Dear Friends:

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Families Like Mine
E-newsletter
February 28, 2001

In this issue:

1. The Day After: Our country's President predictably pulls a Reagan by remaining silent on GLBT issues in his State of the Union Address.

2. Feature: MBGLTACC2001 - Adding "Ally"...not everybody likes that.

3. Column: The Politics of Kissing...and a real life example in Roanoke.

4. Column: When T's Stay Married...and why G's, L's, and B's should care.

5. Seeking participants for upcoming columns: Childfree Queers and Invisible Bisexuals

6. Lavender Readers: No "Families Like Mine" for Issue 151 (March 9th)

1) THE DAY AFTER

Greetings to all you Movers and Shakers, Screamers and Shouters!

Last night President Bush delivered his State of the Union address. I'm left with a burning question I'm almost afraid to ask: What is "character education?" The President said that government funds will be directed towards "character education" so that children will learn, "not just reading and writing, but also right from wrong."

OK, if I wasn't scared before, I am now. Whose idea of "right" and "wrong" will they be teaching? On which side of right and wrong do you think sexuality issues will be categorized?

My initial assessment of our new president remains unaltered. (Find the op-ed I wrote about Dubya, along with the "hate mail" that followed, at http://www.familieslikemine.com/insight/op_ed.html)

Fasten your seatbelts...

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2) Feature: MBLGTACC2001

For those of you not familiar with the acronym, it stands for Midwest Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Ally College Conference. And it was pulled off without a hitch February 16-18. A Big Gay "Thank-You" to the Big Gay Staff at U of Illinois Champaign-Urbana for working so hard to make the conference a success. More than 1000 students from across the Midwest!

This year the "A" was added to recognize the contributions of straight allies to the movement. I was invited to open the conference with my talk, "Gimme an A! - Identifying Allies Among Family, Friends, and the Moveable Middle." (The lecture's overview is online at:
http://www.familieslikemine.com/lectures/content2.html)

During the Q & A segment, only one person questioned whether it was right for allies to be included -- I actually had expected more resistance than that. But throughout the weekend, individuals approached me privately to talk about their discomfort in having straight people at the conference. I can't even guess how many other people at the conference disagreed with bringing allies into "safe space," but just didn't say anything to me.

What do you think? Is there a place for straight allies in the GLBT movement? Food for thought at your next GLBT or GLBTA gathering.

Before the lecture, I was honored to be introduced by Candace Gingrich. She surprised us all with a quick stop on her way to another LGBT college conference in California that same weekend. (More info about Candace's activism is online at http://www.hrc.org/mainset_coming_out_project.asp)

Next year's MBLGTACC will be hosted by Michigan State University. For information contact: alliance@msu.edu.

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3) COLUMN: THE POLITICS OF KISSING

"Valentine's Day and the Double Standard"
http://www.familieslikemine.com/insight/double_standard.html

Valentine's Day is over, but inequities remain. Kissing your sweetie might (*gasp*) offend some people. (And in Roanoke, it has. Big time.)

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4) COLUMN: WHEN T's STAY MARRIED

"Happy Anniversary Mom and Parent!"
http://www.familieslikemine.com/insight/trans_marriage.html

Think same-sex marriages don't currently exist? Transgender people could lead the way in removing gender restrictions to marriage laws.

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5) PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR FUTURE COLUMNS

I am looking for sources for upcoming columns. If you are interested in being included in either of these upcoming columns, email me at abigail@familieslikemine.com. You can choose how anonymous or identified you want to be.

• "Parenthood? No Thanks!"
  Seeking GLBT people who seriously considered becoming parents and then for whatever reason, changed their mind.

• "Don't Assume I'm Not Bi"
  Seeking bisexual people who are in monogamous, same-sex or opposite-sex relationships, leading others to assume you are gay or straight. Do you care that people know you are bi? Are you OK with "passing" as gay or straight? Do you prefer passing?

• Got a story/issue you would like to see addressed? My door is always open to hear your suggestions.

6) If you follow FAMILIES LIKE MINE via Lavender Magazine, please know that you will not find the column in Issue 151. Its absence is only temporary. Contributors to the magazine will be rotated off the masthead from time to time, and next issue is my turn to not run. My next column in Lavender will be in issue 152, coming out on March 23rd.

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Next Month's Newsletter will feature highlights from my March adventures as an activist in Boston, New Jersey, and balmy Wisconsin. By that time, these twenty inches of snow will have melted away and our snow shovels will be securely stored away for next year. I hope.

Until then, onward and upward!

In pride,

Abigail Garner
abigail@familieslikemine.com
612-362-3389

PS. If this newsletter came to you by way of a friend, sign yourself up at:
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Copyright 2001 Abigail Garner. This message may be forwarded only if the entire contents remain unchanged. Despite the previous statement, Families Like Mine cannot guarantee that this message remains unaltered unless it came directly from newsletter@familieslikemine.com. "Families Like Mine" is a registered trademark of Abigail Garner. http://www.familieslikemine.com

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