Christian Gays: Philips Many Thoughts Blogspot

We met a lot of people at Pride this year as we sat at the booth of PFLAG Twin Cities. As a result we have a few recommendations to pass along. The author of Philips Many Thoughts Blogspot is devoted to writing about Christian gays and shares a perspective to consider. The blog address is http://philipsmanythougths.blogspot.com. Many people have been taught that you can't believe in the Bible and accept our gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender men and women. There are a lot of publications and opinions written about this topic which we have studied over the years. This blogspot might be a good start if you are interested in hearing more on this particular issue. Another great resource is the BlueBook which can be found at http://www.pcmk.org. It is published by the First Presbyterian Church of Mt. Kisco, NY. You may read it online (http://www.pcmk.org/blue_book.pdf)or order a hard copy (Info@PCMK.org) This publication answers a lot of questions about being gay and includes a section on Bible verses and their context. Good luck on your personal journey of understanding about how God and Jesus view our gay and lesbian sons and daughters through the written word and actions found in the Bible. Let us know if you want other resources on this topic because we have quite a list!

Lesbian Couple Denied Admission to Catholic School

Here is another recent news article that bears discussion. We have the quoted article from the following webpage (http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/refusal_of_lesbian_couples_child_at_catholic_school_brings_out_dissenters/)

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Denver, Colo., Mar 8, 2010 / 06:36 pm (CNA).- After local media reported that the child of a lesbian couple was refused enrollment at an elementary school in Boulder, the Archdiocese of Denver told CNA that opposition to its decision comes from those “who disagree with the Church’s position on homosexuality in general” and want an “excuse” to voice their opinion.

Local channel 9NEWS reported on Friday that the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Boulder, Colorado recently held a meeting to discuss the situation of a pre-school student whose parents are lesbians. School staff members were told early last week that the child would not be allowed to re-enroll. According to the station, certain anonymous staff members reacted negatively and were “disgusted” by the archdiocese's decision.

In response to this claim, Jeanette DeMelo, spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Denver, told CNA that “So far any school staff feedback hasn’t been expressed to the Catholic schools office. We have heard from some Catholic school parents from SHJ but the number is not high.”

“We are hearing mostly from people who disagree with the Church’s position on homosexuality in general and this decision is an excuse to voice that opposition to Church teaching,” she added.

In a statement on Friday, the archdiocese explained its decision by saying that the “principal reason parents place their children in Archdiocese of Denver Schools is to reinforce the Catholic beliefs and values that the family seeks to live at home.”

“Parents living in open discord with Catholic teaching in areas of faith and morals unfortunately choose by their actions to disqualify their children from enrollment,” the Friday statement said.
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So what do you say to this? It is a private school so they have the right to state their admission policies. I don't think the family has any recourse on this.

Coming up - KDWN AM 720 Radio Interview with Heidi Harris

We were listening to AM 720 on Friday, March 12, when we heard a discussion about Constance McMillen's request to invite her girlfriend and wear a tux to the high school prom. Here is the AP story from cbs.com. We also have the link to the CBS interview with Constance: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/03/12/Constance_McMillen_Speaks_with_CBS_News/
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(AP) A school in Mississippi has called off the annual senior dance after a lesbian student demanded she be allowed to bring her girlfriend.

The American Civil Liberties Union had demanded that the Itawamba County school district allow 18-year-old Constance McMillen to attend the prom with her date.

A school board statement Wednesday announced the district wouldn't host the April 2 prom at Itawamba County Agricultural High School.

McMillen wanted to escort her girlfriend, who is also a student. McMillen also was denied permission to wear a tuxedo.

A school district policy requires that dates be of the opposite sex.

The district's statement never mentioned McMillen's request. But officials said the change was made due to recent distractions. District officials say they hope private citizens will host a prom.
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We were upset by the discussion on the radio station regarding this issue so we waited on the phone for 30 minutes to talk to the radio announcer, Heidi Harris. When their time expired for the show, we wrote an email with our thoughts on the issue. Within 7 minutes we received a call from the producer. He asked if we could come to their studio Monday morning for an on-air interview. Of course we said yes.

Heidi Harris is very radio host. She is interesting and freely shares her opinion on a variety of issues. Here is how she is described on her website. "In 2004, 2005 and 2006, Heidi was honored by Talker’s Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential Talk Hosts in America. She left KXNT in October 2006 and returned to KDWN, where she’s heard weekdays 5:00-9am. She appears as a commentator frequently on MSNBC and the Fox News Channel, and is a columnist for Liberty Watch Magazine."

We look forward to our time with her and the radio listeners of Las Vegas. Tune in to Las Vegas KDWN AM 720 on Monday morning from 8:00 - 9:00 am.

PFLAG National Supports Us on Blog and Booklist

We received great news this month from PFLAG National. They are going to write a blog on our SKYPE Packages for families, schools, book groups, churches, and businesses. In addition, they are including our book on their recommended book list for schools. We are thrilled that they are helping us to get the word out about our desire to help wherever we can no matter where they live or who they are. A BIG thank you to PFLAG National!

Plainview Supplies Ready or Not at Jon Hassler Theater

Jon Hassler Theater in Plainview MN is the new home to several copies of our book. We were asked to supply our book for interested readers of the region as well as theater goers. We are proud to have our story brought to Hjordy’s hometown. Of course Hjordy’s mom, brother, and sister-in-law have had a megaphone telling everyone they know about our book. We appreciate their vocal advocacy for GLBTs. We also appreciate the support of the Jon Hassler Theater. Check them out at http://www.jonhasslertheater.org.

Sioux Falls SD is on the Move!

We met a Sioux Falls PFLAG Board Member at the PRIDE Festival in Minneapolis in June of this year. We connected with her again in November with the positive result of having a gathering in Sioux Falls. There were over 50 people in attendance and we talked with them for about 3 hours. Two of the members hosted an overnight stay for us in their home. We had the additional treat of a ride through their beautifully decorated Falls Park followed by a great Italian dinner with four movers and shakers. At dinner we discovered we were really the lightweights in the group. These ladies wear many hats in their community and all of them are trying to make a difference for GLBTs in their city as well as the state of South Dakota. As of yet, SD doesn’t have a Safe School Policy and yes, they can be fired for being GLBT. Our hats off to these good people of Sioux Falls – they are making a difference.

Fair Wisconsin Sponsors a Ready or Not Talk!

We are always happy to present in the town our sons were raised – Eau Claire, WI. Jane Schley, who works with Fair Wisconsin, arranged for us to speak to interested community members at the LGBT Community Center on December 1st. It was an intimate discussion which we enjoyed immensely. Even though we have been a member of the community for many years, most of the faces were new to us. We always seem to learn from others every place we go. This was no exception. We also met some wonderful and supportive people. We are proud to be a partner in the work of the LGBT Community Center and Fair Wisconsin.

Ready or Not at Northwest Education Association Conference

It was a great two days at the Northwest Education Association (NWEA) conference in Eau Claire. We presented three times and had a booth in the vendor area. We hope our presence had an impact with the school personnel represented at the conference. We had a great time and had meaningful discussions with many educators in the area.

Now, here are the questions for you. Has your workplace or school provided training for you on GLBT issues in the workplace? If not, should they? Should it be mandatory for all? Are you in compliance with the Safe School Law? If you are a business, have you ever discriminated on the basis of gender orientation or identity? Let's have a discussion - join our blog!!

A visit with University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Staff and Students

David Gardner, LGBTQ Program Coordinator from the Women's and Gender Equity Center at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, did a fantastic job advertising our presentation at the Davies Center on the evening of October 7. We exceeded 100 people in the audience who asked great questions at the end of our presentation. One group in attendance was a material selection class. We shared with them the importance of having GLBT material in schools and public libraries and our fear that librarians/media specialists may use self-censorship because of the controversial nature of GLBT books in general. Remember our blog on the West Bend Public Library controversy? You never know when the challenge will hit your community. Although our book is a recommended title for middle and high school, some media specialists may feel it is just easier not to order it for their library even though our book has only received positive reviews. Or perhaps it won't be used in an educator book club even though we were educators for over 30 years and offer suggestions for schools on how to protect GLBT students and staff.

What is your opinion? Do you think schools will include our title in their library bookshelves or will it just be easier not to order it? Do you have a reasonable amount of books on GLBTs in your media center? Will they use our book or another GLBT title as a staff development tool for educators or continue to ignore the issues of harassment and bullying of our GLBT sons and daughters? We want to hear from you on this.

Fox 6 News Wakeup in Milwaukee - Interview

Okay, okay....No link showed up. The link was directed to our blog but something didn't work. Here is the direct link so you can view it.

http://www.fox6now.com/videobeta/watch/?watch=c30e2419-14ab-4bcd-9d8d-031b2215bcb9&src=front

Eau Claire Introduced to Ready or Not...They're Gay

At last - the fine folks of Eau Claire were introduced to our story, Ready or Not...They're Gay and our Ready or Not...Let's Talk Conversation cards. On July 15 Borders hosted around 40 people at their Eau Claire store for an author talk and book signing. An hour of Q & A passed quickly followed by a short introduction to our Let's Talk cards on GLBT topics. It was a great night with old and new friends from the Chippewa Valley. Below are the media links around the book signing event and our book.

Eau Claire WI Leader Telegram News Article:
http://www.leadertelegram.com/story-news.asp?id=BKI96AUHKTH
WEAU TV 13 Interview with Judy Clark:
http://www.weau.com/interviews/headlines/50852627.html
Volume I Magazine: article coming in August issue
http://volumeone.org/magazine/articles/707/Proud_Parents.html/page/1
Maverick Radio Interview – Interview complete (30 minutes) – waiting for the tape

Book Expo America was Unbelievable!

We (Paul, Hjordy and Brad) don't need much of an excuse to go to New York so when we had the opportunity to have an author package for Book Expo America (BEA) from Phenix and Phenix, our publicist, we jumped on it. The first and last part of our week was fun time. We went to some plays and a few daytime talk shows when we weren't busy with BEA. We were in the audience of The Mike & Juliet Show and were sorry to hear that the show was closing.

The first day we went to BEA we were overwhelmed with the sheer volume of people and booths. We talked with some vendors and just walked the area. We left feeling we hadn't been too productive. After debriefing about the day, we decided the next day (Saturday), we would hand out bookmarks and cards to book store owners, librarians, and teachers. The strategy served us well. We heard a lot of good feedback about our book and stories were shared about someone they knew who was gay. The stories were sad, surprising, and heartwarming. At 1:30 we took our place in booth 16 and had a solid line of people waiting for their book and signature. Our strategy worked. All of our books disappeared with people standing in line wanting our book.

One young man broke our heart. He didn't speak English very well but the essence of his story was his family had shunned him. There was no communication from his family over the past year. He wanted our book with the hope that his family would see a different point of view and accept him for who he is.

After the author signing, we went to the podcast area. We answered questions for about 5 minutes. The interviewer was great and we left with a sigh of relief. We continued to network but we also decided it was time for us to get some of those coveted author signatures. We ended up sending a box of books home, or so we thought. Our box ended up in Deleware. All was not lost, however, because the man who had our books told us his story. He didn't want to be defined as the homophobic guy. He became friends with a gay man and he saw that he was wonderful person. He is now on the aother end of the spectrum as a strong advocate. We met and talked with the most amazing people since our book has come out. He was one of those amazing men.

Sunday at BEA was slow. The volume of people was diminished so we had time to talk with the exhibitors. It was relaxing and fun. We left around noon to meet the sons of our good friends in Red Wing. We don't know if we'll be at Book Expo again but it was a learning experience and we will hopefully come back in the near future.