Desert Dialog

Gay History Month - Icons and Leaders

Playing For Change

Dear Mr. President.... Fierce Advocate?

Dear Mr. President,

I am a gay American who proudly supported you because I believed you would truly be a "fierce advocate" for the civil rights of the LGBT community. I believed you would unite the red states and blue state so we truly would be the united states again.

The brief filed by your Justice Department in the Smelt case has dashed the hopes you inspired in many gay Americans.  It was not a brief prepared or approved by a "fierce advocate" for gay human rights. It was an offensive assault on millions of people who helped put you in office. If the same brief was filed in a case involving any other minority group someone at DOJ would loose their job.

Mr. President, you still have time to regain the trust of the LGBT community but that time is short. We have been thrown under the bus one too many times by both political parties. We will not remain under the bus this time. This is our time, this is our 1964. Our Civil Rights Act is the repeal of DOMA, the ending of DADT, passing the Matthew Sheppard Act and a Trans inclusive ENDA. We will settle for no less. I will settle for no less. All men are created equal with certain inalienable rights applys to gay people too.

Please do not take the LGBT community for granted because our support, our money and our votes are no longer guaranteed. It is time for a return on our investment.

Sincerely,

David Stocum

Las Cruces, NM

Merry Christmas to All

Jim Brickman is one of my favorites. I got two of his CDs for Christmas today. :)

Are We Being Thrown Under The Bus Again

I still remember the hope and excitement I felt as a gay person when I heard Bill Clinton speak at the 1992 Democratic Convention. Watching CNN that night I got goose bumps. I haven't gotten that feeling from another politician until now with President-elect Obama. Unfortunately, I also still feel the sting of DADT and DOMA, being thrown under the bus hurt then and it hurts now. The Rick Warren invitation makes me wonder if we are being thrown under the bus again.

Rachel Maddow, MSNBC, on Warrengate

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

What the leaders of the glbt community, the long standing, high profile ones, need to know is the grassroots are pissed. They need to communicate this to the politicians and the President-elect. They also need to take this into account as they plan their strategies because their jobs are on the line. Stonewall 2.0, the protests after passage of Prop 8 show that if the "leaders" don't lead, the roots will. We will not be thrown under the bus again, at least not quietly.

Hope For A Gay Future

"I'm No On Prop 8"

Casino Night at the Mayapan

The El Paso Community Foundation Cordially invites you to Casino Night at the Mayapan
For an evening of fun and “fun” raising to Help raise money for The Alliance Project

Join us on
September 12, 2008
5-10 p.m.

Café Mayapan
2000 Texas Avenue, El Paso

The Alliance Project
Benefiting the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Straight- Supportive Communities

In Far West Texas, Southern New Mexico and Northern Chihuahua

Gay and Lesbian Consumer Survey

New Mexico GLBTQ Centers will receive a copy of the survey report which will provide a profile of the New Mexico GLBTQ community that we can present to potential funders and other partners. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and invite your friends to do the same.

CenterLink's Executive Directors Summit

CenterLink's Executive Directors Summit is returning for a second year to offer education and empowerment to Executive Directors of LGBT Community and Youth Centers across the country. Richard and I attended a smaller regional CenterLink conference in Dallas last August, and it was a hugely valuable trip. The technical assistance from Terry Stone, CenterLink Executive Director and other participants we met at the conference has been invaluable this past year. The $9,800 Gamma Mu Foundation grant for the Community Needs Assessment would not have happened without the knowledge gained in Dallas.

The Summit in October will be even more valuable to us as the pace of NM Centers development quickens and the very real possibility of a pilot Center opening some time in 2009. I estimate the total investment to attend the Summit including conference registration, travel, hotel and meals at $1,100. I will contribute $350 from personal funds leaving a Fundable goal of $750. Any amount over the $750 will be used for general operating expenses of NM GLBTQ Centers. We had great success with raising the IRS User Fee. I know we can do it this time too.

https://www.fundable.com/groupactions/groupaction.2008-08-19.6880163841