Next Meeting - Nov 15, 2009"The Music in Our Lives
... The men of Perfect Harmony Men's Chorus will share their stories about the importance of a music community. Don't be surprised if they break into singing! |
Remember when PFLAG was there for you, and help us make sure we are still there when others need us. Even volunteer organizations need funds to operate.
PFLAG memberships are now due. Please send $40 per couple/$30 for single
to our treasurer, Karen Baker at 3634 Graham Paige Rd. Cottage Grove, WI 53527
prior to Sept. 27, 2009. Or you may hand them to her at the September 20th
PFLAG meeting. Additional donations are welcome and encouraged, as it is how
we continue to operate!
Even if you never come to a meeting....even if you never volunteer for anything....even
if you never vote or want to be on the board...even if you don't even read
our newsletters etc.... Please consider sending a few coins to us for our
work.
http://pflag-madison.org/MembershipForm.pdf
OR, if you can't afford membership, send a reduced amount.. Or just call me up and say, "How can I help? ". We'll put you to work for the cause of equality for all.
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Thanks so much to everyone who did some market sitting this year (especially Tom and Seiko), and to Jo and Joe who carried the table back and forth nearly every Saturday. We'll be out again in the spring, so let Kay Heggestad know if you are interested in doing some sitting next spring and summer.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Rejects Case Seeing to Strip Away Domestic
Partnership Protections: Decision ensures domestic partnership protections
for over 15,000 Wisconsin same-sex couples.
http://fairwisconsin.blogspot.com/2009/11/wisconsin-supreme-court-rejects-case.html
The Council for Global Equality joined Fair Wisconsin and Heartland Alliance
for Human Needs & Human Rights in awarding Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin
the first-ever Global Equality Leadership Award.
http://fairwisconsin.blogspot.com/2009/10/inaugural-global-equality-leadership.html
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57 minute color DVD from IronZeal films
Reviewed by Harriet Bruyn, who found it to be very good. (The following reviews
are taken from the disc container.)
"Connected by having a son or daughter who is gay, parents
across the country discuss their experiences in the documentary Anyone
and Everyone."
"In this presentation, filmmaker Susan Polis Schutz depicts families
from all walks of life. Individuals from such diverse origins as Japanese,
Bolivian, and Cherokee; as well as religions such as mormon [sic], catholic
[sic], hindus [sic] and others share intimate accounts of how their children
revealed that they're homosexual and discuss their responses. The parents
also talk about struggling with the pain their sons and daughters have dealt
with, such as not being accepted by relatives and/or friends and being ostracized
by religious congregations."
"...a moving documentary of American families' most heart-wrenching and
heartwarming moments." --Keith York, KPBS Director of TV Programming
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Click here to see where other states stand on gay marriage.
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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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On Nov. 3 the Wisconsin Supreme Court heard oral arguments in
the McConkey v. Van Hollen court case challenging the validity of the 2006
constitutional amendment banning marriage equality.
http://fairwisconsin.blogspot.com/2009/11/mcconkey-oral-arguments.html
Kay Heggestad's Eye-witness Report:
Oral arguments were heard in the Wisconsin Supreme Court on
11/3/09 regarding the legality of the November 2006 amendment that stated
that a marriage only may be between one woman and one man AND that anything
that was similar to a marriage between unmarried persons would not be legal
in Wisconsin. (This was not the exact language.)
Lester Pines was the attorney representing Mr. Bill McConkey, the Oshkosh
professor who started these proceedings in 2007. Mr. Pines made the argument
that the two ideas were not the same and thus the voters might have voted
"yes" to the ban on same sex marriage but might have voted "no"
on the ban against allowing legal rights that might be similar to marriage,
e.g. civil unions. Wisconsin has a statute against two different ideas being
placed in the same amendment. The other attorney said, "Nah Unh".
Several PFLAGERS attended and a few from Fair Wisconsin. Ms. Apling was there,
as well. One of the younger attendees tried to hold up a small sign saying,
"Gay Marriage Now", but was not allowed to display it. The proceedings
lasted about 90 minutes with the justices asking pertinent questions. The
justices will deliberate on this topic and hand down a decision at a very
indefinite time. They could give a decision soon, or a year from now, but
will most likely be announcing the decision in the spring. If they decide
in favor of McConkey, then the amendment would be struck down. Same sex marriage
would still not be legal in Wisconsin but the door would be open for our legislators
to introduce the idea of same sex marriage again.
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PFLAG Praises Senate Passage of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and Celebrates a Long Overdue Victory Paving the Way for Full LGBT Equality
New hate crimes bill targets violence against LGBT people, provides greater assistance in prosecuting offenders; one of several important legislative issues that aim to end discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. For more on this story...
From Jody Huckabee, PFLAG Executive Director:
Thanks to you and thousands of other dedicated activists, today marks a historic
event for our LGBT loved ones, as President Obama has signed into law the
Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. I was proud
to represent you at the White House earlier today to mark the first federal
law ever that includes sexual orientation and gender identity as protected
categories.
This law represents a victory more than ten years in the making, and would
never have happened without the commitment, outreach, and support of PFLAG
members and friends like you, who are at the heart of all that we do. Along
with Judy, Dennis, and Logan Shepard, many other families were on hand at
the signing to remember the LGBT loved ones who inspired this law and to stand
together against violence motivated by hate.
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Prominent United Methodist Minister Elected to National Board of Directors of PFLAG
PFLAG National—Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays—is pleased to announce that the Reverend Gilbert H. Caldwell of Asbury Park, N.J., has been elected to its national Board of Directors. Caldwell, a straight, African-American minister (retired) in the United Methodist Church, will focus his work with PFLAG on outreach to faith communities and to LGBT people and their families in the African-American community. For more on this story...
National PFLAG Update: November, 2009
This week we celebrate hard-won victories in Washington and Kalamazoo, Mich., where voters went to polls to stand up for the rights of our LGBT loved ones. PFLAG chapters in these areas showed tremendous capacity to mobilize and engage voters to support equality. Reaffirming domestic partnership rights and adding non-discrimination protections for gay and transgender people were the right things to do, and we should be proud of the role each of us played in achieving these wins.
As we know, though, it is not easy to cheer our successes when we have felt yet another painful loss, as voters in Maine repealed a law that legalized same-sex marriages in the state. This result is especially cruel given the strong, smart campaign for equality that drew support from LGBT people and straight allies across the country. We fought hard in Maine, and we will continue to fight until we achieve equality there and in every other state, city, and town in the country.
For more on these stories:
Washington referendum
Employee Non-discrimination Act
Kalamazoo Votes for Fair Employment
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Kay suggests that you might find the national PFLAG blog interesting and worthwhile: www.pflagblog.blogspot.com
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