How many LGBTQi Citizens are there in the U.S.? Be Counted in the Survey!

Did you know that the 2000 census estimates that gay, lesbian and bisexual citizens only make up 1.51 % of the population? Which translates into 4,300,000 people in the U.S.

We believe there are more of us then the numbers reflect ~ so help us as we compile the correct number of LGBTQi citizens by taking this quick survey.

This survey is provided by www.RainbowWeddingNetwork.com & Rainbow Wedding Network Magazine.

Rainbow Wedding Network Magazine will print the results of this survey in the upcoming issue due out in November!

Simply click on the link below…
http://www.surveyconsole.com/console/TakeSurvey?id=502467

Honoring a Lesbian Rights Activist…

On Wednesday we learned of the passing of Del Martin- as an out lesbian I took a moment this morning and said a little word of thanks to her and her partner of 55 years Phyllis Lyon for paving the way for all of us in the LGBT community.

In 1953, homosexuality was illegal in most states and it was still many years before the Stonewall Riots would take place. …Imagine a world where being homosexual was against the law, raids on gay bars or gathering places were frequent and expected!
Being an out lesbian or gay man in your work place, with your friends or family was unheard of and very dangerous. This was the atmosphere when Del and Phyllis became activists for the lesbian community. The list of their accomplishments is so long and they made such a profound impact on everyday equality; they fought for rights that the LGBT community now enjoys and unfortunately sometimes takes for granted.

Imagine in 1956 being one of the eight founders of Daughters of Bilitis, America's first lesbian rights group… and in the 1960’s leading the way to have the American Psychiatric Association take homosexuality off its list of mental disorders. This amazing couple continued working on behalf of the community throughout the decades, being the first couple to be officially married in California not once but twice by Mayor Newsom.

So how can we pay tribute to such an incredible woman and to this incredible couple? We should never forget that we have many of the freedoms we enjoy today because they risked so much in a time when it would have been easier to sit back in the shadows and let someone else take the lead for equality. It’s now our turn to pave the way for the next generation within the LGBT community and continue to work for equal rights in marriage for all same-sex couples and live our lives as out and active members of the community. …To not just sit idly by and wait for others in the community to take the lead, to do our part big or small, to volunteer, to donate, to vote. It’s 2008, it’s time for all 19 million of us to stand up and say ‘Enough is enough!’ and that we demand equal rights in marriage and we will do the hard work necessary to make equality a reality.

One day I had hoped to meet these courageous women and to say thank you… So today I say Thank You to Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon! Thank you for never giving up on Equality and never giving up on us the generations that follow you and for believing that change can happen. Because of your hard work and determination today I live a life as an out and active lesbian with my wonderful partner and our beautiful daughter and we live in a world that was paved by your bravery and accomplishments!

Now it’s our turn…how will YOU Make a Difference?

Cindy Sproul co-owner
www.RainbowWeddingNetwork.com
Rainbow Wedding Network Magazine
Same Love, Same Rights Campaign

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Talking to your family and friends about Voting!!

Recently I had an amazing birthday party. I invited over all of my closes friends, set out food, planned the music selection, and created a survey. I wanted to know how many of my friends are registered to vote and who will actually be voting this November.

The results were interesting. I found out that all of my friends are registered to vote. I find that very exciting. Everyone should vote! The disappointing part was finding out that two of my friends, although they are registered to vote, won’t be voting this November.

One said “she just was too uninformed and indecisive.” This is our next President we are voting for! This is very important. She needs to be getting informed. She needs to take the time and do the research on both the candidates. Many, many generations will be studying this election for years to come. We had our first female presidential candidate run as well as our first African American presidential candidate. We are making history, why wouldn’t someone want to be a part of that?

The second friend said she wasn’t voting “because they all suck.” Well on that statement alone I could go on for ever, but I will make this short. Even if you don’t like any of the nominees, who do you feel will do less damage to the country? That to me seems like a lazy cop out. By not voting at all, you may be handing the election to the candidate that will hurt our country in many was. Do research; figure out which one is closer to your views. Then you will be able to say “yes I voted; I made a difference.”

I will be having a few follow up conversations with these friends to tell them all the important reasons to vote. We should all be able to talk to our family and friends about voting. I did this survey in the middle of my birthday party. -It is that important to me. I want people to talk about their views and discuss different things that they learned. It’s not about convincing them to vote for the person I like the most; it’s about convincing them to VOTE! We as a society should be able to talk to our family and friends about voting.

There are many simple things you can do to talk about it. I picked my birthday because I would have everyone in the same room. You can throw a cook-out; you could have a game night with your friends, or plan a picnic. It’s a great way to be able to spend time with your friends and talk about voting in a non-threatening environment. You want to present it casually. “I was just curious” is always a good statement. Then your friends won’t go to a defensive place on the subject and you can have an open and honest conversation.

So the next time you and your friends get together, remember to talk to them. You may be surprised to hear what they have to say.

Amanda Hager, Community Outreach Coordinator and Senior Admin
www.RainbowWeddingNetwork.com

Action Alert LGBTQi Community…

Action Alert LGBTQi Community…

As you may have read today The Coquille Indian Tribe in Oregon has recently passes a law that they would recognize same-sex marriage.
How exciting to see the first Native American Tribe embrace equal rights in marriage so we are asking that you take a moment and send The Coquille Indian Tribe leaders an email to show our support for their decision.

As you may know the Rainbow Wedding Network team uploads a daily VLOG on http://www.imgay.tv/ and today we were discussing how many emails the far right conservatives were probably sending to The Tribal Leaders and we want to make sure that their opposition is not the only voice that is heard. So today our challenge is to simply write an email of thanks to The Coquille Indian Tribe for standing up for equality and becoming the first Native American Tribe to recognize same-sex marriage.

Here is the link to The Coquille Indian Tribe http://www.coquilletribe.org/

You can check out The Rainbow Wedding Network and The Same Love, Same Rights Team’s daily Vlogs on http://www.ig.tv/

Don’t forget to visit these LGBTQi Wedding Resources –

http://www.rainbowweddingnetwork.com/ Since 2000 the Trusted LGBTQi online Wedding Resource
http://www.rainbowweddingnetworkmagazine.com/ The only nationwide LGBTQi Wedding Magazine
Visit us in NYC on October 19, 2008 for the LGBTQi Wedding Expo at the Riverside Church more information on http://www.samelovesamerights.com/

Same-Sex Wedding Expos Tour New York State

Rainbow Wedding Network
Amanda Hager, correspondent
(866) 251-1564
http://www.SameLoveSameRights.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 19, 2008

Same-Sex Wedding Expos Tour New York State

The national gay & lesbian wedding resource, RainbowWeddingNetwork.com, has announced that the company will produce two GLBTQ Wedding Expos in New York this Fall, in celebration of Gov. Paterson’s recent ruling in favor of recognizing same-sex marriages from other states. The Expos will also include the Same Love, Same Rights® Mobile Marriage Summit, an interactive forum to motivate and educate attendees about the potential threats to pro-gay legislation, as well as innovative ways to enact real change all across America concerning marriage and family equality. The Expos will be held in October in Manhattan and Long Island. Each event is free for the public to attend.

Asheville, NC - RainbowWeddingNetwork.com celebrates the recent motion by New York Governor David Paterson toward greater tolerance in his state, adding two events to its Fall calendar focused on supporting same-sex couples throughout the New York area as they plan for their weddings. Preparations are well underway for two back-to-back GLBTQ Wedding Expos in Manhattan and Long Island. Over forty local wedding vendors will participate in each event who actively support equal rights in marriage. Other highlights will include Music, Fashion, Planning Tips, Samples and Informative Presentations about the issues concerning equality in marriage and adoption for the GLBTQ community. Admission is free, and all supporters of non-discrimination are encouraged to attend.

“This is a precedent,” says Marianne Puechl, co-owner of RainbowWeddingNetwork.com. “It’s a joyful time for couples who are residents of New York; they now feel more fully accepted as citizens under the law. They may travel out-of-state for their legal ceremony but they’ll return home for their large-scale wedding and reception. The fact that they now have access to the full rights and responsibilities of marriage, despite state borders, is a true milestone. It’s cause for celebration, and certainly time to bring real planning resources to couples throughout the state.” Puechl and her partner Cindy Sproul launched RainbowWeddingNetwork.com in 2000. To date, the company has produced 23 Expos all across America. Puechl continues, "This decision will have broad economic impact for New York, and help boost the wedding industry there considerably. We look forward to being a part and bridging couples with gay-friendly wedding professionals throughout the state.”

The two events in New York this October will include RainbowWeddingNetwork's new initiative, the Same Love, Same Rights® Mobile Marriage Summit. A rally and open forum for the public, those attending will have the opportunity to share their ideas on the issues and learn new ways to get involved both at the state and national levels, to enact mass change in favor of equal rights for the GLBTQ minority. Other Same Love, Same Rights® Expos have been scheduled for 2008 in Atlanta, St. Petersburg, Philadelphia and four cities throughout California.

Expo attendees will have the chance to mingle with dozens of screened, gay-friendly wedding professionals, as well as those in the travel, gift and home-planning industries, such as realtors, lawyers and adoption agencies. Married & engaged guests will be invited to add a photograph to the Commitment Photo Album,™ an ongoing project to document GLBTQ couples and their families throughout the nation. The Manhattan event will also highlight a Fashion Show sponsored in part by Kyoto Kimono. Dates and venues for the October Expos are: Sunday October 19th from 1:30-4:30pm at the Riverside Church in NYC, and TBA in Long Island.

Launched in 2000, RainbowWeddingNetwork.com (RWN) has grown to become the most extensive wedding resource for the gay and lesbian community in the United States. RWN produced its first GLBTQ Wedding Expo in 2003 and released the national Rainbow Wedding Network Magazine in 2006. To date, RWN has produced twenty-three different events in twelve states.

For more information about nationwide events please visit http://www.samelovesamerights.com/ and for more same-sex wedding and marriage resources, visit http://www.rainbowweddingnetworkmagazine.com/.

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Celebrating CA's Same-Sex Marriage Decision

California GLBTQ Wedding Expo Tour - A Success!

Well, for two weeks in July our devoted staff headed out to California for a whirlwind tour, producing four back-to-back-to-back-to-back (Whew!) GLBTQ Wedding Expos to celebrate the recent Supreme Court ruling there. What a fantastic trip! The Expos were well-attended, exhibitors had a productive experience, and attendees -couples and allies alike- were moved by the elegant tone and the diversity of resources available.

RainbowWeddingNetwork Founders, Cindy Sproul & Marianne Puechl, held their own commitment ceremony back in 2000 but decided to renew their vows and have a 'legally recognized' ceremony while in the Golden State. There on beautiful Zuma Beach, two Malibu Brides tied the knot once again on July 22nd. Dolphins playing in the surf added to the magic of the moment; it was an auspicious and heartfelt moment!

To see photos of the Expos, and to learn more about all our crazy travels, visit our Media Gallery on http://www.samelovesamerights.com/ and view our vlogs on http://www.imgay.tv/ .

More Soon!