A little good news: I just checked the status of DPBO (The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act), and apparently it made it through a key committee in late November by way of a 23-12 vote.
Next up: Congress. If it gets through congress, President Obama promises to sign it into law.
This is a simple piece of legislation that states that LGBT employees should get the same benefits as their straight counterparts. As it stands, there is no equality for LGBT federal employees, since they do not receive benefits for their domestic partners. As you probably know, health benefits are a huge part of a benefits package.
To personalize: I do not have benefits through Chuck's job. If I were female, I would. When my COBRA coverage ends next year, I will be without benefits since I am self-employed. Because of an issue with sleep apnea a year ago, I do not qualify for health insurance with most carriers, so this is not just a financial issue (it is that, for sure), but one that concerns my health and safety.
Nearly 60 percent of Fortune 500 companies offer these benefits. It's simply good business practice, if the federal government wants to attract the best employees.
We need to make sure that this legislation passes in Congress. Call your representative today and ask them to vote for equality and fairness. Ask them to pass the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act.
Please take a minute and call your representative in Washington. We must make sure that a House vote on DPBO will happen soon and that our representatives support DPBO. We need to stand together as a community and urge our representatives to fight for the rights of the domestic partners of federal employees.
...Wadorf to Your Astoria is done. Through. Finished.
This will be the final post here.
But fear not! If you go over to my brand-spankin' new website, billkonigsberg.com, you will see that I am still blogging over there.
This will be the final post here.
But fear not! If you go over to my brand-spankin' new website, billkonigsberg.com, you will see that I am still blogging over there.
Just four more days in 2012... Hard to believe how quickly --
Who the hell am I kidding?
This was the slowest year in the history of man. I don't mean that in a bad way. It just went slowly. To me, last December seems like years ago.
It was a great, slow year:
1.
Who the hell am I kidding?
This was the slowest year in the history of man. I don't mean that in a bad way. It just went slowly. To me, last December seems like years ago.
It was a great, slow year:
1.
Tomorrow is the first day of NaNoWriMo, also known as National Novel Writing Month. Every November, all sorts of writers take on the challenge of trying to write a draft of a novel in a month.
I'll tell you what, people who plan to vote for Mitt Romney:
I disagree with you, and not just a little. Your support of the Romney/Ryan ticket feels like a kick to the stomach, because as a gay man, this stuff is personal to me.
But you know what? Don't de-friend me.
I disagree with you, and not just a little. Your support of the Romney/Ryan ticket feels like a kick to the stomach, because as a gay man, this stuff is personal to me.
But you know what? Don't de-friend me.
What would happen at an all-boys boarding school in Massachusetts if an athlete came out as gay?
This is NOT the subject of my upcoming novel, Openly Straight. In fact, it is the setting for that novel, but it is the plot of my first novel, Out of the Pocket.
This is NOT the subject of my upcoming novel, Openly Straight. In fact, it is the setting for that novel, but it is the plot of my first novel, Out of the Pocket.
Today I've decided to be one of those helpful authors and let you know what happens when you attempt to use copywritten song lyrics in your novel.
I have been a highly effective person at times in my life. You don't become successful in a creative field without working diligently. It simply doesn't happen. Likewise, it's about impossible to succeed in any endeavor without concerted effort. I don't mean to brag, but when I'm on, I'm really on.
I woke up this morning thinking about the novel I am working on, BEST OF BIPOLAR DISORDER. There is a fantasy element in the novel. It's the first time I am working with an element of the fantastic in a novel.
This makes me nervous.
This makes me nervous.
So I had a HUGE treat yesterday... I got to have lunch with the former student who served as the inspiration for the character "Carrie" in OUT OF THE POCKET!
I hadn't seen her in nine years.
I hadn't seen her in nine years.
I have a new book deal!
I've wanted to scream it from the top of a mountain for the entire world to hear for the past couple months, but I couldn't -- not until the deal was signed and official. Well, it is now signed and official.
I've wanted to scream it from the top of a mountain for the entire world to hear for the past couple months, but I couldn't -- not until the deal was signed and official. Well, it is now signed and official.
Chuck said something yesterday that really struck me. It was a comment about how things have changed in his lifetime, especially for gay people.
The novel I am currently working on involves a journey taken by two best friends: Duffy and Aisha.
Duffy is 17, straight-but-different, and bipolar. He has lived his entire life in Billings, Montana.
Aisha is 19, a lesbian, and black.
Duffy is 17, straight-but-different, and bipolar. He has lived his entire life in Billings, Montana.
Aisha is 19, a lesbian, and black.
Contrary to the title, this posting is not about how I used to trudge four miles to school through the snow, and how "The Kids These Days" don't know how good they have it.
Instead, I want to focus on something that I feel "The Kids These Days" don't have.
Instead, I want to focus on something that I feel "The Kids These Days" don't have.
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