Happy PRIDE Month to You All!

GLBT Pride Month is an opportunity to celebrate our diversity, and to support civil liberties for all people worldwide. We hope that you all will have a chance to attend some local events.

Here at Amazing Dreams Publishing we are celebrating Lesbian/Bi Women Pride by providing you with some great new Ecard designs and amazing new services. You can see our new services and links to them in this newsletter. If you don't know the origin of GLBT pride, we put together a story in our 2005 Pride Newsletter.

Sad to say, but not everyone celebrates our diversity. The Amendment to ban marriage for same-sex couples threatens the rights of GLBT people in the United States. Many GLBT people do not realize how important this is.

There are 1,138 rights that people who can legally be married have over those who can not. It's time for us to unite and stand up for what is right, because if we don't stand up for our own rights as tax paying citizens of the United States, who will?

Here's part of a letter our founder, Tracey Stevens, wrote to the state Senators in NC:

WE PAY TAXES TOO!
According to the last US Census, there were approximately 162,410,000 people living in the United States between the ages of 20 and 64 years old (what I would consider working age). If you multiply that number by 10 percent (the low end of the approximate percentage of the population who are gay, both men and women) you get 16,241,000 gay people employed. If you take that number and multiply it by the median income (let’s go way low to make up for the approximate number of gay people who may not be working, and say $20,000 per year) you get $324,820,000,000 in gay annual salaries, which we spend in the USA as consumers. Now multiply this by the federal tax rate of 12.5% (keep in mind, most of us pay almost 25% of our wages) and you get gay people paying $40,602,500,000 in federal income taxes per year. This does not include state or local taxes.

Now wait a minute! We pay over forty BILLION dollars in federal income taxes and yet there are 1,138 Federal rights that straight married couples have that we are not allowed to have?

Don't believe me? You can download the list that we, as tax paying Americans, are not allowed on this page:

http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-04-353R

This is a matter of civil law - it has nothing to do with religion. We already have the right to religious and spiritual weddings and ceremonies - those aren't legislated in this country. What we are fighting for is the right to civil marriage - equal access under the law. Legal civil marriage is clearly a basic civil right.

The Proponents of this amendment claim this is about protecting marriage. In fact, it is about writing discrimination into our state constitution. Same-sex marriages are already denied recognition under state law and the conservative North Carolina courts are not likely to overrule that.

The proposed amendment goes much further than addressing marriage, though. It would deny recognition or protections of any sort for loving, committed same-sex couples. In fact, the bill is so broad it could prevent private companies from offering partner health benefits, as many of our largest employers do.

We've also seen the unintended consequences amendments like this have had for opposite-sex couples in other states and we don't need those problems here.

Please take a stand against this amendment. Vote no on Senate Bill 1228 and any similar amendment brought forward during the 2006 legislative session.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Tracey Stevens

What YOU can do to help:

Get involved with your National and State equality organizations:

The Human Rights Campaign

HRC State Listings

NEW NEWS AND SERVICES
Our Lesbian Networking Groups have gone from 370 members in June of last year to over 1700 members! Our Lesbian/Bi Woman Online Support Group now has over 480 members, over 300 more than last year at this time! We are providing a service for women worldwide, and two of our members recently wrote these notes of appreciation:

"I have learned a lot from the members in this wonderful group. This place really is a Godsend. I never knew there are so many women in this world just like me. The support and encouragement this group supplies gives hope and freedom to all its members. That's a pretty incredible thing. This group is vital to my survival. It really is. Thanks for providing it!"

"When I found the SFLCO Support Group, I was at a crisis point. Mentally and physically I was a wreck. I was literally on the verge of a nervous break down and was suicidal. This group has in a very real sense saved my life. I now have a safe place to share my joys and my struggles. I have peace and hope back in my heart. My sense of self-esteem has returned along with my mental and physical health. Thank you for being there for me."

See more quotes from members of our support group.

We just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has supported our site and this support group, including the folks at the Gayellow Pages who cosponsor it.

How we fund our free services is by selling our books and products selected especially for women from our website. If you'd like to help us to help other women worldwide, be sure to check out our affiliate programs listed at the bottom of this newsletter.

NEW GLBT MARRIAGE ARTICLE
By Christine Rose Allen
On the Front Lines of GLBT Marriage
Ann and I have been lovers, life partners and co-parents for over twenty years. Our five children are now grown, though our youngest daughter and her best friend still live at home with us. We have four grandchildren. We have witnessed our two sons’ weddings, and will be participating in our oldest daughter's wedding this-coming October. However, we, ourselves, are not able to legally marry.

It was difficult, to watch our children marry and know that we could not. In fact, at every wedding we've attended over these many years there has invariably been a moment where we would look at each other and silently share that unhappy realization: that others could share so joyfully in something that was denied to us. That we were always "the audience," the folks whose role it was to share in other people's happiness. We've even attended weddings where the bride and groom wanted us to be present, but were uncomfortable with us dancing together at their reception--perhaps because that could be viewed as too much of a "statement."

We've watched many people younger than ourselves marry. We've watched folks marry who'd been together but a short time compared to our years as a couple. We've watched couples whose weddings we'd attended get divorced; though our own "unmarried" relationship endured.
READ MORE

LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF A LOCAL GAY PAPER
By Tracey Stevens
United We Stand, Divided We Fall
After reading your article, "What do Lesbians Really Think About Gay Men?" I had a very long conversation with the man who is managing Alamo Square Book Distributors.

During the conversation it came up about how the GLBT community is just not unified in any way, shape, or form, and how this thing of judging people because they are gay men or lesbians, or transgendered lesbians, or transgendered gay men, or not butch enough, or too fem, or whatever we as GLBT are supposed to be on a given day, is what gives the government and the fundamentalists power over us.

Until we are able to not judge each other and stand together and fight for our rights as human beings, why would we ever expect anyone outside of our own culture to to do anything any different?

If we spend our time being negative with comments like "Lipstick lez is so out." "He's such a queen!" "She's a big dyke!" we will never get the equal rights we deserve as tax paying citizens of this country.

Keeping our culture separate is the way to our own demise as far as our own rights and anything else goes. If we do not come together and fight for what is ours as human beings, then we have no one to blame but ourselves.
READ MORE

NEW PRIDE ECARDS
BY JO ANN AND STRANGECHILD
Introducing new Gay & Lesbian PRIDE Ecards you don't have to hide in a brown paper bag! Share your PRIDE during Gay Pride Month by sending your friends their own Gay Pride Ecard!

Visit Jo Ann's Lesbian Pride Ecard Page and the Out There Ecard Page to send fun PRIDE Ecards.

NEW PASTEL ECARDS BY KIM DENISE
Kim Denise is an emerging artist specializing in soft pastel. A healer and intuitive, Kim infuses her paintings with a deep restorative energy. She is fascinated with the play of light and the sacredness it imparts to the humblest of objects. Her vibrant still life paintings often feature glass, with a focus on reflected light and color. Kim's work resides in private collections nationwide. She has exhibited in national juried pastel shows, and is a member of the International Guild of Realism, the Silver Chord Art Guild, and the Vermont Pastel Society.

Kim sells gifts and apparel with her dramatic images at her Online Store. You can also visit Kim's Website, or her Ecard Page to send beautiful Ecards.

Our affiliates provide quality products for our supporters.
Profits from them and our own books help us to
keep our services free for women worldwide.

NEW GLBT MARRIAGE BOOK
Christine Rose Allen who wrote On the Front Lines of GLBT Marriage says this about our new book listing Why You Should Give A Damn About Gay Marriage:
"As a marriage equality activist I found 'Why You Should Give a Damn About Gay Marriage.' by Dr. Davina Kotulski, to be an enormous help. It is laid out like a tool kit, a working manual, for understanding the issue and for doing marriage equality work. Kotulkski's humor makes this book fun reading - she has a sharp wit!"
To see more, visit our Lesbian Partnership and Wedding Books.

SHOW YOUR PRIDE COLORS NOW!
Do you want to let our community know about you? Then wear those colors! Just in time for the Pride Month, we now have a great affiliate Over the Rainbow Store with over 2,500 lesbian and Bisexual Pride items! Check out our huge selection of beautiful Lesbian and Bisexual Pride Items including: jewelry, rainbow key chains, flags, bumper stickers, journals, wrist bands, buttons, pins, candles, hats and caps, and lots of other products! Show who you are to the rest of us! Order online, and have wonderful items sent right to your address in a plain box!
Visit Our Over the Rainbow Affiliate Shop for the best in pride items.

SEND FLOWERS TO SHOW HER YOU CARE
Our online service for the people you love: flowers sent directly from the growers at half the price of many florists! We researched the best online flower distributor to find one who will provide quality products for our GLBT community. You can set up your own online account and send flowers for all occasions, like birthdays and anniversaries:

"Cindy came home today to a bouquet of roses from the Amazing Dreams Flower Shop, and was thrilled beyond words! She sent me a virtual card, also from Amazing Dreams, thanking me for the nice evening and the roses that were 'just beautiful!' She said the flowers were fresh and smelled wonderful. Cindy was also thrilled that they came with a vase, because she did not have one to put them in. Thanks Amazing Dreams! You made our anniversary extra special"
M.C., Cincinnati, OH

Visit the Amazing Dreams Flower Shop and send your favorite woman flowers today!

LESBIAN and FANTASY WOMEN POSTERS AND ART PRINTS
Want to really impress the neighbors? We've found 35 gorgeous lesbian-themed posters and art prints, and we'll be adding more soon. Frame them yourself, or choose a custom frame. With AllPosters great framing feature, you can choose your artwork, choose your wall color, choose your frame, choose your mat, and see exactly how your artwork will look in your home! Show your pride by decorating with beautiful photos of women together, or hang one on your bedroom ceiling!
Visit our Lesbian Poster Page or our Fantasy Women Page for beautiful prints.

LESBIAN VIDEO AND DVD
Not sure what movie to bring home on a Friday night? We have over 75 lesbian film reviews that go back to 1928! From sweet coming out stories to full-blown lesbian love stories, which may even spark some romance in your own relationship. Remember to check out our online reviews before you rent or buy. We are also an affiliate with TLA Video, so any movies you purchase by linking from our site to TLA gives us a small percentage back from them. This helps us to continue providing free services for our community.
Visit our Film Reviews Page for the best in lesbian movies.

SPICE UP YOUR LOVE LIFE,
VISIT OUR LESBIAN SEX TIPS TOY STORE!
Amazing Dreams Publishing proudly presents the sister store for both our Coming Out and Lesbian Sex Tips guides. We have over 5,000 of the best sensual toys, hand-picked by and for lesbians and bisexual women. Our store has secure online shopping, fast delivery, discreet packaging, and no embarrassing visits to your local male-owned store. From multifunctional vibrators, to pillows with secret compartments for your toys, we have the best selection for women on the web.
Visit The Lesbian Sex Tips Toy Store for the best in sensual products.

OVER 1,000 MAGAZINES AT DISCOUNT PRICES
There are over 1,000 magazines to choose from with discounts of up to 75 percent off the newsstand price! Help us to help others by purchasing a subscription for a birthday or an anniversary gift, or maybe you need to treat yourself to your own subscription today.
Visit our Magazine Page for huge discounts on subscriptions.