 Columbus Dispatch | Gay Marriage Referendum Tops Maine Ballot WBZ Read more in our Privacy Policy PORTLAND, Maine (AP) ? Thousands of volunteers for and against gay marriage are working to get out the vote as Mainers go ... Ore. gay rights activists aiming for new vote As Maine goes, so goes gay marriage At stake in Maine vote: a potential first for gay marriage |
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Illinois Safe Schools Alliance forum addresses LGBT bullying codes in schools Daily Illini East Central Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, a subdivision of Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, sponsored the event, and the panel consisted of LGBT students, ... Preventing hate crime starts in schools |
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From CNN.com: Golden Girls" star Bea Arthur's generosity lives on.The actress, who died in April, included a $300,000 donation to New York's Ali Forney Center, an organization supporting homeless LGBT youth, in her will, leaving center Executive Director Carl Siciliano overwhelmed by her kindness.
Siciliano said he knew of Arthur's plan to include the center in her will, but never knew the amount.
He had been struggling to keep the doors of the shelter open. The organization assists more than 1,000 people each year, providing shelter for those who had to leave home "for being who they are," Siciliano said.
"The last year and a half, since the economic crisis started, it's been really hard to keep this program going," Siciliano said. "A lot of the foundation and corporate money that we used to get has dried up, and we've been growing. Every day, we have about 125 kids a night waiting to get into our housing."
But on Tuesday morning, a FedEx carrier delivered a $300,000 check.
Siciliano said he immediately started to cry. Arthur's donation couldn't have come at a better time.
"For months, I've been really sweating to make each payroll, and we're usually a month or two behind on our rent, and there have been times when I was afraid that I wasn't going to hold it together," he said. "That kind of terror of [trying to] keep this thing going has come to an end for now with this extraordinary generosity."
Arthur's relationship with the center goes back to 2005, when the stage and screen star agreed to do a benefit at the request of a former set designer to help ease the center's growing pains.
"At that time we were a really small, grassroots organization. We were only sheltering 12 kids at a time," Siciliano said.
The amazing thing, he added, is that Arthur "didn't realize at that point what a serious issue it was, that so many thousands of gay kids were on the streets of our country."
Nevertheless, she was on board. She flew to New York to reprise her one-woman show, "Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends" for one night only, raising more than $40,000 for the organization and contributing another sizeable personal donation.
But her generosity didn't stop once the curtain fell. Arthur consistently raised the issue of LGBT homeless youth in press interviews, such as her November 2005 interview with Next magazine.
"I'm very, very involved in charities involving youth," Arthur said in the interview. "These kids at the Ali Forney Center are literally dumped by their families because of the fact that they are lesbian, gay or transgender -- this organization really is saving lives."
With Arthur's donation, Siciliano hopes he can save a few more. Part of the $300,000 will go toward buying a residence that can house 12, and Siciliano plans on namion naming it after the woman who helped make it happen.
"To have her choose to shine that kind of light on us was remarkable," Siciliano said. "She became an advocate for the issue; she said she would do anything that she could to help these kids."
Here's another video, this time from a proud father in Maine, testifying last April in support of marriage equality in Maine.
Don't forget that the vote is on Tuesday, so please take a moment and call and email everyone you know in Maine and tell them to vote No on 1!
Don't forget that the vote is on Tuesday, so please take a moment and call and email everyone you know in Maine and tell them to vote No on 1!
The LGBT community in Lansing, Flint, Detroit - even Traverse City - is all part of Kalamazoo. At least that's what supporters of the city's anti-discrimination ordinance believe.
The proposed ordinance would protect LGBT people from discrimination in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodations. Passed twice unanimously by the City Commission, it was rescinded both times due to signatures gathered by opponents and eventually forced onto the ballot.
Since then, the fight to encourage voters to keep the ordinance on the books come Nov. 3 has exploded. Every day, volunteers at One Kalamazoo - which heads up the effort - take and make calls to citizens of the city to ask for support. Every weekend, they are on the front porches, ringing doorbells and making sure that voters are as well informed as possible.
They opened their offices in early September, and have announced a steering committee that includes local PFLAG Kalamazoo President Narda Beauchamp, Rev. Matthew Laney of the First Congregational United Church of Christ and former, current and hopeful members of the City Commission.
"We look forward to continuing a public conversation about the importance of protecting all hardworking Kalamazoo residents," said Jon Hoadley, campaign manager for One Kalamazoo. "Everyone should have the chance to earn a living, provide a safe home for their families and otherwise enjoy what Kalamazoo has to offer without fear of being treated differently or unfairly."
The campaign has brought grassroots efforts to the forefront of its battle in unique ways: an online survey that decided the design of their lawn signs; canvassing opportunities that can be accomplished from one's home; use of social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook for purposes of spreading updates about the campaign.
As of Oct. 20, their Facebook page had almost 3,000 fans.
And though the ordinance would only apply to housing, employment and accommodations in Kalamazoo, help has come to the west Michigan city from all across the state.
For some, like activist and former Michigan Equality Chair Derek Smiertka, it was just something that needed to be done.
"This is something we should do," the White Lake resident said on the eve of his One Kalamazoo canvassing experience. "There should be no such thing as a non-political gay or lesbian person. We should all be deeply involved and feel very concerned about what happens to our friends in Kalamazoo because it will happen to our friends in Lansing and in Detroit and in South Lyon. ... Unless we get involved and help, there's not going to be people who will come and help us when we need it."
Currently, the campaign is working to raise enough money to keep running their pro-ordinance commercial on local TV stations. The ad has run 25 times with $2,500 raised just for that endeavor, and now they're shooting for 50 runs. They're also encouraging more people to canvass and to write letters to the editor of the Kalamazoo Gazette in support of the ordinance.
"We're all hoping and looking for more political victories in our state," he said. "I think a lot of us are feeling pretty kicked and down and we need a victory. It's for the sake of Kalamazoo, but it's also just a message to be sent across the state that not everybody is against us."
To read the entire article, click here.
Click here to see PFLAG Kalamazoo President Narda Beauchamp explain why this ordinance is important to her and her family.
The proposed ordinance would protect LGBT people from discrimination in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodations. Passed twice unanimously by the City Commission, it was rescinded both times due to signatures gathered by opponents and eventually forced onto the ballot.
Since then, the fight to encourage voters to keep the ordinance on the books come Nov. 3 has exploded. Every day, volunteers at One Kalamazoo - which heads up the effort - take and make calls to citizens of the city to ask for support. Every weekend, they are on the front porches, ringing doorbells and making sure that voters are as well informed as possible.
They opened their offices in early September, and have announced a steering committee that includes local PFLAG Kalamazoo President Narda Beauchamp, Rev. Matthew Laney of the First Congregational United Church of Christ and former, current and hopeful members of the City Commission.
"We look forward to continuing a public conversation about the importance of protecting all hardworking Kalamazoo residents," said Jon Hoadley, campaign manager for One Kalamazoo. "Everyone should have the chance to earn a living, provide a safe home for their families and otherwise enjoy what Kalamazoo has to offer without fear of being treated differently or unfairly."
The campaign has brought grassroots efforts to the forefront of its battle in unique ways: an online survey that decided the design of their lawn signs; canvassing opportunities that can be accomplished from one's home; use of social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook for purposes of spreading updates about the campaign.
As of Oct. 20, their Facebook page had almost 3,000 fans.
And though the ordinance would only apply to housing, employment and accommodations in Kalamazoo, help has come to the west Michigan city from all across the state.
For some, like activist and former Michigan Equality Chair Derek Smiertka, it was just something that needed to be done.
"This is something we should do," the White Lake resident said on the eve of his One Kalamazoo canvassing experience. "There should be no such thing as a non-political gay or lesbian person. We should all be deeply involved and feel very concerned about what happens to our friends in Kalamazoo because it will happen to our friends in Lansing and in Detroit and in South Lyon. ... Unless we get involved and help, there's not going to be people who will come and help us when we need it."
Currently, the campaign is working to raise enough money to keep running their pro-ordinance commercial on local TV stations. The ad has run 25 times with $2,500 raised just for that endeavor, and now they're shooting for 50 runs. They're also encouraging more people to canvass and to write letters to the editor of the Kalamazoo Gazette in support of the ordinance.
"We're all hoping and looking for more political victories in our state," he said. "I think a lot of us are feeling pretty kicked and down and we need a victory. It's for the sake of Kalamazoo, but it's also just a message to be sent across the state that not everybody is against us."
To read the entire article, click here.
Click here to see PFLAG Kalamazoo President Narda Beauchamp explain why this ordinance is important to her and her family.
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