The audacity of silence

Here's the text of the open letter from Lorri L. Jean, the chief executive officer of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, to President Obama, who is visiting the Golden State right now. I wholeheartedly agree with her letter. It's too bad that President Obama has been so silent about equal rights for gays and lesbians.

Dear President Obama:

Welcome to California, Mr. President. I welcome you with a heavy heart because of the California Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Prop. 8, relegating same-sex couples to second-class status and denying us that most noble promise of America, “liberty and justice for all.”

You are arriving in Los Angeles on the heels of emotional demonstrations throughout California and our nation and your silence at such a time speaks volumes. LGBT people and our allies have the “audacity to hope” for a country that treats us fairly and equally and for a President with the will to stand up for those ideals. From you we expect nothing less.

We know the country faces many serious challenges and we have strived to be patient. We’ve waited for the slightest sign you would live up to your promise to be a “fierce advocate” for our equal rights while watching gay and lesbian members of the armed forces, who have never been more needed, get discharged from the military. And so far you have done nothing. No stop loss order. No call to cease such foolish and discriminatory actions that make our nation less safe.

You pledged to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, Mr. President. You promised to support a “complete repeal” of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act and pledged to advocate for legislation that would give same-sex couples the 1,100+ federal rights and benefits we are denied, including the same rights to social security benefits. You said, “Federal law should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples.”

What of those promises, Mr. President?

Your commitment to repeal DOMA has been removed from the White House website. Your promise to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was removed and then replaced with a watered-down version. And in the aftermath of yesterday’s California Supreme Court ruling, you have remained silent while your press secretary summarily dismisses questions about the issue.

We not only need to hear from our President, we need his action. And we need it now.

We need your words, Mr. President. But we also need your deeds. We expect you to fulfill the promises you made to us. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. taught us, “Justice too long delayed is justice denied.” Do not delay, Mr. President. The time for action is now.

Sincerely,
Lorri L. Jean
Chief Executive Officer
L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center

Barbie's wedding weekend is officially underway!

I'm in a super good mood because Barbie's Wedding Weekend is officially underway. It began for me last night when I had dinner with Lesley at Comet, then Lesley and I watched the "American Idol" finale. It's always a blast to be with Lesley, and last night was no exception. We hashed over all the wedding preparations over dinner, then lost ourselves in Idol. We particularly enjoyed seeing Cyndi Lauper and Lionel Richie perform. The show was entertaining, although Lesley was disappointed that Adam Lambert didn't win. I felt the same way, although I wasn't as emotional about it as Lesley was.

Nate arrives from Columbus this evening. He hasn't been to Milwaukee since Ruben and Mark's wedding in September 2007, so he's overdue for a visit.

Tomorrow I'm taking the day off to spend with Nate, then I'm hosting a Barbie's Wedding Eve/Ruben's birthday/Nate visits Milwaukee party in the evening at my condo. Should be a good day.

Then the actual wedding and reception are on Saturday. I'm so excited I can barely stand it. Although I haven't bought Barbie's wedding gift yet. Yikes - that is so un-Virgo of me. I'll either do it today or tomorrow.

Should be a fun weekend!

two half marathons

I ran two half marathons this month. The first was the Wisconsin Half Marathon in Kenosha. My time was 1 hour, 37 minutes. The second was the Lake Geneva Half Marathon. My time was 1 hour, 41 minutes.

It was extremely windy in Lake Geneva, and I'm attributing my slower time to the wind. Both races were well-organized and fun. I ran in Kenosha with my friend Chris. Unfortunately, he had a knee issue and wasn't able to finish. I ran Lake Geneva with my brother and our friend Brett. The 13.1 miles was longest distance Brett had ever run, so he felt good about that.

The photos are from Kenosha. I can't figure out how to post the photos from Lake Geneva, because they're protected from the firm that shot them.

Aaron Schock

I'm late to the game in posting about Congressman Aaron Schock from Illinois, the youngest member of Congress. Aaron will turn 28 later this month. He sure takes care of himself, and he's also a chest shaver, as you can see in the shirtless pic. Aaron, you'd look even better if you stayed natural. Aaron is one of those guys I love to hate: he's hot, he knows that he's hot, he's a narrow-minded Republican who is opposed to same sex marriage, and he probably enjoys golfing. Well, just because he's hot doesn't mean that he's a good legislator. Stop being anti-gay, Aaron.

Finally!

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle promises to sign a state-wide smoking ban that will take effect on July 5, 2010. I sure wish that the law was going into effect sooner, but I'm thrilled that the ban passed and the Tavern League of Wisconsin has finally been defeated on this important public health issue. It will be great to go to restaurants and other places and not leave stinking of cigarette smoke. For once, Wisconsin gets it right.

Happy 37th birthday, David Charvet

I had the biggest crush on David back in the 90s. I remember when he joined the cast of "Melrose Place." In about 1996 or so he appeared on the cover of "Details," and that issue of David and his hot chest hair was great.

Grey's Anatomy finale

OK, so "Grey's Anatomy" had a rough season this year. But the last four episodes were a return to form.

Do you think that Izzy and George are both dead? Nate thinks that they’re both dead. I have a suspicion that Izzy will recover, but George is dead. Although I wouldn't blame Shonda Rhimes for getting rid of two whiny actors (in real life): T.R. Knight and Katherine Heigl. Heigl especially thinks that her sh*t doesn't stink and that she's too good for "Grey's." If that's the case, then I say good riddance. Of course, I love T.R. Knight because he's a flaming 'mo, but I find it incredibly odd that T.R. is 36 and his boyfriend is something like 19 or 20. Crazy. But I do love T.R.'s new buzzed haircut. Cute!

This is from a review of the season finale that I read online this morning. It sounds crazy, but it's true:
“Last night, she [Meredith] and Derek exchanged vows over Post-it notes as a cover of the "Flashdance" theme song played in the background.”

I can only hope that someday I will exchange vows as the “Flashdance” theme song plays in the background. A boy can dream, right???

Abby and George

Here's a new photo of Abby and George, my niece and nephew. You can tell that Abby does not like sharing the limelight with her younger brother!

Finally - a smoking ban in Wisconsin

It looks like we're finally getting a smoking ban here in Wisconsin. It's about time. The Tavern League is awful here, and has a huge amount of political power at the state level. The Tavern League is, of course, pro-smoking. They resisted a ban for years, but have now seemingly acquiesced to the interest of public health. Unfortunately, the ban won't go into effect until July 2010, more than a year from now. But at least it's going to happen. That is, unless some of the Republicans in the minority of the state legislature decide to try to water the ban down before final passage. Let's hope not. I can't wait for a smoke-free Wisconsin.

5 down, 45 to go

I've always loved Maine, having visited and vacationed there on three separate occasions. Now I love Maine even more, as yesterday it became the fifth state to legalize gay marriage. 45 more to go...