The Smoking Wall Darla Baker The Smoking Wall Darla Baker

Cleaning Out Your Closet As You Enter the New Year 2011

Last April I wrote The Closet is Full. I wanted to revisit this issue as we begin a new year. I watched a documentary called "Tying The Knot" over the holiday break. One of the stories documented in the film was of a lesbian couple in Tampa, Florida. They served on the police force together and had been partners for several years and had held a "wedding" ceremony at some point in their relationship.

One of the partners was shot and killed in the line of duty and the family of the deceased was contesting her will. As I listened to the press conference where the family members explained their reasons for contesting the will, I thought once again about this post.

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LGBTQ, Entertainment Darla Baker LGBTQ, Entertainment Darla Baker

Review of the movie Hannah Free

The movie addresses a subject that is both very real and very frightening to the lesbian community living in a country where our right to marry and create a legal family status with our partner are so dangerously tenuous. Who among us hasn't worried that an accident or a stroke might leave us permanently separated from the most important person in our lives?

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No Excuses:  Demand Equality in 2010
LGBTQ Darla Baker LGBTQ Darla Baker

No Excuses: Demand Equality in 2010

Winning rights for millions, ending injustice and fighting for fairness. It's what we stand for. And it's what you become a part of when you become an HRC member.

And we'll be honest – we need you. Too many of our elected officials are willing to put equality on the back burner. And after their recent successes in Maine and New York, the radical right is hoping you'll give up as they use 2010 to block progress and, chilling as it sounds, dismantle victories we've already won.

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