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“There are people who are satisfied with crumbs because that is all they think they can get when in reality, if they demand the real thing, they will find that they indeed can get it.” — Harvey Milk

This is a historic day in the United States of America. Our Commander in Chief just publicly announced he’s on the side of full marriage equality for gay and lesbian people and our families. This declaration sends a powerful, life-saving message to LGBTQ people across this country that their love, their lives and their families are valued.

We have made our voices heard, we have made strong and necessary demands and today it is clear the President has heard us. Now, the importance of supporting our President come November cannot be overstated. The stakes could not be higher. We must immediately make our thanks evident with our voices, our sweat & tears, and our check books.

Feeling HOPEFUL again,

DLB

Donate to Barack Obama now:
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I want to take a few lines to make sure everyone knows about a contest underway for LGBT Heritage month in Los Angeles. The LGBT Heritage – Creative writing/Video competition is brought to us by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Christopher Street West (LA Pride). The competition is open for submissions from youth, grades 6-12. The submission can be in the form of an essay or a 1-3 minute video. The best essays will be selected by a panel of judges and the top three will be awarded cash prizes and the opportunity to perform their essay/video at the LGBT Heritage Month opening ceremonies.

If you know anyone in this age range and think they might have interest in submitting, use the information below.

I can’t wait to see the submissions and meet the creative minds of our future.

Hello Melanie,

I was sad to see your review of my piece from last week’s THR as I have great respect for you and your work. I can only imagine we agree on far more than we disagree.

I regret that many are interpreting my column as a call for our community not to vote for President Obama. That is not my position. I support our President now as I did four years ago when campaigning for him door to door in Nevada and Virginia. My hope is that our President will continue to increasingly embrace our community so that we might continue to fully support him.

Like you, I too was bothered by the headline THR wrote for the article as I feel it was inaccurate and shifted focus off the critical point of the piece — that as far as marriage equality goes, we don’t have a 100 percent candidate, but that one man could be encouraged to join us (OBAMA), and that the other is likely forever hopeless (ROMNEY).

I believe it is clear to most HOLLYWOOD REPORTER readers that my piece hits Mitt Romney far harder than it does our President. Sadly, those observations were left out of your review, including this: “Barring a last-minute revelation from the Latter-day Saints prophet that gay and lesbian families should be treated equally, many will be left to bet on HOPE again. It’s simply the safer choice when future heaven babies threaten to rule federal marriage policy.” I believe most readers know that “betting on HOPE” on this issue means voting for President Obama.

The hypothetical you do focus on comes much later in the piece, stating that if our President does not eventually land on the side of full equality we must be willing to abandon our support. Let me be clear, in no way is this an outcome I hope to see become a reality and I will continue to work to tell our stories and humanize our struggle to insure that it doesn’t. What I never want to see is our vote being taken for granted. Our vote is our voice. United, it is our power.

If you have a moment, I would love to talk with you on the phone about this. I believe we are better united in our efforts than divided.

Sincerely,

Dustin Lance Black

Some of you may know I am a board member with The Trevor Project, the national 24 hour suicide hotline for the LGBTQ community. Recently, a new executive director and CEO was appointed and I wanted to share the great news with you. Abbe Land comes to us from the Saban Free Clinic in Los Angeles, Abbe also holds a long standing councilmember position with the city of West Hollywood.

Abbe served as co-CEO of the Saban Free Clinic since 2003 taking the annual budget from $6 million to a $16 million budget. This also includes opening two new clinics and building a $22 million endowment. At the Saban Clinic over 21,000 people annually are assisted with dental, medical and mental health services. She also managed a staff of 140 and over 300 volunteers.

This vast experience is welcomed at a time when we see more of our young folks coming out at earlier ages. I’m looking forward to the vision and direction we will take in the future with Abbe at the helm. I feel she will be an incredible asset Trevor and continue to serve the public with distinction and guide gay and questioning youth to a brighter future.

For more information on The Trevor Project visit www.thetrevorproject.org.

Finally, to help reach LGBTQ youth who may not know about this service repost to your Facebook, or Twitter. Even a little message with the Trevor Project web address could make a difference in someone’s life that you may be friends with.

Abbe Land

Trevor Project Hotline (866) 488-7386