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| Dear Daniel, Summer is ending and rush hour once again includes school buses, crossing guards and brand-new back packs. Remember your parents telling you that school was your job? Maybe now you’re saying it to your kids, or just noticing that the rhythm of our days includes this migration of young people to learn every day. It is through education that we learn citizenship: not only the history, language and math lessons that enable us to understand the issues our society faces and our government must address. It's also where we learn to work with others, and where we form our ideas about those around us. Most of all, it’s where opportunity is born, or dies. Opportunity is born in schools where all students can safely learn the tools of future success--equally taught, equally valued. It dies in schools that are crumbling and cold, where the toilets don't work and the books are torn. It cannot survive in schools where some students fear danger around every corner, and know that no one is going to protect them from it. Every young person must take that morning walk or bus ride toward opportunity. This is their most basic civil right, and this is what we are all committed to. For LGBT students, the risk of harassment, bullying, discrimination and violence in school is always present. Jump over to our blog to learn more about the Safe Schools Improvement Act and the Student Non-Discrimination Act, both of which can make our schools safer and more welcoming. If you are a parent, you want your children to experience all the wonderful opportunities that school offers. But children can feel devalued when teachers don't actively acknowledge families that resemble their own - and this is especially true for kids with two moms or two dads. Children can feel dejected when they hear anti-LGBT comments and taunts. The HRC Foundation’s Welcoming Schools Guide is a tremendous resource to help elementary schools proactively include ALL family structures and children. Go to welcomingschools.org to download free tools for parents, educators and administrators. And be sure to check out the site in September to find out about our back-to-school blog and webinar series for parents, educators and administrators. And if you have not already done so, I encourage you to do something this week to improve the lives of children in your community. It can be as simple as donating some school supplies, but it’s important. You will be investing in the next generation of leaders who will make decisions about everything from LGBT rights to energy policy. Furthermore, our civil rights laws cannot overcome the hurdles that people face if they are not educated and qualified to succeed in any job they choose.  Joe Solmonese President, Human Rights Campaign  |
"While it’s nice that Ken has finally come out of the closet as an advocate, it’s really hard to forgive him for the damage he did to the community by working actively against it for pay for years. That he can coast on the gains for our community by supporting AFER’s stellar work on Prop 8 on the backs of many during his tenure at the RNC who bore the brunt of homophobia, those who died as a result of hate crimes, the activists who were assailed professionally is unbelievable. Yet here we are in 2010 watching it unfold. As a human being Mehlman owes the community a serious apology for fomenting homophobia for political gain.”
"I have no beef with evangelical Christians who support full civil equality for gays and lesbians despite believing that gay sex is a sin. Heck, I'll personally mow the lawns of evangelical Christians who refrain from actively persecuting gays and lesbians. I've said that the gay rights movement shouldn't get into arguments about theology and that people have a right to their own beliefs. I frankly don't care if someone thinks I'm going to hell after death and I'm not going to argue with him for the same reason I'm not going to argue with someone who believes that I'm going to the lost continent of Atlantis after dinner. | ||||||
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| Dear Daniel, As a four-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion, I have proven that I never back away from a challenge. But many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Californians find every day to be a challenge as they struggle to be treated equally. That’s just not right. So I’m joining Equality California to do something about it. One month from today, together with 50 other swimmers, I’m tackling a 1.7 mile swim in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Malibu. We share the same mission: raise critical visibility and funds for LGBT rights in California. Our goal is to raise $100,000. Be a champion and donate to the Swim for Equality now! Your gift will help inspire the swimmers as they compete—and will also enable Equality California to fight for LGBT Californians. Can I count on you to support all the swimmers by making a donation today in support of our efforts? EQCA is on the front lines building a state of equality in California by organizing thousands of volunteers going door to door in communities across the state, gaining support for marriage equality by having one-on-one conversations. And EQCA is in Sacramento, lobbying for 16 bills that expand protections for LGBT Californians—to add to the 60 that they have all ready passed. You can be a champion and help achieve equality— make your donation to help all LGBT Californians cross the ultimate finish line—equality. What are you waiting for? Dive in! Yours,
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"One of the things I sincerely hope Ken Mehlman has done or will do is to explain to George W. Bush how denying LGBT people equality causes real harm and how the GOP's anti-equality platform and campaigns lead to teen suicides and hate crimes. I hope he explains how bigotry impacted him and that he has asked George W Bush to join his wife Laura in supporting marriage equality. If he can convince Bush to publicly change his position that would be powerful.
The Buddha gave a beautiful teaching on the development of lovingkindness called the Metta Sutta (also known as the Karaniya Metta Sutta). I’ve adapted the words of the sutta to formulate them as an aspiration that can be repeated in a prayer-like way.May all beings be well and safe, may they be at ease.Just as a mother would guard her child, her only child, with her own life, even so let me cultivate a boundless mind for all beings in the world.
Whatever living beings there may be, whether moving or standing still, without exception, whether large, great, middling, or small, whether tiny or substantial,
Whether seen or unseen, whether living near or far,
Born or unborn; may all beings be happy.
Let none deceive or despise another anywhere. Let none wish harm to another, in anger or in hate.”
