If one were to cease dreaming bold dreams, then bold and much needed actions on earth would also cease, for dreams are the primary fuel for the engine of doing. If it cannot be dreamt, it cannot be done. Thereby, protect rather than pre-empt the dreamer in your own soul.

---Dr. Clarissa Estes



Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. The celebrated day of Dreams and Dreamers!! It seems no small coincidence that this year it lands the day beforre the Presidential Inauguration of our first African American President in history!! What must the emotions be of those who marched along MLK that brilliant march of men and women of Color who dared to stand on principle that "all men are created equal". Emancipation is rarely achieved without a price, as the family of Martin Luther King Jr. knows full well. A price most of us would not even consider in the name of any cause... yet as a middle-aged lesbian, its no longer an option to sit quietly in the shadows anymore. We are not asking for anything any other American would expect... a right to pursue happiness free from prejudice and discrimination. Its all been said before... nothing I'd say could be more interesting or unique... except that I need to stand and be counted, like all those other people who walked along side of MLK. It seems fitting that the late Coretta Scott King was an advocate of LGBT rights. "Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood," King stated. "This sets the stage for further repression and violence that spread all too easily to victimize the next minority group." - Chicago Defender, April 1, 1998, front page.

So, we march throughout our daily lives, no longer hiding, no longer afraid... no matter what the cost. We too have a right to love and be loved and with all the equal rights that heterosexual married couples and families have.