By Ijpe DeKoe Tennessee Marriage Case Plaintiff Thom was my childhood sweetheart. We met in 1999 when we were in our late teens and working as camp counselors that summer. We knew there was something special in one another and maintained a close friendship for a decade before finally admitting that we were perfect together. In 2011, we got engaged. Soon after, we were married in New York—while I was on a three days pass from my mobilization training at FT. Dix, NJ. A week later I began my nine...
By Robert Holgate NCLR’s Major Gifts Campaign Co-Chair I first heard about NCLR from a friend and interior design client who does pro bono legal work for Legal Services for Children. During the early years of my business, this client and I would meet, and we would often talk about the cases she was working on. I’m a big advocate for children’s rights and especially young LGBTQ kids. When my friend was describing one of her cases, she mentioned how impressed she was with NCLR, saying that...
NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell’s sister, Sharon, shared the below piece about her relationship with Kate at a big Mormon church gathering last month. Read Kate’s corresponding piece. By Sharon Ellsworth-Nielson Guest Columnist “Love is the answer to all the important questions.” When I heard this quote in 2010 by Richard Paul Evans at a conference, this simple truth resonated in me—FINALLY. Despite years of being a member of the Church and believing in the gospel, feeling pretty proud of...
Ruth and Dave Waterbury are tireless allies and advocates who live in Minnesota, inspired by their son Marcus, who is also a supporter of NCLR. Ruth is a one-time primary teacher who spent many years volunteering in the arts. Ever since her daughter Margery came out more than 25 years ago, Ruth has been a tireless advocate for family acceptance of LGBTQ members. If your parents need an “attitude adjustment,” sic Ruth on them! Dave is a retired financial advisor and has served on several...
Ellen Spertus and her husband Keith Golden are computer scientists living in San Francisco who recently became one of our newest eScrip donors, and we asked Ellen to tell us about why they support NCLR, and why she chose to sign upto support NCLR through eScrip. When and how did you first hear about NCLR? My husband and I have long been supporters of equal rights, and we wanted to know how best to give our time and money when marriage equality became a possibility in California (we live in San...
Get to know your fellow National Center for Lesbian Rights champions! Pat has worked for 30 years in local government management and is currently the City Manager of Daly City. Bev is a Psychiatric Social Worker with Kaiser Permanente and has had a private therapy practice in San Francisco. Why do you support LGBTQ civil and human rights? The quality of our lives as Latina lesbians and those of future generations of LGBTQ people depends on the efforts that we put forth today to achieve full...
Yesenia and Veronica Olivera-Leon have been supporters of NCLR for quite some time. Yesi is a member of NCLR’s National Advisory Board, and they live in Miami and just recently became first-time mothers to twins! Before the twins arrived, we asked Yesi and Vero to take a little time out of their busy preparing-for-babies schedule to tell us about why they support NCLR. When and how did you first hear about NCLR?Vero: Yesi joined NCLR’s National Advisory Board several years ago.Yesi: The event...
Carol and Julie are sisters who grew up in Nebraska and now have a family practice in Dallas, Texas with a three-decade history at one of the world’s leading financial management and advisory companies. Their team, The Meyer Group, specializes in developing investment solutions for the unique financial planning issues of their LGBTQ clientele. Why do you support LGBTQ civil and human rights? Seven years ago we were invited by our local manager to represent the firm on the Diversity and...
By Ryan Kendall NCLR Guest Columnist I was at home, deep into studying for my fall-semester class load at Columbia University in New York City, when I got the news that California Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 1172 into law, protecting young lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth from the same type of psychological abuse that I endured at the hands of mental health professionals who tried to change my sexual orientation. It was a powerful thing to know that we had finally done...
By Dynasty Young NCLR Guest Columnist Before last year, I had little to fear in high school. I came out a couple of years earlier when I was a freshman, and couldn’t imagine that people who didn’t even know me could have so much hate built up against me. But I soon learned that wasn’t true. After enrolling in Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis, I faced constant name calling and threats just because I have a unique style and I’m gay. What made things worse is that the harassment...
