Gay Into Straight America

[Jamie McDaniel]

This thread is for discussing the journey Gay Into Straight America. Dotti Berry and Robynne Sapp, two Soulforce veterans, will be posting weekly updates. Others can send them encouragement or post questions or comments about their journey.

The website is www.GayIntoStraightAmerica.com

[Dotti Berry]

Hi Jamie,

Thanks for setting this up. We are excited about doing weekly updates on our journey. We have been doing that for PFLAG national on their website for the past couple of weeks. We are in Carlsbad, CA right now, after speaking at PFLAG LA on Tuesday evening. We kicked off our yearlong journey, Gay Into Straight America, on September 11. Until the first part of November, we spent time in Washington and Oregon, speaking to groups/churches, and having everyday interactions. Our intention is to engage minds, not change minds. Creating authentic connections leads to dissolving differences that separate us, as we share stories with people who are wrestling with their understanding of GLBT, queer and questioning persons. Sometimes, the "wrestling" people are our own GLBT community.

If you want to see how important kids are to our journey, click on this link which is our newsletter from November 7:

http://www.gayintostraightamerica.co...wsletter_id=24

Click here for our newsletter from November 14,

http://www.gayintostraightamerica.co...wsletter_id=28

For other previous newsletters from the beginning of our journey, you can click on the "News Updates" icon on our website. If you are interested in having them automatically come to your email, just go to our website
http://www.GayIntoStraightAmerica.com, and click on "Join our Newsletter." They come out each Tuesday.

From this point forward, we will do a weekly update for Soulforce each Wednesday, offering a "Soulforce perspective" on our journey. At each speaking engagement, we offer Soulforce brochures and talk about the impact of Soulforce on our journey. We also acknowledge the importance of Soulforce on our website homepage.

See what we said about Soulforce "leading the way" in our last PFLAG weekly update. Click on the following link:

http://www.pflag.org/index.php?id=559

To see our current list of speaking engagements, click on the "Events" icon on our website. If you want us to speak in your area, please contact us at dotti@GayIntoStraightAmerica.com. We have more engagements to add, but are finalizing dates.

Follow the adventures of two women and a poodle! Rylee Joy is offering her own "lessons." Click on this link to see what she has written. You can also use the dropdown menu, and check out the picture album of Rylee Joy and her friends.

http://www.gayintostraightamerica.co...hp?page_id=400

Until next week...

The light in us honors the light in each of you! Dotti, Roby & Rylee Joy

[Dotti Berry]

November 23, 2005
The adage “Separate is not Equal” is confirmed daily on our journey, Gay Into Straight America. We recognize how our experiences with Soulforce have prepared us. The soul force principle of transforming oneself is at the crux of our opportunities. On our website, you will notice that we speak of bridging the divide that separates us, recognizing that the polarization in our country over GLBT issues is paralyzing all of us. This motivates us to “do the something I can do” as Helen Keller implored.

Engaging hearts and minds, creating authentic connections, and dissolving differences that separate us is our intention. What we expressed at our wedding, “We vow to change the world through the expression of our love,” is a commitment to bridging this divide as we reach out to those who are wrestling with their understanding of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons. Sometimes, those who are wrestling are our own community.
Former President Bill Clinton, in a USA Today interview on November 21, 2005, talked warmly about former President George H.W. Bush, the man he ousted from the White House, also saying that he goes he goes “out of my way” to find areas of agreement with current President Bush. Clinton argues for the need to find ways to transcend the national political divide. Do you think he has he been reading our website? (: In that same article, he continued, “I think it’s a healthy thing in a democracy to have people disagreeing, but if you’re screaming or demonizing, then the very people you want to reach—which is those who don’t agree with you – can’t hear you.” How can we “transcend a divide” if we debate using spiritual 2 x 4’s on one another? The only outcome of that process is two “dead people.” When is the last time you experienced two dead people communicating?

In our weekly updates, we will share various interactions with ministers and other people of faith, demonstrating how soul force principles constantly guide us An inclination to be triggered and drawn into debates would happen frequently without our Soulforce non-violent training.
Speaking of “separate is not equal,” let us consider the issue of same gender marriage. Some people feel that holy unions or civil unions are “enough,” but we feel that equality is achieved from having the choice (if desired) of a legal marriage license, equivalent to what mixed orientation couples receive. A separate category creates a hierarchy that keeps one part of society feeling that their committed relationships are “better than” others.

Allow us to share a story about Pastor Jay Smith of First Baptist Church in Bellingham, WA. We marvel at the depth and breadth of our conversations and sharing when we gather. We met Pastor Jay at a panel discussion on same gender marriage in May of 2004 at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. He was the rebuttal person on the panel. We decided that day to plan a lunch, committed to getting to know one another. After about six months, Pastor Jay said, "I can't deny the love I see between the two of you, and that has changed me." Pastor Jay says he now supports holy unions and civil unions for us, but has continued to say he isn't quite there on "marriage." He admitted, however, at lunch just before we left on our journey, that he is now asking himself, "Why not marriage?" and that it has caused him to look more deeply at the meaning of marriage. Great! Shouldn't we all be looking more deeply at what it means to have a committed and loving relationship? When asked by our documentary filmmaker, Nan Macy, “What brought you from the place of rebutting same gender marriage to affirming it?” Pastor Jay replied, “I sat down to lunch with them.” Pastor Jay calls himself "wrestling" with his understanding, and this is what caused us to choose that term to use on our journey. It seems to describe what is going on for many people who have been brought up in churches that have failed to look further into God's grace, as well as a society that does not promote acceptance for all people. Again, those who are “wrestling” often include many of our own GLBT community who have been impacted by these same influences.

Now, as we look at “separate is not equal,” we are faced an interesting application. If “separate is not equal,” why do so many in our GLBT community remain committed to creating a “separate” state by remaining closeted? The outcome of this choice (of remaining hidden) hinders the opportunity to integrate wholly into society, stealing our opportunity for being treated equally.

We do not feel that being separate adds in any way to the dissolving of our differences and ending discrimination. This is the reason we have used our soul force principles to support us in living as our authentic self in all aspects of our lives. Separate is not equal, and until our GLBT community decides we really want equality, we will continue keeping ourselves in our safe groups, refusing to integrate with the rest of society. Granted, it may feel safer, and maybe in some cases it truly is safer, but it is risking being a part of mainstream society that truly makes a difference. We experienced this with Pastor Jay.

This also applies to participation in our religious institutions. If GLBT people stay hidden in the churches, the churches will never acknowledge our existence, and they'll never start the conversation and move toward inclusion. They will be as happy with “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” as we are. Until gay people step up and involve themselves in mainstream society and mainstream activities, there will be separation, but that separation cannot necessarily be blamed upon the rest of society.

We feel that the key to our own freedom is in our own back pockets. It does not lie in the hands of the church leaders or the rest of society, even though so many gay people are sitting back just waiting for the church and the government to anoint us with a magic wand and say, "You are OK, after all." We are OK, end of subject. If we need others to tell us we are OK in order to believe it, we are the ones that need continued healing.

What we are discovering so far on our journey is that people are with us 10 to 1 regarding equality and justice for GLBT persons. The interesting aspect is that this parallels what many people discover in their coming out process. And yet, in both instances, fear is greater than reality. Our GLBT community fears what they believe others might say/do, and it causes us to remain silent and hidden. The truth is that there is probably 10% who are absolutely against equal rights for us in all areas, including marriage. The problem is that those 10% are a vocal minority. The reality is that they are still a minority. We give them our power by remaining hidden and invisible. We walk right into their “mind trap” that they are all powerful, and that feeds our fear.

Stay tuned for next week’s update that will include other interactions with people. We will share with you how Gay Into Straight America went to Germany, ended up in London, and met Pastor Buddy.

[pnggrad79]

Dotti,
I read your article on the Whosoever website and was touched because yours and my story are very similar. I came out a year ago to my family and have since been banned from every holiday gathering with my wife of more than a year, Rebecca. We got married Sept. 11, 2004 in Ontario because we couldn't do it in Massachusetts because we had to be legal residents. So we opted for Canada, less than 2 miles from the US border. We live in Texas which just passed a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in this state. I am ready to just start pounding the pavement to get this thing overturned. It appalls me that convicted sex offenders and rapists can get married in this state and I can't. I have committed no crimes, I don't molest children, I don't rape anyone, I pay my taxes, I go to church and am the mother of 2 teenage daughters, but I can't marry the woman I love. It is simply amazing to me.
For you, though, I am glad that your mother and brother finally came around and accept who you are and who Robynne is. I am glad that they now see the light. I wish my family would. My mother is in total denial, my father doesn't even speak about it, my sisters preach nonstop to me and my brother ignores me. Nevertheless, I refuse, like you, to be an inauthentic Christian. I am not going to lie to God anymore about who I am, who He created me to be. I am not going to lie to myself or anyone else. Hey, you only come out once. Anyway, I would love to go with Soulforce sometime and reach out to the straight community that we are just like they are, we want love, we want families, we want a life. We are not the majority of the what the news media presents us to be. I admire you and what you have done. God bless you and Robynne.

Margie Nobles

[Dotti Berry]

Hi Margie,
Where are you in Texas? We are in Austin right now, heading to Houston tomorrow to speak at PFLAG on Sunday. Please join us there if you are anywhere close. We would love to meet you and talk. Visit our website www.GayIntoStraightAmerica.com and click on "Events" for the location of the PFLAG meeting. Well, come join Soulforce in Colorado Springs next July as we walk 1000 watts and end up at Focus on the Family headquarters. If you haven't read our account of going inside Focus on the Family last spring, you can go to our website and click on this link http://www.gayintostraightamerica.co...ewsletter_id=7. Once there, you can also read our account of going inside the "Love Won Out" conference in Seattle this past June, put on by Focus on the Family. Though it is helpful to understand the bigger picture of how people think, it is still important to remember that the ones who are most vocal are still a miniority. Our "fear of their fear" is often greater than the reality...that is what we realize as we continue our journey, Gay Into Straight America. For support, check out the article I posted for Soulforce called "Stand UP Speak OUT...We are the Solution." Please feel free to email me at dotti@GayIntoStraightAmerica.com and let me know if you are anywhere near Houston, where we will be on Sunday. If there are any other Soulforce people close by, please join us! The light in us honors the light in you ... dotti and roby

[Jamie McDaniel]

Originally Posted by Dotti Berry

If we need others to tell us we are OK in order to believe it, we are the ones that need continued healing.

This is a powerful truth that we all could be reminded of as we work for LGBT equality.

Thank you, Dotti. I'm enjoying reading about the Gay into Straight America journey.

[kara speltz]

Originally Posted by Dotti Berry

November 23, 2005

We feel that the key to our own freedom is in our own back pockets. It does not lie in the hands of the church leaders or the rest of society, even though so many gay people are sitting back just waiting for the church and the government to anoint us with a magic wand and say, "You are OK, after all." We are OK, end of subject. If we need others to tell us we are OK in order to believe it, we are the ones that need continued healing.

Dear Dotti & Roby: I continue to be amazed by your wonderful story. It is so vital for each of us to claim ourselves as children of God and not let anyone deny that. It seems to me when we expect to find the best in people we almost always do. I have had countless experiences of accepance, particularly as I would return from a Soulforce direct action. Because I travel to and from the action, most often by myself, I have enormous opportunities to share with people the experience of that direct action. And I can't remember a time that people weren't moved by the stories I would share with them. When we hold in our hearts our heritage as Children of the Divine, it is impossible for others to deny. Your journey continues to inspire. Much love, Kara

[keltic63]

We don't need others to tell us that we're OK; we also don't need others telling as many people as they can that we're not OK. That is what Dr. Dobson and others do all too well.

It's a vocal minority for sure, but they are getting publicity, and there don't seem to be enough people standing up them.

[Dotti Berry]

Thanks for all your feedback! We appreciate your support. And let us remind you that we haven't said not to speak out against this "loud minority" such as Dobson and Focus on the Family. We joined Soulforce in Colorado Springs last year and will do so again next July. We were the only ones to change our flights, stay another day, and go inside and actually dialogue with people at Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs. Click here to reach about our account. http://www.gayintostraightamerica.com/242.html

We also went inside Love Won Out in Seattle, Washington in June, 2005, offering a loving presence at Dobson's anti-gay conferences. Click here to read about that.
http://www.gayintostraightamerica.com/285.html

True, there are not enough standing up against this vocal minority. Neither are there enough in our own community of GLBT persons standing up for ourselves...speaking in our own communities, sharing with our families, confronting our churches about their oppression. There are not enough standing up and speaking out, saying "Let's motivate the inspire and encourage the GLBT community to empower themselves, as well as reach out to the movable middle." Dobson and the "vocal minority" are way too vocal and powerful, and our "silent majority" are way too silent and ineffective. We believe it is time for us to take responsibility and shift, in order to relate more effectively and allow a new space to open up for others to change through our own transformation.

We are only suggesting that we not empower the minority to control our lives by focusing all of our energy on them. If we devoted equal amounts of energy to empowering our own community and the "movable middle" (which represents the majority) as we do to this minority, perhaps change could come quicker.

Congratulations to Charlize Theron! After seeing the actress on a morning TV show, The View, we named her the recipient of our second Stand UP Speak OUT Wind Changer Award. Charlize stated that she and her boyfriend would not marry until gay and lesbian people have the right to marry. We immediately chose her as our second honoree, and sent her a package with a T-shirt and 25 rainbow wristbands. Click here to find out more about Charlize. If you missed our first Stand UP Speak OUT Wind Changer honorees, click here to read about two fantastic kids! http://www.gayintostraightamerica.com/453.html

While in Austin, Texas, we had the opportunity to have dinner with Soulforce friends, Paul Dodd and Jeff Lutes. Jeff’s partner, Gary, and son, Nikko, also joined us for dinner. Dotti first met Jeff and Paul in 1999 in Lynchburg, VA, as they stood silent in a non-violent vigil outside Rev. jerry Falwell’s church. Thank you Rev. Falwell. Without you, many GLBT persons from around the country would have never met. Today, we all stand together, more empowered than ever as we continue to stand up and speak out for justice and equality. Rev. Falwell, your rhetoric, though horrific in its ignorance, has propelled many GLBT to channel their anger, grow and discover their voice in ways they had not done so previously. Again, thanks for the stimulus you provided.

We are excited about Paul Dodd’s recovery. He was recently the victim of a hate crime when his apartment was broken into and he was beaten. We are happy to report that Paul is looking great and feeling better each day.

Paul is a person who stands up and speaks out. Several months ago when Texas Governor Rick Perry was fresh off his endorsement of a resolution in support of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, he suggested that gay and lesbian veterans returning from the war in Iraq should go elsewhere if they are unhappy with the anti-gay legislation.

Perry: "Texans made a decision about marriage and if there's a state that has more lenient views than Texas, then maybe that's a better place for them to live."

Perry's remarks were immediately condemned by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, who cited the more than 66,000 gay and lesbian veterans living in Texas. Colonel Paul W. Dodd, a retired Army chaplain said, "Gays and lesbians have defended our country since the American Revolution. Governor Perry's remarks were outrageous and offensive and do not reflect the views of fair-minded Texans who value the service of our men and women in uniform. It is past time that those who fight for freedom abroad be afforded those same liberties here at home."

“Everything is bigger in Texas” is a long honored reputation for the state. These remarks by the governor, as well as the recent passing of Amendment 2 in Texas might leave one thinking, “Yea, that applies to homophobia as well.” Lest you feel discouraged, let us assure you that there are many fair-minded people who believe differently in Texas. Remember our friends in Diboll, Texas? Click here if you missed us talking about them. http://www.gayintostraightamerica.co...wsletter_id=27

We celebrated Roby's 40th birthday in a downtown Austin Italian restaurant. Once again, we were delighted to discover fair-minded people from Texas sitting next to us. Meet Corinne & Bob, a delightful couple, married since 1989. Corrine & Bob are yet another heterosexual couple in Texas who are very disappointment in the recent passage of Amendment 2.



We met many allies when we spoke at PFLAG Houston on Sunday, with more than 50 people in attendance.



(L-R) Kathy Sinclair, Bill Taylor, Jane Gay, Sue Null, Don Sinclair and Violet Taylor.



Jim Null, President of Houston PFLAG, and his wife, Sue Null, are on either side of us. They said they average between 50-100 people at each meeting! Several years ago, PFLAG Houston started a scholarship program for GLBTQ youth. It grew so large that it is now run by the PFLAG-HATCH Youth Scholarship Foundation. Click here to read more about it. It now gives well over $100,000 a year at their July meeting.

The timing of our visit to Houston was such that it coincided with their December meeting where they don't normally have a speaker. We are grateful that we had some time to share about Gay Into Straight America, and appreciated the excited response of the PFLAGers. Having to move this meeting from its regular location, they also had to vacate the building by a certain time. Jim said, "It was a real treat having you visit and speak. If you will be in Houston again, let us know in advance so we can give you a longer time to speak. It might also be reasonable to consider a half day workshop."

We had the pleasure of meeting Tom Chappell and Dr. Cynthia Chappell, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, as well as a biologist in the Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health at the University of Texas. They are the proud parents of a gay son. The Houston PFLAG chapter has produced a wonderful and insightful DVD by Dr. Chappell, called "A Biological Explanation for Human Sexual Orientation." Though Dr. Chappell points out that the resources she utilizes are not her personal research, she had done a phenomenol job of analyzing the current research and culling from it information that she presents in layman's terms. As she points out, the data is indeed pointing more and more toward a hormonal component during the pre-natal stages for creating the normal variance in human sexual orientation. Dr. Chappell has pulled together the diverse array of research, giving a concise view of what is happening today in this field. We are personally grateful for Dr. Chappell's research and aknowledge the importance of creating a greater understanding in this area. We also encourage people to keep in mind what we feel is the "bigger picture" as society continues the nature/nurture debate. No matter whether sexual orientation is nature/nuture or a combination, discrimination is wrong...period. Wrong. Loving another human being, and treating that person with dignity and respect, is an empowering value that is needed by all humans, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity. I can't say that it is a "traditional value," because all people in our society have not been loved, and treated with dignity and respect. We hope that a new day is coming when that will be the case in our society. Thank you Houston PLFAG, and thank you, Dr. Cynthia Chappell. We are glad that you have the gift of a gay son to propell you toward preparing information from other researchers in this area. Please click here to purchase a copy of this wonderful DVD. http://www.pflaghouston.org/news/headline.htm

We arrived in Tulsa yesterday, and had lunch with our friend, Susanne Bain. Dotti first met Karen Weldin, Susanne’s partner, at the original Soulforce vigil in Lynchburg in 1999. Shortly after that, Susanne and Dotti met at the church trial of Jimmy Creech. Again, thank you Jerry Falwell for these introductions. Without you, these are two more wonderful people Dotti would have never met!

We spoke Monday night, December 5, at the board meeting of PFLAG, COLAGE, and Families First in Tulsa. What a great group of people! We walk away from these meetings inspired by what people are doing. Thanks to Nancy McDonald for inviting us to speak. She also invited us back to speak at a future PFLAG meeting.

On the road from Tulsa to Columbia, MO, we had to make a stop in Springfield to have more repairs made to the Suburban. The spark plug wires had fallen down and were sitting on the manifold, and melted, thus only firing 6 cylinders versus 8. The expenses for repairs have been difficult, but we are grateful for safety on the road, no matter what the cost. If you would like to help defray our unexpected car repair expenses, please click here.

Arriving in Columbia on the evening of December 6th, fifteen degrees outside, we made the unfortunate discovery that while we were on the road, our pipes had frozen in the Scotty. Roby spent several hours, till approximately 1 a.m., trying to thaw the pipes, without success. We’re hoping for a full recovery of our water system once we get into some warmer weather and are able to thaw out.

Columbia, MO is active on the GLBT front, and Dorothy Angell is one PFLAG Mom who is leading the way. Dorothy, instrumental in starting PFLAG Columbia many years ago, has taken her “job” as a PFLAG Mom very seriously. She is very active in the community and in her church, including the Freedom To Serve Committee. Dorothy has been working for months to get local media and people in her church mobilized for our arrival and stint in Columbia. We are staying with Dorothy while in Columbia, and are so grateful for a warm home to be in during this extremely cold weather. Dorothy is the mother of our dear friend, Cathy Angell, in Bellingham, WA. Cathy and her partner, Ronna Biggs are on our Gay Into Straight America Core Support Team, and have been very instrumental in helping us get connected with PFLAG Chapters across the nation. In fact, Ronna put together our support boardthat travels with us, that we also added to our website.

We began our first full day in Columbia (Wednesday, December 7th) with an interview and photo shoot with Marcia, a reporter for the Columbia Tribune. From there, we went to KOPN to pre-record a radio show that will air Thursday evening while we speak at PFLAG. Our last event for the day was a meeting with the Freedom to Serve Partnership, comprised of seven Presbyterian Ministers, most of who are working to bring their congregations along to full inclusion of GLBT people. We are grateful for, and inspired by these ministers and church leaders who are willing to Stand UP and Speak OUT about God’s inclusive love for ALL people.

On Thursday, December 8th, we spoke at PFLAG in Columbia. What a great and dedicated group! Thanks to Dorothy Angell, our genteel activist PFLAG Mom, for bringing us to Columbia. We also appreciate the PFLAG President, Steve Clayton, for his support, and Linda Hayes for doing a remarkable job with publicity. Steve is taking us to the university's GLBT center to meet people on Friday, December 9.

We always talk about the impact of Soulforce, and them being a catalyst for our journey, as well as the importance of the non-violent training we have received over the years. We have Soulforce brochures on our table. Several are now considering attending the July, 2006, Soulforce action in Colorado. We welcome the potential for Linda, and her husband, Clayton, as well as Steve, and his partner, Alan, to join us. They are talking to others about attending as well.

The Houston Voice has done a followup article on our journey. Click here to read about it.http://www.houstonvoice.com/2005/12-...nal/couple.cfm

Dotti: Remember I just finished the book, Blink? It is a great book that talks about how experts (in any area) are able to "thin-slice" and use intuition in situations. The same "thin-slicing" that can be an advantage, however, can also (as Gladwell pointed out) be counter-productive in situations involving minorities, leading to discrimination. The thin-slicing that happens in a negative way, creating discimination against minorities is EXACTLY why we all have to stand up and speak out, and is what our journey is truly about. When we allow people to know us, and us them, none of us can "thin-slice" one another with our assumptions/myths/stereotypes in the same way. We will write more in another newsletter about that. It helps explain why people end up scratching their head when they meet us! (: We defy the myths they have been taught. Laws will never teach them that.

Consider the possibility that we, as GLBT people, can affect how others "thin-slice" our community. How? By being more open and accessible. We have the power to destroy the myth. Our openess and willingness to be known will take away the "thin-slicing" of us into caricatures that society has often been taught.

The adventures of two women and a poodle continue!

The light in us honors the light in you, Dotti, Roby & Rylee Joy

[Zerbie]

I'm disappointed to find out that I missed seeing you when you were in Arizona!! In any event, I've enjoyed reading this, and have begun following some of the links you provided - it must be such an incredible learning experience, this journey! I look forward to the next installments!

Please keep sharing what you find. . .we could all use inspiration and positive news like yours!

[Dotti Berry]

We are sorry that we missed you as well. Thanks for following our journey. We have had some challenging computer issues and are just doing some updates. To see the most recent newsletters from our website, go to www.GayIntoStraightAmerica.com and click on "News Updates." The most recent one is there. We will be catching up on the Soulforce update next week!

[Vanessa White]

Dottie and Roby: I have just recently found out about soulforce a few weeks ago, and have been so encouraged by the positive energy that it attracts and the support that I see is there. I am a lesbian who has been with my partner for almost ten years, and we are raising an 8 year old daughter. We struggle at times about how much and under what circumstances are okay to be out. I tend to be more out most of the time, including with family and on the job, than is her comfort level. But, we always talk about it and work through it to be together on issues regarding parenthood. I am working at a catholic university in Pennsylvania as a counselor, which creates a very interesting dynamic for being out of the closet. Many of my coworkers and my supervisor is a nun, and she has a very difficult time not calling it a "choice" or "lifestyle". However, I continue to use other language than that and to encourage her (gently) to embrace others for who they are. The biggest challenge that I face in talking about the issues for gay persons is with people closest to me who think I don't need to talk about it because it is "nobody's business, its personal", when actually, I am not looking to share intimate details about my life with my partner, just trying to let people know that we are around, we are not freaks, we have needs and wants and goals and dreams like everyone else, we are faithful and church going and parents and lovers and friends. I keep trying though. I have created a training that I conduct throughout the state on how to assist child welfare workers in supporting LGBTQ teens that they are probably working with, and confronting their own biases. I absolutely applaud your efforts, your courage, your marriage (which I hope we can do someday as well), and the commitment you are making to yourselves and to the community at large. I do agree that we cannot afford to sit back and blame others for our treatment by others- we have to make the change and educate and inform. God speed in your journeys, maybe our paths will cross in the future. Be well- Vanessa

[Dotti Berry]

Thanks Vanessa for all you are doing. Our experience has been (strange as it seems to some GLBT) that honesty is still the best policy. 99% of the people will be as OK with you being "out" as you are OK with yourself about being out. By the way, we will be in Pennsylvania speaking the end of March and 1st part of April. Our Philadelphia engagement date is not set yet, but the one in York, PA is March 27. Go to "Events" on our website www.GayIntoStraightAmerica.com

We continue to be amazed at how many people Jerry Falwell and others broughts together through Soulforce! We recently spent time at a Methodist Women's retreat, put together by Fran Porter, who I met when we were arrested at the 2000 Southern Baptist Conference in Orlando. As well, spent time with Lisa Coons. I met her the same way ... we were arrested for an act of civil disobedience. I heard her story about losing visitation rights with her daughter, Savannah, and donated developing a website for her, www.We2HaveParentalRights.com. Also, while we have been in Florida, we spent a couple of days with Bill Carpenter after our talk at PFLAG Tampa. Great work Bill is doing with the Equality Riders, as they prepare for their 7 week journey with Jake Reitan heading it up!

As usual, we can to utilize our non-violent training learning through Soulforce in our daily interactions.

After more than 30 years in the state legislature, Washington's anti-discrimination bill, HB 2661, was passed by a historic 25-23 vote and sent to the governor to sign into law. The Governor is supportive of this legislation and has indicated she will sign the bill.

The culmination of 30 years effort, including the hard work of activists like you, today’s victory ensures simple fairness for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Washingtonians. No one should be fired from their job or denied a place to live simply because of who they are.

Check out this article about Ken Hutcherson, the anti-gay minister who said he would start a national boycott if the law was passed last year. Well, things look pretty different now.

http://www.gayintostraightamerica.com/492.html

Check out our most recent newsletter for details about what has been happening on our journey!

http://www.gayintostraightamerica.co...wsletter_id=41

From the adventures of two women and a poodle, Dott, Roby & Rylee Joy
http://www.GayIntoStraightAmerica.com

[Jamie McDaniel]

Dotti and Roby spent the last few days with Chris and I here in Lexington. It was a joy to have them! Here is a link to a video from their stop in Louisville, KY at a Lutheran church.

http://wdrb.dayport.com/launcher/4054/

[Dotti Berry]

Thanks Jamie! The hospitality you and Chris showed us was awesome! We have since traveled to Louisville (obviously, since you mentioned the video), Indianapolis (where we spent time with authors/minister Philip Gulley and Jim Mulholland, who wrote If Grace is True and If God is Love). If anyone is interested in those books, you can click here. http://www.gayintostraightamerica.com/455.html There are other good books we recommend as well. Philip and Jim talk about the difference it made for them when a gay person came out to them years ago. Click here to read the newsletter about our meeting them. http://www.gayintostraightamerica.co...wsletter_id=45 We then headed to Kalamazoo, Michigan to speak before heading back through Indianapois, where we attended a forum we heard about by listening to Christian radio. Yes, we listen so we can heard about what is going on regarding people's perceptions and what is happening in particular cities. Before leaving Indianapolis for Kalamazoo, we were listening to a radio program featuring Dr. Charles Ware, president of Crossroads Bible College in Indianapolis. He shared that the following Tuesday, they would be hosting a forum called "Homosexuality, Civil Rights and the Church." We decided that we definitely wanted to attend. Click here to read this newsletter that details that event. http://www.gayintostraightamerica.co...wsletter_id=46 We just left the home of Frank and Gary, two wonderful men who have been together for 42 years!! They live in Winston Salem, and we are inviting them to stand with us this summer in Colorado Springs. Tomorrow night we will be staying with Jimmy Creech and his wife, Chris. We are looking foward to catching up with them. Then our plans are to head to Lynchburg and catch the initial Equality Ride event at Liberty. Congrats to everyone in Soulforce who has worked so hard to put that together, led by Jake and Haven and Bill Carpenter. Signing off from the adventures of two women and a poodle, on a year long journey to transform themselves and the world! dotti, roby and rylee joy