I Feel The Earth Move Under My Feet

Yeah, it's been awhile since my last posting. I've been spending huge amounts of time, planning and developing my new business.

But it all takes time. Branding identity (see new logo above). Refining the niches that will be my target clients. Developing value promises. Brainstorming products. Creating content. Determining revenue streams and cost structures. Envisioning the web presence and acquiring necessary domain names. Looking into joint ventures and cross-promotions.

"So," you say, "this must be an absolutely awful time to start-up a new company. Correct?"

Nope. On the contrary, this might be the best time in a long time to start a new operation. The happenings of the last six months have been like an earthquake, moving the tectonic plates, as it were, creating major new rifts. The walls are tumbling down, and so the barriers to entry into the marketplace are falling, too.

So I'm in a very confident and assured place, right now. I'm no fool -- things won't be peachy keen for awhile yet.

But I see clear opportunities that transcend current market conditions. Stay tuned. You'll be seeing significant changes here in the weeks to come, and I'll be offering services and products that provide true value. And if you just can't wait that long to find out what's up, give me a call.

27 percent fewer millionaires in America

According to a Reuters report you can read here, the number of American millionaires fell by more than a quarter last year as the financial crisis decimated their investments, a Spectrem Group report said yesterday (March 11).

The number of U.S. households with a net worth of $1 million or more, not including first homes, fell by 2.5 million to 6.7 million in 2008, according to the report.

After the 27 percent drop, the number of millionaires is at the lowest level since 2003, when the millionaire population stood at 6.2 million, the report says.

HOWEVER, while they may feel poor, please remember that these individuals are still far better off that the Average Joe. Except for those in retirement, most of them are still taking home a paycheck that's about the same as what they made last year.

Agreed: this may not be the best time to ask someone for the ultimate gift, made out of assets. But annual gift solicitations can continue at the same or even increased levels, since those gifts are made from income.

During these times, your organization needs to be in front of your donors, sharing the urgency of your cause, reminding them what you're doing to have an impact in your community, and asking for something: their involvement, their time, their treasure. Building relationship with your donor base now is critical. Whatever you do, don't settle back into inactivity on the (faulty) premise that now's not a good time to approach your supporters.

Is My Marriage Annulled Yet?

I just finished watching the oral arguments before the California State Supreme Court. I haven't seen the "spin" from all of the marriage equality organizations -- and the Court, of course, hasn't issued its decision (and won't for awhile yet).

But I confess to a deeply unsettling sense of dread. Before today, I could not conceive how our side's argument could be denied. Now, I'm afraid it is entirely possible not only that the discrimination that is Prop 8 will be enshrined in the constituion, but that my marriage will be retroactively made non-existent. I won't shed a tear yet -- that would be premature and hopefully not necessary in the end. But, I'm having a hard time feeling optimistic at this moment.

Yesterday was different.

Estimates vary, but let's just say a LOT of people showed up under rain-threatening skies to walk from Castro's Harvey Milk Plaza to the Civic Center last night.

I was there. I was caught up in the emotions. A very diverse crowd. Young (infants, toddlers, kids, teens) and old (well, for example, I was there -- lol). Rich and poor. Committed citizens trying to make their voices heard. .
. I was kept busy as a volunteer from 4 p.m. on ... getting supplies of signs to the site, wrapping duct tape around sign handles to prevent splinters, and distributing electronic candles in clear plastic cups (see the pic of me, captured from a YouTube video, hawking the candles to people at the top of the MUNI station stairs. If you want, click on the photo to watch the video).

The rally included short comments from religious and community organizations, leaders of the many marriage equality groups, and even some celebrities (Hal Sparks of HBO's Queer As Folk is a short guy! and Cleve Jones is getting older).

And then marching as part of a throng, headed down Market Street toward the Civic Center. It was inspiring and uplifting. Every once in awhile, I'd pause to take a pic on my cell phone or send a text message to a friend who was feeling bad to have missed it all.

The program on the steps of San Francisco's City Hall included comments from the legal team and friend of the court representatives. Their cautionary tone was my first hint that it wasn't necessarily prudent to be confident.

Overall, though, it was all very positive. All very good. And hopefully some of the sentiment seeped into the consciousness of the judges who will ultimately issue their decision.

Now, at this moment, I can't help but connect the contrast in feelings between yesterday and today to the eerily reminiscent feelings between election day (working the polls to get out the vote = high optimism) and Wednesday, Nov. 5 (waking up to discover that "the people" had seen fit to rip my rights away). Perhaps I'll feel differently later. But for now -- not good.

OK now, end of rant. Whatever the outcome ... the fight for equality goes on, as it must.

The Night Before the Eve of the Oral Arguments

Tomorrow night, Wednesday, I'll be part of a candle-light march from San Francisco's Castro neighborhood to the Civic Center where the California Supreme Court is located.

Then, on Thursday, I'll be in front of the Supreme Court, witnessing the oral arguments on Proposition 8.

Gay and lesbian couples briefly enjoyed the freedom to marry in California. My husband, Kevin, and I were married on October 11, 2008. It was an incredibly special day, but we were just one of some 18,000 happy couples who were married from June 16 - November 4.

The celebration turned to bittersweet sadness in the wake of the historic November election. Cheers on Tuesday night when President Obama was elected; tears on Wednesday morning when it became clear California voters passed Proposition 8. The measure -- with a bare majority of 52% -- revised the California constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry.

I know that most readers of this blog are pretty generally sympathetic to my position; you might not, though, understand how profoundly I've been affected by this vote. If you were told you couldn't marry the person you loved -- how would you feel? How would that change your relationship with the person you love so much that you can't live without? How would it change your future plans? How would it change your life?

Just as bad: what if you had gotten married and someone tried to take it away?

Kevin and I are in a committed, trusting and loving relationship. The state of California recognized the relationship as a marriage, giving it the dignity such commitment deserves. And then it was ripped away. So ... we are fighting for our rights.

The argument is that Proposition 8 is invalid because the initiative (ballot) process was inappropriately used in an attempt to undo the constitution's core commitment to equality for everyone -- by eliminating a fundamental right from just one group -- gay and lesbian Californians. It's not right to allow the majority to vote to take rights from a minority. That's why we have a constitution to protect everyone equally, including minorities. Discrimination is wrong no matter wherever it appears. Today, it's marriage. What's next?

The passage of Proposition 8 hurt our family. Not just Kevin and me -- but my mother-in-law, our siblings, our nieces and nephews. One of the joys of our wedding was seeing how meaningful it was for all of our family members, far and wide.

It's not for me to judge other people, but I confess I do not understand the hate that fuels those who disapprove of my marriage. I know that most of the readers of this blog are straight. I invite you to talk to others about this issue. Take advantage of the moment -- the news coverage that will occur -- to speak with people you know. Let them know where you stand. And please hold a good thought as the California Supreme Court deliberates in the coming days. Thank you.