January 26, 2009

Sometimes I get so caught up in living a life I don't find time to post as often. I should say I don't take time which is more accurate.

This past Saturday evening was a bingo fund raiser in Greenville, SC for Sean's Last wish. All in all it was a great kickoff for the new year, a year in which fund raising is going to be an issue for every foundation. All we can do is keep the faith and continue doing what we do. You can click the photos below to enlarge. The first one is my dear friend Leslie, also a board member. The third photo is of four board members, Elke, Pam, Jim and Leslie. Beth was unable to make it Saturday evening.







As you read in previous posts, the parole hearing for Stephen Moller is February 11th. I plan to be in Columbia, SC for the hearing. At the very latest, he will be released in July. The larger issue for him is what is going to happen with the rest of his life. My sincere prayer is for him to turn around and find a genuine focus.

I've been very busy with our Charlotte Interfaith Coalition meeting this coming Thursday. For people of different faiths to gather in one place with the purpose of reaching out to the LGBT community is almost overwhelming. This is a major step outside my comfort zone but it's not the first time I've done that in the last year. This is something which is way past time to do. It will be a meeting which is truly ecumenical.

Last of all for today, a word to the person who signed into Charlotte Gender Alliance last week with the intent of stirring up controversy. It didn't work. I know who you are. An unfortunate reality in the transgender community is that we have some would be leaders who preach equality and dignity but are unable to grant it to others. Some who wish to be leaders have not learned you first must be the least.

President Obama has spoken of leaving the pettiness of the past behind. I would suggest a few people in our community would do well to listen carefully to those words.

Press Release - Sean's Last Wish

I want readers to see this evening's press release from Sean's Last Wish. It has often been said the battle for human dignity will be won in the court of public opinion. There is truth in this, but for justice to be served in the here and now, the meaning of personal responsibility must be learned.

A message must also be sent that violence is not an acceptable reaction to hatred of someone perceived as different. We speak of hate crimes and know it's not about the transgender community or even the LGBT community as a whole. It's about anyone who is judged for no other reason than who they are. Any of us could be a name to be read during the Transgender Day of Remembrance or The National Day of Silence this coming year.

If there is to be change, it will begin with us searching our own heart. Nothing else is more important.

I earnestly encourage anyone who feels led, to send a letter to the SC Parole Board as quickly as possible. It must happen before January 23rd.
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UPDATE:

ELKE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF PROBATION PARDON AND PAROLE SERVICES ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2009 INFORMING HER THAT A EARLY PAROLE HEARING HAS BEEN SCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2009 AT 09:00 AM AT 2221 DEVINE STREET, COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA.

IN ADDITION STEPHEN ANDREW MOLLER'S FINAL RELEASE DATE HAS BEEN MOVED UP FROM SEPTEMBER 2009 TO JULY 07, 2009. MOLLER RECEIVED A TWO MONTHS CREDIT FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR FOR PURSUING HIS GED.

NOW MORE THAN EVER WE NEED YOUR HELP, PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO THE ADDRESS BELOW THIS WEEK! ANY LETTERS RECEIVED BY THE PAROLE BOARD AFTER JANUARY 23, 2009 WILL NOT BE READ.

THIS IS A PUBLIC HEARING, ANYONE ABLE TO SUPPORT ELKE , HER FAMILY AND THE SEAN'S LAST WISH FAMILY IS ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND.
ALSO, PLEASE LET ELKE KNOW IF YOU SEND A LETTER AND IF POSSIBLE, SEND HER A COPY OF THE LETTER, SO SHE CAN HAVE COPIES TO TAKE WITH HER TO THE PAROLE HEARING.


Be sure to include Moller's full name and ID number:
Stephen Andrew Moller - SCDC ID # 00328891.

Send your letters to:
Department of Probation Pardon and Parole Services
2221 Devine Street, Suite 600, PO Box 50666
Columbia SC 29250


Please forward to your contacts, friends and family.
Thank you for all of your support!

January 10, 2008

This morning was our meeting at PFLAG Salisbury. I don't know of a group I enjoy more, both in terms of passion, outreach and just being with some of the nicest people I know.

I especially like their outreach to the community of Rowan Co. We have a scholarship fund that sends a young person to school each year. We also volunteer with Rowan Helping Ministries, an outreach program to those in need, which are many at this time. I volunteered this morning but realized that's the day of the HRC Gala in Charlotte next month. More on that later. Last year's Educational Initiative was 'interesting'. I think this year will be equally enlightening. As I said, more later.

It's interesting how things happen when you network. The PFLAG folks invited me to speak to the group last March. They were so nice I decided to join and it's become one of my favorite events.

This morning a representative of RAIN - Regional Aids Interfaith Network, came to speak. Both her passion and compassion were evident. It was a good meeting.

We have set a date of January 29th for our first Interfaith Coalition meeting in Charlotte. This may not be huge in terms of glitz or numbers, but nothing is more important. It may well be we can work closely with RAIN.

I was thinking the other day of what has meant most to me since I transitioned. I think as much as anything, the day I got my new library card stands out. There's some little pleasure in seeing that slip of paper with my name inserted into the book. I guess I'm a person of simple pleasures which is probably a good thing.

Press Release - Sean's Last Wish - parole hearing scheduled

Sean's Last Wish Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 01/06/09

Contact:

Elke Kennedy

elke@seanslastwish.org

Stop Early Parole for Sean Kennedy's Killer

In May of 2007, in Greenville, South Carolina, Sean Kennedy, a 20-year-old gay man was leaving a bar when Stephen Andrew Moller called him a homophobic slur and hit him in the face so hard that Kennedy's brain separated from its stem. Moller left him on the sidewalk, unconscious, and Sean died later than night from his injuries.

Sean was killed because he was gay and his murder was unprovoked, yet his killer was plea bargained down to involuntary manslaughter and received a 5 year sentence suspended to 3 years. Because of the credit Moller received for time he served before his sentencing, the longest possible time he will have to serve in prison is until September 2009. Because of the inadequacy of South Carolina laws and the lack of hate crimes statutes in the state, Sean's murderer is eligible for parole as early as next month, meaning that he will have served only 8 months in prison since his sentencing.

Sean's Last Wish is asking the GLBT community and their allies to protest this injustice and ask the parole board to make Stephen Andrew Moller serve the remainder of his sentence. While Sean Kennedy's family may never see justice done for Sean, we ask you to help us do all that we can to show SC officials and the rest of the country that our community will not simply sit back and watch such violence and injustice continue to affect the lives of GLBT people.

Please write a letter to the parole board and in your letter, please remind them of the violent and unprovoked nature of Moller's offense and the pain and suffering it has caused in the lives of Sean Kennedy's family and friends. Also, please let Sean's mother Elke Kennedy know if you send a letter and if possible, send her a copy of the letter (elke@seanslastwish.org), so she can have them to take with her to the parole hearing.

Be sure to include Moller's full name and ID number:

Stephen Andrew Moller - SCDC ID # 00328891.

Send your letters to:

Department of Probation Pardon and Parole Services
2221 Devine Street, Suite 600, PO Box 50666
Columbia SC 29250


For more information on Sean's murder and Sean's Last Wish, please visit www.seanslastwish.org

The New Year

After this past weekend, I can already see 2009 is going to be a banner year. We had Sean's Last Wish board and volunteer meetings in Greenville until 4 PM Saturday. There is a major workshop planned for mid April; more on that later. January 24 is a Bingo fundraiser at a restaurant in Greenville, SC. If anyone close by is interested in coming, please contact me. It will be a lot of fun.

I realize the economic times are what they are, but if anyone can donate time or financial help, it will help the foundation tremendously. We always need volunteers.

I made it back to Charlotte for the first Charlotte Gender Alliance meeting in the LGBT Community Center. The members met for dinner at 4:30 while I was traveling home, so I had coffee ready when everyone got there. We had a total of 26 people this month, with folks offering ideas on programs and events for the future. We now have ample space and resources to serve our community and, equally important, we are making a step towards uniting the LGBT community and making a positive impact on this area of North Carolina and beyond.

Also taking place is the beginning of an Interfaith Coalition. I have written of how I feel about the chasm that exists between the LGBT Community and 'the church'. We are beginning to partner with churches which are welcoming with the goal of leading other churches which may be leaning that way.

All these outreach efforts taken as a whole may not seem connected, but they are. They are connected by the thread of human dignity, the one goal upon which we must never lose focus. Yep, an amazing year ahead.