* Febuary 2000 * * Volume 9 *
Inside This Newsletter
I LOVE YOU
Written by:luv2much
These three simple words are either coming out of our mouth like saying "hi" or we struggle to even say them.
With Valentines here, we will all run out and try to find that certain special something or card for the one we love.
But, why should we only express are love on certain holidays or events? What about surprising your loved one with a nice dinner,
a long stem rose, or a nice card on any given day? It doesn’t have to be expensive or take all day to do, just a nice jester of
I LOVE YOU would be nice. Start off now by showing them you love them and just not saying it. We all like to hear "I Love You" but
I for one, also like to be shown. By the way, Honey, the cards in the mail!!!
Where Will You Be?
Written By:Bestwolf
After searching through the records of census for the state of New Hampshire, (July 1999) I find that the women's population comes to over 650K , Minus children, 446,339 are eligible voters. Then, because of my age, I decided to check out what my options were for retirement and found that I would be one of thousands that have to work until the day we die. I began to seek out nursing homes, retirement communities, and underpasses ??
Lets begin with nursing homes. If you are unfortunate enough to be placed in a nursing home, whether state or private, you will be issued a wheelchair, (transportation) a room, (with luck a 12x12 space of your own) and a roommate, (not compatible). The staff, (over paid baby-sitters) will consist of one nurse per floor or wing, and a couple of CNA's that decide what and when you will be allowed to do whatever it is that you are wanting to do. On top of all these fine benefits, your CNA will most likely be a male (for women residents) who could care less if you messed yourself or not. And what about those blue days? Someone to lend you an ear? Forget that because here you are on your own to vegetate, staring out the window, wondering why you lived so long to become another nothing in a place you do not want to be and if you had been fairly paid for the work you did you might have had the chance to live in a retirement community where there might have been someone to talk to about the things you did in life. Just because you become part of the nursing home community, that does not mean that sharing and caring , should cease to exist.
Then I looked at retirement communities . What a joke that was. Although the amenities were great in most of them, it would cost me at least 50K to even get through the front door. Well at least that effectively keeps the lower middle class working woman from entering these hallowed domains, and if she did sell everything she owned to gain entrance she would not have enough money left to enjoy the "finer" things in life offered here. Usually retirement communities offer peaceful settings and better companionship, and should I become sick here, most retirement communities offer nursing homes or complete care facilities on premises. But having already exhausted my resources just to get into the community, this sends me back to the fabulous caring and sharing nursing home aforementioned.
Now we come to the least advertised place of all underpass living . The air is always fresh. No doors to lock All our belongings will be in one place, a shopping cart. For many of us this is not going to be an option. The way the government keeps tapping the social security system, the little bit we are entitled to, that we worked so hard for, is getting smaller all the time. Unless we can group together and build a home together where we can share life experiences, we will be part of a lost history, ending our lives in the unfamiliar state of discarded old age, alone, cold, and hungry.
With these options to chose from, we at My Sisters House, are trying to find grants for land, where women may walk without fear, housing, where we may share companionship, fellowship, learning experiences, and live out the rest of our lives in peace and comfort. If you, as a member of the womens community know of a place in New England where we may begin our community, please e-mail us.
Vermont Needs YOUR help
I'm passing along this message received from the Free State Justice Campaign. As you may know, the Supreme Court of Vermont recently ruled that committed homosexual relationships should have the same rights and privileges afforded to married straight couples. There are over 1,000 rights that come with marriage which are currently denied to gay couples including hospital visitation/medical decisions, rights of survivorship, filing joint tax returns, etc. etc. This is a VERY important first step towards equality in America.
However, the Governor's office of Vermont has been BOMBARDED with phone calls by anti-gay individuals opposing the recent decision - primarily fueled by the "Doctor" Laura radio program which gave out the phone number.
I called the Governor's office, and spoke to the secretary, who was nice but said that I was one of only a HANDFUL of callers who SUPPORT this huge step towards equal rights.
Please take the time to contact the Governor’s office and register your support in this vital issue.
Governor Howard Dean's office - (802) 828-3333 8AM-4PM. FAX (802) 828-3339 or email the Lieutenant Governor - Douglas A. Racine at ltgov@leg.state.vt.us with a brief note to and so your support
Vermont Marriage Hearings Begin
Vermont’s statehouse is expected to be filled to capacity when the first public hearing on the politically charged issue of gay marriage is held. Despite the heat the hearing is generating, no one really knows just how volatile the meeting will be. Adding to the worries, Vermont’s Roman Catholic Diocese has scheduled a silent vigil for the steps of the statehouse to demonstrate its opposition to same-sex unions.The house judiciary committee has been meeting for two weeks hearing testimony on the state supreme court’s directive that the legislature provide the benefits of marriage to gay and lesbian couples either through inclusion in the marriage statutes or through a separate domestic-partnership system. So far the hearings have drawn relatively sparse crowds. "There’s been less attendance, perhaps, than I thought, but this has been so well-publicized that I have no idea," said Kermit Spaulding, statehouse sergeant at arms. Rep. William Lippert (D-Hinesburg), vice chairman of the house panel, said some ground rules had been set for the Tuesday hearing in an effort to make it fair to everyone. "We want to make sure the process doesn’t get manipulated in terms of stacking the testimony one way or another," he said. "We’re going to try and make sure there’s a diversity of viewpoints that get expressed and a diversity of geography." Although it’s expected that people from out of state will come to the hearing, Lippert said legislators will put Vermonters first at the hearing. "You’re welcome to come," he said. "We welcome tourists from anywhere. But don’t dominate our hearing."
N.H. Looks Both Ways
Some New Hampshire legislators are working on denying recognition to another state's same-gender marriages, while others want to establish domestic partner rights Write to your congressman, to your mayors, to whomever is in power and let them know how you feel. This is the year to get the word out to those people that have the power to get us the rights, we as American taxpayers, deserve.
Mass. Pushes Same Sex Law
When Vermont opens its official debate on same-sex marriage today, supporters and opponents will tackle gay rights the way it's been done in Vermont this month: in full public view, with all the rhetorical flourishes.
That's not the way it is being done in Massachusetts, where gays have launched a quiet campaign based on face-to-face lobbying and personal appeals to win over opponents of a more limited domestic partners bill. Gay activists here say last month's Vermont Supreme Court decision - which ruled that the Legislature must legalize gay marriage or create a parallel system of domestic partnerships - demonstrates that Massachusetts is falling behind in protecting civil rights. They are trying to convince opposing political leaders, including House Speaker Thomas Finneran and Governor Paul Cellucci, that benefits should be extended to partners of gay public employees.
The Massachusetts bill pushed by Friedes and others would extend health benefits to partners of homosexual and unmarried heterosexual partners of state employees. Cities and towns would be allowed to provide the same benefits, if they chose, without legislative approval. The relationships would be registered with the state or local government.
The measure has the backing of the Senate, but similar efforts have failed in the House, where Finneran has questioned whether others living under the same roof, such as two elderly sisters, should receive the benefits in addition to homosexual couples.
This year, proponents hope to win more support with a new weapon: lobbying from the state's two openly gay House members, Jarrett Barrios of Cambridge and Elizabeth Malia of Jamaica Plain.
Both can make personal appeals in a debate that hinges as much on conviction as on dollars and cents. When he talks about gay rights, Barrios said, ''it's not an abstract concept. It's right here in front of you. Me.''
The debate has waxed and waned in Massachusetts for nearly a decade. It was 1991 when Boston City Council member David Scondras introduced a proposal for a domestic partnership ordinance for municipal workers. The proposal was defeated, but several communities - including Cambridge, Brookline, Amherst, and Northampton - created their own benefits programs in later years. Boston eventually followed.
But last summer, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that municipalities could not extend domestic partner health benefits unless state law was changed. So the decision has been thrust back to the State House.
Etheridge to rock
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Lesbian rock star Melissa Etheridge on Thursday joined a celebrity lineup fighting a California referendum that would deny legal recognition to same-sex marriages, campaigners against the measure said. Etheridge, whose partner Julie Cypher has two children, will perform at a Beverly Hills fund-raiser on Friday aimed at bringing in $250,000 to help defeat Proposition 22. She will also serve as honorary co-chair of the campaign. ``As a highly respected musician, partner in a committed relationship, and a mom, Melissa will be a great asset to our efforts to defeat this discriminatory, mean-spirited, and intrusive initiative,'' said Mike Marshall, manager of the campaign against the proposition authored by Republican state senator Pete Knight.
The proposition states that ``only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.'' Etheridge, whose guests at the fund-raiser will include actresses Lily Tomlin and Carrie Fisher, is the latest showbiz star to come out against Proposition 22, probably the most controversial referendum on the March California ballot. She is currently featured on the front cover of Rolling Stone magazine posing with Cypher and their two children who, Etheridge reveals, were biologically fathered by veteran rock star David Crosby. The bucolic photo, completed by Crosby and his wife Jan, carries the caption ``the making of a new American family''.
Washington, DC in April
April 30th is shaping up to be one of the most historic moments -- not to mention one of the biggest parties -- in queer history. Over a million lesbians, gays, bi sexuals, transgender people, and their families and friends are expected to converge on the District of Columbia for the Millennium March on Washington. But even if you can't make it to the march, there are plenty of reasons to visit D.C. this spring: beautiful weather, blooming cherry trees, historical attractions, and a bustling nightlife. Whether you're schmoozing or just sightseeing, conversations in D.C. invariably turn to politics, so be sure to brush up on your current events.
Religious Splits on Gay Issues
The Belleville, Illinois Hope United Church of Christ became the Hope Church on January 23, as its 527 members voted by more than 4-to-1 to leave the United Church of Christ (UCC), primarily because of the denomination's relatively liberal positions regarding gays and lesbians, the Associated Press reported. "The last straw," according to Pastor Darrell Coons, was UCC President John Thomas' endorsement of the pro-gay "Religious Declaration on Sexuality, Morality, Justice, and Healing" released last week by SIECUS, the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States. Among other key demands, that declaration signed by some 850 leaders of 25 denominations called for blessing same-gender relationships and ordaining gays and lesbians.
To most of the Hope Church members, the national denomination's positions are not justified by the Bible. However, UCC Illinois South Conference head Reverend Ron Eslinger was not expecting any further defections from his region's 90 congregations.
Clergy Speak Out v.CA's Prop.22
While California's Catholic dioceses and individual Mormons have heartily and tangibly supported the March 7 ballot initiative Proposition 22, officially called "Limit on Marriage" and also known as the Knight Initiative, to deny legal recognition to same-gender marriages another state may someday perform, more than a dozen clergy from other denominations spoke out against the measure at a teach-in in Pasadena on January 23.
Teach-in co-organizer and former Los Angeles Police Commissioner Art Mattox said that, "Right now the proponents of the Knight Initiative are claiming that they have God on their side. We want to show them and the people who attend this event that God loves people who love each other, and that includes gay people. This is an educational conference in which we hope to uphold faith, claim justice and answer the fears people may have about what this initiative really means."
Among the speakers were bishops of the Episcopal Church (Chester Talton), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (Paul Egertson) and the United Methodist Church (Roy Sano). Reverend Edwin Bacon, Junior of the host Episcopal congregation All-Saints Church, was also one of the speakers inwhich many agree, "its the fear of not understanding it that is causing the problem. "This Knight Initiative is not about saving the sacred rite of marriage, saving the family, or saving traditional values. Proposition 22 is about fear -- fear of something Mr. [state Senator Pete] Knight [R-Palmdale] doesn't like, doesn't understand or doesn't agree with." Knights brother died of aids and was a openly gayman.
California members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS, the Mormons) have already generated sizable contributions to the campaign for the March 7 ballot initiative Proposition 22, "Limit on Marriage," to deny legal recognition to same-gender marriages another state may someday perform -- but now they've been asked to do even more. The denomination's North America West Area Presidency, composed of John B. Dickson, William R. Bradford and Richard H. Winkel, sent a letter which was read to members on January 16 saying that the denomination's First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (the top of the hierarchy) has "solemnly proclaimed that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God." President of the denomination Gordon Hinckley was cited as saying that although "some portray legalization of so-called same-sex marriage as a civil right ... this is not a matter of civil rights, it is a matter of morality. Nevertheless, our opposition to legalized same-sex marriage should never be interpreted as justification for hatred, intolerance or abuse of those who profess homosexual tendencies."
Portsmouth Bookstore Reopens
My Sisters House welcomes back the Amazon Bookstore in Portsmouth,NH........we missed you ladies and felt lost without you. Here's hoping you have a long list of supporters and stay there for us all.
All rights reserved © 2000
