts.

NOTE: A lot of this information comes from last year's annual report, done before this new "reformist" majority won the election.

Jefferson County is a purple county, with one third each of Democrats, Independents and Republicans.

In January our new school board majority took over and it didn't take long to notice changes.

But before I start with all of that, I want to plug voting. And voting in local elections. And paying attention to your local school board.

This is vital. Otherwise, your local school board could look like ours, if it already doesn't. As I write about what is going on in Jefferson County, please take this to heart. Please vote. Please speak out. I totally believe that if more folks voted in the school board election last year that these "reformists" would have had no chance of winning.

Once in power, the "reformist" majority quickly hired a lawyer. The board already has a lawyer yet these three wanted their own at $80,000 a year paid by the school district.

Then they decided to give $300,000 to a charter school and in the same meeting decided that they should not fund full-day kindergarten.

Charter schools are an issue. And $300,000 is a lot of money. I have read that there are some amazing charter schools, yet I first and foremost believe in support our public schools. I do not believe that all charter schools are as supportive of all students as public schools are. AN example would be me getting calls from teachers and students at two JeffCo schools that were having a tough time from those in power when wanting to create a Gay-Straight Alliance.

So I seriously should either leave the charter school debate to those most qualified or at least wait until I learn more before I write about them.

I think now is a good time to break. While I write my Part II, here is an article from today's Denver Post that will bring you more information on what is happening: student walk outs.

Thank you for reading. I would be delighted if you shared this post with friends.

A day in the life of this blogger

You have a what?

A blog.

A blog?

Yes, a blog. It's called The Gay Vegans.

I've had this conversation many times. While many folks subscribe to many blogs, and others read at least a couple every day, there are still those who just don't get it.

I created The Gay Vegans as a way to be more active as a human rights and animal rights activist, as a way to promote building bridges, to promote activism, and to be a voice for the voiceless.

And I love it.

It's not easy. Being present and active in my marriage. Supporting an amazing life for our dogs and two chinchillas. Working as a fundraiser for an agency that serves young people experiencing the brutality of homelessness. Trying to eat well. Trying to stay fit. And trying my best to carve out a little time every week to write blog posts that I hope others will enjoy reading, get inspired by, and even at times take action based on something they learned from the post.

Life flies by. Some days I totally forget to check The Gay Vegans accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Sometimes it takes me more than the 24 hours I would like it to take to get back to readers who have asked a question or have asked for support with something. Life is crazy busy without being a blogger. Being a blogger just adds to the craziness, which I apparently enjoy!

Writing doesn't come easy to me. At first I would say that I wasn't a good writer. I do believe there is a difference in being a good writer and being a good blogger. I also believe that in time, and with writing many blog posts and listening to others about how to become a better blogger, my posts have gotten better.

As you might know, there are a bunch of different types of blogs out there. The Gay Vegans is all about bringing communities together and being a voice for all of the voiceless, including animals who are brutalized to become food, folks persecuted around the world for being who they are (female, gay, transgender, ethnic, religious, etc.) and trying to spread the message that we all really have more in common with each other than not. Kindness, compassion, passion, action. All of these I try to include in my posts.

The Gay Vegans has been around for three years. In that time I have been inspired and filled with hope by responses from readers of this blog, and at times totally blown away by actions taken based on a blog post I wrote.

I have been thrilled to attend conferences or shows with press credentials as more and more outlets consider bloggers as such.

I am super excited when I think about The Gay Vegans in the future. So much to write about. So many actions to ask folks to participate in. So much love and kindness to spread.

Thanks for reading. I am grateful. And please keep the stories, feedback and comments coming!

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.

We have more in common than not

I have always believed that each of us have more in common with one another than not.

It may not always be clear.

And many will have a difficult time acknowledging it.

But we do.

I can spend all day reading comments from people who despise gay people. People who think that gay people are deviants, individuals doomed to hell.

One woman on Facebook, in response to seeing the new pro-football player Michael Sam kissing his boyfriend after getting the news that the St. Louis Rams had picked him up in the NFL draft, said that the video made her almost vomit.

Seriously?

I have never understood the extreme hate that some hold towards gay people. It is especially unnerving when they use horrible words and then say they feel this way because of Jesus.

Name calling never really produces anything positive. Spewing hatred towards others, well what good can possibly come from that.

And yes, hate is spewed from our direction.

So we end up with a bunch of people calling each other names and hating on each other.

When the truth is, we all have more in common than not. Our differences tally up to a lot less than what we have in common.

I refuse to buy into the hate. I would rather reach my hand out in peace than hate on you.

I wish more people felt the same. 

A great step towards equality in Michigan!

Every day amazing people everywhere are making their voices heard in support of equality. I want to share about someone in Sterling Heights, MI who I recently heard from.

I am approaching the third anniversary of The Gay Vegans blog and am as excited and committed as ever to keep this blog as a part of a community that speaks out for the voiceless, works for equality, and believes that we all have more in common than not.

I still feel new to the blogging world. I still feel full of wonder. Every day I seem to learn more about blogging and websites. It's an incredible path for sure.

Since the very start I have been blown away by the support from readers that I get. The love. The compassion. The conversation about topics important to us. It's always great to know that not only is someone reading my post, but they they took action because of it, shared it, or began to think about something that they had previously not thought about.

This week I received an email from someone who read one of my posts. It was a post I had written when a US federal judge had ruled that Michigan's ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional. Having grown up in Michigan I was ecstatic.

A city council member, actually the Mayor Pro Tem, of Sterling Heights, a city I had lived in for several years, wrote to me about the post. Mike Taylor had read my post and wanted to connect about an action he was taking:

"It was very frustrating for me to hear you recount such painful memories from Michigan and Sterling Heights. I'm sure you're not alone. I'm hoping I can do something to help people here who feel the way you did. To that end, at our latest council meeting (Tuesday May 20) I asked the administration to prepare a non-discrimination ordinance that will protect everyone in Sterling Heights from discrimination on the basis of orientation and gender identity. Currently in Michigan, there is no protection against discriminating against someone in employment, housing, or in public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity."

He hopes to report that next  month this will pass, making Sterling Heights the 34th city in Michigan to have such an ordinance.

Glory be.

Thank you Mike Taylor. 

I will admit, with no surprise for our readers, that this made me quite emotional. It's difficult not to get tears in my eyes while writing this post. I am 48 years old yet clearly remember a different time in my life when I was filled with self-hatred, fear and shame. This was the young man who lived in Sterling Heights. Now this same man gets to see an equality ordinance passed in that same city.

I am incredibly grateful to Mayor Pro Tem Taylor and will keep you all posted on the ordinance.

Will the ordinance make a difference? Of course. In a state like Michigan where there are no legal protections against discrimination of those in the LGBTQ community, this will be a powerful force. Where I think it will make an even bigger difference is amongst the young people in Sterling Heights, maybe some who are living like I did. Now they hear that those in power in their city support them. Perhaps there will be less self-hatred, less hate, less bullying and even fewer young people thinking that death is better than being themselves. We just never know the power of such an ordinance.

I will keep writing posts that I hope are engaging, eye opening and helpful to everyone who reads them. I will keep writing posts that ask those who read them to take actions that will make the world a better place for all living beings.

I would be grateful if you shared this post with friends and family who might live in Sterling Heights. It's always nice to support those who support equality. 

Thank you for reading.

Keep speaking out

As marriage becomes a reality for more and more gay and lesbian couples across the country, it is vital that we continue to speak out for equality.

What a week. Idaho. Virginia. Arkansas. Oregon. Marriage equality took positive steps in all of these states this weeks.

I loved watching hundreds of gay couples marry in Arkansas. I loved watching religious extremists in Idaho freak out when their ban on gay marriage was ruled unconstitutional.

And let the demonizing begin.

As all of these wonderful things were happening. anti-gay folk around the country became hugely fascinated with the newly-pro football player Michael Sam kissing his boyfriend. On TV for heaven's sake! One woman posted on Facebook that seeing those two kiss made her almost vomit!

Seriously?

Comment feeds filled with folks who just cannot imagine a world that includes gay people, let alone married gay people!

While all of this is going, we have to continue to speak out for equality.

While marriage equality spreads to more states, we have to continue to speak out for equality.

Please don't stop. Please don't stop your activism. Please don't stop calling people out on their bigotry.

The fight continues. The victories we have bring out more rage and more hate against gays and lesbians.

While that is happening, we cannot become silent.

This also goes for those who work to end animal cruelty or to promote veganism. The victories we have do not mean we can rest or become silent. They only mean that we have to keep fighting.

Thank you for reading!

Marriage equality in Michigan!

Grissom Middle School, Sterling Heights

Midland High School, Midland

I grew up in Michigan.

I grew up gay in Michigan. Some time in the Detroit suburb of Sterling Heights and a couple of years in Midland, further north.

All of my family is still in Michigan. Mike and I visit at least every other year.

I seldom talk positively about Michigan. That's my flaw. I just think it's dreary and don't have fond memories.  I remember the intense self-hatred. I remember the secret. I could never be honest with anyone. I could only survive day by day with my shame. Many days I didn't want to survive.
 
Fortunately for me I have recent awesome memories of time with old friends and vegan adventures. I have also realized in my adulthood that bigotry and hate are everywhere, not just in my home state. I actually get excited these days when Mike and I talk about a visit to Michigan. 

So this morning when I say photos of gay couples in line to get marriage licenses and of couples getting married, I bawled.

I bawled for quite a while.

The world is changing. Freedom is coming to many who previously had only dreamed about it. I honestly never thought the day would come when I could be legally married. Or would be legally married. I honestly never thought that marriage equality would ever come to the state that for me was synonymous with shame, brutal bigotry, and hate.

And here we are.

Whew.

Let's celebrate. And then let's continue to work towards full marriage equality throughout our country. Let's continue to speak out against bigotry and hate at every level.

Thanks for reading.