You can browse our wedding registry if you follow the above link. Dana Ostomel, the founder of the company is amazing! She has been very attentive and helpful! Her website is a great idea for any occasion.... birthday, baby shower, graduation etc. I recommend this site to all my friends, family and aquaintances
I am also very excited to announce that thanks to Dana I was selected as an expert Green Bride blogger!
Since all of our family members and friends that will join us on our special day will have to travel - creating a large carbon footprint for our party to begin with - we decided that we wanted to use as much from nature as we could. We also love that gathering things is free, lots of fun and makes for great memories!
I sent off an invitation to the ladies for a day of gathering, a forest scavenger hunt - to spend time enjoying each other and gathering decorations for the ceremony next year.... It turned out to be a lovely day with a few great finds like tiny pinecones and delightful leaves changing color. Here are the invitations that I put together for Melanie and Jennifer....
An acorn stamp and a scroll with the details of our gathering
"Along our merry way... should we find these gifts of the forest ~ may we gather them in gratitude and leave our seeds of thanks."
(in each package was a bag of birdseed for us to sprinkle as we gathered)
The list of items to gather
"Every acorn has in it the potential to be a great oak tree, that is lively, deep rooted, strong, long lasting, air purifying and a place of shelter BUT if it is not placed in soil it will not grow to be all that it can be."
Look at these adorable tiny pinecones ~
Here's a picture of my sexy husband to be crafting at the Denver Art Museum from recycled garbage.
Now the fun begins. Getting our ducks in a row. Setting up a schedule, budget, guestlist, etc.
I like to be organized and proactive.... being a Virgo it comes naturally....
I spent a few years as a party planner in my early 20s and was pretty damn good at it! I enjoyed the thrill of it. I found it ever so fufilling to engage myself creativily in designing an affair to remember. For every event that I planned I worked tirelessly on setting the mood, transforming a drab and dreary nightclub into an oasis for an evening. I am determined to pull this ceremony off without spending a fortune. I love crafting and expressing myself spiritually through symbolic representations of deeper meanings. I know I can do this! I have wonderful friends to help me and a beautiful and creative family as well.
Our ceremony will require a great deal of planning because we intend to do the majority of it ourselves. The budget being so tight restricts us from spending money on vendors and planners for the event.... but it will not inhibit us from assembling a wonderful handfasting.
In planning the ceremony we approached our first hurdle and of course - worked together to find the perfect place to meet in the middle. Quinn's idea of an ideal ceremony would include two people. Him and me..... and maybe the moon.... not sure if the moon is even welcome ;)
I personally would love to have two hundred of my closest friends and family.....
Quinn is such a wonderful man and I want more than anything for him to enjoy himself. I want him to be comfortable. I want him to feel entirely at home and open. I know that he needs space and privacy to feel that. I'm so grateful to have the people in our lives that Love us. While the guest list is small I will be keeping my heart center open and grounded in gratitude for the connections granted to me in this life.... I will have everyone I Love with me in spirit.
The Guestlist so far....
Wedding PartyAunt Betty, Uncle Louie, Momma Glick, Daddy Gitlin Bridal party:Jennifer, Melanie, Taisir, Elena, Brooklyn Grooms Party: Cole, Danny, Jakob Friends and Family Cora Cherie
April
Audra
Seneca
Mommy El-Souessi
Jarrel
Josie
Sharon
We have plans over the next couple of weeks to work on a project.... creating 'Save the Date' cards. Since Quinn is such a talented photographer I am hoping to put those skills to work. ;) We will be making our own cards of course!
Quinn and I spoke about that which matters to us when searching for rings and determined that niether of us wants a terribly expensive piece of jewelry on our finger. I am not a ''diamonds are a girls best friend'' type of woman - nor do I want a ring that costs 3 months salary. We have no ties to the "traditional" american wedding ring philosophy. These are things which matter to us -
recycled or ecofriendly materials
symbolism/meaning
prefer silver color to yellowish gold
durability
comfort
unique design
We went by 'Jared' to find out what size rings our fingers require and to ask some questions about the metals. We definitely do NOT want rings from 'Jared' or any other huge corporation which supports conflict diamonds or the mining industry in general.
The mining of gold, silver and other metals is also very toxic and harmful to the environment.
There are negative effects on land and water, such as deforestation, loss of biodiversity, pollution, spread of disease.... just to name a few. Here is a great article on the harmful effects of mining on the environment.
I just love etsy and enjoy the idea of supporting an artist who works to make ethical and ecofriendly jewelry. I did some searching on the website and came across these great rings!
We decided upon these beautiful rings made of wood that we will wear during our engagement period from MnMWoodworks
MnM Woodworks makes custom wooden rings and wedding bands. They have some amazing creations in their shop. Absolutely gorgeous! MnM (Matt and Molli) Woodworks is run by a young couple from Tennessee. Matt's grandfather got him interested in woodworking when he was just nine years old. Now he has been creating things from wood for over 14 years! Molli has done very little woodworking. However, she helps with the designing of some items.
The rings we chose are handcrafted by MnM Woodworks out of ancient Kauri (middle) and Blue Mahoe woods.
The Kauri they used has been buried in a bog in New Zealand for thousands of years. Ancient Kauri is the oldest workable timber on Earth. Every tree grew for at least 1,200 years and was preserved underground for 50,000 years or more! The process that is used to extract the Kauri is eco-friendly because the excavated land is returned to its natural state and no living trees are harvested.
We love our rings. They are beautiful! Pure artistry and craftsmanship. We decided that we would wear them for this year of engagement because we want to preserve them in a special shadowbox. We are both fairly 'rough' on our hands and have discovered that we will probably wind up destroying our rings after a few years. We will exchange another set of rings at our ceremony and have these beautiful wooden rings set in a shadowbox so that we might display them in our home for all of time.
The rings which we found for our wedding rings were also an etsy discovery! We found them in a lovely shop called Sudlow Jewelry.
Rachael is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design in Photography and Jewelry making - and she has a lovely etsy shop. You can sign up for Rachael's newsletter where she offers special sales and deals here. Be sure to check out the rest of her site for some really beautiful jewelry. She is quite talented! Rachael was a pleasure to work with and gave me lots of personal attention and she even sent me several pictures as my ring was being developed. Check out this pic of the ring before it was set with a stone..
The oak and the acorn have become a very prevalent symbol in our relationship. They are symbolic of family, loyalty and longevity. From the tiny acorn the mighty oak grows and is rooted in earth but reaches for the sky. It was the perfect choice for our wedding bands. Here is a slideshow of our rings.....
(please feel free to click on over to my flickr page)
Some information about peridots:
Peridot is associated with Venus and is known as a stone of my sun sign Virgo. Peridot is said to clear the heart chakra, strengthen breath of life, prosperity, growth and openness. It has been used to treat emotional states such as anger, jealousy and irritation. It's color as well as the stone, inspires healing, renewal, purification, rebirth and growth. Peridot is said to have the ability to bring healing and vitality to the whole body, and to increase patience, confidence and assertiveness. The joyful and friendly energy of this stone helps make and seal friendships. It clears the heart, releases the ego, which in turn cleanses jealousy and anger, hence bringing about a sense of peace and quiet amusement. A visionary stone, peridot helps connect us to our destinies and to an understanding of the purpose of existence
Green is one of my favorite colors. My Grandma Lee gave me a ring when I was younger with a beautiful peridot set within it and I cherished it. Alas, I lost the ring long ago... this stone reminds me of many pleasant things. I just adore it
I am so excited for our ceremony. Our gathering will be small and intimate and I have selected three women that I cherish to stand by my side next November. The lovely miss Jennifer Alligood as my maitron of honor, as well as Melanie Minard and Taisir El-Souessi for my bridesmaids. These women have been such an important part of my life and I adore their friendships. I am so very grateful to know them and admire each of them. I sent my girls packages of appreciation for their friendship and for joining me on my special day.
Jennifer Alligood
I have known Jennifer since I was 15 years old and have absolutely loved her from the day that I met her. She has this intense light shining from her heart that you can't help but feel after only moments in her presence. Jennifer is wise and strong and a very good friend. Jenn has a super versatile personality and can mesh with just about anyone out there. She is altruistic, beautiful, intelligent and is FIERCE! Look out! Rawr. I know she always got my back ;)
Jennifer is constantly showing me bright new worlds that I didn't know existed. She knows exactly what my heart needs when it is aching and what my mind wants when it wanders. I can really trust her with any secret and can talk to her forever and never get bored. I always feel completely and utterly at peace in our silent moments together. Jennifer has the power to make me smile - no matter what is making me frown.
I have been asking her to move here for years and finally got my wish! I am so happy that she and her family have recently moved to Colorado. She is my bestest girlfriend and I am elated that she agreed to play such an important part in my ceremony. I feel honored to have her friendship and commitment.
For Jennifer's card I chose a picture of a heart made from corks and the lyrics to "Sister" by Dave Matthews....
" Pass the time with you in mind It's a rather quiet night.Feel the ground against my back, counting stars against the black.Thinking bout another day, wishing I was far away.Whether they were dreams or worries you were there with me.Sister, I hear you laugh my heart fills up" ~ Dave Matthews
I didn't snap any shots of her little package but I put these cute little kokeshi pins and a coffee/tea sleeve in it....
Melanie Minard
I met Melanie through Livejournal in 2003. I was moving back to Colorado and had joined several of the LJ communities. We had so much in common so I messaged her and we hit it off right away. When I finally met Melanie in person I was instantly enchanted by her warmth and compassion for others. I knew right away that we would be friends for a long time. Melanie was very gracious and welcomed me into her circle.
I have come to know her as one of the kindest souls I have ever met. Melanie has a smile that can part clouds and shine rainbows directly into your heart. Her friendship reminds me of the sweetest of childhood delights - unicorns, fairytales, and magic.... Whenever I am around Melanie I always feel lifted to new heights in spirit.
I've grown quite attached to her and love her dearly. I am so very grateful that our paths crossed and that we were meant to be close companions. She is constantly teaching me new things and is an amazing chef! I feel so lucky whenever she is feeding me delicious vegan delights!
I created this card for Melanie - from a variety of materials I gathered over time. A napkin, some origami paper, a print of two pretty Kokeshi dolls. The flower on the kokeshi's head is from a bracelet I once gave my daughter on her birthday. The bracelet broke and my daughter gave it to me to craft with. I just love that the flower has been gifted and regifted and recreated! I thought it brought such a sparkle and gave Melanie's card a three dimensional feel
“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.”
This circlet was a gift for Melanie from du plume's etsy shop. (We plan on using it for inspiration when crafting for the bridal party) Du Plume has some really great stuff.... I just adore the feather bouquets. They also have another shop called the old goat where they gush over vintage finds! Du Plume is: "Lots of feathers, lots of fancy, lots of fabulosity! "
Melanie also likes to enjoy hot tea and adores the planet as much as I do... so I found these cute coffee/tea sleeves for her and Jenn. I found them on etsy at margeabbot's shop.
Marge is a stay at home mom with 3 amazing boys. When she is not up to her eyeballs in dirty dishes and even dirtier laundry she is crafting.... she has some really cute stuff for sale from time to time! I just love supporting stay at home Mom's who make an effort to reuse, recycle and restore!
Taisir El-Souessi
Taisir is my sister. I would not be the woman I am this day if it were not for the love and support of her and her Mommy. Taisir and I have traveled so many roads together and I love her with all of my heart. She has been there for me through every difficult experience I have ever had and has always had loving and intelligent advice.
We have often said that we are one person in two bodies and have spent years developing a secret language of inside jokes that nobody else really understands...... Whenever we spend time together before long - people are rolling their eyes because we don't make a lick of sense to anyone else. I love our unique and intimate bond and wish that she did not live so far away. Far too often, I find myself lump throaty and wet eyed when I think of her laugh or the way she would tell me exactly how it is.... I miss her and HATE that there are thousands of miles between us.
Taisir is an incredible Mother and extremely talented woman. She is one of those people who can do ANYTHING she wants to. It does not take her long to learn any skill she desires. She is so very intelligent, powerful, spiritual and wise. I love my sister so very much and am beside myself with joy that she will be at my side next November.
Her card was created with gathered materials as well. For her package I sent a couple of Colorado tea bags and a necklace that I found at Marolsha by Maddy 's etsy shop with the perfect sentiment on it.
Marolsha by Maddy's has a selection of mod and vintage style jewelry in their shop. They are located out of Singapore. "I try to focus on repurposing, or recycling a vintage pieces and am inspired by nature, people, things around me, and anything that makes me happy while creating a particular jewelry." ~ Maddy
"Je T'aime Plus Qu'Hier Moins Que Demain"
~ Love you more than yesterday, less than tomorrow
I'm getting married in Sedona Arizona! on November 11th, 2011.
Married? Me?!
When I met Quinn we became fast friends and before long it was obvious that we were connected, that our paths were destined to be intertwined. In each day that we spent learning more about each other there were countless moments of confluence and synchronicity that radiated the most exquisite feeling between us. These feelings and experiences developed into an all consuming Love of the ages.... the kind of Love where stars expand in the heavens, universal vibrations align.... and divinity granted us one heartbeat, rhythmic and harmonious between two bodies. When we realized that we wished to spend our entire lives together we spoke of forever after... What that meant to us. The commitment. We talked about the romantic idea of having an intimate ceremony to express our desire to be mates for life to the universe. The two of us did not feel we needed the 'certificate' changing our legal status - as we were both generally opposed to 'marriage' ~ but not so terribly opposed to the joy of a celebration, a spiritual ceremony recognizing our union.
The reasons that we share for our distain of matrimony are plenty.... The idea that in order to be recognized by society as a family you must be recognized by governmental or religious authorities is preposterous. Essentially my biggest issue with 'marriage' would be the lack of equality - currently it is an elitist and exlusionary institution!
Personally, as a woman who has had many female lovers - I do not support the ban on marriage equality - I have been fairly adamant about not wanting to participate in the institution until everyone has been granted the right to civil union, to be recognized as a family unit. Afterall - we are quite primative in the marriage equality department here in America....
Marriage equality has spread globally!
Same sex couples are granted the legal recognition of spousal relationships, or other equivalent rights in Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Spain, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
~ its disturbing that the UNITED States of America does not support uniting - We are supposed to be a global leader and are considered the "Land of the Free"
I find the arguments against marriage equality utterly ridiculous and outrageous! I am astonished that America remains in such an oppresive state of fear. I am appalled that the government continues to regulate such a basic human need as love. I cannot comprehend the arguments I hear in support of opressing families. They are nonsensical and absurd.
Marriage is for the purpose of procreation - What then are we to do with infertile couples? Couples who have no desire to have children?
Gay marriage would lead to the end of our species - So....the world is not overpopulated as it is? A few gays who are hooking up for life anyway - being granted equal rights of legal recognition would NOT diminish our population....
The Bible says so - This one makes me chuckle.... the bible also says:
stone women to death who are not virgins when they marry.
a woman is property of her Father until such time as she passes unto the property of her husband
if a woman's husband should die - his wife must marry his brother
No divorcing - how high is the divorce rate again??
supports polygamy and slavery.
Pork is unclean and mixing milk and meat is wrong - better start picketing at McDonalds and Burger King "GOD HATES THE DOUBLE BACON CHEESEBURGER! BURN IN HELL SINNERS!"
Forbids sex before marriage and birth control
In all actuality the Bible says very little on same sex marriage....
Homosexuality is unnatural This is another ridiculous statement since there are plenty of examples of homosexuality in the animal kingdom and in nature......
The sanctity of marriage is not threatened by two women or two men joining hands in love to lead a life as one family. The 'sanctity' of marriage is more threatened by heterosexual fools who make a mockery of love and get married multiple times - for all the wrong reasons. Oh and did you know that Christians didn’t declare marriage to be a sacrament until the 13th century and believed it to be a tainted institution?
The statements in support of banning marriage equality are laughable and mostly based in religious fantasy - which brings up the most important point of all......
Seperation of Church and State.
Where did this claim that our country was founded on the family initiate from? Wasn't our country founded on religious freedom and the seperation of church and state? Freedom FROM religious persecution?
"We depend on our separation of powers, the separation of Church and State for civil contracts and laws - a religious objection to a civil union of any kind (including gay marriages) must not be allowed. It is not reasonable, nor should it even be legal, for the Federal Government to enforce discrimination based on religious views. Homosexuality is not illegal in in any state (since 2003). Marriage between gays should not be denied simply because people of certain religious affiliations find it "icky" or because it's "against their religion." Unless you intend to criminalize homosexuality again, you have two law-abiding citizens who pay exactly the same taxes and must obey the same laws as their straight counterparts, but who are being denied equal rights and benefits under the law of the land. That's discrimination, and it is most definitely a Civil Rights issue." ~ How to Defend Your Support of Gay Marriage
The other reasons that we feel hesitant about participating in legal matrimony are the sky high divorce rates, infidelity and bitter legal claims surrounding the 'sanctity' of marriage.... AND....the history of marriage has always been somewhat exlusionary and was rooted in patriarchal oppression ~ (women were considered property passed along from Father to Husband through marriage). Roman society only allowed the upper class to wed. Interacial marriages were banned just one generation ago in the US..... The Supreme Court abolished all interracial marriage laws in 1967.... declaring that "freedom to marry" belongs to all Americans and described marriage as one of our "vital personal rights, essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by a free people". Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1, 12 (1967). (in this case the couple was taken from their bed in the middle of the night and arrested and sentanced to jail time)
The ridiculousness of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996 The Federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) defines marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman for purposes of all federal laws, and provides that states need not recognize a marriage from another state if it is between persons of the same sex.
DOMA violates the Constitution's Full Faith and Credit clause that requires that official acts and proceedings of each state be recognized by other states. Congress does not have the constitutional power to decide when, or which, state acts get interstate respect or when people are stripped of those rights as they travel through the country.
DOMA violates the constitutional principles of federalism, non-discrimination, and respect for lawful marriages and is, in the words of the New York Times, "constitution bashing."
DOMA violates constitutional protections that forbid the Government from discriminating by creating second-class citizens and second-class marriages.
DOMA gives Congress the power to punish disfavored marriages by denying them federal protections and benefits such as Social security, federal pensions for surviving spouses, and family unification in Immigration.
DOMA violates the Tenth Amendment, which reserves the power for the states, by inserting the federal government for the first time in history into the definition of marriage.
I could spend hours debunking the absurd arguments made by religious folks against marriage equality and discussing the shady history of the 'institution'.... however my point in this blog is leading to how I wound up on this journey of planning a wedding.... With all of this information AGAINST Marriage - why would anyone want to participate?
Well besides the obvious reasons of commitment, Love and romance.....
Marriage offers 1,138 Federal benefits and responsibilities, not including hundreds more offered by every state.
In times of crisis, spouses have hospital visitation rights and can make medical decisions in event of illness or disability of their spouse.
Employers offer spouses sick leave, bereavement leave, access to health insurance and pension
The law provides certain automatic rights to a person's spouse regardless of whether or not a will exists.
Married couples in elderly care facilities are generally not separated unless one spouse's health dictates hospitalization or special care.
Married couples are permitted to give an unlimited amount of gifts to each other without being taxed.
The law presumes that a married couple with both names on the title to their home owns the property as "tenants by the entirety."
A married couple, by statute, has creditor protection of their marital home.
Many married people are entitled to financial benefits relating to their spouses, such as disability, pension and social security benefits.
With marriage, a couple has the right to be treated as an economic unit and to file joint tax returns (and pay the marriage penalty), and obtain joint health, home and auto insurance policies.
When a spouse dies, there is no need to prove ownership of every item in the household for taxable purposes.
Brooklyn and Jakob refer to Quinn as Dad. They see him as thier Father and he sees them as his children. As a family we discussed the possibility of him legally adopting them.... and decided it was something that we wanted to do. In spite of our conviction that a marriage license is a piece of paper we care nothing for - we need one - in order for Quinn to legally adopt the children. There were no other real options for us - so this opened up a discussion and the result of that was - that we would get married.
I realize that I am quite passionate about these issues and that most of society would prefer not to think of such confrontational matters. I have decided that I want to participate in the institution and that I would like to receive all of the benefits afforded to those people who are recognized legally. It is my fortune to have fallen in Love with a member of the opposite sex. I could not enter into this decision without coming to an agreement that we would DO something to help the fight for marriage equality....therefore we have done the very least we could do and donated to several organizations that are working to fight the ban on marriage equality. We have also committed to continue to donate to several organizations throughout the year or until equality is realized. We ordered a variety stickers, pins and merchandise to gift at our wedding to our guests - respectfully requesting that they help us support this cause by speaking out.... expressing themselves through fashion ;) It is only through education and spreading the word that we will move forward as a society.
I am an outspoken woman and rarely bite my tongue. It is my belief that spreading awareness and educating the ignorant will decrease the fear and hate surrounding gay marriage. I am going to volunteer at my daughter's school to help form a GLBT club for kids to join and participate in. There is also a place in Denver called Rainbow Alley that I will be volunteering at - working with GLBT youth. By doing this I have given myself permission to feel a little less guilt about caving in on my conviction to boycott marriage.
I am eager to enjoy this journey of planning an intimate, fun and romantic ceremony and looking forward to being swept up by it all!
xoxo ~A
Some of the gifts we ordered for our guests (and ourselves) are from FCKH8 - all profits are donated to a variety of organizations...
FCKH8.com "FCKH8.com video and website were created by non-profit media campaigner Luke Montgomery. Luke was the headline-making gay activist who had legally changed his name to Luke Sissyfag.” - Money raised by the sale of the FCKH8 gear goes to several organizations:
American Foundation for Equal Rights - (AFER) "The American Foundation for Equal Rights is dedicated to protecting and advancing equal rights for every American. As the sole sponsor of the federal court challenge of California’s Proposition 8, known as Perry v. Schwarzenegger, AFER is leading the fight for marriage equality and equality under the law for every American."
Equality California (EQCA) "EQCA works to achieve equality and secure legal protections for LGBT people. To improve the lives of LGBT Californians, EQCA sponsors legislation and coordinates efforts to ensure its passage, lobbies legislators and other policy makers, builds coalitions, develops community strength and empowers individuals and other organizations to engage in the political process."
Courage Campaign "The Courage Campaign is an online organizing network that empowers more than 700,000 grassroots and netroots activists to push for progressive change and full equality in California and across the country"
"A national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work."
(In addition to purchasing merchandise from FCKH8 - we donated seperately to AFER and Lambda.)
We are also going to be making contributions to the following organizations over the next year -
HRC "The Human Rights Campaign represents a grassroots force of over 750,000 members and supporters nationwide. As the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, HRC envisions an America where LGBT people are ensured of their basic equal rights, and can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community." Freedom to Marry "A campaign to win marriage nationwide. We partner with individuals and organizations across the country to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage — and the responsibilities, protections, and commitment that marriage brings. Freedom to Marry is working to win marriage in more states, grow majority support for the freedom to marry, and end federal marriage discrimination"
GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders) "Founded in 1978, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) is New England’s leading legal rights organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status and gender identity and expression."
Marriage Equality USA Marriage Equality USA organization's sole purpose and focus is to end discrimination in civil marriage so that same-sex couples can enjoy the same legal and societal status as opposite-sex couples.
NoH8 Funds raised by the NOH8 Campaign will be used to continue promoting and raising awareness for Marriage Equality and anti-discrimination on a global level through an educational and interactive media campaign.
Some other resources on equality in the LGBT community -
Change.org "An online activism platform for social change that raises awareness about important causes and connects people to opportunities for powerful action. We work with more than 1000 of the largest nonprofits in the world, have a team of hundreds of journalists and organizers that span the globe, and empower millions of people each month to make a difference. Change.org is organized around more than a dozen leading cause-based communities, ranging from gay rights to women’s rights to animal welfare. Within each community anyone can start an online petition, sign petitions related to their interests, and magnify their impact by sharing each petition with friends. Put online activism to work, create social change through an online petition today."
Make It Better "The Make It Better Projectgives youth the tools they need to make their schools better now! Through our websiteand YouTube channel, youth and adults can work together to make schools safer for LGBT youth right now. Columnist Dan Savage launched “It Gets Better,” a video message in response to recent youth suicides to tell LGBT youth that life gets better after high school. The Make It Better Project takes this one step further, giving youth the tools they need to make their lives better now."
International Lesbian and Gay Alliance "ILGA’s aim is to work for the equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people and their liberation from all forms of discrimination. We seek to achieve this aim through the world-wide cooperation and mutual support of our members."
"The mission of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is to build the grassroots power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. We do this by training activists, equipping state and local organizations with the skills needed to organize broad-based campaigns to defeat anti-LGBT referenda and advance pro-LGBT legislation, and building the organizational capacity of our movement. "
