I've hear from plenty more of you who protested Prop 8 on Saturday. We've got new photos from Washington, DC, Seattle, Oklahoma City and New York. It's not too late to add your city to the gallery. Send me your Prop 8 pics and check out the new photos.
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I think a book is the perfect gift. Maybe it’s just because I’m a writer. They're small, easy to wrap and say as much about you as the person you're giving them too. We scoured the shelves for the best books this holiday season. There's sex books, a cookbook and a book of lesbian holiday stories. See if there's a book on our lesbian gift book list for the bookworm in your life.
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In this tight economy, how shall we handle gift-giving? Personally, I'm looking for fewer gifts, but ones packed with meaning. I'll also be doing a lot more shopping on the internet, to save on gas and time. With that in mind, I hand selected a few items that I think will make great gifts for the lesbians in your life. Here's the 2008 Lesbian Gift Guide.
_{© Photo by Sanja Gjenero}

I admit that the passage of Prop 8 in California depressed me. And made me angry. But as time goes by, I'm starting to see that its passage was not the worst thing in the world. Because it's gotten people fired up. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets this weekend to voice their disappointment and anger over the fact that civil rights can be put up for a popular vote. Our allies, such as MSNBC Commentator Keith Olbermann, Christina Aguilera and Madonna and many others have all spoken out in for marriage equality and gay rights. And comedian Wanda Sykes used her anger and disappointment as an opportunity to come out. "I am proud to be gay!" Wanda declared Saturday in Las Vegas.

I can't say that I'm happy Prop 8 passed. No, the opposite. But I do think some good will come from this. What about you?
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November 15th, 2008 was a historic day. Were you there? Did you take a stand in the streets for same-sex marriage? More than 300 protests for gay rights took place at the same time in cities all over the nation. I took part in the rally in Portland, Oregon. So far I've received photos from the protests in Northampton, MA and San Francisco. Take a look at our Prop 8 National Day of Protest Photo Gallery.

Add to the gallery! If you have photos from your local protest, please send them to me!
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Although I am disappointed about the passage of Prop 8 in California, I must say, I am heartened by the response. Well, some of it. Protests have spontaneously sprung up around the country, from Hollywood to New York City. I love that our community is fed up enough, and more importantly, feels deserving enough to demand equal rights.

Unfortunately, in our fury and passion, some members of our community have targeted people of color and certain religions in a way that feels blaming and divisive. Remember, if we are to win this thing, we have to win over the hearts and minds of those who disagree with us. Remember, LGBT people come from every religion and race. Likewise, people from all across the spectrum voted to support Prop 8.

That said, I encourage you all to take it to the streets on Saturday, November 15th and protest discrimination against gay and lesbian couples. There will be protests in every state of the nation. Will you be able to say you were there to make history?

Protest Prop 8 and Marriage Inequality

Most protests will take place on the steps of your city hall. Protests will take place simultaneously. 10:30am Pacific Time, 1:30pm Atlantic and so on. Find the exact time and place of your nearest protest.

Send stories and photos of your demonstrations. I'd love to post them on Monday.
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The disappointing news over the passage of Prop 8 in California was overshadowed this morning by the jubilation of gay marriage becoming legal in Connecticut. The first same-sex couples were married yesterday in Connecticut. Although you can't go to California to get married any more, you can go to Connecticut. Here's how to get married in Connecticut.
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I'll never forget the story I heard from a lesbian whose girlfriend shaved her head right before going to meet her Mormon parents for the first time. Shaving your head is definitely not recommended in these tips for meeting your partner's parents. Whether this is the first time you're meeting them or the you're heading there for your tenth Thanksgiving, be sure to check out these tips for meeting your partner's parents.

Dear Lesbian Life:

My girlfriend and I have been together for almost 7 years now. In the beginning of our relationship we had the best sex ever. We were all over each other and loving it. Lately I have found that we can never get in the mood at the same time. For some reason whenever I feel the most unattractive and am not in the mood to make love, that is usually the time that my girlfriend comes on to me the strongest. Whenever I am in the mood she is not at all. It seems that our timing is always way off. How can we get it together?
Passionless Patty

Dear Patty,

First of all, rest assured that your problem is not unique...Funny isn’t it how when we first get together, our passion for each other seems endless. All she has to do is look at you with one eye and you’re ready to jump in the sack. But as our relationships progress and we become more comfortable with each other that unbridled passion subsides and we have to put more effort into “getting in the mood.”
So, how do you do that? How do you get in sync with your lover?
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Yesterday the organizers against California's anti-gay marriage Proposition 8 conceded. Even after all the votes are counted, it seems likely that Prop 8 will be signed into law and same-sex marriages will no longer be allowed in California. And now the more than 18,000 couples who were married since gay marriage became legal are facing an uncertain future.

Gay rights activists, while disappointed in the outcome of Proposition 8, stressed how far the movement has come since 2000 and the passage of Prop 22, which originally denied same-sex couples the ability to marry. It was this initiative that the California Supreme Court struck down in May 2008. Prop 22 passed by a very wide margin of 61.4% approval and 38.6% against. Prop 8 is much closer, the most recent numbers being 52% for and 48% against.

Kate Kendall of the National Center for Lesbian Rights said, "This is a disappointing moment for all of us, not just for same-sex couples. I think it's a disappointing moment for the nation as a whole. I do think that as history judges this, there will be a moment in time when there is a recognition that this is a mistake."

Currently married couples are filing law suits to challenge Prop 8. Gay and lesbian couples are no longer allowed to marry in California, but the outcome of those currently married is yet to be decided.
_{© Photo by David McNew/Getty Images}