Out in Wyoming

So many headlines!

2012-02-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

So much to talk about; I really am going to make a solid effort to blog a bit more! I've missed my ranting and raving in this forum. Let's get to it!

I saw this on CNN this morning and I think I'm in Love! "Gay Texas judge refuses to wed straight couples" What a great idea for an activist!

Also saw that the Tyler Clementi bullying trial begins today. This, of course, has become one of the most publicized bullying/suicide incidents in recent years. I really look forward to the day sexual orientation for teens, and everyone for that matter, is not a reason for being bullied or ridiculed. I don't suppose I will see that day in my lifetime; however there is some wonderful news on the marriage equality front....

Maryland has (or is about to) become the eight state that allows for full marriage equality. Yay!! So far this year we've seen marriage equality arrive in Washington State, now Maryland, and of course we could have seen this in New Jersey as well, but a self righteous, bigoted governor has stood in the way! Like I always say, he might have won the battle, but we will win the war!

I put up this last picture in memory of Tyler and everyone else that has been bullied, teased, tormented, and ridiculed for living a life that feels natural, healthy, comfortable, and right. I hope today we will all reach out to our LGTB friends and let them know that they are loved and appreciated.

Jeran

Wyoming Residents Legislative Action Alert!

2012-02-23T09:17:00.000-07:00

I'm sharing an action alert from Wyoming Equality's Joe Corrigan. Please contact your legislators today! A huge thank you to my friends Will and Patrick who first turned us on to this error, and everyone who contributed talking points.

Find your Representative here, and find your Senator here. For a complete list of all Senators and Representatives visit the LSO Website.

"Dear Friends,

Yesterday we learned of a mistake in the Wyoming Health Department Budget regarding funding for HIV/AIDS Treatment. The error cuts treatment funds by $400,000.00. If not corrected it could cost the state matching funds from the Ryan White Care Act Part B. I am asking you to please take the time today to email your Senator and Representative and ask them to restore these funds. Please prepare your own original email. You can send your email to as many Senators and Representatives as you like. Please be as polite as possible. Your letter may make all the difference in the world for the 135 currently people being helped by this program as well as future recipients. Talking points are listed below. Shorter letters are appreciated by our elected officials.

Talking Points:

100% of the money in this program goes to treatment and over 90% of that goes to very expensive antiretroviral medication. While the average cost to treat a person with HIV medication therapy is over $25,000.00 annually, the cost of hospitalization due to untreated AIDS can be at least 30 times that.

The Wyoming HIV Services Program serves over 150 adults and children living with HIV. 135 are eligible for assistance. Wyoming residents who do not qualify for any other insurance coverage are eligible for the WY RWCA A/B and the guidelines are income restricted. Funding is not available to Wyomingites with gross income above $35,955. If you do the math; and subtracting $25,000 for medical treatment leaves less than $11,000 per year for other living expenses.

The counties with the highest rate of HIV/AIDS are Laramie and Natrona Counties. However, as of 2007 the Wyoming Department of Health HIV/AIDS Surveillance Program has reported incidence of HIV/AIDS in every county.

This supplemental funding was added to the WDH Budget in 2003 when it was discovered Wyoming was the only state that did not contribute to the care of its HIV/AIDS patients thus rendering the state ineligible for any federal funding matches. AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) funding comes from federal funding. State matching funds are required. The legislation was sponsored by former Representative Jerry Ickel, (R. Sheridan CO.) and former Senator Mike Massey (D. Albany Co.)

The $400,000 cut may be replaced by rebate funds from Pharmaceutical Companies. However, these rebates occur after a prescription is filled. If money is not available for the purchase, the rebate would not be available. These Pharmaceutical rebate funds are not a guaranteed funding source.

At one time last year the waiting list nationwide for Ryan White Part B Funds included approx. 9,000 people. Relying on Pharmaceutical Rebate Funds to make up a budget cut would be very risky as almost every state will be using the same plan. Rebate funds could easily be exhausted.

Most Wyoming Agency Budgets were cut by 8 to 12%. If we don’t restore this $400,000.00 error it would result in a 54% cut for HIV/AIDS Treatment Funds.

If funding is not restored it could also mean funds will be exhausted and no treatment dollars will remain to purchase medications for the last four months of the year.

If lack of funding results in a discontinuance of treatment for persons with HIV/AIDS, the resumption of treatment is often a failure.

We need to keep our current Maintenance of Effort Service Levels to prevent the risk of losing our current funding level of Ryan White Care Act Funding in future years. (Maintenance of Effort requires that all Ryan White Part B grantees contribute at least the same amount of state fund for HIV-related activities as the previous fiscal year.)

This cut, $400,000, is not a large portion of the Wyoming Budget. For purposes of comparison only, it is less than the cost of maintaining the household staff at the Governor’s Mansion.

Increasing drug costs, more infections, and less people with insurance have put steady upward pressure on HIV treatment costs, and Wyoming is no exception.

Help ensure that Wyoming residents will continue to have access to medications for HIV/AIDS treatment that they otherwise would not be able to afford.

Senators and Representatives are listed below with their email address for your convenience. Thank you for your help.

Joe Corrigan"

Major thanks to Joe for putting this together! Remember this is urgent and our lawmakers need to hear from us this morning!

Jeran

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

2011-11-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

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????

2011-10-18T14:22:00.001-06:00

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?

2011-10-14T08:33:00.000-06:00

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!

2011-09-29T08:32:00.001-06:00

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!

2011-09-16T10:17:00.000-06:00

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!

2011-09-13T14:47:00.001-06:00

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

2011-09-12T14:07:00.001-06:00

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.

2011-09-12T13:11:00.000-06:00

Hi - Im 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. Im 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 childrens 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, were 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 dont 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 Camilles last name and baptized in Camilles 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 benefitsmany thousands of dollars a yearare designed to compensate a child for the economic loss of a parent. The benefits were denied because Camille had not been Nics legal parent. If New Jersey had simply recognized Camille as Nics legal parent upon his birth, the result would have been different. Nics emotional catastrophethe loss of a parentwould not have been compounded by economic catastrophethe loss of all the familys income.

I will never forget!

2011-09-11T10:10:00.000-06:00

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!

2011-09-09T10:49:00.000-06:00

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!

2011-09-08T10:37:00.001-06:00

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?

2011-09-06T15:15:00.000-06:00

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!

2011-09-02T08:03:00.002-06:00

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??

2011-08-31T07:28:00.000-06:00

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!

2011-08-30T09:00:00.000-06:00

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!

2011-08-25T11:42:00.000-06:00

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.

2011-08-24T19:41:00.000-06:00

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'

2011-08-22T18:59:00.000-06:00

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!

2011-08-17T14:30:00.000-06:00

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

2011-08-15T13:34:00.000-06:00

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!

2011-08-09T11:07:00.003-06:00

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!

2011-07-29T14:47:00.000-06:00

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

2011-07-26T20:05:00.002-06:00

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

2011-07-21T00:20:00.002-06:00

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

2011-07-15T06:56:00.000-06:00

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!

2011-07-13T15:04:00.000-06:00

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.

2011-07-12T07:27:00.000-06:00

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

Save the date! Sept 15th 2011

2011-07-06T10:23:00.007-06:00

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."

Camp it up in Wyoming!

2011-07-05T13:38:00.000-06:00

Wanted to share an article I wrote for our newsletter. If anyone likes camping consider coming to Rendezvous! This glorious event takes place August 3-7th in the Medicine Bow National Forest.

Rendezvous; A Newcomer’s Perspective.

Last year I was a “Rendezvous Virgin,” I was both nervous and excited. Being a Wyoming native I couldn’t wait to finally spend some time around people that I could relate to; and when it was all said and done I vowed that I would never miss another Rendezvous, as it was truly a life changing experience.

A couple weeks ago I was at pride in Denver and passed out Rendezvous flyers in the parade and also spent some time manning our booth in the park. The most common question I got was; “what kind of a camping trip is it?” My response, “like anything in life, it is what you make of it.” If you’re looking for a nice quiet and relaxing camping trip you can find it here. If you’re looking for a great party you can also find it here; and anything in between. We have old campers, young campers, men, women, families, and a nice mix of the LGTB community along with a handful of our straight allies.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I’m not much of a camper so I wondered if I would even fit in. Right away I had trouble setting up my tent. I was thinking to myself “if I can’t get this put together shortly I’m just going to throw it back in my car and go home.” Luckily I had help almost immediately! A passerby saw that I was struggling and came to my rescue. He was happy to help and I ended up spending many wonderful hours with him and his friends laughing, telling stories, and sharing good food and drink.

Speaking of food, I brought some of my own, but decided to mostly eat the meals that could be purchased at the main campsite. I thought they were very good! All the ingredients were fresh and a nice variety of cuisine was offered. I met some campers that had brought all of their own food and were kind enough to invite me to one of their “dinner parties.” Keep in mind this is gay camping, so they weren’t grilling burgers and brats, it was more like bacon wrapped shrimp on rosemary skewers. Anyway, I had wonderful food the entire time I was up there.

(needless to say I didn't win the hula hooping contest!)

The entertainment was great last year and should be equally impressive this year. Nuclea Waste will be back with her hilarious drag show. Nancy Norton will be headlining one night with a comedy show. We also have hiking, workshops, volleyball, drag queen bingo, a film festival, country dancing, and so much more.

For me the best part was making so many new friends. Some I’ve stayed in touch with over the last year and we’ve actually become very close, and some I’m excited to reconnect with.

So if you’re on the fence about attending or not attending, give it a shot, it might just change your life!

Jeran Artery

Wyoming Equality

I pray too!

2011-06-30T09:33:00.000-06:00

This is probably going to shock many of you, but I try and pray every night and I thank God for how he made me!

Gandhi said "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians." I don't remember what committee meeting I was at, I think it was the civil unions bill hearing, but the room was packed with "Christians" lining up to testify on the perils of homosexuality. First came comments for the bill, a handful of us spoke in favor, then came comments against the bill. Cue the freakshow!

A gentleman by the name of Gary Flom who drove all the way over from Torrington testified that there was indeed hope for homosexuals, they could join a program called Exodus International and convert from their wicked ways. Well guess what Gary? I don't want to convert! I love who I am! God made me this way and I thank him for it!

For the first time in my life I am truly happy! I have a wonderful daughter who loves me unconditionally. I have a great career. I have the most amazing friends in the world. And I Love Men!! Deal with it!

Of course Gary was there with all the WyWatch folks and their views are slightly different from mine. I took this off their website, it's a link entitled "why protect marriage in WY", here are their conclusions;

Conclusions:
 Marriage was created and defined by our Creator and we have no right to
change it!
 The primary purpose of marriage is to create families of one man, one
woman and children to be the building blocks of society!
 Christian conservatives rightly conclude that homosexuality is a sin and not a
right!
 There is nothing in the United States Constitution that grants homosexuals
the right to marry!
 There is absolutely no scientific evidence to support the claim that

homosexuals are born that way!
 Homosexual activity is a sin as described in the Bible and should be treated
as such!
 If we do not stop the gay rights movement, our society as we know it today is
doomed!
 There is no question that the overwhelming majority of the citizens of
Wyoming favor a State constitutional amendment to define marriage as
between one man and one woman

Wow!! Society is doomed???? That's the first time I've heard that one! So it just might surprise them to know that I pray to the same God that they pray to. The difference is I rejoice in gay people. My people, who have such a passion for life and just want to be treated the same as everyone else!

Jeran

GOProud?? Give me a friggin break!

2011-06-28T22:13:00.000-06:00

I just for the life of me can't understand why anyone would want to be part of an organization that hates everything you stand for and represent!

GOProud is a faction of the Republican Party. They didn't want to be affiliated with Log Cabin Republicans because they are just to damn liberal. Take a look at their website. At the time I was writing this they had posts supporting Ann Coulter and New Jersey Gov Chris Christie saying gays shouldn't be allowed to get married. Are you kidding me??? Why????

Ann Coulter has used the word "faggot" publicly multiple times and would be the last person I would think of as a spokesperson for a gay group. I hope a member of GOProud reads this and can explain to me why they hate themselves so badly that they would push to oust politicians who are publicly supporting LGTB issues. Do you not want to marry the love of your life? Are you to irresponsible to handle a marriage? Do you think that being gay is a legitimate reason for being fired from your job? Please help me understand why you feel this way!

I just don't get it! Like many Wyoming citizens I grew up in conservative family and as a teen and young adult I identified as a Republican. I didn't really explore issues into any depth, I just knew what mom and dad were talking about and thought... "we'll, they're smart, I guess I'll go along for the ride." However once I grew a brain and a backbone and realized I didn't need anyone to tell me what to think, and especially after I came out, I have to admit that I felt a little ashamed to be affiliated with a group that, for the most part, can't stand how my brain and DNA are wired.

This post is a result of an article I read in The Advocate written by Michelangelo Signorile. Michel hosts a radio show on Sirius/XM. I was a guest on his show this spring talking about HB74 and SJ5. He is a wonderful advocate for the gay rights movement, and if you're not listening to his show, you should be! (even though he spelled my name wrong.)

So here again I ask, especially if you are gay, what makes you affiliate with this party? Maybe someone can explain it to me in a way that I can wrap my little brain around?? Because right now I'm very confuzzled!!

Jeran

Is your view evolving??

2011-06-27T08:26:00.000-06:00

Friday New York State became the 6th state, along with the District of Columbia, to allow gay marriage. Oh what I would have given to have been in New York celebrating their pride festival this last weekend.

I was sitting home watching the live feed from the New York Senate floor. When the votes were tallied and victory declared, I jumped up and down and cried for 20 minutes. I have to admit that I felt the same sense of elation that I had felt when we killed HB74 here in Wyoming.

This is such a huge huge victory for the gay rights movement and I hope this helps us build momentum in other states, and I also hope this helps turn attitudes more favorably towards marriage equality. One of the things that makes me optimistic for the future is people who admit they have formed new opinions, opened their minds, or had a change of heart.

This is a quote from Senator Mark Grisanti, a Republican from Buffalo who campaigned on the platform of opposing gay marriage but ended up voting in favor of the bill; "I apologize for those who feel offended. I cannot deny a person, a human being, a taxpayer, a worker, the people of my district and across this state, the State of New York, and those people who make this the great state that it is the same rights that I have with my wife." Wow, now that's powerful!! And that's how we are going to win the war on equality!

So why is our Presidents' view on marriage equality "evolving?" As a gay rights advocate, I have a bit of a problem with the fact that Dick Cheney and Laura Bush have already evolved their opinions and they happen to be more progressive than our President's! President Obama it's time you speak out in favor of full marriage equality!! Your silence was awkwardly noticeable.

I agree with Maureen Dowd in that, for now, the leader of the civil rights movement of our time appears to be Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York. He has consistently asked New York Lawmakers to bring him a marriage equality bill that he could sign into law, and Friday they delivered!

So what about you? Most of my close friends have the same view I do, but I want to know how many of you have changed you mind about gay marriage or are at least you feel like you are evolving or maybe now are a little more open minded than you once were??

6 down 44 to go! We've got work to do!

Jeran

Same Sex Census Data out for Wyoming

2011-06-23T12:07:00.000-06:00

same sex couple info released for Wyoming

Comments are coming. I just want everyone to look at the data and know we are here, we have families and we are in your schools, offices, towns and cities.

What a weekend!

2011-06-21T14:49:00.000-06:00

"Woohooo! Happy Pride Baby!" If I had a dollar for every time I heard that this weekend I would be rich! This last weekend was Denver's Gay Pride Event and what a weekend it was!

I've never been to a pride event like this before. The crowd was estimated at about 275,000 and let me tell you there was something for everyone! The main festival was down at Civic Center Park and was filled with vendor booths of all different shapes and sizes. The political parties were there, food vendors, porn sites, art galleries, communication and technological companies, insurance companies, t-shirt vendors; Wyoming Equality had a booth to promote our Rendezvous camping trip and to give you an idea of the "eclecticness" of the group we had an animal shelter booth on one side of us and right across from them was a booth that was selling spanking paddles and had men and women ready to spank you should you so desire (seriously!)

There were three stage areas that had some sort of entertainment going at all times. I saw a Michael Jackson impersonator, drag queens, Vegas show girls, go-go boys, comedians, rappers, tons of dancers and DJ's. One of the areas just played dance music in case you wanted to shake your booty all day long.

People were there with their families, gay couples, lesbian couples, straight couples, people decked out in leather, guys walking around in their tighty whities, sequins, tattoo's, piercings... all looks and all walks of life.

There was no judging going on, no hateful looks, just people having fun and celebrating diversity. For me the whole experience was incredibly validating. To see that many people out supporting gay pride is a very humbling experience.

Wyoming Equality had a float in the parade Sunday Morning. We arrived at 7am and put everything together. We blew up balloons, decked out a four-wheeler and trailer with rainbow flags and garland, hung banners, and turned Joe's truck into a rainbow piece of deliciousness worthy of gay pride. We then walked the parade route and handed out 3,000 flyer's promoting Rendezvous.

I stayed with my friends Dan and Josh (thank you so much guys!!) and we tried to take in as much as we possibly could over the weekend. We started with sushi on Colfax Friday night (who knew you could find some of the best sushi ever on Colfax Ave?) and we partied and celebrated all the way through Sunday night.

I met so many great people! I don't think I will ever miss Pride in Denver again. If you've never been to something like this you need to go and experience it at least once. The beauty, the pageantry, the music, and especially the people watching are definitely worth the trip!

Jeran

I need these victories!

2011-06-15T11:46:00.001-06:00

Yesterday equality took a few more baby steps in the right direction. To recap, read the entire story here, a chief U.S. District Court Judge said that an openly gay judge was completely competent to rule on issues that involve the gay community. Of course this relates to Judge Vaughn Walker's decision that California's Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.

I really can't express what this does to me as a human being and as a gay individual living in Wyoming. These little victories are HUGE and help me keep my sanity!

Last night before I went to bed I was browsing through the comments on my blog and this little morsel caught my eye. (scroll through the blog until you get to comments and read what Marc wrote) I didn't catch it at first because my computer had flagged it as spam, but after reading it, it was not spam..... it was a message of hate.

I just for the life of me can't understand how someone could be so hatefully ignorant! I generally think that as a society we are making big strides, almost daily, in the fight on equality and viewing gay people as normal human beings. But when I read this kind of junk I realize how much we need to continue to speak out and fight against these ignorant assholes!

Obviously this personal deals in fiction rather than facts (just read the older blog comments,) and has lost all credibility as a worthy adversary on the debate on marriage equality. How can you take a child, physically abuse him, tell him everything that's going on in his head is wrong and that he needs to fight it, and then suggest that program has had no bearing on the adult he turned out to be or ultimately resulted in his suicide??

This also caught my eye "homosexuality will not be normal until 2 men can make each other pregnant." Wow! But, this is the kind of message WYWATCH preaches, they repeatedly testified to WY Lawmakers that the only reason we were put on this earth was to procreate and if you can't do that, then you were basically worthless. We responded, what about people who are sterile? What about an elderly couple that wants to get married but are to old to conceive? What about a straight couple that chooses to not have any children? Of course they had no answers. The only group they really wanted to rally against were gay's!

So little victories (and of course all my amazing friends) help me stay sane and realize that I need to keep fighting and shouting for what I believe in. Marc, you can't take away my voice, you can't take away this trend that is sweeping the country, and when you make comments like that, you expose the hateful, ignorant, bigot that you are. I really hope you are alive and well to see the day that same sex marriage is legal in all 50 states because I believe that day is coming!

Jeran

Supporting Rural LGTB Events and People

2011-06-13T10:51:00.001-06:00

(following is a reprint of a blog from GAY ICONS & HISTORY, filed by D Gregory Smith, and sent to Wyoming Equality from Bob Edgerly, one of our California friends.)

I thought this was awesome and wanted to share with my readers;

LGBT people live in rural America. We work here, go to school, own property, pay taxes, raise families, attend churches, shop and donate to charity. We don't have a lot of gay bars, LGBT sports clubs, drag shows and neighborhoods where we can hold hands with our partners. Nonetheless, we live here. We love here. We have friends and families here.

Sometimes we do it all under a great deal of stress.

I work with a lot of LGBT persons who have really good reasons for living in rural America. We also have a lot of pressure to leave. We don't get a lot of support. Far too often, the strongest reason to leave is to find a greater sense of community. Sometimes, that is the only reason - the driving reason - that makes them pack up the car and head to Denver or Seattle or Portland.

Creating community in a small town isn't always easy. There are a lot of obstacles to overcome - fear, shame, stigma - all the old tapes. We don't have the sheer force of numbers present in New York, L.A. or Chicago; it can be scary to stand up with a group of five or six in front of a school board or a state legislature. We don't have a large pool of organizers, and often the same people are the ones organizing every event. Burnout is common. Sometimes we just need some encouragement.

And that's where you come in.

The fight for LGBT Equality is not going to be won in the cities. It's already mostly won there. It's going to be won in small-town America where people need to see gay people as human, normal and neighbors- not just some characters on television. It's going to be won when the lady who runs the local Holiday Inn meets real live lesbians and finds them to be just like any other guests.

When the casual onlooker comes to the parade to see "freaks" and walks away disappointed when he sees families and friends laughing and cheering. When a bi kid is accepted instead of encouraged to "get off the fence". When locals see their gay neighbors in the light of day, paying our own way, as deserving of love, respect and commitment as anyone else. When drag shows and AIDS charity events are just as normal and accepted as karaoke, rodeo and the county fair. When our rural and small-town legislators, see us simply as citizens with the same rights as every other constituent. When kids don't say "gay" as an epithet of scorn and derision.

When we are seen as part of a larger community, that's when full equality will happen.

We need your encouragement to continue the struggle for that equality. It can be pretty lonely out here, sometimes. And I've come to believe that, as important as the work in the cities is, those who work to improve the lives of LGBT persons in rural America are the real heroes.

The drag queens in Butte or Bisbee may not be as glamorous as the Key West queens, but they're certainly just as brave - braver even. The HIV activist in Anchorage has just as many concerns as the activist in Atlanta. We want to know you have our backs when we're working to educate legislators and local politicians and school boards and businesses. We want to know that it's okay to stay here, even when it's hard.

We need you.

I couldn't have said it any better myself! Thanks for reading,

Jeran

Another anti-gay hypocrite exposed!

2011-06-10T12:25:00.001-06:00

Watch the clip. It makes me sick!! These sick bastards promote hate and intolerance while secretly being closeted gays themselves. I always have people ask me "Jeran, do you suppose these people that lobby so hard against you are actually gay themselves?" My response is, "some are, most definitely!!" These SOB's should be held accountable for their actions. WYWATCH is the kind of group that makes people feel like suicide is a better option than coming out!

I've lived in the closet for most of my adult life, and it is no way to live! It is a miserable existence and I understand how people feel they simple can't live a lie anymore and feel that suicide is the only option. How can we not classify groups like Family Research Council, NARTH, and WYWATCH as hate groups?? Look at what they are doing to people!

I would suspect WYWATCH is full of members just like George Rekers. Take a look;

I have no interest in outing people who do not wish to be outed, but if you are an outspoken hater and get caught with your hand in the cookie jar, I will be waiting to expose you for what you are!

Jeran

Here's the official list!

2011-06-09T09:35:00.000-06:00

The WYWATCH Family Values Pledge was signed by 14 Wyoming Legislators in 2010. These legislators promised to "protect and advocate for the precious life of the unborn, marriage between one man and one woman and other Judeo-Christian principles" The following legislators signed:

In case you were wondering what these Judeo-Christina principles were, here is a partial list:

The dignity of human life
Marriage, the traditional monogamous family
A national work ethic
The right to a God centered education
Morality-obedience to God's word
Freedom- common decency
Our personal accountability to God

WYWATCH is a hate group! I listened to them testify up at the capital, I've read their letters to the editor, and I want everyone to look at the links they post on their website about gay hate. Legislators that align with this group should be ashamed! This group is not moderate or tolerant or even open to listening to new ideas about acceptance.

If these "values" are something you'd like to teach in the privacy of your own home fine, whatever, you have a right to do that, but this is not something that should be forced onto Wyoming Legislators! I respect the concept of freedom of religion and I believe this is a concept that makes America great! Bottom line, don't cram your beliefs down my throat! I have a brain and I can think for myself thank you very much!

The next legislative session begins in February of 2012 and it is a budget session. This means the session only last for 20 days and as an unofficial rule of thumb most of the work should be centered around budget issues, hence the name.

However, if you read the recent article in the Casper Star WYWATCH is indeed going to try and bring up the whole gay marriage debate again. Even though it's a budget session and even though it would take a 2/3 majority vote to even be considered.

I hope this makes you as mad as it does me! These folks wasted enough of our time in the last session talking about social issues that, frankly, I don't think most Wyoming Citizens even care about. So now they are going to do it again??? In a budget session??? That don't make no sense!!

With all the other issues this state is facing in regards to energy, employment, health care, not to mention putting together a multi-billion dollar budget, why do they want to waste time on social issues like gay marriage?

Think about and ask yourself this, "If Jeran and Ricky Martin get married this year how is that going to affect me in a negative way?" on the flip side "If I get laid off next year because my company closes up shop in WY, or a million barrels of oil accidentally get dumped into the North Platte River, how is that going to affect me?" What would you rather have our legislature working on?

Jeran

We need your help!

2011-06-07T10:54:00.000-06:00

Dear friends of the LGTB community, it's hard to imagine but election time is going to be here before we know it. Our opponents are working hard behind the scenes and are well organized and well funded. We are trying to do the same thing!

Many of you know that I'm on the board of Wyoming Equality, please read this letter we recently sent to our members from our chairman Joe Corrigan;

Now, the hard part begins!

It’s not an election year. The legislature has gone home. We won every vital legislative struggle this year. At this point most of you go back to your private lives. Many of us in Wyoming Equality now go to work organizing, planning, and strategizing for the next legislative session. We need your help now. We don’t want to be scrambling at the last minute putting together the coalition needed to promote pro-GLBT legislation and stop anti-GLBT legislation.

To do this vital work we need the support of people like you who understand that our job is not finished just because the legislature went home. We need your help creating the progressive change we all want to see take place in Wyoming.

Your help is needed in all of these areas:

· Make an investment in Wyoming Equality. Pledge $10, $20 or even $100 per month. Your generous pledge keeps our doors open and finances our ability to do this important work. Please go to the end of this article and send a check or make a monthly contribution through Pay Pal on our web page at www.wyomingequality.org.

· Join Wyoming Equality. There is strength in numbers. The more members we have, the more impressive we look to legislators when we are lobbying them. Talk your friends into joining. Our goal is to sign up an average of five new members from each Wyoming county. Membership is only $25 per year, $15 if you are low income/student, or $40 if you are living in the same household and we only send you one newsletter. Please go to the end of this article and send in the membership form.

· Become an advocate for Wyoming Equality. Wyoming Equality is looking for ten people living in each legislative district to become advocates for our causes. One of the most frequent comments we heard from legislators this year is "no GLBT people live in my district". We know GLBT people live in every Wyoming legislative district, but we were not always able to prove this to legislators. Emails, telephone calls, and letters made a huge difference during this legislative session. When that communication honestly includes “I live in your district”, it makes a significant difference.

We stopped every damaging anti-GLBT bill during the last legislative session. We succeeded because you helped. During the 2013 legislative session we plan to promote positive GLBT legislation. We believe we can succeed in passing pro-GLBT bills with enough help from all of you. You all know your legislative districts better than we do in Cheyenne. Advocates for our causes can be GLBT people, family and friends of GLBT people, or people who care about human rights and believe in fairness for all. Talk to your friends and neighbors and find the advocates we need in your legislative district. Ask them to send us their contact information.

Our opposition lost big time this last legislative session. But let’s keep in mind that we won the last vote in the Senate with one vote to spare. Those who oppose GLBT rights will come back bigger, stronger, and more organized in 2013. We have to come back bigger, stronger , and more organized, too. We must begin now to create an organization that will grow enough to stop the opposition again in 2013. We can succeed with your help.

Please join Wyoming Equality, talk your friends into joining, find advocates for GLBT rights, and send in your contribution today. Together, we will create the progressive Wyoming we all want to enjoy.

Joe Corrigan

So would you please consider helping us? We didn't anticipate fighting these legislative battles in 2012 due to the fact that it's a budget session, however our opponents have vowed to bring these ugly bills back in 2012 so we need to be prepared to fight.

Our mission statement is, "Wyoming Equality seeks to enhance the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people in the Equality State by providing: Education, Information, Activities, Support, a Networking System, and an Advocacy System for people impacted by gender and sexual orientation issues."

We are organized as a 501(c)3 company which means your contributions are completely tax deductible and we can use a limited amount of our funds for political type issues. We also have a 501(c)4 called the UGLW (United Gays and Lesbians of WY) for Social Change. If you want to make a donation strictly for political purposes, i.e. lobbying, please make your check payable to, "UGLW Fund for Social Change" and understand that it is not tax deductible.

So basically we are asking for help!! If you'd like to make a tax deductible donation with limited political influence please make your check payable to "WY Equality." If you'd like your contribution to be completely political (thus non deductible for tax purposes) please make your check payable to, "UGLW fund for social change." And if all of this is to confusing just contact me and I'll help you navigate the two choices.

Your donations can be sent to;

Wyoming Equality

PO Box 2531

Cheyenne, WY 82003

Also please consider becoming a member of WY Equality. Here is the link to join. We are happy to welcome our straight allies as members.

I've always said equality is not an issue of Republican vs Democrat, it is an issue of Right vs Wrong! So please consider giving no matter what your party affiliation may be, and remember no amount is to small.

Thank you so much for reading this and making a donation.

Jeran

Wyomingite's, You will have to vote on this in 2012!

2011-05-24T08:29:00.000-06:00

I'm excited to introduce you to SJ2. This is a proposed amendment to the Wyoming Constitution. You can read the entire bill here. It goes a little something like this;

"The adoption of this amendment will provide that the right to make health care decisions is reserved to the citizens of the state of Wyoming. It permits any person to pay and any health care provider to receive direct payment for services. The amendment permits the legislature to place reasonable and necessary restrictions on health care consistent with the purposes of the Wyoming Constitution and provides that this state shall act to preserve these rights from undue government infringement."

I went to a meeting yesterday and we talked extensively about this amendment and what it means. The first reason I really liked it; we had two attorneys in the meeting, and they couldn't say exactly what it meant. They said it was confusing and poorly written. My response... GOOD! I can't stand attorneys, and if they're confused then I would say this amendment is off to an "excellent start!"

One of my favorite things about this bill is that the primary sponsor is Senator Leslie Nutting from Cheyenne.

I think if you will read the entire bill you'll agree with me that there is nothing "Nutty" about it! In fact I think it is crystal clear and even though my lawyer friends say the language could keep this in front of the courts for years and years, I say, "You did good Senator Nutting!"

While I remember you sitting in the conference committee talking about how to nullify gay marriages and civil unions performed legally in other jurisdictions and you proclaimed "marriage is hard!" I'm so glad health care isn't, and that you were able to nail this one on the head!

In fact I'm inclined to agree with your colleague on the house side Representative Amy Edmonds who said something to the effect that the wording was sheer poetry! I agree!! And who doesn't love a good poem? Here's my favorite.... "roses is red. violets is purple. sugar is sweet and so is maple surple." I'll bet that's one of your favorites too!

Some in our group said your proposed constitutional amendment was a little contradictory in the way you summarize by saying you are protecting us from "undue government infringement." but just above that you say, "the legislature (can) place reasonable and necessary restrictions on health care." Well I don't care about that either. The amazing insight, direction, and leadership the Wyoming Legislature showed over this last session just reaffirms to me that if my health were in jeopardy, you all are exactly who I would want to be calling the shots on whether I live or die!! After all, you're a retired nurse for God's sake, and I assume if you were in over your head you could call on John Barrasso for guidance.

I agree that health care should be left up to individuals and I sure hate the idea that the new Affordable Care Act would impact Wyoming by;

giving coverage to 49,000 Wyoming citizens who currently don't have anything,
would eliminate preexisting coverage riders and exclusions on kids,
would allow adult children to remain on their parent's policies,
end life time maximums and phase out annual limits,
give us the right to appeal decisions we don't agree with,
no copays on preventative services,
and would close the donut hole in Medicare

After all, none of those things affect me personally, so I don't really care! I'm just glad to know that if I screw things up to badly, you'll be there to look after me!

You can count on me being a "YES" vote!

Jeran

Governator is a fraud!

2011-05-20T10:00:00.001-06:00

I didn't want to do it! I didn't want to pick on Arnold but I can't let his inexcusable behavior slide. The Governator has, for the most part, been a good friend of the LGTB community as he has spoken out on marriage equality numerous times; but what a piece of work! In light of everything that has happened I don't think he should be commenting on anyone's marriage ever again!!

Maria... soon to be ex-wife

His mistress..

Really??

I feel sorry for the kids. His son changed his last name on his twitter account from Schwarzenegger to Shriver. Divorce is so hard under "normal" circumstances. I can't imagine playing out a divorce in front of the paparazzi.

What a charade! What a con man! The two women were pregnant at the same time and living under the same roof? How did he keep this hidden from everyone for so long? Residents of California should be furious! How could some one in the public spotlight live such an incredible lie! I've seen polls that many Californians considered him the worst governor of all time before these shenanigans. These new revelations should seal the deal!

Yeah! Thumbs up buddy! You're a friggin' winner!

What a week for high profile Republicans. The Donald isn't running, Newt's in hot water with the GOP, and Arnold turns out to be a slut. Oh my!

Jeran

What's up Newt?

2011-05-18T10:19:00.002-06:00

Boy has this been a rough week for Newt, and it's only Wednesday!

Tuesday night Newt was "glitter bombed" by a gay rights protester. While personally I think pulling these kinds of stunts does more harm than good, I did have to chuckle at this video, especially listening to what Newt's security detail told these buffoon's at the end of the clip.

On Monday a voter from Iowa gave the former speaker a piece of his mind for criticizing the Paul Ryan Budget, luckily it was caught on camera! ;) Newt apologized Tuesday for calling the budget proposal "radical" and a piece of "right-wing engineering." Sorry to see you back pedal Newt, I actually agree with you on that one!

Tuesday also brought revelations that at one time Newt was indebted to Tiffany's for at least $250k. Apparently Newt is a bit of bling bling man. I certainly can't fault him for that! Hmmm.. I wonder if he actually liked the "glitter bombing?"

Wow... is she real or is she plastic?? Anyway, hang in there Newt! Like you said, "It's early in the campaign, a lot can happen!"

And remember, Glitter is the Herpes of craft supplies!

Jeran

Gay or Straight?

2011-05-13T22:51:00.000-06:00

Well this might be a fun little game to play. See the gentleman standing on the right with the white jeans, in the fuschia and white checkered shirt, and the fabulous teal belt? What would you guess.... gay or straight?

Perhaps a young man and his parents getting ready to head to Chicago's Gay Pride Festival?..... Nope!

This is U.S. House Representative Freshmen Aaron Schock, a Republican, from Peoria, Illinois. Now before you go gettin all up in my face about stereotypes and judging, let me give you a little background. He is the youngest member of the U.S. House, elected at age 27. He started his political career at age 19 with a run for the local school board (he won!)

And now he is on the cover of Men's Health Magazine. What an inspirational young man!

In February of this year he publicly criticized Obama after he announced that the Justice Department would no longer defend DOMA. He also voted no on domestic partner benefits, he voted no on the repeal of DADT, and he voted no on enforcement against anti-gay hate crimes. Bottom line, this guy is no friend of the LGTB community!

He's not married or in an admitted relationship, however, according to credible Washington insiders he frequently brings his boyfriend to D.C. functions and events.

So is he or isn't he. I could really give a flip! If he is, then he's the stereotypical hypocrite of a politician that talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk!

If he isn't gay then he's the typical homophobic, bigot, hater!!! Whatever the case....(as cute as he may be) I don't like this guy!

Jeran

Breakin up is hard to do!

2011-05-13T21:48:00.000-06:00

After seven months of dating, Landon and I have decided to call it quits.

I'm a big believer in opposites attract... but.....we are so different! The long term dynamics just aren't there! Our long term goals, turns out, have become a deal breaker.

Landon, I will miss you so much! I hope you find someone that will make you very happy; and I hope you find someone that wants all the same things in life that you want. I know that special someone is out there waiting for you! I want you to know that you will always have a special place in my heart, and I will think back on the time we spent together with much joy and warmth.

I've always loved the innocence you've had about you. You're smile was what first attracted me to you, and that laugh will always make my heart melt. I think we could all learn something from the way you look at life and how the simplest things are often the best things. Whether it is walking into a beautiful hotel room, looking at a full moon with awe, gazing at pretty packages under the Christmas tree, eating food that delighted your taste buds, or going through model homes in Denver, I loved looking at the delight in your eyes. You’ve shown me how much beauty the world has to offer if only we open our eyes and participate.

So it's funny, you probably wont read this since you stopped reading my blog because it wasn't about you every day, but I wanted you to know what was in my heart.

To everyone else.... I will get back to politics shortly, but I just needed to pour my heart into this blog today. Landon was my first “serious” boyfriend after coming out. I've learned so much from this relationship and hopefully I can take what I've learned and become a better person.

Jeran

Whackadoodles!

2011-05-13T21:18:00.000-06:00

So does everyone know who Wywatch is? If not, please check out their website here.

These are the whackadoodles that filled the Wyoming Capital with prayer vigils during the last legislative session. I would sit by them in committee meetings and in the house and senate chambers as they would read their bibles, bow their heads in prayer, cling to their rosary beads, and lecture me about how I could convert to a moral straight life style thus avoiding an eternity of burning in hell. They blocked the tunnel between the capital and the Herschler Building for an anti abortion rally, and filled committee rooms with people to testify on the perils of sin.

These are the people that called the LGTB community a bunch of diseased, drug using, unhealthy, unnatural, perverted, deviant, dry rotting, evil, pushy, sinners.. and believe me that list only scratches the surface. They would preach to and lecture law makers while citing such well renowned publications as the "Journal of Anti-Homosexuality." I know I'm a big fan!

Anyway, they all view themselves as "Honorable Republicans," Luckily, many Republicans stood against them but these Republicans are now targets for replacement because they weren't conservative enough.

Here's a letter WyWatch just sent out to the Republican Central Committee Members and all Wyoming Republican Legislators;

May 10, 2011

Dear Honorable Republican:

The purpose of this correspondence is to assess the strength of the conservative movement in the Wyoming Republican Party. We believe it is desirable and possible to create a Wyoming where Republicans stand united behind the conservative platform passed at the 2010 GOP State Convention in Sheridan. Many believe that this is the most conservative platform passed in many years and conclude that the Republican Party in Wyoming is becoming more conservative. This is supported by the fact we have a Republican Governor and many more Republican legislators than we have had in the past. Granted, some of these Republicans are more conservative than others.

If we are to continue to move the state away from the many progressive trends that we see, we must elect people who support this conservative movement. In fact, our party platform states in the Preamble, “We remind our elected and appointed officials that these are the terms under which they exercise power which we have lent them.”

The conclusion of the 2010 party platform makes this statement: “Upon these principals, the Wyoming Republican Party stands. These are the Principals of morality, liberty, law, society, education, free enterprise, justice and decency upon which this Nation has prospered and to which this Wyoming Republican Party is committed.”

Do you agree that the Party Platform establishes the terms under which elected and appointed officials exercise their power?

Do you agree with the principles enumerated in the Party Platform?

COMMENTS:

If you do not respond within 30 days of the date of this correspondence, you will be counted as answering NO to both of the above questions.

We will use the information we gather from this correspondence to communicate the importance of electing Republicans to office that adhere to the principles that the conservative movement has set in motion in the great state of Wyoming. As the conservative movement grows and progresses, not only across the state of Wyoming, but the country as well, we hope to continue to encourage Republicans to unite and stand together behind candidates that will uphold the 2010 Republican Party Platforms.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,
WyWatch PAC
Board of Directors

AH HA!!! I knew it! If you've followed my blog posts the last few days (aside from a break up) you know I was questioning the WY Republican Platform and in particular who wrote all those things about Republicans. Sure doesn't sound like the Republicans I know.

Bottom line, I don't care what your religious beliefs are, but whatever you believe, it doesn't belong in politics! We need to be reminded of the1st Amendment and separation of church and state! The only thing that these folks have as a basis for their case is the bible. Why are lawmakers even giving them the time of day? Could you imagine if a Muslim were up at the Wyoming Capital lobbying for legislation based on the teachings of the Koran?? How far do you think they'd get?

So are these extreme right wing groups taking over the WYGOP? Whatever happened to the ideals of small unobtrusive government? Once again I asked my Republican friends, does WyWatch represent you? They think they do, and if you push back against them, they want you gone!

Jeran

They're on to us!

2011-05-09T14:11:00.001-06:00

Damn it! How in the hell did the Republicans sneak a mole into our meeting? Well, they nailed it! That's exactly what we are all doing, pretending 2010 didn't happen, and just hoping things turn out a little better in 2012. My fingers are crossed so I guess I'll just sit back and see what happens...

How did they get so smart? This is just like their public website that shows how Republicans are different from Democrats. I sure wish I had access to their crystal ball and amazing insight!

OK...Enough sarcasm for today. I know this is a big time red state and I know many of my Facebook friends, blog reading friends and friends is general are Republican, so I want to know what makes you align with the Republican party? Do you see yourselves as Tea Party Republicans or more of the Ronald Regan/Alan Simpson type Republicans? I would bet my last two cents that a big time Tea Party Republican wrote the 2010 Party Platform, please click on the link and view it... it says ALL Republicans think marriage should be between one man and one woman; and Wyoming shouldn't recognize same sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions. Please read the entire document and let me know if they hit the nail on the head with this platform??

Oh, and be sure to check out the first part where the Declaration of Independence is cited, something about all men being created equal, blah blah...but apparently that only applies if you're a Christian who believes in, "a just and merciful God that is the creator of the universe." Other wise you can pretty much go to hell, cause they don't want you!

If your reading this blog because your my Facebook friend, you and I probably already agree on social issues, but I want to know about your other views, views that make you see yourself as a Republican. How do you think the U.S. should be handling the deficit crisis? Do you agree with Cynthia Lummis that we need to cut Medicare and give the wealthy a tax break? If you do, please explain why this makes sense to you, because I don't understand it unless your one of the multi-millionaires that would personally benefit from such a plan.

Do you think Cynthia Lummis is doing a good job of representing Wyoming in Washington? Does it concern you that she didn't even win in her own home county (These are the people that know her best!) the first time she ran for the U.S. House?

My Republican friends please help me understand, I don't think your party is doing a good job of labeling who you are and what you represent???

Jeran

He Aint Got Nuthin' To Do With It!!!

2011-05-04T08:45:00.001-06:00

If I see one more post on Facebook or online about how Obama had nothing to do with Bin Laden's death I will probably throw a chair through my window! I can't believe how anti-Obama one would have to be to post something like that!

Here's a Facebook post that is making the rounds (I pulled this directly off a friends page;)

"Let's be clear on this: OBAMA DID NOT kill Bin Laden. An American soldier, who Obama just a few weeks ago was debating on whether or not to PAY, did. Obama just happened to be the one in office when OUR soldiers finally found OBL and took him out. This is NOT an Obama victory, but an AMERICAN victory!! REPOST IF YOU AGREE!!"

These people say they don't want to play politics! They say this an American thing not a political thing! They say Obama just happened to be the one in office. They say Obama was debating about paying the troops (just an FYI, you might want to fact check that one folks!)

So... I hate to tell everyone when you post something like that you are indeed playing politics and making a very big statement about how you view our President!

I'm not saying he pulled the trigger. I'm not saying he engaged in hand to hand combat, but...Obama did have a little something to do with this. He is the Commander in Chief! You don't have to take my word for it, this little document called the U.S. Constitution backs my theory up. When it comes to the United States Military Obama is ultimately in charge, he's the boss, the head prick, a numero uno. I think it's pretty easy to understand. All credible news agencies are reporting that it was Obama who made the final decision on when, where, and how this deal was to ultimately go down. Like it or not that's a fact!

Can someone help me recollect back to the "weapons of mass destruction" debacle, when they pulled Sadam Hussein out of the rat hole, was there an immediate race to Facebook for everyone to proclaim, "George W. didn't do it, he was just in the right place at the right time.. It was the military and only the military that deserve any credit?"

Anyway.. bottom line for me... Charlton Heston is my president!!

If you agree with me share this on your Facebook page!

Jeran

Stop Making Sh!t Up About Me!!

2011-05-03T11:33:00.000-06:00

If there is one thing I really hate, it's people saying stuff about me that isn't true. Growing up in Wheatland WY I've been gossiped about my entire life, and while I do find myself in precarious situations from time to time, nothing makes me angrier than people saying things that are downright deceitful, hurtful, malicious and untruthful!

Please check out this website Republican vs. Democrat this is what the Wyoming Republican Party posted on their public website! After reading this I am happy to announce I am switching parties, because who in their right mind, would subscribe to all the things that they claim Democrats represent and are standing for.

On party vs party;
Democrats believe each person's rights can be sacrificed to the assumed needs of the group. Democrats place less emphasis on individual enterprise and initiative and prefer government "programs," such as the failed forty-year "War on Poverty."

On government and being governed;
Democrats believe a centralized power in Washington should control and direct our lives, with secondary consideration for the rights of individual citizens and communities. This has led to increasingly more federal controls and regimentation, often in the hands of un-elected bureaucrats, causing a severe erosion of local government power across the country

on foreign policy;
Democrats vacillate between extreme isolationism, intervention and confrontation tactics in relation to countries such as Vietnam, Cuba and Korea. Such inconsistent foreign policy confuses our allies and encourages our potential enemies.

on the economy
Democrats believe the economy is too complicated to be left to free enterprise alone, and therefore must be subjected to ever-increasing controls by the federal government. Democrats say we are "entering an era of limitations" and therefore must lower our individual economic expectations. Democrats see the economy as a fixed pie to be sliced up for special interests, rather than as a pie than can be made bigger by the industriousness and innovation of Americans unfettered by ill-conceived government regulations.

on govn't spending and taxes;
Democrats believe the federal government knows how and where to spend money for local needs better than elected community leaders, and federal bureaucrats should continue to control the flow of funds to the states and localities and dictate how the taxpayer s money will be spent.

on the future;
Democrats believe in a powerful, centralized bureaucracy aimed at solving local and nation problems from the top down—a method that has failed everywhere it has been tried throughout history.

So Democrats.... does that accurately describe you? I want to know if this makes you as angry as it did me? I want all my Republican friends to read this next paragraph and let me know if it accurately describes your entire party.....

"All Republicans want to keep the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman. They also would make every abortion in this country illegal. Republicans stand for big corporations that have complete disregard for the environment; they all want to give Exxon Mobile a $400 billion subsidy even after they reported record profits. All Republicans refuse to acknowledge global warming! They view our role in the world as one of a bully, and push for constant war as the "world cop." They would like a free for all on Wall Street with no regulations at all for the financial industry. Finally, they aim to drive down incomes of the middle class and would ultimately like to see America with two classes of people, high and low!"

Look, I'm not anti Republican. Browse through my Facebook pictures and you'll see me standing arm and arm with some great Republican Legislators. However when they try and paint me into a corner with a bunch of negative B.S. then I'm going to push back! I don't stand for all the view points cited on their website and that doesn't accurately describe my Democratic friends mentalities either! I think both parties have more than their fair share of wingnuts, but trying to paint us all with that brush is wrong and deceitful!!

I'm not done talking about this!!

Jeran

Stuff that made me smile, chuckle, or mad!

2011-05-02T12:22:00.000-06:00

How do you eat an Elephant?

2011-04-26T08:26:00.000-06:00

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!

Simple but effective! So what is the best way to eat this elephant that is the U.S. deficit?

I find it interesting how brazen a few of our legislative friends are about defending more tax cuts for the rich in this debate. If you get a chance you should watch Michele Bachmann's interview on Good Morning America. When asked about recent polling that shows 72% of Americans favor a tax hike for people making over $250k per year, first she says this is not really how American's feel, and then goes on to say.... well... "It's just not enough."

She also says taking all of the profits from Fortune 500 companies isn't enough, and taking all of the assets of U.S. billionaires isn't enough. My response to Ms. Bachmann.... No Shit Sherlock! I don't think anyone expects the deficit to be resolved in one fell swoop; but wouldn't this be a bite out of the elephant?

I'm no math wiz but don't hundreds of billions of dollars eventually add up to a trillion dollars? Does she think we're stupid? Just like her colleague Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming's esteemed member of the U.S. House of Representatives, here we have yet another member of congress trying to sell us on the idea that it is better to cut Medicare than to raise taxes on the wealthy. Do you believe her? Does this make sense to you?

Here's an interesting group of folks, these 45 millionaires sent a letter to President Obama asking him to allow the Bush Era Tax Cuts to expire. They call themselves "The Patriotic Millionaires for Fiscal Strength." Many have called this group a bunch of idiots, but I ask you, who would you rather have making decisions about the deficit; millionaires who want an even bigger tax cut for themselves or millionaires who want to pay their fair share? Seems like a no brainer to me!

Jeran

Cynthia Lummis Responds

2011-04-25T09:33:00.001-06:00

I hope everyone had a chance to read Saturday's paper. In particular Cynthia Lummis' piece on the opinion page titled "We must now confront America's debt crisis." I want to dissect a few of her comments and I'd love to hear what you think about them as well. First thing that caught my eye;

"if Washington continues the status quo, the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, the backbone of Medicare coverage, will go broke by 2020.." Mrs. Lummis you are the Washington status quo! I find it very amusing that use "Washington status quo" in such a negative way! Do you want us to ignore the fact that you've been a politician for over 30 years?

"the President's answer to Medicare's exploding costs is to launch partisan attack, propose to raise our taxes..." Actually no, he didn't propose to raise "our" taxes. In fact the only taxes he wants to raise are on people who make more than $250k per year. People like you with large incomes and people with net-worths in the 10's of millions of dollars. Why did you omit this very important fact? Painting the Presidents plan as one that aims to raise taxes on all Americans is misleading, in fact it's a down right lie!

I'm glad Rep. Lummis opened up the fact that proposing these drastic changes could subject her up to "cowardly political attacks" and she went on to say exposing her strategy to cut Medicare is nothing but a "scare tactic." Well I'm sorry Mrs Lummis but I think dismantling Medicare is a scary thing! Especially when there are so many other options on the table. Options that you refuse to talk about!

In conclusion she basically said that questioning her strategies were nothing but "dishonest discussions (that would) pander to their 2012 election-year hopes." Well.... you're right about one thing I hope we can find someone with more common sense and more practical solutions to the deficit rather than the extreme measures you're proposing.

Can you please explain to me why you've chosen to reduce the deficit by cutting these social programs and why are you so adamant about the rich and super wealthy getting another tax break? Common sense would seem to dictate that this is not the time to give the super rich a tax cut. Recent polling shows over 70% of Americans agree with me.

Look, I'm not saying that balancing the budget and cutting the deficit is going to be easy. I know it's going to be hard and I know as Americans we are going to have to make sacrifices. But before we gut Medicare and Medicaid, lets at least look at the wealthiest individuals in this country, and also look at asking our biggest businesses in America to pay their fair share, rather than giving them more tax cuts and subsidies.

This week we will hear from big oil companies regarding their quarterly profits. The profit reports are estimated to be "record breaking!" Your budget plan would also give them a tax break????? WHY???? I just don't understand your logic here!!! Can someone please explain to me why this makes sense for America?

Very frustrated,

Jeran

An open letter to state legislators in Tennessee

2011-04-22T08:34:00.000-06:00

( A letter responding to this insanity, known as the Tennessee "Don't Say Gay Bill.")

Do you think that by pretending we don't exist you can make us go away?

We are coming! We are coming like the stars! We are coming with a message of love, tolerance, understanding and acceptance! We are coming with future city council members and mayors. We are coming with future state and federal legislators, and we are coming with future presidents.

You can not make my voice go away! You can't take away my blog, you can't take away my facebook page, you can't take away my boyfriend, and you can't take away my friends and family whom all love me unconditionally! In fact you have made me stronger! You have made my voice louder and I will continue to shout!

I don't understand the hate you have in your heart! I can assure you that refusing to allow your schools to talk about people like me will force good people to live a lie. You will spread a message of ignorance and bigotry. Some of your citizens may even feel so desperate and isolated that they will take their own lives.

You may win this battle and you may win a few more battles along the way, but I promise you with every fiber of my being that we will win this war!!

Sincerely,
Jeran Artery
Activist and Advocate

Here is the bill. Meet Senator Stacey Campfield who introduced it on the senate side; and this is Rep.Bill Dunn who has introduced it on the house side. These links contain all of their contact information. Feel free to drop them a note!

Cynthia Lummis votes to take away your Medicare!

2011-04-21T07:48:00.000-06:00

Well it’s tax time. How’d you do last year? I just filed mine, last minute of course, but at least it’s done for another year. Speaking of money this seems like a perfect time to blog about the deficit. The debate in Washington of course is "How do we tackle the $14 trillion dollar deficit?"

A new Washington post poll today revealed that over 70% of Americans think we should raise taxes on the rich. The latest statistics show the wealthiest 400 Americans earn about $350 million dollars per year. By the way, the highest tax bracket for individuals is 35%. Would you be surprised to find that these 400 wealthy individuals averaged paying roughly a 17% income tax?

Tax rates are at historic lows. Did you know that back in the 50's and 60's it was possible for people to be in a 91 or 92% tax bracket? Even as recent as 1980 people could find themselves in a 70% tax bracket. So what is a fair tax rate for people to pay that earn $350 million per year? I think most would say 92% is to high, but is 17% to low? I think it is!!

And speaking of Washington and wealthy individuals, our Representative Cynthia Lummis, has a net worth just shy of $50 million according to 2009 statistics. Interestingly her idea of trimming the deficit is to give people like herself a tax break and cut out Medicare completely. In fact that’s exactly what she voted to do last week!

Does that represent you? Does that sound like something Wyoming voters would stand for? Cutting benefits to millions of seniors and giving yourself a tax break doesn’t sound like anything but hypocritical to me!

I hope everyone saw former Republican Senator Alan Simpson on TV last week talking about the ultimate sin in politics, hypocrisy! Friends I hope you can see through this double standard that Cynthia Lummis is touting from her Washington pulpit. We can find better ways to eliminate the deficit. Cutting these programs shouldn't even be an option!

I want to know what you think. Do we cut Medicare, gut Medicaid and give the rich a tax break or do we raise taxes on corporations and the super rich? Like so many Americans I have paid my fair share of taxes for years and years. Now with this record deficit we need to re-examine what is a fair share and who needs to pay less and who needs to pay more.

Seniors I think you should be outraged! I’m outraged! This is not what Wyoming is about.

If you agree with me please share this blog on your facebook page and help me spread the word. This is unacceptable for America and Wyoming! Cynthia Lummis needs to be held accountable for voting to take away Medicare!

Jeran

Skinny Jeans

2011-04-16T13:41:00.000-06:00

So.... I got on the scale this morning and freaked out a little bit! I've heard of the "new relationship 20" but didn't think it would happen to me. Last summer I hit my goal weight after several years of exercising, eating right, and trying to live a healthier lifestyle.

Lately I've been more lax about exercising, haven't watched my diet like I should, (Landon could live on chicken fingers and french fries, and often does, I don't know how the little shit stays so skinny!) and didn't really notice anything until I stepped into my favorite jeans and went..... "oh my!"

This morning the scale showed I was up about 15 pounds from where I was last August. I don't thinks it's terribly noticeable, but here's how I feel;

Hi Ho Hi Ho, back to the gym I go! Back to healthy eating. Back to getting strong again. I've come to accept that I'm never going to have a body like this;

But that's ok. I know where my body is comfortable and even if I don't look like this, at least I feel like it most of the time.

So the next time you see me feel free to ask how the little weight loss thing is going! I'm big on accountability and if I know my friends are watching, I'll be more motivated.

Jeran

Got your pink on?

2011-04-13T11:10:00.001-06:00

Today is “Day of Pink” a friend over at UW told me about it. Here’s what it's about, “a day against bullying, discrimination and homophobia in schools and communities. Everyone is invited to celebrate diversity by wearing a pink shirt and by organizing activities in their workplaces, organizations, communities and schools.”

I’m all in! Of course every day we celebrate diversity at my house :)

Speaking of pink here’s the hubbub of the day;

This is J Crew’s president Jenna Lyons painting her sons toenails pink. This was featured in the new J Crew Catalog with a caption that reads “Lucky for me I ended up with a boy whose favorite color is pink. Toenail painting is way more fun in neon.”

Now we have a public outcry that J Crew is trying to turn Americas’ kids gay! Dr. Keith Ablow of Fox News stated, “Yeah, well, it may be fun and games now, Jenna, but at least put some money aside for psychotherapy for the kid-and maybe a little for others who'll be affected by your "innocent" pleasure.”

Dr Ablow, I’ve got some very bad news for you! If wearing pink makes you gay or means you need psychotherapy here are a few people that need immediate attention;

Commentator Erin Brown of the right-leaning Media Research Center went so far as to call the ad "blatant propaganda celebrating transgendered children." She also accused J. Crew of exploiting Lyons' son for its liberal agenda.

Really?? Here’s what psychiatrist Jack Drescher told ABC news;

“Most research on gender identity and sexual orientation concludes that neither is a choice. Nor can they be shaped by a parent's wishes.”

Drescher, who wrote the 2010 paper, "Queer Diagnoses," which was published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, serves on the American Psychiatric Association's committee that is addressing sexual and gender identity disorder for the DSM-V. DSM-V is psychiatry's encyclopedia of behavioral diagnoses.

"I can say with 100 percent certainty that a mother painting her children's toe nails pink does not cause transgenderism or homosexuality or anything else that people who are social conservatives would worry about," he said.

Personally I love this picture and I see it as nothing more than a very special moment between a mother and her son. This will not turn the child gay or transgendered, just like forcing me to play sports in junior and high school didn’t make me turn out straight. Sorry Dad! I love you anyway and I know you love me too.

Jeran

Step right up... Get your tickets now!!

2011-04-12T14:36:00.000-06:00

Here’s an interesting group that may actually give WyWatch a run for its money as far as preaching a message of hate and intolerance; let me introduce you to the Minnesota Family Council. I took this from their website;

Who We Are
Minnesota Family Council (MFC) is a non-partisan, grassroots, Christian organization dedicated to strengthening the family – the bedrock of society – by advancing foundational biblical principles in churches, the media, government, and the public square throughout the state of Minnesota. We mobilize Christians to transform Minnesota’s culture so that it cherishes life, affirms religious liberty, and preserves marriage and the family.

Mmmmm…. Sounds tasty! Yes Please! May I have some!

This obviously doesn’t sound like my kind of group, but it does sound eerily familiar to what all our friends at WyWatch are about.

Here are a couple of statements from the leadership at MFC, “LGTB youth commit suicide because they live an unhealthy lifestyle.” This little morsel is from Tom Prichard MFC’s president. He went on to say Gay Straight Alliances are “sad and harmful to students as they promote homosexuality.” And he wrapped up his brilliant comments by saying, Matthew Shepard’s murder wasn’t a hate crime, and that his death “served an important ideological purpose for homosexual activists.”

This group sends its members to the Minnesota Capital to lobby against anti bullying bills. They claim that anti bullying legislation is promoting a homosexual agenda in America’s schools. They actually blame supporters of gay rights for school bullying saying that they “are the ones that are contributing to an atmosphere that can even increase bullying as more kids get into this kind of lifestyle” and that “homosexual behavior is one of the most hazardous behaviors that kids could get into and start practicing.”

The MFC’s Barb Anderson told anti-gay activist Peter Labarbera that “the greatest threat to our freedom and to the health and well-being of our children is from this radical homosexual agenda which is just so pervasive” and that she considers it “a badge of honor to be called a hate group.”

These kind of intolerant radicals scare me. Here again we have a group promoting hate and doing it in the name of Jesus Christ. I always want to ask them “Is Jesus going to judge me for loving, or is he going to judge you for hating?”

Anyway, they are having their annual dinner in May and guess who the two keynote speakers are going to be; none other than Newt Gingrich and Michele Bachmann, two probable presidential candidates in 2012. The two are speaking on “vigorously defending our God-given freedoms in our communities, schools, at the Capitol and the ballot box.” They hope to “rediscover god and the vital role of faith and family in our American freedoms.”

Where can I get my tickets?? Who wants to join me? What an impressive day in American politics!

Jeran

Taking the high road!

2011-04-05T10:05:00.001-06:00

Three years ago, before I came out to everyone, I had confided in a few very close friends and family members about what I was going to do. One of my closest friends, or so I thought at the time, said “Personally I have no problem with it, just don’t hit on my husband.” Obviously she thought because I was gay I was attracted to anyone that had a penis. I wanted to say, “don’t worry I’m not into fat, old perverts like you are,” but I didn’t. Instead I replied, “That won’t be a problem.”

I don’t know why that conversation bugged me so badly, but it still does. I was reminded of it yesterday when I sent them a note of “you’re in my thoughts,” because I know they are going through a rough patch in their personal lives. Sometimes it’s difficult to take the high road.

This morning I got a “forward” email from a family member. I’ve seen dozens of these. This was a power point slide show on liberal vs. conservative. The email went on and on about how liberals are a bunch of girly men that don’t want to work but rather take away from successful people and give to the lazy. You know, I’ve seen so many of these they don’t even hardly faze me anymore.

This one did however, since it came from a family member who knows how liberal my viewpoints are, and also knows how hard I’ve worked for issues that I’m passionate about. I had also just bought them tickets to come see my play. I didn’t get a thank you note, phone call, or text. I guess this was their way of saying thank you. Again…. I did nothing, and I’ll be pleasant the next time we cross paths at a family function. I always try and remember you can pick your friends but you can’t pick your family.

Recently the whole “birth certificate” thing has come up again about President Obama. Due in large part to the rantings of Mr. combover himself Donald Trump. Many are asking, “Why doesn’t Obama just show the damn thing to shut these critics up?” Again, taking the high road is not easy.

I have no doubt Obama could produce his birth certificate if he choose to do so, and I admire his taking the high road. For me it would be so tempting to crank it out and call my opponents a bunch of ill informed, ignorant, hypocrites; but sometimes you give your opponents a soap box and enough rope and watch them hang themselves.

It’s hard for me to keep my mouth shut, especially as someone who is extremely opinionated and loves to debate. However sometimes the best thing we can do is to follow Grandma’s advice and remember, “If you don’t have anything nice to say about someone, don’t say anything at all!”

Jeran

Get a Job!!

2011-04-03T11:35:00.000-06:00

Every once in awhile you need to take a short little break from life and recharge your batteries. Maintaining your sanity is important, some would argue I lost mine years ago, but I’ve found taking short little get away trips every once in awhile does a great deal to restoring my peace of mind.

Friday Landon and I went to Denver to celebrate our six month anniversary. I wanted to take a day and do a whole lot of nothin! I enjoyed not worrying about work or politics but rather focusing on good food and yummy wine. One of my personal mottos is “Life’s too short to drink bad wine!”

So I was excited to come back with a clear head and pick up the last few days newspapers and see what I had missed. One very bright spot was a feature about my friend Joanne Kennedy’s new book “Cowboy Fever.” I can’t wait to read it, and I wish Joanne tremendous success with this book as well as the other romance novels she is currently working on. Joanne is one of the kindest, sweetest, compassionate persons that I know, and if anyone deserves a great degree of success it is most definitely her!

I was also extremely excited to see the Wyoming Tribune Eagle’s lead story today calling out five Republican house members on being a bunch of hypocrites! These five members voted against Cathy Connolly’s bill that would have brought over $38 million dollars of federal money into the state for unemployment; $24 million for more than 4,500 workers and another $14.2 million going for training the unemployed and helping them to find jobs. WY lawmakers said “no thanks” by a 34-25 vote.

They said they viewed it as a disincentive to WY workers in finding new jobs. “We’re not doing people much of a favor by keeping them on a welfare check for any length of time.” Thank you Rep. John Eklund Jr. of Cheyenne for helping send this message to a bunch of worthless, lazy bums who are obviously only out to milk the system for a few bucks. We need to ignore the fact that we have just experienced the worst economic cycle since the great depression, and tell our unemployed citizens to quit being a bunch of cry babies!

Oh, I almost forgot, a little side note… these five representatives along with Governor Mead accepted almost $2 million dollars in federal subsidies personally over the last few years. Representatives John Eklund Jr, R-Cheyenne, Hans Hunt, R-Newcastle, Lorriane Quarberg, R-Thermopolis, Mark Semlek, R-Moorcroft, Matt Teeters, R-Lingle were cited as the worst offenders. Matt Teeters representing my home town was the worst, his farm/ranch operation collected over $989,000 since 1995. I don’t care who you are, that is a lot of money!

My point is these folks are a bunch of hypocrites! What’s good enough for me is not necessarily good enough for my constituents! I’ll take the money because it’s for my farm and you can’t have any because you need to find a job! This kind of crap makes me livid, and I hope it makes your blood boil as well! This is very similar to Rep. Lisa Shepperson going on the Rachel Maddow show and saying keep the government out of our personal lives, but only to the extent that effects me personally. She was talking about defeating an intrusive abortion bill, but turned around a few days later and voted in favor of HB74 and bringing the government into our bedrooms.

We have got to remember these names and hold these folks accountable for their actions! This is not ok! These double standards have got to stop! We can’t forget what these folks are doing to Wyoming. I don’t think they have any of our best interests at heart!

Jeran

Get your rainbow flag out!

2011-03-31T11:38:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had lunch with my good friend Doreen Oakley. Doreen directed Spelling Bee, so we have become good friends over the last couple of months. Doreen is going to school at LCCC and has to give a speech for her government class, so she decided to give it on marriage equality. After watching my highs and lows over the last few months and following my facebook posts she wanted to interview me and get my thoughts on the subject, hear my personal story, and talk about WY Equality.

We had a great conversation and talked for over an hour and half. We both agreed that brighter days are ahead and new polling numbers are exciting in that they show a majority of Americans are now either in favor of marriage equality or don’t care about the issue one way or another.

I’ve always said this issue should be viewed as wrong vs. right, not Republican vs. Democrat, and Doreen agreed. She is a republican, and believes in smaller government and also believes in government staying out of the private lives of citizens. I love visiting with people, Republican or Democrat, that seem to get it! We don’t think of black civil rights as one party vs. another party, we view it as the right thing to do!

One thing I want to make clear to our more conservative friends, just because you support marriage equality doesn’t mean we expect you to be at the next gay pride festival waving a rainbow flag. Support it because it’s the right thing to do! We need to get over this fear that standing up for equal rights, for gay rights, for human rights, is somehow going to make your friends, colleagues, constituents, or family members view you as Mr. or Mrs. Gay Pride America.

WyWatch has training videos on their website on how to speak against the talking points of marriage equality. One thing they want their followers to say is, “if we allow this, my kids are going to have to learn about it someday.” Obviously if marriage equality comes about, and is mentioned in history text books all the children reading about it will automatically turn into raging homosexuals. Just like reading about the holocaust automatically turns everyone into Nazi’s. The logic they are using just doesn’t make sense!

I think we need to make training videos that go over speaking points of marriage equality, just like our opponents are doing. Friends we are on the correct side of this and we will win this battle! I hope its sooner rather than later, but in the meantime we need to continue talking about this. We need to educate our friends, colleagues, family members and legislators and we must hold those accountable that spew hateful rhetoric and stand in opposition to equality.

Gay rights are human rights!

Jeran

Are you in the wrong room?

2011-03-29T11:56:00.000-06:00

David Zinczenco is the editor of Men’s Health Magazine and recently threw this question out to his readers. He asked, “Are you the smartest person in the room?” “If you are, you’re in the wrong room!” He went on to talk about how we should surround ourselves with bright people that constantly challenge us intellectually. Luckily for me this never seems to be much of an issue!

Last night I went to the Laramie County Democratic Party meeting, and if you want to talk about a room full of bright people, that was it! We invited the Laramie County Legislators to speak about their experiences over the last legislative session, and it seems we are all on the same page about what did and didn’t come out of this last session.

Obviously there were a couple of big disappointments when it came down to the health care amendment and losing the federal funds for unemployment, but overall the general feeling was, we dodged a bullet! I think everyone, Republican and Democrat, can agree we have some whackadoodles sitting in the Wyoming Legislature right now! We need to make sure we call some of these people out on their voting records along with what they said in committee meetings, on the floor, to the press, and to their colleagues and lobbyists. We have some very bright people working on this very thing right now and talking points will be coming your way shortly.

We have some great Republican Legislators in Wyoming right now, people that are willing to reach across the table and actually work on legislation that helps Wyoming citizens. Moderates who are trying to impact their constituents lives for the better, and I think we need to keep them in place and continue to thank them for standing up for the best interests of Wyoming.

The flip side, now it is time to hold the wackadoodles accountable for their actions. We need good people, bright people, people willing to serve and stand up to these extreme views and say, “This is not ok, and this is not what Wyoming is about!” We need good solid candidates to run against these folks. We need to unite our causes and organizations that were negatively impacted by the last legislative session and make sure we don’t end up in this mess again!

Last night we had a very nice crowd at the meeting, but we need to build on the momentum that is rolling our way. We need to get so many people involved that we will hopefully be searching for a bigger meeting facility very soon. I want us to fill rooms across this state with bright, caring, hardworking and motivated individuals that want to make a difference.

I’m going to work hard for Wyoming, Laramie County, and Cheyenne! Being from Wheatland I want to encourage my friends in Platte County to get involved! Please follow the Platte County Democratic Party page on Facebook and get out to the meetings. You will be working with some wonderful people! To my Natrona County friends, I don’t care if you’re a Republican or a Democrat you have some real issues with you elected legislators! Watching KK, Gay, Jennings, Perkins and Brechtel in action should alarm anyone with half a brain. You need to send them a message that they don’t represent you or Wyoming and send them home in the next election!

Let’s make a difference!

Jeran

Why shouldn't we be miserable!

2011-03-23T11:48:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite quotes on gay marriage came from Dolly Parton. I was watching her being interviewed on a TV show and the interviewer asked her what she thought about gay marriage. She sat back in her chair and a few seconds later responded, “Hell, I don’t see any reason why they shouldn’t be allowed to be miserable just like the rest of us!”

Earlier this week I blogged about the love, commitment, special, and sappy aspects of marriage, but today I want to talk about the “other” side of marriage because I think we can make good valid arguments on both sides of the coin. When I was testifying up at the capital I would ask, “Why are you fighting so hard to protect the institution of marriage?”

A while back Men’s Health Magazine ran a story entitled, “The worst cities in America for a guy to get hitched.” They looked at divorce rates, how many certified marriage counselors existed per capita, the percentage of men who had ever been divorced, and the stringency of divorce laws. Guess which city came in as number one? Number one being the worst, you guessed it Cheyenne! The article went on to say apparently there are more than buffalo roaming in Cheyenne.

http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/metrogrades-divorce/metrogrades-divorce-cheyenne.php#slidetop

Speaking of divorces, celebrities seem to have done a fantastic job of making a joke out of the institution of marriage. Britney Spears had a 55 hour marriage to her childhood friend Jason Alexander. Renee Zellweger married Kenny Chesney for four months then filed for divorce citing “fraud” as the reason. Zsa Zsa Gabor has been married nine times, Mickey Rooney has been married eight times, Larry King has been married eight times.. I could go on and on.

The world lost a treasure today in Elizabeth Taylor. I’ve always thought she was one of the most beautiful women in the world, inside and out. She was an activist in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In 2006 she attended a celebration in her wheelchair over the legalization of gay marriage in California. She herself had been married eight times.

Possible presidential candidate and bigot Donald Trump has said he doesn’t support gay marriage, and went on to say he also doesn’t think same sex couples should be allowed civil benefits afforded straight couples. Trump, currently involved in marriage number three obviously enjoys his marriage rights, but wants to deny these benefits to the LGTB community.

Bottom line, I should be allowed to enter into a marriage for any or all of the same reasons straight people can enter into a marriage. Would gay couples make the same mess of the marriage institution that straight people have? Who knows, and frankly who cares! In November of 2010 Pew Research Center and Time Magazine conducted a survey and found 40% of young Americans think marriage is obsolete anyway. To all of my WyWatch, Focus on the Family, Wyoming Family Coalition, and Alliance Defense Fund friends who say we need to keep this holy, sacred, and honored tradition between a man and a woman, I say give me a friggin break!!

Jeran

Most "I do's" aren't about "rights!"

2011-03-21T14:03:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend. We had opening weekend of Putnam County Spelling Bee. I would say it was a great success. Such a fun show to do, and I especially love working with so many talented people. If you get a chance come see us next weekend, I promise we will make you laugh.

I took the weekend off from blogging as I wanted to put all my energy into the play. So it was interesting to look at the news this morning and see what had developed in Japan, Libya, and of course see if there were any new headlines in the gay community.

As I scanned the countries newspapers I found an interesting editorial in a Maryland newspaper. Maryland came so close to legalizing same sex marriage this year, and the state is still aflutter with political buzz on the issue. The letter was written by two progressive’s who had some interesting ideas on how the LGTB community was going around asking for marriage equality. I think they brought up a couple of good points.

They asked, how many wedding ceremonies have you been to where the vows included mentioning some or all of the 1,138 federal rights that are afforded to married people? How many times have you heard the best man give a toast to the fact that now the newlyweds had access to social security benefits, survivor pension options, tax breaks, spousal health care? Anyway, you get the idea. Marriage is about love, commitment, trust, family, for better or worse, and a whole bunch of other sappy stuff.

They actually gave kudos the LGTB community for starting to shift the focus of the marriage equality debate to the sappier side of things rather than just standing up and screaming, “Give us equal rights, and give ‘em to us now!” This group had done some independent polling and found that when most people were confronted with the whole argument of give us rights, benefits, equality and fairness, the overwhelming response was… fine, give ‘em civil unions and then maybe they’ll shut up about it! But when asked about being allowed to marry for love, most people said they had no problem with two people getting married for love even if they were a same sex couple.

I heard from many of our Wyoming Legislators on why they had voted against the hate legislation this last session, and many said it was because of personal stories; and actually seeing that this legislation was going to have a negative impact on a handful of their constituents. The same thing is being said in Maryland. Even though same sex marriage didn’t pass this session it may in the next, and those legislators also said the personal stories had a huge impact on how they voted.

I was thrilled to see a new ABC/Washington Post Poll that shows 53% of Americans now support gay marriage. This is big news and a giant step in the right direction.

Please keep telling your stories! I will tell mine over and over again. God bless all of our straight allies who also listen to our stories time and time again and stand up for us by sending emails, making phone calls, attending rallies, and lending us a shoulder to cry on when we need it most.

I’m not saying we need to stop talking about equal rights, but we need to make sure we continue to make this discussion deeply personal!!

Jeran

Unlike idiots we ideate.

2011-03-18T14:32:00.000-06:00

I wanted to blog about yesterday’s opinion piece in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle from Chaplain L. Dale Johnston of North Christian Church in Cheyenne. Again, please understand I’m not commenting as a biblical expert or as some religious scholar. What I can do as human being with half a brain is look at the facts and then base my ideas, beliefs, and opinions on the conclusions I draw.

First thing that struck me about Chaplain Johnston’s article was that he wrote, “The King James translation can be trusted to be God’s revelation of truth to mankind.” Hmmm.. interesting! Here are a couple of bullet points I found on the King James translation of the Bible

· The King James Bible was first published in 1611. Other English Bibles existed, but King James didn’t like the most popular translation, the Geneva Bible, because he felt that some of the marginal notes encouraged disobedience to kings.

· King James appointed 54 men, all revered as experts/scholars at the time to rewrite and translate the bible.

· This process took approximately seven years.

· Over 30,000 changes were made from the original Greek and Hebrew writings.

· Many of the translators themselves published comments and voiced concerns about what they were doing.

· King James laid down 15 rules as far as what could and couldn’t be done over the course of the translation.

Definitely sounds like divine inspiration to me! There are so many more talking points about translating the bible. How does one accurately pass down stories from generation to generation and maintain complete integrity? How, over the course of thousands of years can accurate copies of copies be made time and time again? I just don’t understand how one man can proclaim the King James Bible to be the one and only divine authority on Christianity.

Chaplain Johnston also writes in his opinion piece, “We had better take god’s word literally because there are no contradictions or errors in it.” Ok great, so here we go back to my some of my favorite bible verses.

o If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear. – Deuteronomy 21:18-21

o He that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death. –Exodus 21:15

o He that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death. – Exodus 21:17

o I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. --1 Timothy 2:12

o The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death. – Leviticus 20:10

So if we must take the bible literally, my questions to Chaplain Johnston would be; when do the next rounds of stonings begin? Do any women teach Sunday School at your church? Has anyone in your congregation ever committed adultery and if so are they alive to talk about it?

And as far as the bible not containing any contradictions, what’s up with these verses?

· For I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger forever.-- Jeremiah 3:12

· Ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn forever.-- Jeremiah 17:4

· If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid. --John 5:31

· Jesus answered: Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid. --John 8:14

· And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. --Matthew 28:18

· The whole world is under control of the evil one. --1 John 5:19

· And Jesus said, For judgement I have come into this world. John --9:39

· I came not to judge the world --John 12:47

Finally, the good chaplain called my friend Rodger McDaniel blasphemous! I don’t know if you’ve ever been at a church service and a heard a really good sermon delivered by someone who was well educated, understood the facts behind what they were talking about, and set the stage as far as what was going on at the time; but I find these kinds of sermons are wonderfully entertaining, inspiring, motivational, as well as extremely educational.

While I’ve never heard one of Rodger’s sermons, I’ve read his blog, I’ve heard him speak publically on social issues, I’ve had personal conversations with him and he is anything but a blasphemer!

Jeran

Fighting the war on ignorance and stupid!

2011-03-17T14:15:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone got to read the letters to the editor and opinion page in the Cheyenne paper today. Seems to be perfect timing to continue our discussion on what the bible does and does not say about certain things.

Before we delve into that, there was another letter from Tom Lindsey. This is the gentleman who has written repeatedly to the paper about how horrible, evil, and wrong homosexuals are; and his letter today certainly didn’t disappoint.

He called homosexuals perverts four separate times, and said the legislators allowed us to get our feet in the door so that we could demand further concessions down the road. He went on to say how our behavior violates the laws of nature.

I’m tired of people saying that I’m not natural, and only relationships between a man and a woman are sacred. You know what? I tried to be with a woman, and for me that’s not natural!! I can’t explain it any simpler than that. My brain, my DNA, my heart and soul are wired in such a way that the only time I do actually feel natural is to be with another man. For me it’s comfortable, it’s right, and it’s beautiful! And I don’t want to change or repent from my “evil” ways!

He also talks about the fact that perverted homosexuals lack the ability to produce future citizens. I’ve heard many people who oppose gay marriage and civil unions talk about this. I wonder if they think the only reason a man and a woman should get married is to procreate? We need to be asking these folks; what we should then do with straight people who are infertile or sterile? What do we do with folks who get married and are too old to have children? What do we do with straight people who simple don't want to get married? I submit to you that all of us are not placed on this earth for the sole purpose of procreation.

Tomorrow I want to blog about chaplain L. Dale Johnston’s opinion article that was also included in today’s Wyoming Tribune Eagle. If you get a chance, read it. I hope it gets you as fired up as it did me. In his letter he calls my friend, Reverend Rodger McDaniel blasphemous. He also says, “We had better take God’s word literally because there are no contradictions or errors in it.” Finally, he says, “the King James translation (of the bible) can be trusted to be God’s revelation of truth to mankind.”

I can’t wait to talk about all those things tomorrow; and I’d love to hear your thoughts as well.

Jeran

You know what the bible says about that?........ It's against it!

2011-03-16T14:20:00.000-06:00

That is one of my favorite lines from the movie "King Pin." Woody Harrelson is recruiting a professional bowler in an Amish community, and when he is questioned about his "ethics" he responds by saying, "you know what the bible says about that, it's against it!" He obviously has no idea what the bible says about anything.

I wonder how many people go around quoting scripture and saying homosexuality is a sin "because the bible's against it," who don’t actually know what the bible really does say about it. And what does the bible actually say about other social issues? I think we should look at a handful of very interesting bible verses. The next blog posts will be devoted to talking points, I think we should use, when our ultra conservative bible thumping friends show up and say.... "The bibles against it!"

But today let’s looks at one of my favorite bible verses that I like to throw out to some of my opponents who often quote scripture when talking about the sin of homosexuality. Please understand I’m not posting as an expert on religion or as a biblical scholar; rather as someone who thinks we should bring a good healthy dose of common sense into the argument about what the bible says and doesn’t say about certain things.

Here’s one of my favorites; 1Timothy 2:12 - -“I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.” Hmmmm….that doesn’t seem very hard to understand. Simple and straightforward! I was debating an old friend in Wheatland last year when the Platte County School Board made a decision to take down the “No Place for Hate,” banners due to the fact that one of the sponsors had ties to a pro LGTB group.

This particular conversation/debate was with one of my female friends, she home schools her children, two of them are boys. She is the praise team leader at her church, and she argued that the banners needed to come down because they encouraged homosexual behavior and we could never have that because….” The Bibles Against It!!” So I asked her what she thought about 1Timothy, chapter 2, verse 12……

Anyone who has debated before knows what a wonderful feeling it is when your opponents jaw drops, their eyes open wide and nothing comes out of their mouths’ because they are speechless.

What about two very vocal lobbyists this last legislative session; Lynn Hutchins of the Wyoming Family Coalition and Becky Vanderberghe of WyWatch? These two women represent two ultra conservative, bible touting groups, and both were sent to testify at multiple committee meetings about what the bible says about homosexuals, abortion, and preserving the sanctity of marriage. On Wyoming Family Coalitions website is says their mission is to lobby elected officials about Godly principals. If they’re so godly why did they send a woman to do it?

Bottom line I’m not a male chauvinist, but I can’t stand people that pick and choose what parts of the bible they want to talk about, simply to make a point and remain silent on the rest. More to come in the following days.. I’d love to hear some of your thoughts on bible verses you think are a little out of touch, misquoted, or just plain crazy.

Jeran

My minority status trumps your minortiy status!

2011-03-13T16:09:00.000-06:00

Who is the most important minority group? Who deserves the most attention? What minority group has been impacted the most negatively in American Politics? Do minority groups get along with other minority groups? These seem like silly question to ask!

Friday the House of Representatives in Maryland failed to approve a gay marriage bill that appeared to be all but a done deal a few weeks ago. The bill cleared the more conservative Senate and the Governor said, “Bring it to my desk and I’ll sign it.” And then the bottom fell out in the Maryland House.

Why? This shocked me. Apparently the reason the bill failed is that Democrats, yes Democrats, changed their minds in the last minutes and the Speaker of the House decided to send it back to committee effectively postponing the vote until next year. I was outraged! How could a Democrat do this!!!

Who were these Democrats? I wanted blood! Turns out they were African American Democrats that said they had an overwhelming response from their constituents to kill this bill! This blows my mind! How could the African American population in these Representatives districts support inequality? If any group should understand the equality struggle surely it would be them, wouldn’t it?

I wasn’t aware of this disconnect between the LGTB community and the African American community until I had a conversation with a friend about a month ago. He said he grew up in a town down south with a very vocal black population that frequently spoke out against the entire LGTB community.

While I was lobbying the Wyoming Legislature an African American lady testified at the same committee meetings I would testify at. She always told the legislators black civil rights were off limits as far as the marriage equality debate was concerned. She said she couldn’t help the color of her skin, and that she was born that way. She would also go on to talk about how her people had been beaten and kidnapped. She said gay people make a choice to be gay and if they want to get married they need to stop choosing to be gay and enter into a heterosexual relationship and then they could get married! I was actually approached multiple times and told about “conversion” programs that helped us gays turn away from our evil homosexual ways.

I don’t expect the entire African American population to be waving a rainbow flag at the next gay pride rally coming down mainstreet. And I don’t expect the entire LGTB population to be at the next Martin Luther King Jr. Rally. But I do think we should all be standing together for equality in all aspects of society not just when it suits our particular situation.

I hope I live to see the day where people are not viewed as black, white, brown, straight, gay, bi, or anything else that puts labels on people. I hope we are all viewed as human beings one day.

Jeran

2011-03-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

It’s Saturday just a little after 5pm. I have been cleaning my house all afternoon. I hate house cleaning day; but my house is going to get cleaned once every 6 months whether it needs it or not. J That’s a joke!

Today everything felt so different. As I was scrubbing my bathroom floor cursing the copious amounts of hairspray I use every day, (leaves a sticky film all over everything) it occurred to me just how lucky I actually was to have a house to clean.

The last two days I’ve watched the tsunami pictures on TV in disbelief. How could that actually happen? A wave so huge and destructive that it can sweep away homes, buildings, and cars like they are weightless. I also can’t imagine the fear of living near a nuclear power plant that is so unstable, at any given minute a giant cloud of radioactive steam might come rolling down my street.

Those poor people! I hope and pray none of us ever have to experience what it feels like to lose everything in the blink of an eye.

I will continue to advocate and fight for what I believe in, but today I will reflect on how blessed my life truly is. I have a roof over my head. I have electricity, warm water, plenty of food in the kitchen, and all my loved ones are accounted for.

I just poured myself a glass of wine and put my feet up. Liz is hanging out with her friends upstairs listening to music that I actually like. Landon will be coming home from work shortly and I will be able to greet him with a hug and a kiss. Later we will be hanging out with some of our dear friends smiling, laughing, eating good food and drinking good wine! Wow, I am truly blessed! Today I don’t feel like complaining about anything!

Time to take names and kick butt!

2011-03-10T15:05:00.000-07:00

Becky Vandeberghe of WyWatch, (the group that lobbied against us on HB74 and SJ5) said basically, they are planning on taking names and kicking butt in the next election. She viewed the legislative session as a success by means of gathering more votes for their agenda than they have ever gathered before. She said they now have a clear voting record for current house and senate members and will turn these into major talking points for the next election.

We need to do the same! We need to regroup, strategize, raise money, and also try and influence the next election. We need to remember this fire and passion that we have in our hearts right now! We as Americans have very short term and forgiving memories.

Everyone knows I’m a board member of Wyoming Equality. We had a legislative reception at Suite 1901 in February. We were chuckling as we set it up wondering if all the legislators were talking among themselves about who was and wasn’t going to come to the “gay thing” that night. We didn’t have as many show as we would have liked but we had some key people that I think ultimately helped us win!

Two of my favorite legislators Joe Barbuto and Stan Blake both came. What a great couple of guys!! Both are strong supporters of equal rights and both spoke at our equality rally in front of the Capital. One of my favorite things Rep. Barbuto said was, “people asked me what I was going to do about jobs and energy, but not one person asked me what I was going to do about taking away someone’s rights.”

Senator Cale Case was there. He has spoken against these bills on the senate floor and was recently featured on the Rachel Maddow show, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/41918532#41918532; Representatives Mary Throne and Cathy Connolly were there. These two remarkable ladies also spoke in opposition to these bills multiple times on the house floor.

I have to wonder if we would have gotten the same results without this reception; as it allowed us to spend an entire evening with these remarkable people going over the LGTB issues that are near and dear to our hearts.

Obviously this takes money. We also printed flyers, went to lobbyist training, attended workshops, and we plan on doing all these things again but hopefully on a much grander scale. So…. Drum roll please… if you can help us keep fighting we would so much appreciate it!!!

Wyoming Equality’s mission statement is; Wyoming Equality seeks to enhance the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in the Equality State by providing: Education, Information, Activities, Support, a Networking System, and an Advocacy System for people impacted by gender and sexual orientation issues.

Donations are tax deductible. Wyoming Equality / UGLW, Inc. is a non-profit organization recognized under section 501(c)3 of the IRS code. Donations to UGLW, Inc. are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Federal tax #: 83-0287834.

If you can help contact me or send your donation by mail to;

Wyoming Equality

PO Box 2531

Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003-2531

No amount is too small, and if you can’t help financially we always need volunteers. Thank you for reading this and making a difference.

Jeran

Does America need a short history lesson?

2011-03-09T10:23:00.000-07:00

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Why is that so hard to understand? Obviously this is from the Declaration of Independence. The writing is not complex and I’m just baffled as to why so many people don’t seem to understand what this means.

And why is this so hard to understand?

From Wikipedia;

The concept of separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state. The term is an offshoot of the phrase, "wall of separation between church and state," as written in Thomas Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptists Association in 1802. The original text reads: "...I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church & State." The phrase was quoted by the United States Supreme Court first in 1878, and then in a series of cases starting in 1947. Like many other governing principles, the phrase "separation of church and state" itself does not appear verbatim in the U.S. Constitution. The First Amendment to the Constitution states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

I just don’t get it? Why aren’t the Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Rastafaris, Wiccans, Druids, Atheists, and on and on, lobbying for what their religion teaches about marriage? Why is it only certain Christian groups seem to want to force their religion down everyone’s throat when it comes to gay marriage?

Every day I Google “same sex marriage” and I read about what’s going on in other states.

Some states are facing the exact same thing that just happened in Wyoming,

http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2011/03/new-hampshire-lawmakers-delay-anti-gay-marriage-bills-until-2012/

Some states are getting closer to civil unions,

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/03/08/colorado-republican-casts-key-vote-in-favor-of-civil-unions/

Some states are close to getting same sex marriage, http://voices.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/2011/03/gay_maryland_delegates_make_ap.html

One thing I find in common with all these states is the for/against arguments are almost identical to what was being said in Wyoming throughout our legislative session. And it is Christian groups (or supposed Christian groups,) that say “Don’t give the LGTB community anything!” And the only argument they seem to have is, “This is what the bible says!”

I remember telling the House Judiciary Committee to please keep in mind that they were legislators not clergy; and to please set aside personal religious beliefs when it came to passing laws. WyWatch would like them to legislate based on their view of the bible.

Can anyone please give me a reason as to why gay people should not be allowed to get married, that in some way, shape, or form doesn’t involve a religious argument???

Jeran

Weigh in on civil unions.

2011-03-07T16:26:00.000-07:00

I want to know what you think about civil unions?? I continue to have many legislators tell me they would support a civil union’s bill. (They had a chance this last session and it didn’t make it out of committee… but I already talked about that!)

I’ve had some very interesting discussions with my gay friends on civil unions. Some think it would be great, some think it would be a good ‘temporary’ compromise, some would not be happy until we have full marriage equality and nothing less.

One of my friends told me the issue is so contentious in the gay community, that it would drive a wedge of disagreement for years to come into our cities and towns. What?? Gay people arguing about what to do? Gay people being extremely opinionated? My friends certainly aren’t like that!

I joke, but I could see this debate turning rather ugly within the gay community and our opponents would have a field day with this. Our opponents said this is a slippery slope and is nothing more than gay marriage in sheep’s clothing. They said civil unions are a stepping stone to legalizing gay marriage and every other state that has gotten civil unions ultimately ended up with same sex marriage on the books. (I fact checked this and its wrong!) Of all the committee meetings I sat through this last legislative session, the civil unions meeting was by far the ugliest!

One of the things everyone agrees on, same sex marriage is not going to happen in Wyoming any time soon. My legislative friends have said they want it, and some day we will get it, but right now it is a battle we can’t win. One of my concerns about a civil union’s bill is that it would probably come right alongside another HB74 or SJ5.

Hawaii just passed a civil union’s bill. Here is an excellent Q and A about what it does and doesn’t do from Lambda Legal. http://data.lambdalegal.org/publications/downloads/fs_hawaiis-2011-civil-unions-bills-faqs.pdf

So I want to know what you think. I want to hear from the LGTB community and I want to hear from our straight friends. Would you ask your legislators to support a civil union’s bill?

Jeran

How many hearts have to break?

2011-03-05T18:28:00.001-07:00

I just got off the phone with my ex-wife Maya, many of you know her. She is a remarkable woman. She wrestles with internal demons, just like we all do, but she is vibrant sole whom I spent 16 years of my life with.

She had been reading my Facebook posts and wanted me to explain what all had been going on in the WY Legislature. She has never been much for politics or how the process works. So I was telling her about HB74 and SJ5. I jokingly said, "So I guess I've become Mr. Gay Pride Wyoming." To which she responded "Yeah, I see that. It is really embarrassing to me!" The phone was silent and I could hear her start to cry.

You see I grew up in a small church in Wheatland. My mom made sure my brother and I never missed a Sunday. There were a handful of really good people there. Good Christians that didn't judge and truly loved the human race unconditionally. And.. There were a handful of people at church that were just like the WyWatch folks that have been lobbying hate and intolerance up at the Capital.

These are the people that try and force their views onto everyone else. People that say being gay is a sin and homosexuals will spend eternity in hell. People that say being gay is a choice. People who pass judgment onto everyone else that looks, acts, or believes differently than they do. They constantly lecture on how everyone else should be living their lives; and even lobby lawmakers to pass laws that would impose these beliefs onto all of society.

These kinds of churches, people, and laws (HB74 and SJ5,) are the exact things that keep people like me from being who we are truly meant to be, or worse yet make people feel that they can’t even bear to live. These are the elements that force us into the closet and keep us there through fear of what others and God might think about us or do to us.

I'm not straight, I'm not bi, I'm not confused, I'm 100% gay! And I've known this forever. It was never a choice for me; this is how I was born.

But... I was terrified of my internal feelings, and I suppressed them and fought them for the first 36 years of my life. People talked, pointed fingers, gossiped, some say they knew all along; I really don't care what people thought, I knew I had to stop living a lie.

I'm living a very happy life right now, and I have an amazing daughter as a result of my straight marriage, but when I came out three years ago I broke Maya's heart. I hope I can forgive myself someday for putting her through everything. I hurt her badly and she has shed countless tears. She told me to keep fighting and standing up for gay people. She says if this can keep other hearts from breaking and keep other people from being forced into living a lie, it is so worth it!

I don't usually share my personal situation, but this is important and I see a day ahead when people will be able to live their entire life with pride. Until that day comes I will continue to tell my story in hopes that it will make a difference for someone who is struggling.

In the meantime; all of us that get it, all of us who understand, all of us who are strong, must speak out and stand up for equality! We can make a difference! I’ve seen it!

Jeran