Monthly Archives: March 2009

(Community Matters) US Signing UN Gay Rights Declaration – thank you President Obama! here

(Community Matters) Perhaps the Republicans were right after all. Time to do away with the Senate filibuster? here

(Community Matters) Tonight, we’ll be celebrating everything Austin at my house – Austin, Tx, Austin, MN, Stephen F. Austin, Austin College, Austin Pendelton and especially our favorite 19yo godson, Austin Knaplund.

(Community Matters) Robin Sommers & Mike Martin hosted HRC major donors & major donor prospects last night at their spectacular home on Lake Austin. HRC’s president, Joe Solmonese flew in from Washington, DC for the event which was organized by his senior major gifts officer & one of my oldest dearest friends, Kirk Rice. Good, long talk with Joe and he addressed the 35ish of us after dinner. We’d had lunch in December before Obama took office, so great hearing update of since.

Night & day in DC under the Obama Administration versus any previous administration. Joe’s been included in many White House briefings and functions, including two chances to speak directly with President Obama about our priorities. Predicts we’ll have a LGBT inclusive hate crimes bill by Memorial Day and ENDA by the end of the year. We also discussed LGBT appointments, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, federal domestic partner benefits, DOMA, lifting of the travel ban for PWAs/HIV and several other key issues. Bottom line – we have a true believer as President, someone who doesn’t believe in any discrimination against gays and lesbians. Nevertheless, as important now as ever to fund HRCs work on the Hill and at the White House.

Was a total treat to catch up with Bob Emerson, David Kurio and Roger Joseph. Bob’s taken an apartment outside of Guadalajara for a year – near Stuart Seavers – where he spent most of the last three months. Kurio as fun and gracious as ever. Roger spending more time in Austin, building a new home. Regrettably John Wallace & Joe Cloud didn’t make it in from Fredricksburg but it was super hearing the latest on those two as well.

Others in attendance included Austin HRC governors Joel Baldazo, John Kerrigan & Jill Wilcox and their partners, Christopher Breed, Billy Wilkinson & Karen Langsley, respectively, as well as Richard Hartgrove & Gary Cooper, Lance Armstrong Foundation EVP & Austin newcomer Phil Hills, Jody Scheske, Chris Long, Stan Young, Michael Harper & Jed Duhon, Judd Chism & Eric Cooper, and lots of others (wish I had taken notes).

Missed seeing John Hogg & David Garza who are off somewhere skiing – lucky dogs. Are you guys at Nona’s?

(Community Matters) Social entrepreneur & Girl Start founder, Rachel Muir, will become the executive director of Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin. Lucky MMB. Congrats, Rachel.

(Community Matters) Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Of course, I assume there’ll be cheer at the HRC fundraising dinner where I’m currently headed.

(Community Matters) Teacher being fired for trying to teach tolerance, Minnesota legislators propose amending constitution to deny gays rights, Houston bar refuses entry to gay patrons, attacks in San Francisco, bans on gay adoption and other moves to deny constitutional rights to Americans simply based on their sexual orientation – this sort of intolerance has got to stop.

Seriously, we’re past this. This is the 21st Century. Get over it. We WON’T stand for it any longer.

(Community Matters) Reports that the Treasury might have known about AIG bonuses for months now are quite disappointing.  Cuomo’s information disproving retaining purposes and indicating timing of signed contracts equally appaling, quite possibly criminal.

(Community Matters) An interesting article and not at all surprising – Americans who identify as Christian down 10%; 15% identify no religion, up from 8.2% in 1990.

My former Episcopal priest metaphorically shuddered when I asked if we had to mention Jesus so much during services, and another priest once ignored me when I asked that he give an all-faith inclusive prayer before a birthday dinner. I find guidance and enlightenment while at my church and currently choose to formally worship as an Episcopalian. The Jesus I celebrate didn’t hang with the righteous as much as reach out charitably to nonbelievers.  And, I don’t believe he’d be happy about his name being used other than inclusively.

I’ve celebrated and worshiped considerably with Catholics (the religion into which I was born and of which one of my best friends unconsciously also adds to any list after noting Christians), Mormans and Baptists. I am drawn today to Judaism and recently felt a sense of belonging and inclusion in a synagogue as I have only felt in our multicultural, inclusive congregation known as St. James. 

(Community Matters)

(Community Matters) Dinner tonight with my peeps – Marianne Rochelle, Joene Grissom, Mark Salmanson, Sandi Aitken & Cookie Ruiz. Missing: Christopher Kennedy. We’ve had a dinner club for, good gosh, 10 years or so now.

(Community Matters) AIG bonuses are the last straw – Fire the bankers who don’t get it. Recover bonuses paid to their corporate officers on phantom profits and rescind their severance packages. Some of these guys are no better than Bernard Madoff; they are at risk of going to jail too.