Monthly Newsletter of the Alice B. Toklas Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Democratic Club
October 2006

Table of Contents

• Dates With Alice-- including Fall Awards Reception!
• Co-Chairs' Report: "Candidates, Campaigns, Endorsements"
• Alice Endorsements for November
• Alice GOTV-- Help Alice Get Out The Vote
• Reese's World: Perspectives from the Editor: "Consensual Acts Versus 'You’re Either With Us Or Against Us'"
• "Gay groups oppose Prop. 83"
• Press Release: Alice calls on Governor to sign S.B. 1827
• Press Release: Alice calls on Governor to sign A.B. 2920
• Democratic PartyBuilder
• Register to Vote--Deadline is Oct. 23
• Alice Membership Form
  

Dates With Alice

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October Co-Chairs' Report
Candidates, Campaigns, Endorsements

It's that time again; though it doesn't seem like this time ever ends! Already, this year has been quite a roller coaster of activity and this cycle is no exception. Most of us have made decisions on particular campaigns or propositions, sometimes placing us on opposite sides.

Opposition can be a good thing and a bad thing. On one hand, democracy requires all voices, ideas, and perspectives be heard. When all sides are discussed, people are better informed. Convincing others to vote on an issue or candidate is an important part of the endorsement process. However, once sides are taken, disagreements may arise among us which can run deep. Those disagreements can cause unfortunate consequences. This cycle is no different.

The PAC made some endorsements this cycle that have sparked debate. With the exception of Proposition H, the membership ratified the PAC's choices. Some votes were closer than others. All candidates and campaigns had current leadership, past leadership, and longtime members of this Club supporting one side or another. All of us had one thing in common: personal feelings and/or positions which may or may not have been reflected in those endorsements. We've all been there - completely invested in one race and then the club goes another way. Please consider helping us this season even if you didn't support the endorsements 100%. We still need your help to make our endorsements matter. Contact Reese at info@alicebtoklas.org to sign up.

Also of interest is discussion about these endorsements and the direction of this club. There has been concern about Alice - where we are headed and where we are going. Our direction is determined by the Board and ultimately by the members. This season our direction is clear - getting out the Democratic vote to take back Sacramento and Washington.

We ask you to help turn out the Democratic vote for Angelides and the statewide ticket. Join us and help turn out the largest number of Democrats. Every vote counts.

Rebecca Prozan
Alice B. Toklas Co-Chair

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Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club
November 2006 Endorsements

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GOTV
Get Out The Vote Activities with Alice
Volunteer Opportunities

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Reese's World: Perspectives from the Editor
Consensual Acts
Versus
“You’re Either With Us Or Against Us”
by Reese Aaron Isbell, M.P.P.

There are all sorts of ‘power.’

There is a sense of power found through force.
There is a sense of power found through intimidation.
There is a sense of power found through anger.
There is a sense of power found through opposition.
There is a sense of power found through offense
There is a sense of power found through defense.

Mistakenly, many tend to believe that these types of power are the only ways to be ‘power’ful and achieve their goals. However, these only offer a sense of power because true power is actually not attainable by anyone. All situations where power is involved are situational and fleeting.

A dictator only has so much control over a specific population, and even within that there is always dissidence. Even a bully loses power outside of the circumstances of the proverbial schoolyard. Even a master can lose control and lose face.

That is why those seeking power for its own sake are looking falsely and will never achieve what they truly want. Power in and of itself is not achievable.

Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of a different way to achieve goals. Through civil disobedience and heartfelt reasoning, they showed that power did not have to be filled with rage or by wielding fists or taking up arms. Goals could be achieved by showcasing truth and love and through tapping into the better instincts of humans.

One of the things I’ve always loved about the LGBT community is that we often come together though a spirit of love. When I first joined the community and began attending my first meetings, I remember being so shocked that everyone hugged each other, and often kissed. It wasn’t just a handshake showing recognition, but a hug showing love and care. We knew we had all been through our own internal and external struggles and we know that these struggles don’t necessarily ever end and we support each other throughout.

However, it can be so easy to forget our larger struggles and goals and hopes, and quest for some unspoken power. Power has that ability to fuel itself and overtake us completely. We LGBT people are just as guilty as everyone else in being human and being drawn to the quest for power. Our movement has for the most part followed the Gandhi and King routes and worked from a more positive place. And we are all the better for that and change is here and still coming.

Sometimes we do still mistakenly believe, just as all humans, that if we wield some type of power through intimidation or force, we can gain something larger. This is a mistake because the greater strength is to work with each other. Consensus is not easy and can create difficulties, but in the long run produces better futures for us all. And it comes from a stronger, better place within. And we LGBT people know more than anyone that true strength comes from within.

I was in the LGBT Center’s 3 Dollar Bill Café the other day and overheard a terrific intellectual conversation about the power that can come from both a dominant and submissive position in a sexual coupling. They had an interesting political take on that by saying that even though, for instance, the president of the United States is powerful, the position is ultimately subservient to the people. Within this context, this puts a new twist on the idea of who is actually serving whom.

Bush’s famous mantra of ‘you’re either with us or against us’ is a classic example of a delusion of power. Yes, he may have some sense of power and he may wield his forces to his liking and he may win some battles. But his ultimate ‘power’ lies only in the willingness of those of us who oppose him and his ideas to acquiesce to him. Had he tried to work with his opponents instead of what he has done, he would have been able to achieve a great deal more in the long run. Instead, he is seeing the beginnings of his true downfall because he has lost the respect and moral authority he so desperately desired for so long.

Consensus is not easy and takes time, but it recognizes that true power does not exist in itself. Power is not a goal. Power is a red herring in the fight for the goals upon which we seek. I am proud to be within a community that values seeking within ourselves inner strength and the ability to work together. It is why we shall achieve our goals in the long run.

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"Gay groups oppose Prop. 83"

Bay Area Reporter: Gay groups oppose Prop. 83 by Zak Szymanski

From the article: "It's the new McCarthyism. The fear that these fear-mongers are selling is, 'if you dare have a different perspective on this issue and how to approach it, we will denigrate you and attempt to destroy your reputation,'" said [Assemblyman Mark] Leno. "But it's critically important that we always speak the truth and speak from our hearts. We should not be deterred from doing so out of fear; that's never played well for us."

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Press Release: Alice calls on Governor to sign A.B. 2920

September 19, 2006: The Alice B. Toklas Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Democratic Club today called on Governor Schwarzenegger to sign Assemblyman Mark Leno's A.B. 2920, Older Californians Equality and Protection Act, which would ensure that the California Department of Aging adequately addresses the needs of older LGBT people, including surveying their needs, ensuring equal access to programs, and providing technical assistance to agencies to help them understand the needs of LGBT elders.

The bill was prompted by recent studies showing that LGBT seniors, in particular, are at a high risk for isolation, poverty, homelessness, and premature institutionalization.

According to Alice B. Toklas co-chair Rebecca Prozan: "This bill is about basic fairness in the programs and services provided to senior citizens. LGBT seniors, like all other seniors, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect."

From the Editor: On September 30th, the governor signed AB 2920.

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Press Release: Alice calls on Governor to sign S.B. 1827

September 18, 2006: The Alice B. Toklas Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Democratic Club today called on Governor Schwarzenegger to sign Senator Carole Migden's S.B. 1827, the State Income Tax Equity Act of 2006, which would provide equitable tax treatment to domestic partners. Currently, LGBT people, who can register as domestic partners but who cannot marry, do not share the same tax benefits under state law that married couples receive, including the ability to file a joint tax return. Senator Migden's bill would rectify that inequity by allowing domestic partners to share in the same tax benefits that married couples enjoy.

This bill is based on a simple premise—fairness and equity in state tax policy. Current law discriminates against same sex couples. On average, same sex households who are barred by law from filing their taxes jointly pay an additional $473 in tax per household. These circumstances are particularly pronounced in single earner households. For example, a couple earning $100,000 per year pays $2100 more in tax than a married, joint filing couple, and a $100,000 income household with one child pays $800 more in tax than a comparable married, joint filing household.

According to Alice B. Toklas co-chair Scott Wiener: "Governor Schwarzenneger has stated that he supports relationship equality for all Californians, including the LGBT community. In line with this stated view, this tax equity bill should be a no-brainer for the Governor. We hope and expect that he will sign it."

From the Editor: On September 30th, the governor signed SB 1827.

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Democratic PartyBuilder
by Governor Howard Dean

The ability of our citizens to engage in the political process is only as meaningful as the tools they have to do it.

Special interests and lobbyists have the money and power to dominate our political system -- and that's exactly what they've done under this Republican president and Republican Congress.

So today we officially launch a suite of tools in an unprecedented and permanent drive to empower Americans to take back our political process.

This year Americans face a choice of historic importance, and with the launch of these new tools you have more ability than ever to affect the outcome.

But the work we do now for 2006 must be the foundation for a permanent Democratic Party infrastructure, and these tools won't go away after Election Day. We're going to continue to expand them, and the networks of activism that solidify will power a 50-state Democratic Party for the first time in a generation.

That's why our brand new suite of web tools is called PartyBuilder.

Explore the tools here:

http://www.democrats.org/partybuilder

When it comes to the mechanics of running elections, Democrats have in the past been accused of showing up to a gunfight with only a knife. No more.

In this new era of using the Internet to empower people to take meaningful action, we're way ahead of the Republicans. We're bringing the Democratic Party online and asking you to take control by putting more power into your hands than they ever could.

Here are a few of the things you can do:

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Register to Vote

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Alice Membership Form

Alice B Toklas LGBT Democratic Club
1800 Market Street PMB#18
San Francisco, CA 94102
Tel: 415-707-2010
www.alicebtoklas.org
Alice Reports Editor: Reese Aaron Isbell, M.P.P.

General Membership Meeting 2nd Monday of each month

Month of August:
Monday, October 9, 2006
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

LGBT Community Center
1800 Market Street @ Octavia

You can now join online www.alicebtoklas.org/abt/joinonline.asp, or fill out the application below

Membership Application

Yes, I want to join the Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club!

__$35 Regular
__$100 Supporter
__$250 Sponsor
__$500 Champion
__$20 Special Needs
__Other

__I am renewing my membership        __I will be a new member

__I am a registered Democrat

Name ______________________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________________

City ____________________________________State: ______Zip: _____________

Phone: Day __________________________Eve: _____________________________

Email: _________________________________________

Please send checks payable to “Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club” and mail to:

Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club
1800 Market Street, PMB#18
San Francisco, CA 94102

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