Landmark day in GLBT history

I wished it would happen.  I hoped it would happen.  I considered how I'd react if it didn't happen, and what the next steps might be.  Fortunately that won't be necessary.

DOMA was overturned!

Prop 8 (for Californians) was overturned!

Today was a landmark day in GLBT history; no less important than June 28, 1969 when the Stonewall riots began.  Today's rulings are a real game-changer for many people.  Is it the answer to all GLBT people's problems?  No, but its certainly a huge step in the right direction.

I couldn't let this day go by without celebrating so I rallied the troups (Steven & Thad, Joe P, the Bobs) and we drinks and dinner at a gay-owned restaurant.

Congratulations!!

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of items too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post. Let's get started!

My friend and frequent humor contributor Jared is back with more laughs. I received this with the subject line: The Pope's mug shot after being arrested on 1,347,692 counts of child molestation".
This past Mon was the season finale of RuPaul's Drag Race and, although I enjoyed watching the season, I was not happy with the winner Raja. Although Raja's looks showed a lot of diversity, I thought Raja simply looked too much like a skinny man in a wig and dress. I would have liked Manila Luzon to win. She was pretty, versatile, and funny.

Another 'beauty' from Jared:
Isn't THAT classy??

I received an invitation from the owners of a local bar/nightclub to a planning meeting this evening. I was honored to be asked, and rather surprised at what I learned at the meeting. I can't say much at this point, but I will say that I will be learning the lyrics to 9 songs over the next month! More details later.

Another doosey from Jared:

My friend Rick shared this with me. To many people the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is a somewhat abstract concept. They know it bans the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages, but beyond that, its effects have not been widely reported or understood. How does it impact every day life? How does it really injure same-sex couples who can now get married in certain states? Ron and Tom's story shows this in very real terms.

Yet another gem from Jared:

As expected, the Governor of DE Jack Markell will sign the Civil Union bill at a ceremony and reception next Wed evening, May 11. Hurray!!! I would love to be there, but its in Wilmington about 90 minutes away. But its free and open to the public. Civil unions go into effect in DE in Jan 2012.

Friday fragments

Several of you have asked about photos and progress reports on our addition. I decided that instead of peppering each post with tidbits and photos, I would write one weekly post, on Saturdays, with photos and commentary of what was done during the week. Look for the 1st one tomorrow.

My friend Marty, who is also a vintage car fan like me, sent me this link to an article featuring the 2-door version of Big Ella. Same year, same color. The only difference is that Big Ella has 4 doors, and wider white-wall tires.

Like many of you, I'm disappointed with Obama's recent actions and inaction regarding keeping his campaign promises to the GLBT community. His new benefits for same-sex partners of federal employees do not apply to non-federal works nor military personnel, and they don't include health insurance or pension benefits, which is what everyone wants/needs. There's also the recent brief that stated Obama's support of DOMA, which he said he'd work to repeal. This article really resonated with me, as it pretty much sums up my feelings. Please give it a quick read. If you feel so inclined, why not sign the petition requesting the President and Congress to 'Dump DOMA'?

A friend sent me this funny photo with the caption "Why men should not pick out the wedding cake".

Too funny, right?

I found it hilarious that so many of you liked and commented on my post about Spouse and the 'XP-90'! I guess it should serve as a lesson to me, that you all don't come here for political or GLBT updates, you come here for silly (true) stories of two (sorta) married gay guys. Okay, I hear ya. Remember this one?

There are many posts about our dear friends Michael & Jamie whom I refer to as 'The Newlyweds' on this blog. Last Aug they moved to the left coast to fulfill a dream of theirs to live in Portland, OR. We've kept in touch via email and phone, and they read this blog too, but we've missed them terribly. This week I got the following email from them which truly warmed my heart:

"Subject: It takes 6 people or 3 couples
Mark and Joe,
Jamie and I were driving to the coast this weekend to go camping (I know right) and started thinking about all of our trips to visit you guys. We were remembering all the good times and then Jamie made an interesting observation about how we are finding aspects of our friendship with you guys in other people/couples, but no one or no couple has come close to the friendship we share with you two.

Our friend Mark S. is like Mark R. and is super fun and great at telling funny stories and making people laugh. Our new friends Jim and Rob are a nice, solid couple just like Mark and Joe. Our friend Bob is a good, smart man and often acts as a voice of reason, similar to Joe. We talk to our friends Adam and Amanda about real estate a lot and they own a few properties....just like Mark and Joe. I could go on.....

Can you believe it takes so many people to equal just one MARK AND JOE!!!???

We miss you guys and really hope you can come visit sometime. We had a great weekend along the coast and want to share our new home state with you.

Take care,
Michael and Jamie"

I'm not sharing this to brag about what great guys we are. My point in sharing this is to remind everyone that we all have opportunities to 'make someone's day'. It can be as easy as sending a heartfelt email, remembering someone's birthday, or doing something unexpected and nice for someone else. Often it doesn't take much, but it means a lot.

Have a great weekend!

Crush du Jour: Andre Coelho