Rainbow Legal Talk

City of Raleigh Human Relations Commission

Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to attend Mayor Charles Meeker's breakfast for the City of Raleigh's Human Relations Commission, and I did so when I heard about it through Commissioner Jan Muller, who is also the Chairperson of Triangle Community Works (www.tcworks.org). I was pleased to see so many people who were so accepting of the GLBT community as well as other groups that are traditionally discriminated against.

The goal of the commission is to advice the city council on making sure that the city's services reach all of its citizens and that human rights are protected. http://www.raleighnc.gov/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_306_207_0_43/http%3B/pt03/DIG_Web_Content/category/Government/Boards_and_Commissions/Human_Relations_Commission/Cat-1C-20041206-104611-Human_Relations_Commissi.html

It was especially good to see that the GLBT community is now represented with its own commissioner when Jan Muller was recently appointed. I was also glad to see that the discussions at my table went very quickly away from gay marriage and towards equal rights and providing a safe environment for the GLBT community in Raleigh. Of course, this conversation went to the real issues affecting our municipality when I pointed out that just about every right married couples have can also be achieved by gay and lesbian partners through proper life and estate planning except for some of the tax breaks. (http://www.livingtrustlawfirm.com/domestic_partnership.htm ) It was as if a switch was flipped and the table went right on to those problems that can not be solved without the commission's assistance, such as reaching out to the GLBT and other communities to see how they think the City of Raleigh can be a better place to live.

I was also happy to see that many of the people who attended were serious about moving forward together, and that they planned to attend the city's monthly meetings. With people like Jan on the commission helping out, I know we can make great strides in our City, but she is also going to need the help and support of the GLBT community at these meetings and any projects that come up. Please follow the links about to the Commission's webpage to see when the next meeting is, and also go to the Triangle Community Works site to see what Jan is doing in her other full-time volunteer job.

Wedding Wars has a point

Wedding Wars was a nice comedy that addressed a serious topic, which may well be the best way to get through to those people who oppose gay marriage just because their preacher told them to. But there is a broader issue here that many of the critics are missing, and that is the power that gay people really have in our society. While gay marriage is the big topic right now, most of the benefits of marriage can be achieved through life and estate planning (http://www.livingtrustlawfirm.com/domestic_partnership.htm)

But what about the right to be hired and maintain a job equally with others and not be discriminated against because you are gay? What about the right to adopt a child without the fact that you are gay counting against you? What about the right to be judged on the merits of your character, ability and past accomplishments rather than being looked down upon because you are gay? Those are probably more important to the everyday lives of gay people, and if those rights are achieved, gay marriage will follow.

But why not refuse to patronize businesses that have employment practices that disciminate against gay people? For more than a decade, many Cracker Barrels would refuse to hire gay people and would fire employees if they found out they were gay. In 2002, the company thankfully voted to bar discimination based on sexual orientation. Have you checked your stock portfolios to see if you have any stocks for companies that continue to discriminate? (Check out Darron Stover's website regarding socially conscious investing at http://www.darronstover.com/sociallyresponsible.htm). If you are a business leader in your community, do you refuse to work for people who are biased against gay and lesbian couples? It may be time to take a stand on equal rights, but laws and elections are only one way to achieve these rights. Remember that you also vote EVERY SINGLE DAY when you spend your money.

Panel Supports Gay Parents

What's common sense for most of us now has scientific research to back it up. As Maryland braces to review same sex marriage, a group of professionals released their findings that gays and lesbians can be as effective parents as heterosexuals.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.marriage01dec01,0,4794543.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

One area where heterosexual parents are just as likely to fall short is adequately planning for their children if they should pass on. In addition to making sure that they have sufficient assets and life insurance to care for their children until they are adults, it is just as important to plan for the inheritance to be handled by the right person for them until the right age of inheritance, probably somewhere between 25 and 40. As an example and based on the age of the child, you may want to leave them $500,000 to make sure they can get through college and into the real world... but you may not want to hand them a $500,000 check when they are 18.

If anyone wants to post and read some interesting comments, look back and let us know what you would have done with $500,000 on your 18th birthday?