you can come, just don't bring your boyfriend!

A conversation that took place between two of my gay friends a few days back;


Hi Mom!


Hi Sweetie, how's it going?


Good, so I think _______ (my bf)  and I are going to come over for Christmas...


Oh honey, you can come, but my husband, Ignorant Dumbass, doesn't know your gay, and might get offended if you bring ______ (your bf)..


What????


Sorry, We just can't do that!


Yeah, well I have to call a bullshit! Things are not going to change until people start standing up to their loved ones about who they are, and share the fact that they love their gay family members unconditionally. If you have a son, who happens to be so gay that he shits glitter, and don't think your husband knows about it... well then I'm sorry, you are the ignorant one!

I view this as an opportunity to educate and build tolerance, yet this woman has chosen to maintain the status quo, pass up an opportunity for growth, and drive a wedge deeper into a family situation that should be healing instead of fracturing.

Yes... I'm very pissed!

Jeran

Cry baby Santorum says he's being bullied????

Presidential candidate Rick Santorum is saying that his campaign has been victimized by bullying after "Saturday Night Live" ran a parody of a GOP Presidential debate. His quote, "We've been hammered by the left for my standing up for the the traditional family and I will continue to do so. The left, unfortunately, participates in bullying more than the right does. They say that they're tolerant, and they're anything but tolerant of people who disagree with them and support traditional values."

You can watch the skit here.

What has Rick Santorum said about the gay community?? Well, I'm so glad you asked... In 2003 he compared homosexuality to incest, bigamy, adultery, and polygamy. In a recent interview with Chris Wallace he said gays couldn't compare the equality movement with the civil rights movement because "blacks can't help the color of their skin," thus implying gays could choose their sexual orientation. He's also said the repeal of DADT was nothing more than "social experimentation."

Here's a lovely video of Santorum debating a school girl about children who grow up with same sex parents;

I'm sure he feels "bullied" by this student; and in my opinion he should!! This is about as good of a verbal "ass whooping" as I've ever seen a student give a U.S. Senator.

When you have some time you should search youtube for all the other things he's said, and continues to say, about gay's and marriage equality. Upon a little search history it becomes quite clear who the actual bully is!

Santorum's comments about gay's are mean spirited, hurtful, and flat out untrue. In fact if he were an organization Southern Poverty Law Center would list him as a hate group. Those kinds of comments are what get most organizations officially listed as a hate group.

Bottom line, save your sniveling for someone who actually gives a crap! I would like to know how many children or adults are staying in the closet or contemplating suicide because of the comments you've made about gay people??

You sir, are a bully and a jackass!!!

Jeran

Am I going to lose everything?

Tuesday was National Coming Out Day. Wyoming Equality held a dessert reception at a local church and invited people to come and share their coming out stories. I was moved and humbled at the life experiences told by these remarkable folks.

The evening was very relaxed and informal. We all sat around a big table while enjoying decadent desserts, sipping on rainbow punch, stepping out of our comfort zones, and talking about the day our lives changed forever.

I want you to imagine how scary it would be to tell the people that you love your gay, especially when you grew up listening to anti gay rants from family members every time something gay was on TV or the local gay couple was seen around town.

What are my mom and dad going to think? What will my brothers and sisters say? Will I lose my job? What about my friends? Are my children still going to want a relationship with me and how will this affect them? What are my ultra religious grandparents going to think?

These are questions that I agonized over for months and months before I came out. I had nightmares about every scenario and was preparing to lose everything. I'm a very strong willed independent person, however I have a huge loving family, and I made myself physically sick thinking about them never speaking to me again.

Luckily, for me, none of that happened. For the most part my family was extremely supportive and excited for me to start living my life and being true to myself. Many at the reception were not that fortunate.

I heard stories of parents not speaking to their kids for months on end, brothers who'd go out of their way to avoid running into a gay sibling, living a total closeted life because if you were outed you would lose your job immediately; and so many more stories were shared over the course of the evening that were both heartbreaking and inspirational.

The good news..... Many of these relationships have healed. Attitudes have changed and softened. Family members have realized that they want and need relationships with their loved ones, regardless of their sexual orientation. Employers have taken steps to ensure LGTB people are protected at work. Schools are implementing anti bullying campaigns. As the saying goes, "It is getting better!!!"

Overall, the evening was dominated with laughter and smiles. One couple in attendance is actually getting married this weekend in Iowa. I'm so happy for them!! I was also thrilled to have a handful of straight allies in attendance throwing their support behind this event.

I hope this will inspire you to reach out to your LGTB friends, family, co-workers, colleagues, and let them know that you love and support them.

Jeran

Time to say goodbye!

Well gosh darn it! Looks like it's time to say goodbye to Governor Rick Perry. He continues to slip in the polls and now he's continually back tracking and apologizing for all of the "brilliant comments" he's blurting during the debates. I'd like to dedicate this beautiful song to you as we continue to watch your campaign implode.

Oh, and by the way, desperation is never flattering!  Get out before you embarrass yourself any further. Many already know of your closeted ways and I hope we see the day that you are exposed for being the ultimate homophobic hypocrite!

So is it time for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to throw his "large" hat in the ring?  Maybe! The press is saying we'll know in about a week. Oh Goodie!!

Unfortunately, I wont be a fan!

But I will look forward to your weighing in on the health care debate!

Happy primary season everyone!

Jeran

Dumb ass of the week award!

Actually two members of the U.S House of Representative's will share in the "dumb ass of the week award."

Two GOP House members are making an embarrassingly desperate plea to Leon Panetta, Secretary of Defense, to postpone the Sept. 20th repeal of the Military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy.

House Armed Serivces Committee Chairman Buck Mckeon (R-CA) and house member Joe Wilson (R-SC) are basically saying the Military has not adequately prepared for the repeal of DADT, and more time is needed to conduct further studies.

The official response from the Pentagon, "DENIED!"


In fact, General Carter Ham, who was the co-chair of the Pentagon's study group examining the effects of repealing DADT, said he felt lifting the ban was likely to prove "pretty inconsequential." and went on to say the military's approach is "business as usual."


Last ditch desperation is never flattering! Sorry guys!  Welcome to the 21st Century!


Jeran

We're headed to South Dakota!

Rather than post a duplicate of my friend Meg's blog.. just read hers!

Here's a link to the John R. Milton Writers Conference that we will be attending on Oct 27th - 29th. I'm so excited about this!! This is quite an honor!

Jeran

breaking down my stereotypes

I love meeting remarkable people!

I met this woman, Dorothy, yesterday at Cheyenne Interfaith's 9/11 memorial service at the Wyoming State Capital. I must admit that I was shocked to see an elderly woman wearing a rainbow "Diversity" pin.

Even though I would like to say that I don't lump people into categories or form my own stereotype's; I would be lying if I said that I didn't ignore seniors, as a group, when it comes to advancing the LGTB Equality Movement. 

I figured they were all "set in their ways" and holding on to their bigoted views of marriage. SHAME ON ME!!

I was able to visit with my good friend, Rodger McDaniel, who writes the blog Blowing in the Wyoming Wind, and he cautioned me about being so quick to judge. He said many times after he delivers a sermon or speaks out on equality he will have seniors come up and thank him for his message of love and tolerance. Wow! Who knew?

I learned a valuable lesson yesterday, and I'm grateful for the enlightenment! You'd think of all people, I'd be the last to try and lump another group into a small narrow box. I'm a work in progress; and would like to think that my tiny brain was expanded just a little bit yesterday! Thank you Dorothy!

Jeran

An email we received at WY Equality asking for help.

Hi - I’m the Policy Research Director at the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) (www.lgbtmap.org), which is a national think tank organization that is focused on LGBT issues and policy. I’m reaching out to see if you might be able to help us, and would so appreciate it if you would take a moment to see if you can!

MAP is collaborating with the Center for American Progress and the Family Equality Council to co-author a series of reports that highlight how being part of an LGBT family in the U.S. creates unique challenges.

For an upcoming report on how government safety net programs are failing children who live in LGBT families that includes policy recommendations, we are specifically looking for stories that include the following:

                                                                                                                                                        

·        LGBT-headed families who have had challenges with accessing government safety net programs like TANF, SNAP, School Lunch, WIC, and children’s Medicaid and health programs, SSI, child care assistance, public housing, and early childhood programs like Head Start. 

·        Challenges might have resulted from the way that family was defined, income restrictions, legal recognition of parents, discrimination during the application process, or other reasons.

·        We are particularly interested in stories that also include special issues for transgender parents, and added challenges and unique experiences of LGBT families of color, rural families, and immigrant LGBT families.

·        Finally, given the recent 2010 census data for the 12 top states where LGBT parents are raising children, we are particularly interested in stories from Mississippi, Wyoming, Alaska, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, Alabama, Montana, South Dakota, and South Carolina.

Our goal is to include fresh, compelling stories of real LGBT families that will give the report emotional resonance and might also be used to gain media attention. The stories can already be in written form or could be shared with us in telephone interviews. They can be stories already covered by the media, but new, unfeatured stories are a bonus. Attribution of the stories can range from sharing them anonymously to the possibility of speaking to the media as part of the report rollout in the Winter of 2012.

Because our report focuses on the entire family, we’re only looking for same-sex parents who are raising kids.

If you have any stories to share would you just reply to this email so that we can set up a time to talk?  And, if you don’t but know of others that might (e.g. faith-based, legal or other LGBT orgs), would you please forward this for me? 

Thank you so much for any help you can give!

--Laura

------------------------------------------

Laura Deaton

Policy Research Director

Movement Advancement Project

www.lgbtmap.org

888-784-3433

------------------------------------------

p.s.  Here is an example of a story that we wrote up, adapted from an academic article:

Family Left Destitute After Being Denied Social Security Survivor Benefits

In 1998, Nicolaj Caracappa was born through donor insemination to New Jersey couple Eva Kadray and Camille Caracappa. Eva gave birth to Nic, who was given Camille’s last name and baptized in Camille’s Catholic faith. Eva became a stay-at-home mom while Camille continued working as an oncology nurse. The couple wanted a second child. They consulted a lawyer about completing a second-parent adoption of Nic by Camille, but they decided to wait until their second child was born so they could adopt both children at the same time. Yet they never got the chance. When Nic was two years old, Camille left for work one day and never came home. She suffered a brain aneurysm and was dead by nightfall.

Eva applied for child Social Security survivor benefits for Nic. Those benefits—many thousands of dollars a year—are designed to compensate a child for the economic loss of a parent. The benefits were denied because Camille had not been Nic’s legal parent. If New Jersey had simply recognized Camille as Nic’s legal parent upon his birth, the result would have been different. Nic’s emotional catastrophe—the loss of a parent—would not have been compounded by economic catastrophe—the loss of all the family’s income.

I will never forget!

I will never forget getting up and turning on the TV 10 years ago. I couldn't believe what I was seeing!

As I watch the news this morning and the recaps of that day; and how we've changed as a nation over the last 10 years, I find a lump swelling in my throat and tears welling up in my eyes once again.

I have my little snits about politics and issues that are near and dear to my heart, but the truth is, I love this country and I know how lucky I am to be a United States Citizen! As I reflect on this day, I will focus not on the terror, but the unity and patriotism that followed the attacks.

I remember the solidarity that enveloped this nation and the world after 9/11. I remember how democrats and republicans rallied and united together in hopes of making this country a safer place to live. I remember standing in line to buy a flag to fly on my house.

God bless the United States, our troops, our citizens, and especially the families that lost so much 10 years ago!

Jeran

A new class of bullies!

Everyone talks about being bullied at school, and while that is definitely not any fun, think about being bullied by the people that you love the most... YOUR FAMILY!

I want to address this issue and say how impressed I am that someone from such a conservative family can find the strength to talk about being gay and the fear his family has about his homosexuality.

First off, I will say that I'm very lucky! For the most part I have a wonderful and supportive family. I have great relationships with my parents, my cousins, aunts and uncles, and especially my brother and his family. In fact if I had known how they were going to react to me coming out, I probably wouldn't have waited as long as I did.

However, I have friends that are literally scared of their parents. My heart breaks for them! One friend in particular, who is a college student, and his parents hold him hostage with money. Saying things like, "I hate to see this person that you're developing into!" and, "Don't expect anymore help from us financially if you continue down this path!" I've held his hand as he has cried and tried to come to terms with his situation.

I have one friend, who after coming out, drove away from his house as his grandfather fired a shotgun at his car! I admire my friends who cope and thrive in the face of this because I'm not sure I could have done it.
When I came out I was trying to prepare myself for the "what if I lose everything?".... my friends, family, job, and luckily none of that happened.

So for those of you who are "strong in the faith" please continue to be supportive and caring for your friend's who need you the most! After all we never know when an understanding ear, or a "hang in there, it get's better!" might actually give someone the strength to get through one more day.

Jeran

We're going to have a party!

Unless you've been living under a rock, as I tend to do from time to time, you know that the Military's repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell becomes official on September 20th. Here is a letter I've submitted to Wyoming Equality's Newsletter. I hope you will all put this on your calendar and plan on joining us for this event.

For all of my wonderful out of state readers, I would encourage you to organize a similar event in your town. We have a very large military base here in Cheyenne so we're hoping for a big crowd!

It’s time to celebrate!

Wyoming Equality Members and Allies,

In case you hadn’t heard September 20^th marks the official end of the Military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy. This is a huge milestone in our fight for LGTB equality across this country. We think that calls for a celebration!

What’s more, over the last year we’ve seen marriage equality arrive in New York State. President Obama’s Administration has decided to stop defending DOMA, and right here in Wyoming we defeated two very ugly anti-LGTB bills.  We’ve accomplished many great things over this last year and we want to throw a party to say thank you for helping us fight the good fight.

So, drum roll please… On Tuesday, September 20^th from 6-10pm at the Historic Plains Hotel in Cheyenne we will be hosting this celebration. The cost of admission is free. Wyoming Equality will provide some tasty snacks, and a cash bar will be available for you to enjoy a cocktail or two.

We will be having a silent auction on a handful of nifty items to help offset the cost of the event, but mostly we just want you to come and celebrate with us! Save the date and I hope to see all of you in a few short weeks.

Jeran Artery

Director of Social Change

Are you dancing this season?

I shouldn't be surprised that after announcing Chaz Bono was going to be joining "Dancing With the Stars" the hate group American Family Association is pitching a hissy fit! By the way, (after you watch the clip) don't confuse One Million Moms with a fine upstanding group of loving caring mothers, they are a division of the American Family Association.

Anyway, I don't thinks kids are going to be confused about anything when they see Chaz dancing; and it certainly isn't going to magically turn any of them transgendered simply from just watching. Here we have scare tactics in play, once again, from this group that Southern Poverty Law Center lists as a hate group.

I always want to ask these "moms" why they have so little faith in their children. And by that I mean children are no more likely to become trangendered by learning about or seeing a transgendered person on TV then they are to become Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Tea Party, Communist or any other group after studying politics in school. These kids will form their own opinions as they grow. Are they also worried that their children will become Nazi's after  studying the Holocaust?

As a society we still have so much to learn about issues LGTB people face. I find as a gay man I still run into a ton of misconceptions. When I came out to my grandmother she got this puzzled look on her face and said, "well you look like a big husky man??" I was like, "I am!" She thought that because I was gay I was wishing that I was a woman. Not so!

I have an older friend in another town who's son recently came out. She called me to talk about it and said, "I just wanted to know if he was the man or woman in the relationship, because I don't think I could handle it if he was the woman." I thought to myself, oh honey, you have so much to learn! I encouraged her to sit down with her son, share her concerns, and let him tell her what was going on with his life.

I can't imagine how difficult it must be to be born in the wrong body with the wrong plumbing. I say cheers and kudos to Chaz Bono for bringing this struggle into the spotlight. I think he has handled this with grace and poise.

I will be watching!

Jeran

Dumb ass of the week award!

One of the things that amazed me at Denver Pride this year was how many churches had set up booths, and really tried to let all the attendees know how much they supported equality within the LGTB community. This is a wonderful trend and I would suspect it will only get bigger and stronger as attitudes continue to evolve.

However, many churches still have a long ways to go! Listen to the rantings of this baptist minister, (if you can stand to) I am shocked that someone like this could actually call himself a Christian. This is pastor Steve Anderson from the Faithful Word Baptist Church in Arizona. This guy is scary!

You know, its bad enough when people go around spreading hate; but I really get hot and bothered when they do it in the name of the Jesus, Allah, or any religion for that matter!

At any rate Pastor Steve Anderson earns my award for dumb ass of the week.

Jeran

Public Support of Gay Marriage is a Mirage??

Yesterday's Wyoming Tribune Eagle had an opinion piece from the organization "Traditional Values Coalition," who also happen to be officially listed by Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group, about how public opinion is not really swaying towards marriage equality but is rather a "mirage" manifested by "activist judges" who are completely ignoring and trampling the "rights of those who oppose same sex unions."

(WY Tribune Eagle doesn't have the piece listed on their website but I found the exact same opinion piece here, apparently it ran in several "well respected publications" yesterday.)

So let me get this straight (I'm sorry but that's a hard thing for me to do!) I'm the one that is trampling on the rights of heterosexual couples??  Really???

The author of this opinion piece is none other than Andrea Lafferty who happens to be the president of this hate group. She must be so proud! In the very first paragraph she says New York's marriage equality bill was just one more step to establish "yet another civil right."

Oh my god!! How terrible! America doesn't need any more civil rights....right?? For crying out loud, wasn't giving Women and African American's civil rights already enough! We don't need to give anymore American's anymore rights than what we've already given. Stop it already!

But wait, there's more! Here's my favorite paragraph, "What same-sex marriage proponents strain to portray as a wave of enlightenment is just smoke and mirrors trickery employed to disguise a grand scam in the public square"

Hmmmm... well said me lady! Couldn't have said it better meself! Marriage equality didn't really happen in New York, it was merely our "grand scam" cooked up by magician David Copperfield to try and trick the public into thinking that one of the most populous states in the union decided two people who love each other should be allowed to get married, even if they are of the same sex!

Finally Lafferty wraps up her brilliant opinion piece with this bold statement, "Washington's power knows neither checks nor balances."  But then, in the very next paragraph quotes a whackadoodle representative from Iowa who say's "It is not the role of the executive branch to determine what is and is not constitutional" Its role, he concluded, "is to execute and uphold the laws that Congress enacts."

Sounds like someone needs a short history lesson on what checks and balances actually means!

For more whackadoodle ideas please visit Tradition Values Coalition's home page to find out why LGTB rights shouldn't be taught in schools, and how the UN is planning on seizing Jerusalem, and why we should be terrified of all Muslims, and sooooooooo much more!!!

Jeran

The brilliance of the Tea Party!

Two years ago America elected a slew of Tea Party candidates and sent them to Washington D.C.  I'm wondering how happy we are with that decision now?

I think you would be hard pressed to find more than a handful of people who are truly happy with either of the major parties in D.C right now. I don't care if you're Republican or Democrat; Washington is struggling to find common ground with most American's!

However, the Tea Party seems to be going strong! Or at least the people that belong to this movement seem to be more dedicated than ever before. We had a Tea Party rally in Cheyenne yesterday, and a few of us decided to protest the event.

Here's a new Tea Party law in Florida requiring people who apply for welfare to get a drug test. Turns out the Tea Party's assumptions that everyone who apply's for welfare is either on drugs or is an incompetent loser might not actually be the case!

These Tea Party crazies are making up statistics that we can't accept as fact just because they say it happens to be so!

Today I was called a moron, and an idiot,  I was also told that I needed to get some more education. (I happen to agree with that one,) and one guy actually drove by our group and pretended like he was shooting us.... Anyway, to all my Tea Party friends, why don't you get a little more education as well! Before you just accept the "facts" from any idiot that happens to have a pedestal, a microphone and little money...   --------------------->

you should do a little investigative research for yourself. Find out what's true and what's B.S. before you go calling people like me an idiot!

I can't for the life of me figure out why we're considering taking away my grandparents social security and medicare because our Tea Party politicians wont consider raising taxes on millionaires and billionaires?

But hey, I'm not a Washington D.C. politician!  Thank God those difficult decisions are left up to the people who have "brains!"

Jeran

Dumb ass of the week award!

This Rabbi says gay marriage caused the earthquake this week.

This is such bullshit. Maybe the earthquakes are God's punishment for Levi Aron, an Orthodox Jew, kidnapping, murdering, and dismembering a young 8 year old boy in New York!


"place your male member in a place where it doesn't belong??" who says that kind of stuff?? Oh but at least he doesn't hate gay people! Whew, I was nervous for a little bit, thank god he cleared that up!


I'm just amazed at how the different religions view this. We actually had the Cheyenne Rabbi attend one of our rallies to show support for marriage equality. I guess every church, much like the political parties, has its fair share of  whackadoodles! (Hi Marc!)


Have a good weekend everybody!


Jeran

Monogamish.

When you have a few minutes read this article in The Advocate about how gay marriage will change straight marriage.

I want to know your thoughts and if you think these statistics will be used as ammunition for homophobes and hate groups like WyWatch who lobby against LGTB issues.

I wasn't surprised at the info, but I'm not sure how I feel about the article. Thoughts??

Jeran

Dance like nobody's watchin'

This weekend my step daughter Holly married her high school sweetheart Ryan. We had a wonderful weekend! I want the people who I love and care about to be happy, so this was indeed a very special weekend.

A couple of things made me sad however. Well, actually I'm not sure if sad is the right word??. Maybe just "motivated" or "fired up" to continue being an activist and speaking out for marriage equality.

Ryan has an aunt, who happens to be a lesbian, and one of the highlights of this weekend, for me, was meeting these two delightful women! They are so much fun to be around and really enriched the entire weekend and wedding experience!

I noticed at the reception they only had danced one dance together.

I asked, "why aren't you gals dancing more? you two look good out there!" I guess I wasn't really shocked by the response but it was.."oh you know, we don't want to offend anyone. We always try and watch that very closely so as to not step on anyone's toes.."

Friends, that is such a crock! Two people who love each other and are in a committed loving relationship should never be afraid to show their affection towards one another! This really made me realize, despite all the gains we've made in the last few years, we still have tons of work to do! Attitudes must keep changing and evolving.

Are we ever going to see a day when a same sex couple feels safe to dance together at any event, other than just a gay bar or pride event?  Can I someday hope to kiss the man of my dreams with a "hi, how was your day kiss," in public without fear of being scoffed at or ridiculed? Dancing and kissing in public are something most straight people probably take for granted.  I ask you the next time you dance with your soul mate or kiss the love of your life, please think about those of us who are afraid of a backlash by doing such everyday normal things with the people we love the most.

A friend of mine said to me, "Jeran, do you suppose if that baptist minister who is accused of being a serial rapist and kidnapper had been there, before the accusations, dancing with young women, anyone would have batted an eye or given it a second thought?" yet when two wonderful people who love each other want to dance together they have to worry about offending a baptist minister!

Ridiculous!! And that is why I will keep fighting and being an advocate! Like I've said before, there are brighter days ahead and I wont stop fighting until I can dance with my soul mate and lover out in public with out any fear or shame!

Jeran

Please support these folks!

With Rendezvous 2011 done and in the books there are a couple of special thank you's that need to go out to our supporters. Many of you that read this blog probably like to support groups and organizations that throw their weight behind worthy causes. So I hope you'll consider spending your hard earned dollars with these businesses, and thank them for encouraging equality in Wyoming.

First a huge thank you to the Wyoming Department of Health. They set up camp Saturday and did free HIV testing. They set a record for the number of people tested in one day (over 120!) in an off-site location! You guys are the best! Wyoming Equality also received a grant from the health department to help promote HIV testing at all of our functions.

The next time your in Cheyenne and are dining out please consider patronizing these wonderful restaurants that donated food and/or gave gift certificates. Texas Roadhouse, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and Poor Richards all made significant contributions that helped make Rendezvous the success that it was!

Grant Farms donated some yummy vegetables that were a big hit; and I also want to thank my friends Len and Michael from Denver who brought all the great give away prizes for bingo and our other various contests.

Lastly a huge thank you to Charlies in Denver!  They provided a line dance instructor, dj, and libations that made for a spectacular final evening at Rendezvous! If you've never been to a gay bar your missing out on some of the best music and dancing to be had. I learned how to line dance and would love to go down some weekend with friends and throw a little business their way! Let me know if your interested!

Thanks again!! You all Rock!!

Jeran

Join us in Laramie on Sept. 15th

I'm very excited to announce that Wyoming Equality has partnered with the Wyoming ACLU to bring Wyoming a screening of  the documentary "Out in the Silence."

This is a movie about growing up gay in a small town. I've watched it and I cried four times. This film brings wonderful insight to what many of us have felt growing up in rural Wyoming.

See the poster below for all the details.

Wy Out in Silence Poster


I'm very excited about this!

Jeran

Rendezvous was a smashing success!

Rendezvous has come and gone and many have said, "it was the best ever!" I'm really proud of the work we all did to make R-11 such a fantastic event. The Wyoming Equality board worked very hard to make sure everything ran smoothly; and we had so many amazing volunteers that helped us with everything from food to set up/tear down, trash pick up, registration, and so much more. We couldn't have done it with out you!

some of my best friends Cal, Mike, Rick and Josh (who is helping me with make-up)

So for those of you that couldn't attend I hope you will really try and come up for next years event. Next year will be the 20th anniversary of Rendezvous and we are going to try and make it extra special and we will hopefully break an attendance record.

Some of the highlights for me were;

1) Drag Queen Bingo.  I've never done drag before, but when our drag queens ran into a scheduling problem, as the saying goes.. "The show must go on!" After doing the bingo I have a new appreciation for drag queens. The make-up, the shoes, the outfits, the hair... oh my! What a ton of work!

2) Our headliner on Friday, Nancy Norton, was absolutely hilarious! My stomach muscles were sore the next day from laughing so hard. Not only did she do a great show, but she brought a couple of guests who were very good. We will definitely try and have her back!

3) Nuclia Waste's show was, of course, tremendously entertaining on Saturday! She is so funny and does such an amazing job of entertaining the crowd with songs, jokes, and skits. She is just a delight to have at Rendezvous, and she and Anthony throw the most amazing parties at their campsite!! (thanks guys!!)

4) All the other little things like the fractured faerie tale, the workshops, the film festival, Joe's jokes and tall tales, the tighty whitey and best boobs contests, the opening ceremonies (I almost remember those, I was in the party zone!)

5) But the very best part for me was all the wonderful people. I've made so many new friends. Friends that will enrich my life for years to come! I love you guys!! (you know who you are!)

I'm sad it's over, but a little relieved. I can't wait to do it again next year! Thanks again to all who helped and the nearly 300 participants who made R-11 one of the most memorable experiences of my life!

Jeran

Rendezvous is almost here!

Next week we kick off Wyoming's pride event, Rendezvous!

This is a wonderful opportunity for the LGTB community and our allies to spend a few days together camping, laughing and sharing good food and drink.

If you can't come to the entire event (Aug 3-7th) at least consider coming for the weekend or at the very least try and come up for a night show.  We have so much to celebrate this year. Here in Wyoming SJ5 and HB74 died, DADT was repealed, and marriage equality arrived in New York.  We are up about 30% as far as registrations go compared to this point last year.

Check out our website at www.wyomingequality.org for all the fine print, registration forms, and contact info.  I hope to see you all next week!

Jeran

Deficit Time Bomb

I've had it with the deficit talks. We are in the 11th hour and still playing partisan politics! I have clients calling me going into panic mode about what to do with their life savings. Old people, young people, working people, are all being asked to make big sacrifices. Multi-millionaires and billionaires are not???? Why???


Warren Buffet said, “there is plenty of room on the revenue side with wealthy people like me. We've never had it so good. I mean our tax rates have never been lower than this and we've had it for 10 years and it's shown in the great disparity of wealth that's occurred in the last decade or so.”

Washington Post/ABC News Poll: Americans support a "mixed" approach to reducing the deficit. What's interesting is the Post/ABC News poll shows a Republican Partly clearly divided on that question. Overall, more than six in 10 Americans say a plan to reduce the deficit should include a combination of spending cuts and new taxes, rather than exclusively one or the other. (Washington Post, 7/19/11)

I'm fed up with the crap! It's time for everyone, no matter where you live, to call and email your Representatives and Senators. You can find out how to contact you Representative(s) here. And contact your two Senators here.

Folks I know this isn't fun reading but it really is going to affect each and everyone of us. Most people I know have just now gotten back to their pre-recession levels as far as their investments go. If you just retired, or are already retired, can you afford another crash and wait 5-10 years for your investments to recover? How would higher interest rates on mortgages, vehicles, and credit cards affect your bottom line? What do you think the global economy would do if the U.S. economy went in the tank?

I hate talking doomsday and I hope a compromise is reached.  But it's really time we look at who we have elected and put in Washington D.C. These folks are playing dangerous games that will ultimately hurt small people, working class people, and fair and decent citizens like you and me!

Jeran

To my friend Lori

One of my favorite things to do every night is to go through my Facebook homepage and read all the exciting things that are going on with my friends. A couple of nights ago as I scrolled down I read something on a friends page and immediately started to feel a lump in throat swell. "Please let this be a mistake!" was the only thing I could get through my head....

I want to tell you about my friend Lori Carmin Constantinides. She was one of my dear friends while growing up in Wheatland. Even though Lori was a couple of years younger than me, (my brothers age) we found ourselves running in the same circles.

We really grew close in high school. I remember partnering with Lori for the category of  "humorous duet interpretation" on the speech team. We had a hard time getting through our bit because we were usually laughing to hard to make it all the way through to the end. We would sit on the bus while traveling to these speech meets and solve all of the worlds problems. Well at least the problems going on at Wheatland High School!

The speech team was my place to vent. I always felt comfortable talking to my friends on the long bus rides to and from speech meets. Lori would sit for hours and listen to my friend Shawn and I imitate our teachers and talk about kids that we found interesting.  She would always laugh and encourage us! I remember that laugh and smile just like I was sitting on that bus with her yesterday. She always had the most beautiful smile and a huge laugh (usually a big belly laugh) that would make every one else on the bus want to sit  and congregate in our little corner.

Lori and I tried to date each other a couple of different times. That didn't work out for obvious reasons.. haha!! But it's funny.... If I could go back  now and sit down with anyone and explain what was going on in my heart of hearts; there is no one one that would have understood me better than Lori would have. I can picture her grasping my hand and saying, "It's ok Jeran!" That's just the kind of person she was!

I look at her family pictures now, on the internet, and I smile and cry thinking about how beautiful her family and life had become! We should all be so lucky!

I had a chance to go to that class reunion this last weekend. I was invited by many friends on multiple occasions, but I had other plans. Obviously if I would have known that was going to be my very last chance to see an old friend... we all know how that story plays out.

So.... here goes... Lori, I can honestly say you made my life better by being a part of it! I will think back on all the times we spent together with so much laughter and joy! I'm sorry we lost touch after high school, but like so many of our friends, I was thrilled to find out you were thriving in Colorado Springs. My heart breaks for the sadness that surrounds your death. I hope I can meet your husband Alex, and find the appropriate and comforting words that allow him a moment of  peace. (I will  continue to pray for that every night and hope I can find the strength to stop weeping!)

And honestly, in some weird way, this actually makes my faith grow stronger. I can't help but think God needed you and those beautiful children for something much bigger than what we could possibly understand here on earth; and that is why he had take you from us on such short notice.

Go now my friend, with your beautiful babies, and rest in eternal comfort.

With all my love, thoughts and prayers,

Jeran

The Times They Are a-Changin

I have read this story about 17 times! Every time I read it I find myself smiling uncontrollably and giggling out loud!

I don't think anyone can deny that momentum is swinging towards marriage equality after New York said yes! Can you imagine this headline 10 years ago? Can you someday picture a similar story running in Wyoming newspapers? Judges signing up to work on Sunday? Unprecedented and hopefully a sign of what's to come in other states shortly!

 A few months back a Gallup  poll showed that a majority of Americans were now in support of marriage equality. I would like to see the same results taken now, especially after New York State received all of this wonderful publicity. Do you think we would see an even greater uptick in what most Americans think about making marriage non-discriminatory?

Please weigh in and share your thoughts. I'm pumped!!

Jeran

I need help understanding this!

Can some of my Tea Party friends please explain to me why taxing the wealthiest Americans at higher rates doesn't make sense, and is completely off limits in the budget negotiations; but cutting programs like Medicare and Social Security that affect nearly every single one of us does?? Because I can't wrap my little brain around it!

I hope everyone was able to see Obama's press conference in which he stated if these negotiations fail, seniors may not get their Social Security checks in August (that's about two weeks away.) Along with the stock market crashing, our military and government employees not getting paid, the U.S. credit rating goes into the toilet, and a few other pleasantries to boot. This is serious business and is actually starting to spook me a little bit!

Why are we letting these morons in Washington negotiate with the idea of taking money away from my Grandma and Grandpa, these are hard working decent Americans who have contributed a great deal into making this country what it is! My Grandpa is Korean war hero. They don't live extravagant lifestyles, in fact they live very modestly and if you cut out part of their Social Security it will hurt them financially. They're not in the best of health either, so if you want to cut Medicare that is also going to hurt them financially.  Why do you want to do this to them??? All the while keeping my good buddy Cynthia Lummis, along with other  multimillionaire legislators, in one of the lowest tax brackets of all time!  Am I the only one that can't get past the hypocrisy?

Oh and one more little snit, If I hear one more person refer to Social Security as an entitlement program I will probably throw up. Unless you mean, I've put money into it for years and years and I'm entitled to get it back! Then I'm cool with you..

Jeran

WyWatch attacks Frontier Days and Susan G Komen Foundation.

Here is an email and attachments sent out by WyWatch. I am outraged and I hope you are too! This is very lengthy but worth a read. I really want to thank my friends, that are in the loop, and were able to secure this for me!

Dear WyWatch Family and Friends,

We are forwarding along some important information that we feel our members should be aware of.  The WyWatch Board of Directors would like to take the opportunity to encourage each of you to take the time to read the attachments and to take action.

The WyWatch leadership understands full well the desire for Christians to want to support organizations that are researching a disease that kills thousands of loved ones and is very personal for many….even on our board of directors.

But in the name of LIFE we ask that you carefully examine the attached documents and ask the organizations who research these studies to also stand for protecting our precious unborn.

We thank Margaret and Richard Wall for their hard work on this issue and their well written explanation of the facts.  We felt no need to alter what they provided us to pass on to the pro-life community.

We hope you will take the time to read the attachments and to take action.

WyWatch takes the following position on the life issue and hope you will share these principles with your family and friends and then pass on this e-mail to those you know are like-minded.
 

LIFE

 Principle #1 of the Judeo-Christian Ethic
—The Dignity of Human Life
 

 “The Scriptures emphatically teach the great importance of the respect and preservation of human life.  In the Declaration of Independence our nation’s Founding Fathers wrote that everyone has ‘unalienable rights,’ and that among these rights are ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’  We Americans not only believe this for our land, but also we send our brave military men and women around the world to defend the rights of those who are threatened.

If people and nations do not grant ultimate respect and protection to both the born and the unborn, all other professed morals and values are meaningless.  The dignity of human life is not just a principle of the Bible—it is the first principle of any civilizedsociety.”---The American Patriot’s Bible
 

• No one should be able to decide that an innocent life is worthless.
   
•   Taking one human life because you think it might improve another human life is never justified.
   
•   Women need to know all the facts about abortion, but the abortion industry has been actively covering up the truth about abortion for decades.
   
•   In death-penalty cases, “reasonable doubt” goes to the accused because we must not risk an innocent’s life if there is uncertainty. This logic goes out the window when it comes to abortion.
   
•  According to the Declaration of Independence, a Creator made human life. Such life, being made with design or purpose, was therefore distinct from and more important than other forms of life.
   
• Because those favoring abortion have downplayed this uniqueness of human life since the 1930’s, some in our society have come to accept the lie that killing an unborn child is no different than killing any other animal.

WyWatch Family Action
P.O. Box 20515
Cheyenne, WY 82003
http://www.wywatch.org
contact@wywatch.org
307.316.0212

Here is the First Attachment;

Dear Friends of Life,
Sadly, it has come to our attention that Cheyenne Frontier Days has once again decided to
associate itself with Susan G. Komen for the Cure. As you may know already, Komen publicly
endorses embryonic stem cell research, denies prematurely any link between abortion and breast
cancer (despite credible scientific evidence to the contrary), and will not stop its affiliates from
donating funds to Planned Parenthood (America’s largest abortion and chemical contraceptive
provider).


For these reasons, the Archdiocese of St. Louis released a statement concerning Komen,
exhorting all Catholics to avoid any association with it lest they become the cause of scandal for the
Church and the world around them. Indeed, this statement can be extended to the entire pro-life and
Christian community. You will find the statement in the email attachment. We hope you will read and
discuss it among your families and friends.


While the local Susan G. Komen of Wyoming affiliate reportedly does not partner with Planned
Parenthood, 25% of the funds raised by Komen’s Wyoming affiliate at CFD are sent to the national
organization. And the national organization has allowed Komen affiliates in other states to give
money to Planned Parenthood, ostensibly for purposes related to breast cancer. If a Komen affiliate
donates to Planned Parenthood for breast health programs, however, this frees up Planned
Parenthood’s unrestricted funds so that they can pay for abortion-related services. So, while a
person’s money may not directly pay for abortions here in Wyoming, there is still scandal involved
because he or she is at some level enabling abortion elsewhere.


After bringing the facts concerning Komen to CFD General Chairman Rod Hottle and CEO Dan
Cheney’s attention in early June, we were told that CFD had no plans to support Komen this year as
they have in years past. Yet, a few days ago, we heard from reliable sources that CFD has changed
course and is going to donate to Komen’s local affiliate as well as reference Komen in CFD literature.
Mr. Hottle and Mr. Cheney have not returned our calls and emails for clarification about CFD’s
change in direction.


As fellow Catholics and members of the pro-life Christian community at large, we seek your support
at this critical juncture in an effort to stop the loss of innocent human life due to the relationship
between Komen and Planned Parenthood. Please contact CFD General Chairman Rod Hottle and
CFD CEO Dan Cheney ASAP and ask them not to give financial support and publicity to Susan G.
Komen at the 2011 CFD because of Susan G. Komen’s relationship with Planned Parenthood.
Encourage them instead to redirect CFD funds raised for breast cancer research to research
organizations that do not endorse embryonic stem cell research and that have no ties to Planned
Parenthood. You can sign or adapt the model letter that we have attached to this email for your
convenience and either mail or email it to them at CFD Headquarters. Then, please let us know that
you have taken action by emailing or calling us (634-9771), so that we can keep track of the number
of letters CFD is receiving.


Your action today can make a difference for the unborn! Just a few hundred letters will send
the message that there are people who care and who are aware of CFD’s association with Komen,
thereby turning the tide away from abortion funding and toward authentic breast cancer research.
Thank you for your immediate attention to this urgent matter! God bless you for your
commitment to the defenseless unborn whose voice you represent.


Margaret and Richard Wall
CFD Mailing Information
Send your letter by email to: CFD General Chairman Rod Hottle: general.chairman@cfdrodeo.com
CFD Chief Executive Officer Dan Cheney: dan@cfdrodeo.com
Or send letters by regular mail to:
Mr. Rod Hottle, General Chairman
Mr. Dan Cheney, CEO
c/o Cheyenne Frontier Days
P.O. Box 2477
Cheyenne, WY 82003


And here is a copy of what they are asking all their "friends" to send out;

July 2011

Mr. Rod Hottle                                               Mr. Dan Cheney

General Chairman                                           Chief Executive Officer

Cheyenne Frontier Days                                 Cheyenne Frontier Days

P.O. Box 2477                                                            P.O. Box 2477

Cheyenne, WY  82003                                   Cheyenne, WY  82003

Dear Mr. Hottle and Mr. Cheney:                                                                                         

            I have heard that Cheyenne Frontier Days has decided to support Susan G. Komen of Wyoming through monetary contributions and by referencing Komen in 2011 CFD literature.  I respectfully request that Cheyenne Frontier Days change its decision and redirect any funds raised this year by CFD for breast cancer research from Susan G. Komen of Wyoming to other worthier breast cancer research organizations and refrain from mentioning Susan G. Komen of Wyoming either in CFD literature or commentary during the 2011 rodeo because of the latter’s affiliation with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, its national parent organization.  The relationship between Komen of Wyoming and national Komen is problematic for the following reasons:

1.  Susan G. Komen for the Cure (which receives 25% of the money raised by Komen’s Wyoming affiliate) allows its affiliates nationwide to partner with Planned Parenthood, America’s largest abortion provider, in supplying breast health services.  Such cooperation on the part of Susan G. Komen’s affiliates with Planned Parenthood frees up Planned Parenthood’s unrestricted money for abortion-related services.  Although the local affiliate has reportedly not donated to Planned Parenthood, nevertheless by virtue of its association with the national organization, Susan G. Komen of Wyoming (and, therefore, any organizations and individuals who donate to it) is complicit in the abortions resulting from such funding by other Komen affiliates with the blessing of the national Komen.

2.  Susan G. Komen for the Cure has endorsed embryonic stem cell research, which always results in the destruction of human life at an early stage.

3.  Rather than support further research on the issue, Susan G. Komen for the Cure has prematurely dismissed the link between abortion and breast cancer, despite the fact that credible studies have demonstrated such a link.

By associating itself with Susan G. Komen locally, CFD is thereby associating itself with Susan G. Komen nationally and all that Komen represents, does, and allows its affiliates to do.  Such an association contradicts the “family” and “child” friendly purposes of CFD and threatens to taint this year’s wonderful rodeo which you and so many Cheyenne residents have worked hard to bring to fruition.

Thank you in advance for discontinuing CFD funding and public recognition of Susan G. Komen of Wyoming until the issues raised above have been resolved.

Sincerely,

________________________________________________________________________________

Signature/ Printed Name        

Address/City/State/Zip

I hope this is enough for some of our more moderate political friends to distance themselves from this hate group.  Once again they skew and manipulate the facts to fit into their campaign of hate and discrimination. It's time we all stand up to them and tell them this is not acceptable. I will be making a gift to the Susan G Komen Foundation today!!

Jeran