GLBT/LGBT Resources:

GLBTQ – (www.glbtq.com) the Gay/Lesbian/Transgendered/Questioning “wiki”, authoritative and comprehensive

(lgbtcenters.org) CenterLink, a vast network of GLBT community centers

GLBT National Help Center (glnh.org) – “providing free and confidential telephone and internet peer counseling, information and local resources for gay, lesbian, transgender and questioning callers throughout the United States.”

And the resources are vast. For instance: have you recently been in a serious car accident? We have car accident attorneys who will provide valuable advice about whether to sue or to just follow through with an insurance claim. If you decide to sue because you believe that the car accident justifies a lawsuit, we will refer you to a car accident lawyer in the state where the accident occurred. If your car accident injuries are minor do not bother hiring a car injury attorney. Most car accident lawyers work on a contingency basis and are knowledgeable about whether a case is worth taking on or not. Find a car accident attorney who is GLBT/LGBT friendly. Of course the help center provides many other local resources as well. This is just one example of what they can provide.

Another good example: Getting tested for stds can be especially troublesome for some in this community. You have to expose yourself to the judgment of medical employees who may have some bias against you at a time where privacy and confidentiality matter most. The Help Center can guide you to web sites that offer a private std test kits online where you can do the testing in the privacy of your home and only go to the medical professionals if there is a need for treatment or confirmation. These tests are quick and reliable and cheap. Should you show positive signs of stds after using one of these kits, you can then go to the doctor or clinic. The Center recommends strongly that if you have any symptoms or any doubts that you immediately get tested, either with a home test or one at a clinic. Don’t wait around hoping for the best.

Happy New Year!

For those who have joined in the last few weeks and not had their blogs added to the blogroll, please hang in there. I have to add each blog manually and I’ve been incredibly busy lately. I will try to have everyone added by tomorrow afternoon.
Thanks for being patient!

OTHER THOUGHTS

Looking forward to the spring of this new year, I was pondering as to whether I want to install a deck and a pool in my back yard. I love to entertain and with an outside deck and pool, oh la la. The question then arises: should the pool be in the ground or above? My neighbor, whom I consult on many things suggested I check out Royal Pools & Spas and their above ground pools Hudson Valley store. Talk to their salesman, see their products, and check out their website. My neighbor had bought a spa from this company a year ago. He’s invited me over for a number of evenings this winter for wine and a relaxing soak in his spa. It’s glorious. I have pondered getting a spa, but even the largest can only hold 7-8 people. A large pool could accommodate more people. I like to fund raise for a number of GLBT causes and an outside deck w/ pool for entertaining would be so much more fun. Happy folks tend to be more generous.

Silent Auction

I had been looking at online gift baskets to send to a friend last week and was struck with a brilliant (at least I hope it’ brilliant) idea of holding a silent auction using gift baskets that contain donated items by local businesses who are GLBT friendly.The monies would go to providing those free and confidential telephone and internet peer counseling services I mentioned at the top of the page. The first silent auction would be held in my hometown of NYC. The gift baskets would have gay rights products such as stickers, magnets, GLBT buttons, rainbow jewelry, rainbow flags, gay marriage lapel pins, pink triangles, etc. But I also think we will solicit donations from gourmet food stores, confectionery shops, bookstores, fashion and jewelry stores, art stores and any other type of merchant that would want to participate. Of course we will have gift certificates from fabulous restaurants, spas, GLBT friendly bars and clubs. I envision an amazing with music, dance, and some eye opening gift baskets done up in feathers, glittering ribbons and bows offering extraordinary “bargains.” The gift basket silent auction will be loads of fun. But I need lots of volunteers, so please contact me.