Gay Into Straight America...Two Women & a Poodle on a year long journey, engaging hearts and minds

Giving new meaning to "Separate is not Equal"

Dotti and I are not into living only in the separate gay scene, and we don't think that being separate like that adds in any way to the dissolving of our differences and ending discrimination. Such is the reason Dotti and I enjoy spending our time with people... not just gay people, but people who we feel connected to. That's why we go dancing at regular clubs and pubs, as well as gay bars.

Separate is not equal, and until the gay people decide they REALLY want equality, they will continue keeping themselves in their safe little groups and not integrate with the rest of society. OK, it may feel safer, and maybe in some cases it IS safer, but it's in the being out there and being a part of mainstream society that will really make a difference.

It's like being in the church... if we gay people stay hidden in the churches, the churches will never know we're there, and they'll never start the conversation and move toward inclusion. Until gay people step up and involve themselves in mainstream society and mainstream activities, there will be separation, but that separation cannot necessarily blamed upon the straight folks.

We believe that we are the key to our own freedom. As Dotti says, "When we have both hands out pointing at others, calling them the 'problem,' we cannot scratch our back pocket and discover the key in it that will open the prison door and allow us to walk out in freedom."

The key to our freedom does not lie in the hands of the church leaders or the rest of society, even though so many gay people are sitting back just waiting for the church and the government to say, "You're OK after all." We are OK, end of subject, and if we need others to tell us we are OK in order to believe it, we're the ones with the issue. OK... off my soapbox now.

Robynne Sapp and her spouse, Dotti Berry, were legally married March 7, 2004, in Portland, Oregon. Their civil wedding license was voided a year later by the state. Their spiritual ceremony was July 31, 2004. They are on a yearlong journey, Gay Into Straight America, the initial project of their non-profit, Stand UP Speak OUT, Inc. Their intention is to engage hearts and minds, create authentic connections, and dissolve differences that separate us as they meet and talk with people who are “wrestling” with their understanding of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning persons. To learn more about their journey, visit their website ww.GayIntoStraightAmerica.com. Discover how to become a Stand UP Speak OUT Wind Changer…take the Stand UP Speak OUT Challenge.

Please contact Robynne Sapp about using the above material. This material may be shared with others through email and posting on other newsletters and/or on websites, as well as printed in publications or newspapers; however, it must be shared in its entirety without any changes made. Appropriate credit listing the copyright with her name, email (roby@GayIntoStraightAmerica.com), and website address must also accompany the article.