Shame on Italy. The gay news reports that some lesbian mothers are having their names removed from their children’s birth certificates to exercise their homophobic power.
Italy is my mother’s home country, where most of my relatives continue to live. The country may be risking a court overruling from the EU with this outrageous act of homophobia. I fought for years as part of what is now called FamilyEquality.org to make sure this kind of family destruction was not sanctioned by the United States in certain backward states. Now EU member countries are trying to push the envelope and reverse all the progress Europe has made toward recognizing all types of families.
I wrote Family Equality hoping they make a statement condemning what Italy is doing and how the EU should respond. As an Emeritus Board contact (with the honor of being listed on their website) and especially as an Italo-American, I am outraged to my core.
The organization was known as Gay & Lesbian Parents Coalition INTERNATIONAL (GLPCI) when I was on the Board between 1996-2001. While I’m glad they no longer have a trans-exclusive name, I do remember at our conferences having parents from other countries who wanted to see how the USA was securing rights for queer families like ours.
We’re not part of the official Facebook group called Fairies on the (Vallejo) Ferry, but here is a gaggle of six of us riding together this morning on the way to SF Pride!
Starting at the lower left is Patrick, William W. and Carlos. On the lower right is me, Shando and William S.
These first two photos are of Shando and me in front of City Hall where we got married in December 2018. Patrick and William W. got married there too!
I filmed Patrick, William, and Shando going through this feature at the Faerie Village during San Francisco Pride below. I wish I would have captured the moment right after the video ended when William said, “I felt like the Little Mermaid.” Awww, how gay is THAT? Perfectly gay.
Happy to help where I can with this cause! Brian Davis of LGBTQ Minus Tobacco and I tabled in Concord where they had a nice pride event. It’s nice that I was recognized by a few folks despite this being over the water from where I live and still pretty far from where I lived when I was in the East Bay all those years. I did work nearby in Walnut Creek/Pleasant Hill area for six years, but this is an important cause and there is momentum with the Tobacco Retail License here that the City of Concord has in the works. I hope I was able to bring some awareness to the locals.
My friend Tom Bilbo gave me a chance to talk about the activism I’m doing with LGBTQ Minus Tobacco and a coalition of other organizations at today’s picnic. The microphone was faulty, but it was a great opportunity to also talk about the Tobacco Retail License we’re working on with the City Council in Vallejo and our accomplishment last year with the Smokefree Multi-Unit Housing ordinance that passed unanimously with City Council.
UPDATE: There was an article that mentioned us in the Vallejo Times Herald on Monday, June 13. Check it out here.
On Saturday night, the Vallejo Historical Museum held a Pride Dance. Shando and I actually got pulled onto the floor and danced. It was actually a LOT of fun and a wonderful venue with a great DJ.
Happy Pride Month everybody. It’d be terrific if people with faceless profiles didn’t dampen our pride by trying to connect with me on social media, because that’s not something I’ll ever encourage, especially in June!
I’m here for you, together with countless millions, when you need to come out, even though this is not National Coming Out Day, which is also a thing!
Meanwhile, we’re fighting for your rights every day no matter where in the world you live. Don’t let people like Rondha Insantis in his white go-go boots make you feel less than, Floridians. There are people with far more oppressive leaders, but we have to fight bigotry and ignorance everywhere, as WE are on the right side of history.
It’s already sort of a tradition to post the diversity pride flag up every June 1 in this household, but we’ll try to remember to take a portrait of us after doing so each year.
Up for all of June, although we have various other rainbow accouterments visible from the street every day, of course.
