Posted by Susan Berland on Friday, October 23, 2009,
In :
Marriage Equality
Miles rode into Washington D.C. on a bus, along with about 1,400 others. They all came to the National Equality March to join in the march for marriage equality. Here he tells us why he came and why marriage equality is important to him.
Posted by Susan Berland on Thursday, October 22, 2009,
In :
Marriage Equality
I met Randy & Holly in Washington D.C. at the National Equality March. They came fromYork, PA to march for equality for their bisexual son and for all people to have the freedom to marry. Here is their story.
Posted by Susan Berland on Wednesday, October 21, 2009,
In :
Marriage Equality
David is a young man from San Antonio, Texas, currently going to school in New York. He tells us why he came to Washington D. C. to march for marriage equality.
Continue reading ...
Posted by Susan Berland on Tuesday, October 20, 2009,
In :
Marriage Equality
Wayne and David are together for 23 years and live in Jacsonville, Florida. They traveled to Washington, D.C. to march for eequality and tell us why and how not being able to marry has impacted their lives.
Posted by Susan Berland on Monday, October 19, 2009,
In :
Gay Rights
While at the National Equality March, I met Scott and Hope and their son Tyler. They were there marching together for equality for all gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. I asked them to share their story.
Posted by Susan Berland on Monday, July 20, 2009,
In :
Gay Rights
My husband and I just returned from a wonderful 2 week vacation in Alaska, ending with a full day in Vancouver. We arrived in the later afternoon on a tour bus from Victoria with others, all of us needing to be dropped off at different hotels. We were the last to be dropped off, so we got a mini tour of the city. We live near San Francisco, a beautiful city surrounded by water and we both loved Vancouver. We talked about how livable it was and even fantasized about the possibility of moving ...
Posted by Susan Berland on Friday, July 10, 2009,
In :
Coming Out
I’m traveling in Alaska with my husband on a cruise ship. We started our vacation with the land portion of our trip, visiting Fairbanks, Denali & Mt. McKinley State Park. As a gay marriage activist and mother of a gay son, I’m always looking for gay couples and families. I’m a bit partial to the gay community, I must admit. And I’m always on the lookout for families who might be willing to participate in my gay marriage project.
On the bus ride from Mt. McKinley State Park to Tal...
Posted by Susan Berland on Monday, June 15, 2009,
In :
Freedom to Marry
According to dictionary.com, a family is defined (in part) as:
1. “parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not 2. the children of one person or one couple collectively 3. the spouse and children of one person”
There is no mention of a mother and father, perhaps it is assumed. In the rhetoric of the religious right, a family is one thing – a mother, a father and the children they produce together. I’ve heard them say that every child needs that...
Posted by Susan Berland on Tuesday, June 9, 2009,
In :
Gay Marriage
The gay marriage movement is changing, so I’ve heard, what we will call our quest for marriage. Personally, I’ve been calling it gay marriage. I think it says what we want, it’s easy and everyone knows what we’re talking about. Not everyone agrees.
I like the term marriage equality, but some people, when I’ve used that term, look at me with raised eyebrows, wondering what it means. Same-sex marriage says the same thing as gay marriage, only with more syllables.
Posted by Susan Berland on Wednesday, June 3, 2009,
In :
Marriage Equality
As I stated in my last post, President Obama declared June to be LGBT Pride Month. While he supports civil unions, he does not support marriage equality and was silent on DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act), enacted September 21, 1996.
1. No state (or other political subdivision within the United States) needs to treat a relationship between persons of the same sex as a marriage, even if the relationship is considered a marriage in another state....
Posted by Susan Berland on Tuesday, June 2, 2009,
In :
Gay Marriage
Today, President Obama declared June to be LGBT Pride Month. It was an amazing feeling to read what he wrote in his proclamation. He said, in part, “Here at home, I continue to support measures to bring the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans. These measures include enhancing hate crimes laws, supporting civil unions and Federal rights for LGBT couples, outlawing discrimination in the workplace, ensuring adoption rights, and ending the existing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy...
Posted by Susan Berland on Friday, May 29, 2009,
In :
Gay Marriage
With the recent defeat at the California Supreme Court, the LGBT community is understandably angry. I’m angry, but more sad than angry. At every blog or news report I read about the day of decision, I cry. In general, if I let myself, I cry fairly easily, but this is different. This hits me in my heart.
During the fight against Proposition 8 last year, I saw a lot of anger on our side and I still see it. I see a lot of people call Prop 8 Prop H8. It’s not that those who wrote and p...
Posted by Susan Berland on Wednesday, May 27, 2009,
In :
Gay Marriage
Yesterday, the California Supreme Court voted 6 to 1 not to overturn Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that wrote discrimination into our state’s constitution. I was there on the steps of the Supreme Court when the decision was “announced.” It was not so much announced – it was just the look on the faces of those coming out with the decisions in hand that told the whole story. And then they turned their thumbs down, confirming what we all dreaded. I was not totally surprised by...
Posted by Susan Berland on Monday, May 25, 2009,
In :
Gay Marriage
It’s Sunday, May 24, 2009. The California Supreme Court has announced that on Tuesday they will announce their ruling on Proposition 8, the amendment to the California constitution defining marriage as being between one man and one woman. I’ve hardly slept since I found out. I’d say I’m a nervous wreck, but that is too dramatic. But, I am nervous and worried. The voters passed Proposition 8 in large part, I believe, due to a campaign of lies and deceit.
Posted by Susan Berland on Monday, May 11, 2009,
In :
Gay Marriage
I have two passions in my life. One is gay marriage, which you’ve probably figured out if you’ve been reading my blog. The other is helping people get out from under all the photos they store – on their computer, on their cameras, in boxes under the bed! Don’t feel guilty if you’re one of those people – you’re in good company; 65% of people who take pictures don’t do anything meaningful with them. That used to be me and I ended up with 30 years of photo overwhelm! So now I he...
Posted by Susan Berland on Friday, May 8, 2009,
In :
Gay Marriage
We Have to Start Now
"A year from now you will wish you had started today." Community Activist, Karen Lamb
May 1st and 2nd, I attended Camp Courage, a training camp for Gay Marriage Activists, put on by the Courage Campaign. I’m proud to be a gay marriage activist. I come to activism late in life. The majority of those there were in their 20s and 30s and many were seasoned veterans. Those closer to my age had been activists for 30 years or more.
Posted by Susan Berland on Wednesday, May 6, 2009,
In :
Gay Marriage
First, let me say I’m not going to debate gay marriage with those in the National Organization for Marriage (NOM). Do you know who they are? They produced that awful video that starts “A storm is coming…”. I’m afraid I’m not so evolved that I wouldn’t get good and angry at someone like that (grin).
I’m talking about discussing gay marriage with those currently against it but open minded enough to have a civil discussion, and those against it who are in favor of gay rights. ...
Posted by Susan Berland on Thursday, April 30, 2009,
In :
Gay Marriage
So, now I’m the mother of a gay son. I’ve marched in the gay pride parade. I’m somewhat out of the closet, but not all together comfortable yet. Everyone in the family knows and thankfully accepts and loves Rick. The only people he hasn’t yet told are his biological father and his parents. I was concerned about how my parents would react – they are older and from another generation, but they love their grandson unconditionally and tell him they just want him to be happy. My mom c... Continue reading ...
Posted by Susan Berland on Wednesday, April 8, 2009,
In :
Coming Out
It’s December, 1988. My husband, younger son and I had moved to San Rafael in August, leaving Rick in Los Angeles. The phone rings and Rick says, “Mom, when you visit next month, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about.” I asked him what it was about, but he didn’t want to talk about it on the phone. I hung up with a slight sense of dread – one only a mom knows. I told my husband what Rick had said and then I say, “Do you think he’s going to tell me he’s gay?”... Continue reading ...
A gay marriage activist and a Jewish mother with a quirky sense of humor, helping couples and families turn their photos into legacies with beautiful memory books. It’s all about fairness and equality.
A gay marriage activist and a Jewish mother with a quirky sense of humor, helping couples and families turn their photos into legacies with beautiful memory books. It’s all about fairness and equality.
