Civil Unions Bill Advances to Appropriations Committee

Today was a VERY different day then what we saw back in May when the Colorado Civil Unions Bill was held back from a vote by then speaker Frank McNulty.

Today the Civil Unions Bill was back with a lot of momentum. It was supported by freshman Senator Jessie Ulibarri, Senator Pat Steadman and Senator Lucia Guzman, all of whom are openly gay, and did a fabulous job.

Those in opposition to the bill came across a little bit desperate and crazy. They exhausted the committee with long biblical rants and lots of talk about cake. But, here we are again as the bill heads to the Appropriations Committee. I have faith that we won't have a replay of last year's theatrics and that this bill will pass and become law, maybe even by Valentine's Day.

Now wouldn't that be a great gift for all of our sweeties.

The Poet of Two Moms

So far this year I haven't had much time to do some of my favorite things.... creating art, listening to podcasts while I do it, and writing to all of you, strangers or not, about life as a lesbian in Denver, CO.

Today I found this extraordinary piece by a young man by the name of Noah St. John. And although this isn't a lengthy post, this performance will hopefully fill the void of all of those things until I am back here again.

My Wedding Engagement Photos

In an effort to keep the love alive today and fight back the frustration of having to wait out the weekend or possibly even longer, for some kind of statement from SCOTUS regarding The Defense of Marriage Act, I've decided to get sentimental and focus on how incredibly lucky I am.

Yup, that's me and my lovely bride. These are some of our favorites from our engagement session with photographer Brian Kraft at Red Rocks. Stay tuned for our wedding pictures, they're pretty too....

The Strength of the Strong

I am still celebrating the results of the election. For the first hour after it was confirmed that we would have four more years with Barack Obama as our president my wife sat on the couch concerned, expecting something terrible to happen. But the good news kept coming.  We couldn't believe our good fortune when Maine, Maryland, and Washington all voted for same sex marriage. Minnesotans were celebrating victory over an attempt at a same sex marriage ban and Iowa elected to keep Justice David Wiggins - one of the justices responsible for ruling to legalize same sex marriage in Iowa.

Then in Colorado we learned that the House and the Senate is now controlled by democrats and the new speaker is none other than openly gay Mark Ferrandino who will give civil unions a fair shot in Colorado this year - take that Frank McNulty!

We are feeling blessed. And when I think that maybe this is all too good to be true, that maybe, like my wife expected, something bad is going to happen to balance it all out - I remember all that we've had to go through just to get here. I remember the stories of the individuals whose struggles, tragedies, experience and endurance helped us to these victories. There is, of course, a long way to go before all LGBT Americans are treated equally under the law, but progress is so sweet.

One such story that was instrumental in legalizing same sex marriage in Washington State came to my attention last year when I heard a podcast from The Moth featuring Charlene Strong. This story hit me unaware and as a result I was bawling like a baby in public, so be warned, you may want to have some kleenex at the ready.

Incredible. But you know what else? Charlene Strong is incredible. After this terrible event in her life, she worked with all of her might to make sure it would never happen to anyone else. She championed legislation that became Washington State's Domestic Partnership Law, she was the subject of the award winning documentary "For My Wife," she's on Washington State's Human Rights Commission, and works like crazy doing interviews, speaking engagements, and writing articles supporting equality and social justice. In short, she's one badass activist that I personally want to thank for all that she's done for lesbiankind. For more information on Charlene Strong, visit her website

She's fantastic... and so is he.

Vote!

Here it is, election day! We've survived a season of election ads, insults, phone calls and junk mail. Now you have a job to do....vote vote vote!!!

"We are here in direct relation to the heroes and she-roes who paid with their lives for this right. Many of us are old enough to remember what it felt like to be told we could not register to vote without taking a test or paying a poll tax. Some were asked how many angels danced on a head of a pin, how many bubbles were in a bar of soap. We are here because four courageous college freshmen sat down at a lunch counter in Greensboro in 1960, four years before the passage of the Civil Rights Act, to make a stand for equality. It’s a terrible thing to obstruct access to the ballot. But we follow all those who had the courage to dare to live so we can dare to live. 

 Because of them, we are here. So vote to keep moving us forward. And carry with you your friends, family and neighbors. Carry them from your congregations, your beauty salons and barbershops, your sororities and fraternities. Carry with you those five people whose vote could make the difference. You may be pretty or plain, heavy or thin, gay or straight, poor or rich. But nobody has more votes than you. All human beings are more equal to each other than they are unequal. And voting is the great equalizer. It is important. It is imperative. There is no time for complacency." 

- Maya Angelou, writing for the Winston-Salem Journal.

So, here's a reminder (in case you still need one):
President/Vice President -----> Obama/Biden
Minnesota Marriage Amendment -----> Vote NO
Washington Approve Referendum 74 -----> Vote YES
Maine Question 1 -----> Vote YES
Maryland Question 6 -----> Vote YES
Iowa vote to keep Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins ----->Vote YES

For a list of pro-equality Colorado house and senate candidates visit: http://www.one-colorado.org/news/colorado-pro-equality-candidates/
For more information on marriage equality ballot issues visit: http://www.afer.org/election2012/ 

You Don't Own Me Mittens

I love this song, the message, and Lesley Gore... and a little Miranda July makes me love it even more.

Lesbian Film Review: Edie and Thea: A Very Long Engagement

I must admit that I have watched this film more times than I can count. It is wonderful; incredibly charming, educational and heart wrenching. I bought it for my wife before we were married. Edie and Thea's story has a special place in our hearts and hence this review is really not a review but genuine praise for a documentary of two extraordinary ladies and their love for one another.

The film begins with Edith Windsor and Thea Spyer, two elderly ladies casually presenting their life together through a slide show of old vacation photos, party pictures, and elegant snap shots of the two women together.

In their own words Edie and Thea recount their relationships with their families, careers, and most importantly, each other. Photos of these two gorgeous women slide by one after another as we hear how they met and danced holes in their stockings at the Portofino, an underground Lesbian bar; how Edie begged her way to the Hamptons for a chance meeting with Thea, and how they fell in love. In 1967 Thea proposed to Edie with a circular diamond pin (because a ring would draw unwanted attention). Their engagement lasted for forty years, and during that time they just kept on dancing. At age 45, Thea was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis but that didn't slow them down. When Thea was confined to a wheel chair they threw a "just married" sign on the back and dressed up as newlyweds for Halloween. They kept on dancing with Edie sitting on Thea's lap as she drove her motorized wheelchair around the dance floor.

In 2005 same sex marriage became legal in Canada. In 2007 Thea's doctors told her she only had a year left to live. Edie and Thea decided it was time and the film follows them as they pack up Thea's medical equipment and make the trip to Canada to be married. The two women are teary eyed and smiling as Harvey Brownstone, Canada's first openly gay judge pronounces them "spouses for life." One of my favorite moments of this beautiful film, besides almost all of it, is the speech that Edie gives upon returning to New York. We see in Edie, this tiny, older woman a new strength and determination as she shares the following:

"Thea looks at her ring everyday and thinks of herself as officially a member of a special species who can love and couple until death do them part. The word marriage itself conveys clearly that you and your spouse love each other and are united and belong together. It represents the ultimate expression of love and commitment between two people. And everyone understands that, in the whole world everyone understands that."

In our happiness for their new married life together we are reminded of how ill Thea is. The film follows Edie through her nighttime routine as Thea's care giver, tucking her in, connecting breathing tubes, and kissing her goodnight. We see them chatting poolside after Thea has been lifted out and sat on a chair with a towel around her shoulders. They talk about the end, how long they've lasted and how important it is to not postpone joy. Their admiration for each other is clear and no matter how many times I've seen this documentary I cry every time it comes to an end.

**Two years later, Thea died and Edie suffered a heart attack in her grief. Edie's personal tragedy is now a public issue. Even though the state of New York recognized the couples marriage, DOMA (The Defense Against Marriage Act) does not. Edie was charged over $300,000 in inheritance taxes which any straight spouse would not have been charged. Edie, remarkable as ever, is fighting hard to overturn this with the help of the ACLU and to declare DOMA as unconstitutional. Today they had another victory in a Federal Appeals Court. All that's left is a ruling by the Supreme Court which is expected sometime after the November election.