Gary Carnivele

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National Report Shows High Tobacco Use By LGBTs

LGBTs have long been known to smoke more than their straight counterparts and a new national report issued by the U.S. surgeon general backs that up: community members light up at a rate 65 percent higher than heterosexuals.

The 32nd tobacco-related surgeon general’s report was released last week, on the anniversary of the office’s first study 50 years ago linking tobacco use with cancer.

The report details the implications of tobacco use on the American populace since 1964. This year’s report, titled “Health Consequences of Smoking: 50 Years of Progress,” makes specific reference to health disparities within the LGBT community. It marks only the third time LGBT subgroups have been mentioned and the first time the LGBT community in its entirety has been cited as a disparity group.

“It’s taken so long for the LGBT community to be considered a health disparity population,” said Daniella Mathews-Trigg, program administrator of the Network for LGBT Health Equity at CenterLink. “With every federal document that includes LGBT comes more funding for data collection and, hopefully, we can close those disparity gaps.”

Recently, Mathews-Trigg continued, enough data around LGBT smoking has emerged to serve as the impetus behind making specific reference to the subject on a federal level. The report stated that the LGBT community spends $7.9 billion on cigarettes each year which, according to Mathews-Trigg, is 65 times more than government agencies, nonprofits, and all other health-focused entities combined spend on LGBT health annually.

Other updated data outlined by the report include a figure for overall LGBT community smoking prevalence. The LGBT population smokes at a rate 65 percent higher than the general population – 20 percent of the general population smokes compared to 33 percent of the LGBT population. Additionally, HIV-positive smokers live 7.2 years less than HIV-negative smokers.

Acting Surgeon General Dr. Boris D. Lushniak released a statement with the report emphasizing the importance of highlighting LGBT smoking.

“From the surgeon general’s perspective we look at the data. People ask where are the disparities now, and we use LGBT as an example of one of those disparities,” he said. “I’m a man in uniform and this is a war. LGBT smoking is important to us, because the numbers aren’t good. What we need to decide is what is the best strategic and tactical approach to bring those numbers down?”

Mathews-Trigg said using this moment as a call to action is the next step. While HIV among LGBTs has largely and appropriately been the community’s focus for so long, she said, tobacco use has been neglected.

“Many people don’t realize the connection between tobacco and the general health of the community,” Mathews-Trigg said. “We have this moment where everyone is paying attention and we want to highlight this issue as an even bigger killer than HIV.”

In Santa Clara County, where officials released results of the first-ever LGBT health survey, data show smokers mirror the national statistics; South Bay LGBT smokers are three times more likely to light up.

The health survey, “Status of LGBTQ Health: Santa Clara County, California 2013,” was released January 10.

The county’s bisexual and gay men, who made up 33 percent and 22 percent of smokers, respectively, represent nearly a quarter of the South Bay’s LGBT residents. Bisexual women and lesbians made up 23 percent and 19 percent of smokers, respectively. Transgender individuals made up 19 percent of the population that lights up.

The South Bay findings alarmed Brian Davis, a 54-year-old gay man who is the California Tobacco Control Program coordinator at the Tri-City Health Center in Fremont.

“This represents a serious problem in the LGBT community – that we are smoking three times as much in comparison to the general population in Santa Clara County,” said Davis. “We need to look at taking action to address that problem.”

Davis, who has been working in LGBT tobacco control for six years, is also project director of the Just for Us LGBT Tobacco Prevention Project as a part of his responsibilities at the center.

While a comprehensive approach to combating LGBT tobacco use on a national level has yet to be devised, the Network for LGBT Health Equity is currently drafting an LGBTQ Wellness Needs Assessment survey to collect more information around health issues experienced by the LGBT community. To be released to all major LGBT community and health organizations around the country this summer, the network intends for the survey to shed even more light on LGBT smoking prevalence.

“Understanding this as a big issue and having more federal data will create an excitement for change,” Mathews-Trigg said. “We want the heads of LGBT organizations as well as individuals to be more aware. On the federal data collection level, we want the continued inclusion of the LGBT community on health surveys.”

 

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Oscar Party Will Benefit Food For Thought

Food for Thought – Sonoma County AIDS Food Bank will host Oscar Night in Sonoma County Sunday, March 2 at Rialto Cinemas in Sebastopol.  Ticket-holders will watch the 86th Annual Academy Awards live on the big screen, try and predict who the winners will be, and enjoy movie trivia during those commercial breaks.   There will also be a costume contest, so come dressed as your favorite movie character.  General Admission is $25 and doors open at 4:30 p.m.

There will be a VIP Pre-Party, which will begin at 3:30 p.m. with your exit from the limo captured in a photo for you and, of course, a stroll down the red carpet.  The reception affords you champagne and munchies.  VIP tickets are $75.

Beth Wolfer, Food for Thought’s Development Director said: “Have you ever experienced the Academy Awards with and Audience.  It’s a blast!  Join us for an evening of stargazing, suspense, prizes, and lots of local color. Find your Texas chic for Dallas Buyer’s Club or don your 70s look for American Hustle – be who you want to be.”

General admission tickets are available at Rialto Cinemas in Sebastopol or at www.rialtocinemas.com.  VIP Pre-Party Tickets are available at Food for Thought in Forestville or at www.fftfoodbank.org.

Memorial Service for Sun Bell Happens Friday in Santa Rosa

A service to celebrate the life of Sun Bell, who passed away in her Sebastopol home December 5, will be held on January 10, 2014, at 11a.m. at the Center of Spiritual Living in Santa Rosa, with Reverend Jeffery Anderson officiating.

Sun was born in Steubenville, Ohio, on November 20, 1949. Sun graduated with a degree in the Arts from Cosumnes River College in 1990. Sun was joined with June Dancingtree on May 12, 2010, as Domestic Partners. They were together for six years. Music was the soul and core of Sun’s life.

At three years old Sun was singing on stage at a gathering with her grandparents. She continued to sing, play music, write songs and perform throughout her life. At eighteen she traveled to California and began to write award winning songs and build a repertoire. This prepared her for live performances and she began to travel wherever music opportunities led her, including all over the USA, Mexico, Toronto, and London.

Sun was also drawn to visual and literary arts, and became a published poet, short story and feature writer. She opened a photography studio in San Rafael with her photography and videography becoming integral to music promotion. Her college diploma in this field landed her a “dream job” as Videographer/Producer/Photographer for California State Parks. Sun flourished in Sacramento for five years with the state parks, until a serious injury forced her into early retirement.

With more time for music, Sun set out to find likeminded musicians to share in her creativity. At a music festival, she met Jan Emerson, a pianist/singer longing to work with an original songwriter/musician. Becoming fast friends, they started crafting Sun’s compositions, and had enough music to name their duo “Bell the Cat”. Sun had many connections in local radio and TV, having worked in broadcasting in both production and on-air talent. Sun was well-respected and well-liked; her pro-community philanthropy was her best calling card.

The duo as well as the larger versions of “bell the cat” made appearances on local TV shows, played and sang live on local radio programs. They then progressed to recording their first CD “Songs from the Wild”, through which Sun won awards for several songs. Sun’s powerful voice was an asset to the “One Heart Choir” at the Center for Spiritual Living in Santa Rosa. Always creating in various ways, Sun was in the process of writing her memoirs to be published in the future.

Sun is survived by her domestic partner June Dancingtree; her siblings Timothy, Sally, Suzanne, and Elizabeth; her step children Wendy, Christopher, and Michael, step grandchildren and numerous friends.

In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate donations to offset funeral expenses. Donations may be sent to 438 Ragle Road in Sebastopol.

Students, Families and Supporters Celebrate Growing Support and Opportunities for Transgender Students

Transgender students and their families are celebrating Californiaâs new School Success and Opportunity Act, which ensures that schools across the state understand their obligation to provide a fair opportunity for transgender students to participate in all school programs and to graduate with their peers. The law went into effect on January 1st.

The new law has been welcomed by school officials, teachers, and parents for educating California schools about meeting the educational needs of these students and their families, who often face daunting challenges that can prevent them from graduating when schools exclude them from activities and programs. The same extreme anti-LGBT groups that sponsored Proposition 8 have criticized this law, but have had trouble gathering sufficient signatures from the public to support a referendum on it.

ãFor the first time in my life, Iâm hopeful÷not only for myself, but for every other student like me across the state who will no longer need to fear obstacles standing in the way of their success,ä said Ashton Lee, a student from Manteca, CA. ãThis new law means so much, but more than anything, it means I can now see a future for myself.ä

Both state and federal law already prohibit discrimination against transgender students, and many schools districts, including San Rafael and Los Angeles, have had supportive policies for transgender students in place for years. But before the School Success and Opportunity Act was enacted, many schools did not understand their legal obligations to support these students. Too often, transgender students were unfairly excluded from school programs and activities and, in some cases, unable to obtain the credits they needed to graduate.

Added Ashtonâs mother Catherine Lee: ãMost parents donât know what itâs like to constantly worry that their child is being kept away from opportunities to excel in school or that bad experiences will have lasting effects. Iâm excited for this law because it gives all students a fair chance to succeed.ä
The new law has already had a significant impact. Since it was enacted last year, several school districts have already adopted new policies to protect transgender students, and the California School Board Association has encouraged all school districts to do so.

“In my experience, supporting transgender students based on their gender identity, including allowing them to use facilities or participate in activities, is just another way that schools work to ensure all students can be successful,ä said Sara Stone, a principal at Oakland Unified School District. ãThis is not an issue that other students are bothered about, and is one that makes a tremendous difference for the transgender students we serve.”

“All students deserve to be fully included in every aspect of the school experience,” said EQCA Executive Director John O’Connor. “The elimination of confusion about the law will now lead to greater participation and enrichment by all students, regardless of gender identity or expression.”

The School Success and Opportunity Act was signed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2013 and is supported by the Support All Students coalition, including Equality California, Transgender Law Center, GSA Network, National Center for Lesbian Rights, the ACLU of California, Gender Spectrum and many others. To learn more, please visit www.SupportAllStudents.org.

Fountaingrove Lodge Opens to Serve LGBT Seniors

Filling a long-overdue need to provide the LGBT community more retirement options, Fountaingrove Lodge the nationâs first full-service LGBT retirement community to offer luxury living and continuing care services, will officially opened Wednesday, November 20. Regional elected officials and LGBT leaders joined award-winning developer Oakmont Senior Living to celebrate the grand opening of the 10-acre retirement campus located in Santa Rosa.

Seniors are the largest and fastest growing population in America, and currently the LGBT community accounts for 1.5 million of those seniors. In the next 20 years, the number of LGBT seniors is expected to double. Providing quality care options to this aging population is vital to helping them lead rich and full lives as they age. Fountaingrove Lodge is the first of its kind to give the growing number of LGBT seniors a place to enjoy a meaningful retirement in a community of friends. The community is currently 65 percent occupied with LGBT seniors from as far away as Florida, Maryland and London.

Fountaingrove Lodge features craftsman-style architecture to reflect the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape. The community offers independent and assisted-living options for its 70 apartments and bungalows that are available in nine different floor plans ranging from 830 to 2,000 square feet. Fountaingrove Lodge will also feature an on-site memory care center offering specialized services to individuals diagnosed with Alzheimerâs and other forms of dementia.

As a full-service retirement campus, Fountaingrove Lodge provides a wide range of resort amenities and services that offer the very best in retired living. From gourmet meals prepared by a world-class chef to enjoying a stroll through the orchard of native oaks, or a glass of wine in the wine cave, Oakmont Senior Living has taken great care to create not just a community, but a comfortable lifestyle. Fountaingrove Lodge is adjacent to a championship golf course and features a fully equipped fitness center with daily fitness instruction, hiking trails and an outdoor pool. Other common areas include a library, business center, great hall for special events, pet park, movie theatre and activity rooms. Chauffeured transportation, valet and concierge services are also available.

As the only LGBT retirement community to provide continuing care, Fountaingrove Lodge offers residents the medical support and attention they may need as they age in the privacy of their own homes. Services are customized and include emergency response systems, personal health assessments and screenings, medication reminders, housekeeping, flu shots, dietary guidance and temporary in-home care for those recuperating from an illness or injury. A full staff of licensed vocational nurses, care managers, medical technicians, maintenance technicians and administrative workers are available 24 hours a day to provide individualized care tailored to the needs of each resident.

For more information visit http://fountaingrovelodge.com.

California Legislature Passes Bill to Aid Transgender Californians with Name Changes, Identity Documents

Assembly Bill 1121, authored by Assemblymember Toni Atkins and co-sponsored by Equality California and the Transgender Law Center, passed the Assembly last week by a bipartisan vote of 56-18, with an official vote count pending. The bill will help ensure people who are transgender have better access to legal name changes and identity documents that accurately reflect their gender identity. The bill will continue to Gov. Jerry Brownâs desk.

ãMy bill provides transgender people with a simple, inexpensive, and private process for changing their names and documents to be consistent with their gender identity,ä said Assemblymember Toni Atkins. ãI am grateful for the support of my legislative colleagues for this simple step that will have a big impact on quality of life and personal safety for transgender Californians.ä

ãEvery Californian deserves the freedom to live as their authentic selves, and AB 1121 removes significant barriers to that freedom,ä said John OâConnor, Equality California executive director. ãHaving documents that reflect who you really are is crucial to achieving full equality, and EQCA is proud to see this bill advance to the Governorâs desk. We thank Assemblymember Atkins for her continued leadership.ä

In 2011, the National Transgender Discrimination Survey showed that 44 percent of transgender people reported having been denied service, harassed or assaulted when presenting identity documents that did not match their gender presentation.

ãAs a transgender man myself, I have experienced both the discrimination that often accompanies having identity documents that do not match oneâs gender identity as well as the burdensome process of revising identity documents. This important bill will mean more transgender people will be able to go about their daily activities – from voting to applying for jobs ö without being unfairly outed or put in danger,ä said Masen Davis, Executive Director of Transgender Law Center. ãWe are grateful for the leadership of Assemblymember Atkins who continues to champion fairness for all Californians.ä

While some states have administrative procedures that permit transgender people to amend the gender marker, name or both on their birth certificates, California still requires a court hearing as a prerequisite before the stateâs Office of Vital Records will change the gender marker on a birth certificate.

Court fees are currently $435 for a gender change or name change petition. AB 1121 will allow individuals to bypass the court and apply directly to the Office of Vital Records to amend a birth certificate. That will both streamline individualsâ access to corrected birth certificates and reduce the caseloads of overwhelmed courts.

AB 1121 would also make the name change process more private and affordable for transgender people, exempting them from the requirement that a person pay to publish a notice of the intended name change in the local newspaper for four weeks. Sajian Bernard of Sacramento, who testified in hearings before the Assembly Judiciary Committee, has been trying to legally change his name and gender for several years. He told the committee, “I’m really uncomfortable about the way that the newspaper notice is so public, basically announcing to everyone in the world that I’m trans. Whenever I’m outed as trans it’s humiliating, and could actually put me in danger.”

Equality California (EQCA) is the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender advocacy organization in California. Over the past decade, Equality California has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to a state with some of the most comprehensive human rights protections in the nation. Equality California has partnered with legislators to successfully sponsor more than 90 pieces of pro-equality legislation. EQCA continues to advance equality through legislative advocacy, electoral work, public education and community empowerment. www.eqca.org

Transgender Law Center works to change law, policy, and attitudes so that all people can live safely, authentically, and free from discrimination regardless of their gender identity or expression. www.transgenderlawcenter.org

The Mastermind Behind Munich Syndrome Talks About His Music and New CD

ROBOTIKA – MUNICH SYNDROME – SYNDROME SOUNDS MUSIC

Emotionless. Neutral. Repetitive. These are some of the words often described when referring to electronic music and yes this holds true when it’s not done right. The trick is to start with a basic theme and then build on that thought. The end results when an artist is on the proper path are delightfully limitless. Munich Syndrome surely knows how to ‘get it right’ with every release thus far.

On Robotika, the multi-talented David Roundsley, takes his alter-ego Munich Syndrome’s fourth release to an opportunistic new level with a slightly pop-ish direction, breaking new ground for his sound and a new concept for this artist. The most exciting development for me was the incorporation of more beats into this release. From beginning to end it came off as a fresh encounter, even though I have been well exposed to his other works.

The future of music, or I should say music portrayed in the future has always been of an electronic nature as far back as the 60s. Munich Syndrome seems to have captured that essence first presented by pioneers such as Jean-Michel Jarre, Giorgio Moroder, and Kraftwerk, while effortlessly leaving a modern taste. Roundsley has perfected a hybrid of New Age and Synthpop with just the right amount of vox vocals to compliment the carefully tuned electronic orchestrations with the Robotika project.

I was going to breakdown the individual tracks, but Robotika truly is an entire event in itÅs whole. I will mention my favorite selection “(I Do) The Robot,” which is absolute heaven while driving on an open highway. For some reason it brought to my mind the line dances on Soul Train. I close my eyes and I can envision the couples strutting their stuff in those wild 70s outfits and yes frequently doing the Robot Dance.

I had an opportunity to gather some information from the ‘man behind the curtain’ and I am pleased to share this with our readers:

Gaysonoma: David, in reviewing your releases there is a definite display of growth. What part of this do you feel has been your greatest stepping stone and why?

David Roundsley: Thank you. The area I have become much more comfortable with is voice manipulation. If you look at my releases chronologically there wasn’t much voice used on Sensual Ambience, and
jumping up to Robotika, there is a vocal element on every track.

I think the voice is a very powerful tool, but not being a singer having the ability to introduce the vocal component was very important (but challenging) to me. I’d like to build upon that and go further with the next release.

Gaysonoma: Being a one-man army must take its toll, how long does it take to complete a single track?

David Roundsley: It depends on how you clock the beginning and end. I’m continually writing in my head, but the only things I jot down are lyrics when they come to me. If I don’t document something the moment I think of it, odds are it’ll be gone.

Once I sit down in the studio, even if I have a very specific melody or beat in mind, once I start assembling the track, often it either goes in a completely different direction, or it becomes another song altogether.

I’ll get the base down and think it’s ‘there,’ but if I put it away for a few days, or even weeks, I end up tweaking it quite a bit and hopefully improving upon it. On average a song will take about four weeks total. Some have taken months though.

Gaysonoma: Which instrument to you find the most difficult to control or make do what you want it to do?

David Roundsley: This would be two-fold. The voice in conjunction with sampling. I’d like to have more mastery of sampling. There are two types of people in terms of learning. One being the type to thoroughly read instructions, watch tutorials, etc., the other being the type to just jump in and start pushing buttons. Sadly, I’m the type to just want to push buttons, let things rip, and see where they lead.

Gaysonoma: Of all your influences which artist has had the biggest impact in your current direction with Munich Syndrome and which piece of work do you admire the most of theirs?

David Roundsley: I will say the past few years I’ve been listening less and less to other artists. I went through a period where I’d be crushing on an artist or song and it would inform what I was doing on some level. With Robotika there was next to zero thought about anybody else’s style or trying to fit or match up with any current trends. Robotika addresses my own feelings of alienation. I’ve never sought groups or organizations to join, and none have reached out to me, so I’m kind of left to my own devices, so to speak.

Gaysonoma: Robotika has a slight dance feel to many parts. Was this intentional? How has it been received by your closest fans?

David Roundsley: Yes, there was intention to bring up the BPM a bit more throughout the album. I was also aware of writing it as a whole (even though I know few people listen to an album in it’s entirety). I purposely wrote some songs to as counterbalance (going from Assassins to Medicated) to the pace.

As to how it was received by fans, I’m not really sure. The last two albums were bootlegged very heavily in Russia, but this one was totally off the charts. I was getting pages and pages of sites that suddenly had the album every time I did a Google search. I’m going to take that as approval on some level.

Now being four albums out, I’ve found a curious trend in terms of plays and sales. When I release a new album the one that preceded it suddenly starts getting a lot of attention. I guess I need to release another album to see where Robotika actually stands!

Gaysonoma: With Electronica ever so present in popular alternative, hip-hop and dance music these days, what landscape do you envision Munich Syndrome heading to next?

David Roundsley: I have no real feel for where Munich Syndrome fits in regards to current music genres or trends. Or where it’s going. Robotika was the first album done as a cohesive whole (with the exception of one song that was written a few years earlier). I didn’t think about where it would fit or make any attempts to adhere to a current trend (dub step comes to mind).

I find that no matter how much I plan or think I know where things are going, once I sit down in the studio, the process takes on a life of it’s own and songs often go into a direction I never envisioned. When an album is complete I’ll think ‘where did that come from?’

It was great to get a little sample of the working process from David Roundsley of Munich Syndrome and numerous thanks to him once again for his comments. Robotika is quite a moving occasion for your ears. I highly recommend the use of headphones for this CD to capture all the textures and layers of sounds. It’s a future trip thatÅs well worth the time invested. To learn more about David Roundsley and Munich Syndrome please visit www.munichsyndrome.com.

7 Signs of a Gay-Friendly Congregation

The Pentecostal minister did not talk much about the Bible and homosexuality.

What he did was sell his house and move into an apartment above a garage next to a residence for homeless people with AIDS. The home was started by his church at a time when fear of a disease associated with homosexuality was rampant.

“We feel this is where Christ would be involved,” he told me as he took a break from finishing up a back room at the Houston residence. Rapping one hand on the wood he had been sawing, he continued, “It’s hard not to have pride (on a Sunday) to look out and see two pews of HIV people.”

Move forward 20 years: Last weekend, I was at a Catholic Mass in West Hartford, Conn., where the priest over and over brought home the theme,

“All are welcome in this place.”

The two incidents illustrate perhaps Lesson No. 1 in my experiences in a quarter century of reporting on issues of religion and homosexuality: It is difficult to stereotype. Individual congregations, not denominations, ultimately decide how they will respond to gay and lesbian worshippers.

But until recently, there had been relatively little research on the responses of religious communities. New studies by researchers such as Andrew Whitehead, reported in the latest issue of the Review of Religious Research, and Gary Adler, who shared his findings in the journal Social Problems, are providing insights into which congregations are more likely to be welcoming to gays and lesbians, and what this means for the future. The studies analyze data from the 2006-2007 National Congregations Study, which asked a series of questions about how welcoming communities are to gays and lesbians in committed relationships.

Some key indicators of congregational attitudes emerged:

Welcoming Catholics: Catholic teaching opposed to homosexual acts is well-known, but the congregations study showed no differences among mainline Protestant and Catholic congregations in opening membership to gays and lesbians. There were other significant differences by religious tradition:

Evangelical and black Protestants were much less likely to incorporate gays and lesbians into congregational life; mainline Protestant congregations were most likely to be open to gays and lesbians as leaders, Whitehead noted. But the research also showed many congregations within the same religious tradition take different stances, indicating acceptance cannot be measured by denominational affiliation alone.

Politics matter: Political ideology was one of the key predictors of openness. Nearly four in five politically liberal congregations allow people in same-sex relationships to be members and 60 percent allow them to be leaders. In contrast, slightly more than a quarter of politically conservative congregations extend membership privileges to gays and lesbians in committed relationships, and less than 10 percent allow them to be congregational leaders.

Theological divides: Another critical indicator is theology. A theologically liberal congregation is more than eight times as likely to allow membership privileges compared to a theologically conservative congregation, Adler noted.

Gender bias: Congregations with a higher percentage of women are more likely to allow same-sex, committed couples to become members, Whitehead found.

Education: Congregations that have more individuals with bachelor’s degrees were more likely to be welcoming to gays and lesbians. Churches where head clergy have advanced degrees were more likely to allow lesbians and gays in committed relationships to become leaders.

The age factor: Surveys of young Americans in the general population indicate they are highly accepting of homosexuality, but the congregations study showed no significant differences in attitudes among congregations with relatively more members under age 35. Researchers said this likely reflects the much greater ability of conservative churches to retain young adults.

In another finding that may be somewhat surprising, congregations led by older clergy were more likely to open membership to gays and lesbians. “Older clergy may face fewer career consequences of supporting membership openness or they may simply have experience successfully negotiating such controversial issues,” Adler noted.

Outside the lines: Congregations that have worshipped with other congregations from different racial or ethnic backgrounds in the past year are more than one-and-a-half times as likely to be open to membership privileges for gays and lesbians, Adler found.

So what does the future look like regarding the acceptance of gays and lesbians in the pews?

Do not expect rapid changes, analysts state.

“On the whole, congregations in the United States are decidedly against the full inclusion of gay and lesbian couples into congregational life,” Whitehead noted.

But Adler and Whitehead also foresee cultural changes continuing to make their way down into the pews.

“Openness to gays and lesbians among congregations will probably continue to increase amid increasing social tolerance of homosexuality,” according to Adler

Whitehead noted some similarities with the experience of divorced individuals, who were long excluded from full participation in religious groups until major changes in social norms promoted greater acceptance. So, too, may increasing societal acceptance of homosexuality influence congregations.

“It would not be surprising if in 10, 20, or 30 years, the acceptance of lesbians and gays into congregational life undergoes the same change,” he wrote. “In colloquial terms, the rising tide may lift all boats.”

In the meantime, what research affirms, and what experience has taught me, is not to judge a congregation by the sign outside. The people inside will let you know whether this is a congregation where all are welcome.
David Briggs writes the Ahead of the Trend column for the Association of Religion Data Archives.

Getting Your First Home Loan

If this is your first time buying a home, the process to get your first home loan can seem complicated. Applying for your first home loan can be tricky, and the most important thing you can do is look to the experienced gay realtor you

Same-sex weddings resume in Sonoma County

My lawfully wedded spouse.

Those four words resounded conspicuously Monday during each exchange of vows at the Sonoma County Clerk’s Office as same-sex couples, many fully partnered for decades, exercised their newly legal right to marry.

In a scene that was alternately solemn and joyous and celebratory, more than a dozen gay and lesbian pairs rushed to be among the first in line as Sonoma County resumed issuing marriage licenses and performing weddings for couples of the same gender.

ãWe’ve been together 21 years; we’re ready,ä said Vicki Basehart, 65, of Glen Ellen, who was so ready, she and partner Sharon Church, 56, were waiting two hours before the start of business to get a license for their wedding later in the week.

ãI never thought I would live to see the day,ä 91-year-old Don Nicholson said as he and his partner of nearly 49 years, Phillip Johnson, 72, shared their first moments as newlyweds.

More than 30 people were crowded into the hallway outside the County Clerk’s Office when the doors opened at 8 a.m., including more than a half-dozen couples ringed by well-wishers and visibly excited by the prospect of acquiring the rights and recognition newly available to them.

By mid-day, 15 weddings, most of same-sex couples, had been performed, and marriage licenses had been issued to 29 couples, Sonoma County Clerk Bill Rousseau said. County personnel expected to conduct about 20 ceremonies by the close of business, he said.

The shared emotion and common bond of those previously denied the right to wed, save for a brief window in 2008, made for an exceptional camaraderie, even intimacy, among strangers, who applauded, for instance, when the first couple to the altar, Katie and Amy Evans-Reber of Petaluma, exited, beaming, from the chapel room off the clerk’s office.

A friend of theirs, Erin Nelson of Rohnert Park, had arrived with three-dozen long-stemmed roses and stationed herself in the hallway with her infant son, Declan, 9 months, and daughter, Scout, 3, who distributed the pink and red flowers to newly married men and women.

ãWe wanted to be part of it,ä Nelson said, then eyed her children. ãThey don’t understand what’s going on. But they understand love, and that’s what this is all about.ä

Nicholson and Johnson, Oakmont residents, had been registered domestic partners for 14 years when the U.S. Supreme Court paved the way last week for restoration of equal marriage rights in California. And as soon as it was clear licenses would be available beginning Monday, they knew they didn’t want to wait.

ãWe didn’t want to take any chances,ä Nicholson said with a grin.

The official witnesses to their wedding in the courtyard outside the clerk’s office were Hannah Hawkins, 35, and Heidi Hawkins, 32, two young women they’d met a short time earlier in the marriage license line. The Santa Rosa women, who had exchanged their own vows 10 or 15 minutes beforehand, snapped pictures and congratulated the two gents after they sealed their vows with a kiss.

Susan Vachon and Carol Connolly of Santa Rosa, partners for 24 years, got swept up in the day’s emotion after coming to serve as witnesses for dear friends Cate Swan, 60, and Sheryl Bechtel-
heimer, now Swan, 54, of Monte Rio.

After back-to-back weddings, they embraced and then clung to each other in a prolonged group hug.

A shotgun wedding was in store for Michelle Mertz, 36, and Julie Drogin, 44, who was due to give birth Wednesday, though she looked beyond relaxed about it as the pair waited to obtain a license.

Mertz said they gave friends less than 24 hours notice but had at least 50 people planning to attend the western-themed wedding at Goat Rock State Beach on Monday night, where cowboy boots and hats were deemed appropriate attire.

Ed Mason, 69, and Barry Hong, 63, recalled a haunting day three years ago during which they waited unsuccessfully at the county building amid a flurry of legal actions to hear whether there might be an opening for same-sex partners to wed.

But Monday, with Mason back in his smiley-face ãgood luckä tie, they left as legally wedded spouses.

ãIt’s wonderful,ä Hong said. ãWe’ve been waiting a long time.ä

Peter Ehlert and Irma Renteria, who reside in Mexico but wanted to obtain a California marriage certificate while in town for a family reunion, were among just two or three mixed-gender couples availing themselves of civil ceremonies Monday.

But rather than feel slighted in any way by the day’s significance for the gay and lesbian community, Ehlert said it actually ãmade it kind of special for us.ä
ãIt’s great,ä he said. ãIt’s awesome. It’s about time that people got treated like people.ä

In the day’s first wedding, Katie Evans-Reber and Amy Evans-Reber, their 1-year-old son, Cash, wriggling in Amy’s arms, wore flowered wreaths that ringed their heads as they tearfully pledged their love and devotion, promising to care for each other through life’s joys and sorrows.

Janice Wigman and Toni Cataldi, a couple themselves for 30-plus years and cousins of Katie Evans-Reber, 33, flew in from Philadelphia last Wednesday for what they thought would just be Cash’s birthday. Their plane was boarding when airport TVs flashed word that the nation’s Supreme Court had struck down a federal law denying federal benefits to same-sex spouses and then let stand a lower federal court ruling that found California’s ban on same-sex marriages unconstitutional.

Watching their younger relative share in the joy of marriage, they referenced her difficult years at Sonoma Valley High, where, as an openly gay student, she endured harassment, name-calling and physical assaults.

Though unable themselves to marry in Pennsylvania, they reveled in the sight of the younger couple exchanging vows, and of Katie ãall aglow.ä

ãTo see that she’s a mom and a bride,ä Wigman said. ãIt’s joyous. It’s just joyous.ä

ãThe town that I grew up in,ä Katie Evans-Reber said later, ãand that was so hard to grow up in, has given me the greatest gift now. I just wish my cousins could get married, too.

ãIt’s a humongous triumph, and it’s a great victory for all of us in California. But every day in Philadelphia, they’re still waiting.ä

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