Business News

• In an effort to guarantee that all Texas youth have equal access to public education, the Lesbian Gay Rights Lobby of Texas and State Representative Harryette Ehrhardt have introduced two bills to the Texas Legislature this session to protect students and staff from discrimination "on account of ethnicity, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, or national origin."

Verbal and physical harassment, bigotry and hate are all present in our schools, yet no Texas law currently guarantees protection from such discrimination. To emphasize the real need for these bills, the Lesbian Gay Rights Lobby is gathering stories from people who have themselves suffered harassment in the schools. Stories of harassment and discrimination will help to educate legislators and others about the importance of this proposed legislation. To submit a first-hand account of such discrimination, e-mail your story to "stories@lgrl.org."

Why is this issue important to all Texans? The statistics alone show quite clearly the effects of discrimination on students, both gay and straight. 28 percent of gay youth drop out of school because of discomfort in the school setting. Gay and lesbian youth are two to six times more likely to attempt suicide than other youth. Heterosexual students who are harassed because someone believes they are gay are three times as likely to skip school for fear of their safety. Clearly, school is not a safe place for many students.

• Producers of Bacardi Rum celebrate the gay community by launching a new ad campaign, Tom, Dick & Harry by Day, Bacardi by Night. The one-page ad, targeted to the gay marketplace, are appearing in magazines at the present time. Bacardi officials said the ad campaign is an acknowledgment and affirmation of Bacardi’s dedication to people "in the life."

According to one Bacardi marketing executive, the ad features Bacardi drag divas Kitty Meow, Fantasy, and China Girl in this humorous, Tom, Dick & Harry presentation. "The Tom, Dick and Harry ad is not [necessarily] gay-specific; rather, it celebrates one of the fun aspects of the gay genre. What is gay-specific about these ads is the drag queens you see are actually Bacardi drag queens–that is, the company has worked with celebrities Kitty Meow, Fantasy, and China for several years at key national gay events. That’s the beauty of this ad–it’s real. Uninvolved models or actors were not hired; neither was a fictitious story created about [them]. Bacardi’s goal in creating the ad is relevancy, to be relevant to a market that treats the brand. This effort, combined with the hundreds of events supported nationwide, clearly indicates the company’s enthusiasm in being an integral part of the gay community."

• TrueLink, Inc., a provider of online credit reports, today announced a strategic alliance with gfn.com, the Gay Financial Network, provider of online financial and business news, information, and services to the gay and lesbian community. TrueLink’s consumer website, will provide gfn.com users fast access to their individual credit reports and an analysis that includes a score that measures credit strength.

"It is now widely recognized that the gay market is a lucrative one, and the community is increasingly being targeted by corporate America for their purported wealth," said Schubert. "It is our mandate at gfn.com to bring all gay and lesbian individuals to the financial table and to empower our community with financial knowledge and service, as evidenced by our treatment of debt issues, and by this important relationship with TrueCredit.com."

Credit report data impacts a consumer’s ability to buy a new car, rent an apartment, secure a loan, or qualify for other kinds of credit. Visitors to the gfn.com site will now have the convenient option of purchasing a TrueCredit.com credit report while seeking business and financial news, information, and services.

• Rainbow Law website has introduced a new service to gay and lesbian couples who want to protect their relationship in case of sickness or death of a partner and protect themselves in the event of a breakup. Rainbow Law uses the information you provide to them on their secured website to create high quality, custom estate-planning documents and living-together agreements that are legally binding in every state in the U.S.

According to Rainbow Law, without a trust or will, a court decides who inherits your estate. The documents in Rainbow Law’s trust package are designed to put the power back in the individual’s control, not the court’s, avoiding the expense of probate and helping to ensure that one’s property goes where one wishes. They also provide protection against bad relationships in which a lover leaves one "holding the bag." Because the laws in most states do not recognize lesbian and gay relationships, there is little to do to legally protect oneself after the fact. However, most courts will honor a living-together agreement and in equity will determine that the parties intended to be fair when they signed the agreement before witnesses and a notary.

Rainbow Law documents can be purchased separately or as a package. Documents available include a trust, will, durable power of attorney, Living Will, designation of healthcare surrogate for each partner, and living-together agreements.

Rainbow Law is a St. Petersburg-based company which is owned and operated by Carrie Stone and Elisia Ross, her life partner. Carrie, an attorney, created these documents for their relationship and wanted to share them with the lesbian and gay community. More information can be obtained by visiting the company’s website at www.rainbowlaw.com.

• Did you resolve to make the new year one of greater health, more peace of mind and less stress? Here is some help. The renowned healing instructor, Tibetan Lama Tulku Thondup, is making his second trip to Houston and teaching from his new book, Boundless Healing, which furthers the work of his recent international bestseller, The Healing Power of Mind. For anyone seeking to become healthier, happier, and more peaceful, this is a rare opportunity to meet and receive teachings on healing from one of the world’s great Tibetan masters. Tulku Thondup will be signing copies of his new book on Saturday, February 3 at 2 p.m. at Barnes & Noble Bookstore located at 3003 West Holcombe. On February 3-6 he will present several lectures and workshops entitled "Simple Meditations to Enlighten the Mind and Heal the Body." For locations and time, call 713/222-2331 or you can visit the Dawn Mountain website at www.dawnmountain.org.

• The AIDS Clinical Trials Unit at UTMB-Galveston offers treatment trials of new investigational drugs and therapies for HIV/AIDS. To find out more, call 409-747-0214 or toll free 1-877-324-2288. n