So I declined.

from: James Nunn
to: pat@fallonforfrisco.com
date: Thu, Jul 8, 2010 at 12:40 PM
subject: Re: Dinner with Texas Republican Chairman Steve Munisteri

Pat, I’m going to decline. I’d thank you for the invite, but it was quite offensive given the recent actions by the Texas GOP in relation to the GLBT community, so excuse my lack of appreciation for your gesture. If you were the “friend of the community” as you told many earlier this year (and last year), then you wouldn’t be doing this, or you certainly wouldn’t have offended me (and countless others) by not culling your list before sending this out.

James

Note 1: “Texans have made a decision about marriage, and if there is some other state that has a more lenient view than Texas, then maybe that’s a better place for them to live.” – Gov. Rick Perry, in response to a question about returning gay veterans who might want the right to marry in Texas.

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Another reason for this note is to answer a question that I’ve been asked by some of you: who would I like to see as the new council member for Place 4?

The answer to that question – for me – is simple: Jim Joyner.

I base this on two main factors. The first is based on his experience and secondly, Jim’s vision for Frisco as a vibrant and livable city. Both of these are extremely important to me for the following reasons.

Experience: Jim has previously served on city council, the CDC and other commissions and boards within the city. While I have not applauded every decision that Jim has made in his previous tenure on city council, Jim has always been open to discuss the issues with any citizen of Frisco to hear the different sides of the story. Much of the time, his judgment has been solid and his intentions always true.

Future Direction of the City: For years we had a very strong city council that had a clear vision on where Frisco should be in the future. Through these council members a city was created that became the jewel in Texas as one of the best places to live, work, play and grow (to borrow our city’s old motto). In that vision, Frisco has been a partner with other cities to build a strong regional response to the growing needs of our community and those around us. Jim has proven experience to understand the needs of our community and had the vision to support major initiatives like the Arts of Collin County project. Just as importantly, Jim is a fiscal conservative and also knows when to exercise restraint. A council member is one voice amongst 6 (7 in the case of a tie), and right now we need Jim’s voice on council to maintain a balance amongst those that support the vision that made Frisco what it is today.

Your vote is important, and I hope that you will stand with the many voices that know that a vote for Jim Joyner is a vote for a voice for all the citizens of Frisco.

If you have any questions or comments on my email, please reply to my email or call me at 469-287-8488.

Regards,
James Nunn

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Not sure how quickly the turnover will be on the government websites, but at 12 PM (EST), the White House website should be updated to reflect the new president. You can always check out President Obama’s website leading up to the inauguration for updates, or the Presidential Inauguration Committee’s website.

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Many people are sharing their thoughts in the blogosphere about what this means for them, and for the country. One blogger that I’ve recently started to read added this great post to his blog. He reminds us that while this is a day to be celebrated, we need to remember that there continues to be a number of inequalities throughout this country that still need to be addressed. As Davey writes, tomorrow is just “one step on a journey of many” and I’m proud to be here as the US begins that new journey.

In that light, there was an editorial piece in Friday’s New York Times by Mary Frances Berry (former co-chair of the US Commission of Civil Rights), who suggests that it is time to abolish the Commission on Civil Rights and create a new commission that addresses the rights of many groups, including gay people. What a great call to be making to a president that wants to bring change to this great country, and how phenomenal that this call is being made from such a strong advocate of “civil” rights in this country.

It has long been my belief that before any group can achieve equality, that group needs to work with other groups, people and communities to build support for that goal of equality. It is only through these partnerships that true and effective change can occur.

Many in the GLBT community feel that we must achieve these changes alone because it is “our” fight. I don’t agree with this, as this thinking is outdated and counterproductive to achieving the goal that we seek, and in many ways it slows down the progress that we hope to make. Tomorrow we start a new journey, and with that – I hope – a new opportunity to change the way we think. It’s time to focus on what we have in common with others, and work to bring about a united change that will see equality for everyone, not just another smaller subgroup of society.

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One of the options you have at this site is to share you thoughts, ideas or feedback with the Obama Transition Team on any number of issues.

I submitted the following comment to the site:

As part of any immigration reform, and as a national of another country in a same-sex relationship with an American for nearly ten years, can the inclusion of the “Uniting American Families Act” (previously known as the Permanent Partners Immigration Act) be incorporated to extend the option for partnerships of same-sex bi-national couples to be recognized for immigration purposes.

While this is a personal and selfish request, it is one that would benefit a large number of relationships that exist in this country, and would reduce the number of aliens in the country who have chosen to stay in the United States of America illegally rather than tear their family apart.

There are numerous other options for sharing your thoughts and ideas, and I encourage anyone reading this blog to take some time to become more involved with what is happening in this country.

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