Last Shreds Of Sanity

Now I have heard everything!!

I have called in sick, tired, broken legged, broke down car, crazy & even dead once (I had used up all my sick days!), but never GAY!! Good Lawd!! Never used this one before...get ready now & set your phasers to "FABULOUS!!!"

The next call to action for gay equal rights is the National call "gay" into work day, this Wednesday, December 10. Join The Impact, the good people who brought you the national protest on November 15, are requesting gays and lesbians stay home from work on Wednesday and refrain from spending any money. The goal is to demonstrate how vital we are to society. Our absence will increase our visibility. For those of you who can't miss work, do not spend any money and spread the word. For those of you who can skip work, you are asked to volunteer your day off for gay and lesbian non profit organizations who need help. To see a list in your area visit www.jointheimpact.com

San Francisco (AP) --
Some same-sex marriage supporters are urging people to "call in gay" Wednesday to show how much the country relies on gays and lesbians, but others question whether it's wise to encourage skipping work given the nation's economic distress. Organizers of "Day Without a Gay" — scheduled to coincide with International Human Rights Day and modeled after similar work stoppages by Latino immigrants — also are encouraging people to perform volunteer work and refrain from spending money.

"It's extra-challenging for people to think about taking off work as a form of protest, given that we are talking about people who may not be out (as gay) at work, and given the current economic situation and job market," said Jules Graves, 38, coordinator of the Colorado Queer Straight Alliance. "There is really not any assurance employers would appreciate it for what it is."
Graves' group nonetheless is arranging for interested participants to volunteer at the local African Community Center in Denver. The agency said it could find projects to keep 20 people busy, but so far only 10 have pledged to show up, said Graves.

Scott Craig, a fifth-grade teacher at Independence Charter School in Philadelphia, had no problem requesting and being granted the day off. So many of the school's 60 teachers were eager to show support for gay rights they had to make sure enough stayed behind to staff classrooms.

About 25 teachers plan to take Wednesday off and to have their work covered by substitutes while they discuss ways to introduce gay issues to their students and volunteer at the local branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, Craig said. A letter telling parents why so many teachers would be out went home Monday.

Witeck-Combs Communications, a public relations firm in Washington that specializes in the gay and lesbian market, published a study this year that estimated that gay and lesbian consumers spend $700 billion annually.
Hetherington said he has been careful to design A Day Without a Gay — he came up with the name after the film "A Day Without a Mexican" and liked it because it rhymed — so no one feels excluded or threatened.

http://www.daywithoutagay.org/

E-mail John King at jking@sfchronicle.com.