So, what is arguingequality.org?  When I was in law school, I wrote a booklet, Arguing Equality, in which I attempted to lay out arguments in favor of gay marriage. After graduating, I moved down to Atlanta, Georgia, and not so long after that became involved in fighting an anti-gay Constitutional Amendment in the Georgia House defining marriage as between a man and a woman. The results of the vote were a foregone conclusion - it is Georgia, of course, and we didn’t have a chance. But it gave us an opportunity to start a long and arduous process of educating the public about gay marriage rights.

At the time, I was the Volunteer Coordinator for our statewide lgbt organization, Georgia Equality, and still had my book, Arguing Equality, which I had not yet published. So, we decided to publish two thousand copies of the booklet and distribute it  free to volunteers statewide as a learning tool.

I’m proud to say that the booklet was well-received, and I got dozens of emails from gay activists throughout Georgia thanking me and Georgia Equality for the booklet. I even had one lesbian couple drive three hours to Atlanta to pick up two dozen copies of the book, which they distributed at their wedding!

So, rather than publish Arguing Equality in a traditional manner, I decided that it could be a lot more effective, and reach a much larger audience, online. It’s published chapter by chapter on the homepage, and while I think it needs a good deal of work, I hope you find it useful. Let me know!

I set this site and blog up long ago, but until now did not truly commit to use it. Blogging is a lot of work, I guess, but more than that, as I got older, I found my fire for our cause had dwindled. I was passionate about fighting for my rights years ago, but my passion was diluted by my career and social life, and more than that, I think I got used to the idea of being a second-class citizen. What infuriated me in my youth became something that, sadly, I learned to live with rather than fight against.  The evolution was not for the better.

While my passion dwindled, I had continued to be involved with the gay activist community, although not at the grass-roots level I had been used to.  Lately, though, I joined the Board of Directors of YouthPride, an Atlanta charity that serves lgbt youth and provides them with a safe space. It’s helped me remember the difficulties I faced growing up, and how different my adolescence could have been if I did not grow up in shame. I’m grateful for that.

So, I’ve recommited myself to get back on track, to fighting for the cause I’m most passionate about, and to hopefully inspire others to get involved as well. Let’s see how it goes

When Obama asked Rick Warren to deliver his inauguration speech, it caused quite a stir.  And rightly so.  While the President-elect wants desperately to prove that his administration will cross party lines, his choice conveyed the wrong message.  Rick Warren is most notable for his extreme and polarizing anti-gay support of California’s Proposition 8.   The result is that Obama’s choice did not convey the message that his presidency will include Democrats and Republicans alike, it sent the message that his presidency will include gays and gay-haters alike. Disappointing.