Next Meeting - April 19, 2009The April 19 meeting will feature a discussion between our chapter members and a Catholic based group that has a similar, if not identical, mission as PFLAG. |
The famous Madison Farmers' Market will start April 18th and run every Saturday morning until early November. We staff a table at the South Hamilton corner of the capital square in 2 shifts: 8-10 and 10-12. Jo Elder brings and takes the table and all materials, so volunteers just need to sit there, look pretty, enjoy the weather and people watching, eat pastry, and give out our booklets and answer questions from the walkers. Kay does all the scheduling, so for more information or to sign up: 221-1956 or kahegges@yahoo.com
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This award winning movie will be shown on Saturday, April 18 on the LIFETIME channel. Please check local listings for the time. Sigourney Weaver stars in this emotional true story about Mary Griffith and her struggle to accept her young son Bobby being gay.
The board of Madison PFLAG will meet on Thursday, April 23, at 5 pm on the west side of Madison. We will be discussing the future of our chapter. All paid members are invited (may pay at time of meeting). Non Board members, please RSVP with Kay at kahegges@yahoo.com or call 221-1956.
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It's officially spring, and mirroring the refreshing change in weather, this week brought the LGBT community some of the most exciting and invigorating victories we've seen yet.
Voters in Gainesville, Florida came out to the polls on Tuesday and rejected a proposed amendment to the city charter that would have repealed existing laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The Delaware state Senate defeated a proposed amendment to the state constitution seeking to define marriage as between a man and a woman. We congratulate the Equal Rights for All in Delaware coalition, its coalition partners, HRC members and others throughout the state who urged their senators to reject this measure.
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"Earlier today, President Bush said gay marriage is immoral and that heterosexual marriage must be defended, that's what he said. ... You can tell Bush is serious because he said the new Axis of Evil is Cher, Bette Middler and Clay Aiken." —Conan O'Brien
"The Senate has rejected the gay marriage ban. When you think about it, do you really want Congress defining marriage? That's like asking Charlie Sheen to define monogamy." --Jay Leno
[Clip of Bush: "America is a free society, which limits the role of government in the lives of our citizens. In this country, people are free to choose how they live their lives."]
Jon Stewart: "And that's why I want to ban gay people from getting married."
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WASHINGTON, April 7 — The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force hails the Vermont Legislature’s override today of Gov. Jim Douglas’ veto of a bill extending the freedom to marry to same-sex couples. The Senate passed the measure by 23 to 5 and the House by 100 to 49. Vermont is the first state in the nation to extend the freedom to marry through the legislative process.
“Vermont is once again making history. Nine years ago it did so when it became the first state to grant legal recognition of same-sex relationships through its civil unions law; today, it became the first state Legislature to pass and enact a marriage equality measure.”
Basic fairness and constitutional equal protection were the linchpins of Friday’s historic Iowa Supreme Court ruling that overturned a 10-year-old ban on same-sex marriage and puts Iowa squarely in the center of the nation’s debate over gay rights.
The unanimous, 69-page decision maintains a church’s right to decide who can be married under its roof, but it runs counter to the expressed opinion of a majority of Iowans who believe marriage is defined as the union of one man and one woman.
The landmark ruling is guaranteed to send shock waves through politics in Iowa and beyond. With no appeal as an option, opponents say their only hope to overturn Friday’s decision is an almost-certain bid to amend the state constitution. But that path, which would eventually require a public vote, would not yield results until 2012 at the earliest.
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…we are seeing signs of change throughout the country.
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Planning a vacation? Fly on American Airlines and support the preferred airline of PFLAG National. PFLAG national staff gets free miles (and you do NOT lose any bonus miles).
When booking on www.AA.com, follow these instructions:
Step One - Choose your travel dates and your best flight option.
Step Two - Login. (If you have an AAdvantage Number and a password, key it in. If not, click "continue" without logging in.)
Step Three - Confirm your itinerary and complete passenger details.
LAST STEP - Important! - Key in PFLAG's Business ExtrAA Account Number (527590).
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