GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE.
The kids at Lakeside High School were great! I was able to hear their coming-out stories, and even though there was often humor injected into the wide variety of stories told, every story had an "I couldn't tell [some relative] because they'd never understand/scream/argue/kill me..." and there was an alarming number of "Well, they're Catholic, so they'd never understand...." and "My family's background is Catholic, so they would not understand..." and "Catholic church tells you it's wrong, unnatural.."...Alarming, because many Catholics do NOT take this view. In fact, most RC Church members who I know, find the "fundamentalist" view of Christianity as misguided, just as they find condemnation of LGBT wrong-headed. I did mention Call-To-Action Catholics as a liberal/progressive branch of Catholicism for those kids who may wish to segue into a discussion with their parents, armed with at least one Catholic group that's very pro-LGBT!I also mentioned Pax Christi, the Peace & Social Justice group to which I belong.
So, here are a few other websites for you kids at Lakeside(and my faithful blog- readers out there, too!):
First, a few Literary websites:
www.limpwrist.com
Limp Wrist magazine will detail many local events, as well as feature great poetry by LGBT folks!!
http://www.dbrookshire.blogspot.com/
Dustin Brookshire's blog is literary AND political, you'll have fun at his site!
www.collinkelley.blogspot.com/
Collin Kelley is "da man" for Literary events in Atlanta.His blog is very LGBT-friendly, and political, and loaded with pop-culture references, too!
NOT-TO-BE-MISSED:
Collin Kelley's re-caps of "American Idol", every season!
Please check out the list to the right of this post for more ideas on blogs and websites to check out!
If you're into Poetry Slams, I'll have more info for you, very soon--for you kids(and older ones) reading this, and for you kids at Lakeside High, next time we meet(in a couple of months!)
Until then, I hope you kids at Lakeside will work on poems about your stories of "coming-out".
I'll help you put together a chapbook in time for National Poetry Month, next April!Special Thanks to Mr. Mack Anthony, and Mr. Marcello Banderas, both teacher-sponsors of the GSA at Lakeside.
REMEMBER:
The Protest against Prop 8 is this Saturday,1:30 P.M. at the State Capitol.
5:00 P.M. Candlelight Vigil at Outwrite Books!

All in all, a great day of listening and learning.
These kids are beautiful, bright, brave.
Peace, kids.

NO ON PROPOSITION 8!!!!!!!!!!
I cannot believe that in 2008,the USA is still paranoid about us LGBT people having access to the same LEGAL, CIVIL procedures that everyone else enjoys.
I think the fear must come from misunderstanding, so let's clear this up, right now:
No one is going to come into your church, and demand a religious ceremony celebrating their marriage, if your denomination does not support that union, in your (however misguided I think they are!) teachings.
What is desired, and indeed, necessary, and absolutely the FAIR AND CORRECT AND JUST THING TO DO, is to have marriage--legal, civil marriage--with all its' attendant obligations and benefits, available to ALL. It's very simple.
This is not a threat to ANYone.
Your marriage is YOUR responsibility. The LGBT couple down the street is no threat to you.In fact, straight couples could learn a lot from lesbian relationships, since lesbian women tend to stay and work things out, and not separate(the rate of separation is less than 10%) whereas in marriages of straight people, the divorce rate is slightly more than 1 in 2 marriages, or about 62%.
This Saturday, Nov. 15th, we will gather with other LGBT, and also, straight people, who support OUR CIVIL RIGHTS:
We will gather in front of the Georgia State Capitol, at 1:30 P.M., to protest Prop. 8.
All over the country, at that same moment, thousands will be gathering to do the same thing.
If you believe in equal rights for ALL, then prove it--come out and support us!
Find more information, at:

http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/?t=anon

just copy and paste the url above, into your browser, and click on!

Speaking of LGBT concerns, I've been asked to speak to a group of 11th and 12th grade students at Lakeside High School's GSA(Gay-Straight Alliance)this Thursday(tomorrow). Old friend Mack Anthony is a teacher there, and is a sponsor for this important group(he jokes he is "the straight part of the equation..."), which provides support to young people in the process of coming out, and provides "safe haven" for those who often face bullying and ridicule in school.
This Thursday, the kids will share coming-out stories, and I'll be suggesting poetry and creative non-fiction "flash" pieces as a way to express their frustration, their conflict, and their joy in coming-out. In the near future, we may even have a chapbook in the works!

Remember, Saturday, November 15th, State Capitol, 1:30 P.M., sharp--come support Equal Rights, and Access to Marriage for All.
SAY NO TO PROP 8!!
Peace, kids.