At the White House

Rather than write my own version, I am posting a link here of what Alec wrote about our trip this week to the other Washington. Here is his: At the White House.

A huge thank you to Liz Latham, the Seattle based filmmaker and wonderful friend who made this happen. Liz has been working on a documentary about the murder of James Byrd, Jr. called Remember His Name since his murder. Filming the signing of this bill was the dream footage she was hoping for.

And a big thank you to Elizabeth Becton, Washington State Congressman Jim McDermott's Executive Assistant/Office Manager who helped Liz Latham get Alec and I cleared to go to the White House for the reception following the signing of The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

It was wonderful to see Matthew Shepard's mom, Judy Shepard again, and to meet Dennis and Logan Shepard.



I loved having time to hang out again with Cathy Renna who I first met in Cortez, CO when I was there with Carolyn Wagner after the murder of FC Martinez. (Renna Communications).

I so wish Carolyn could have been there with us, but she was physically unable to make the trip from Tulsa.

Before we got there I promised her I would be carrying her with me, and I did.

We were finally able meet in person with Elke Kennedy and her husband Jim, parents of Sean Kennedy who are working so hard with Sean's Last Wish to bring change with hate crime legislation to thier home state South Carolina.

We saw other friends and allies there too. Marsha Botzer, Safe Schools Coalition's Co-Chair; Jody Huckaby, PFLAG's Executive Director; and so many others -- please forgive me if I don't list you here.

As Alec mentions, there is more on our trip to D.C. including photos on the Safe Schools Coalition site in Beth Reis' essay, October 28, 2009: Exciting day for human rights -- President Obama signed The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law today.

There are a few other photos on our Flickr account here:
WashingtonDC-October30-2009.

It was a fantastic whirlwind trip and an honor to be there at The White House on such a historic day. And now its good to be home and back to work.

Neurology update...

I went to see my neurologist Dr. Bell this morning and had the scheduled tests. It helped (a bit) that I had these tests on my feet/legs/knees before.

So I knew what was going to happen. I knew enough to seriously consider canceling the appointment. My sister said I was a wus. Maybe I should show my wussiness?

But I decided to go and get it done. This time the tests were on my hands/wrists/forarms/elbows.

First he did a nerve conduction study

OUCH!!

And then he did electromyography (EMG) tests on the same poor parts of me.

Somewhat smaller OUCH!

Today he diagnosed:

• Mild right (possible left) carpal tunnel syndrome. I have to wear a wrist brace at night.

• Mild ulnar neuropathy at the elbow. I need to not put weight on my elbows, and I need to sleep with my arms straight even if I have to wrap them in towels held wrapped with bandages. This is in addition to the mild neuropathy in my hand and my feet/legs.

and

• Martin-gruber anastomosis in both of my forearms. So, double Martin-gruber anastomosis. Say that quick?!

I go back to see him in three months.

Jay Smooth: No Accounting for Taste

Here is another brilliant video blog post by Jay!



In case you haven't noticed, I'm a fan. :-)

ill Doctrine is a hip-hop video blog hosted by Jay Smooth, creator of the hip hop music blog and founder of New York's longest running hip-hop radio show, WBAI's Underground Railroad.

Barbara Ehrenreich: The Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America\

Positive thinking is different, she says, from being cheerful or good-natured -- it's believing that the world is shaped by our wants and desires and that by focusing on the good, the bad ceases to exist.

Read: Barbara Ehrenreich: The Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America | | AlterNet By Emily Wilson, AlterNet. Posted October 10, 2009.

Matthew Shepard’s legacy - looking back and ahead on this anniversary.

Matthew Shepard was murdered eleven years ago today.

"... despite the passage of time and increased cultural visibility, the realities faced by LGBTQs today are 'no different than when Matthew Shepard was murdered."
~ Charles Robbins (Executive Director and CEO of The Trevor Project.

Please read this excellent article:
Matthew Shepard’s legacy :: The fight continues
by Scott Stiffler, EDGE NYC, Monday Oct 12, 2009.

Fifty-seven years and counting

Today is my fifty-seventh birthday. I remember when I turned 29. That was a hard birthday. I was stuck thinking oh my I'm almost thirty and what have I done with my life??! I got through the day and back to living and doing and by the time I was about to turn 30 I had realized that actually I had done a lot in all those years. In 1995 Bill committed suicide I was not sure I would survive 42 and I found my way held close and held up by so many amazing people. Soon after when I turned 44 it was another hard birthday because my dad died of a heart attack while he was forty-four there was a weird part of me that had always believed I would die at that age also. I found out later that my sister had also felt that. And yet I lived to be now fifty-seven. I have had a mostly quite interesting life.

so far.

I've not posted much here lately and will try to do more because there is much to share. I'm pretty active on Facebook these days.

I'm happy to be getting ready to fly to Jackson, Mississippi tomorrow for the Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition conference. I'll be home on Sunday afternoon, hopefully in time for PFLAG-Olympia where the program is a screening of "Straightlaced by Groundspark.

So I'll be in Jackson and then in the air coming home when the National Equality March happens in Washington DC on October 10-11 and when there are several solidarity events over the weekend in Seattle.

For my birthday I want to leave you with this video by Staceyann Chin, spoken word poet, performing artist and political activist - created to support the equality march and the grassroots work before us all.



love to you all,
Gabi

some thoughts on Referendum 71 so far

I haven't written anything here for almost a month. Among other things that kept us busy, Alec and I observed the signature verification process of Referendum 71 along with a group of great volunteers. It was a longer than expected and grueling process. We were only able to do some two hour shifts because we aren't able to stand for longer than that. Living in the state capital town, we had it much easier than folks who were commuting from Seattle.

I was surprised that it is going to the November ballot, and sorry that the court challenge failed.

And now I am deeply disturbed by the attempt to hide the signatures of those persons who signed Ref. 71 from being public, as signatures on Washington State ballot initiatives have been.

I've been reading some about that and today I found two articles that are encouraging because they are about Washington state attorney general Rob McKenna's upcoming appeal in the court regarding this:

SEATTLE — The Washington state attorney general's office says it is appealing a federal judge's decision to keep secret the names of people who signed petitions calling for a public vote on expanded domestic partnership benefits.

Read: Wash. to appeal ruling in gay rights referendum
By GENE JOHNSON (AP) September 12, 2009

And this:

Rob McKenna: “Just as we don't run our legislative processes in the House and Senate in secret, it's not appropriate to operate the initiative and referendum process in secret.”

McKenna says Judge Benjamin Settle's ruling sets a bad precedent.

Read: WA AG Appeals Judge's Ruling Sealing R-71 Petitions
BY AUSTIN JENKINS - Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Olympia, WA September 11, 2009

This reminds me of a quote I have always loved in a book my father bought for me before he died. Here is that quote:

How shall we bear ourselves in this great movement? What part shall we play in it? I cannot say what part will fall our lot; but whatever it may be, let us remember that we can do nothing which may bring discredit to our cause or dishonor to our people. If we are to be India's soldiers we have India's honour in our keeping, and that honour is a sacred trust. Often we may be in doubt as to what to do. It is no easy matter to decide what is right and what is not. One little test I shall ask you to apply whenever you are in doubt. It may help you. Never do anything in secret or anything that you would wish to hide. For the desire to hide anything means that you are afraid, and fear is a bad thing and unworthy of you. Be brave, and all the rest follows. If you are brave you will not fear and will not do anything of which you are ashamed.

On page 6 of Glimpses of World History by Jawaharlal Nehru -- a collection of 196 letters Nehru wrote from prison during the British rule in India to his young daughter Indira.

... Never do anything in secret or anything that you would wish to hide. ...

Yeah, a message that rings as true now -- and holds what I think is an important truth for this specific issue.

I would never sign a ballot initiative for something that I was not willing to be public about, and I question the integrity of anyone who would want to hide theirs, and anyone who acts to hide those of a whole group of persons.

What are they afraid of?

Now we face a vote on this in our November ballot, and the election ballots will be in the mail soon.

Please be sure to mail in your ballot and vote to APPROVE Referendum 71 and affirm retaining Washington State's domestic partnership law.

See Washington Families Standing Together for more information & resources.