Trystan Angel Reese trystanangelreese@gmail.com **UPDATE** We met our goal! Now that we&#39;ve hired Ej, we&#39;re working to support the field team by maintaining our staff! Donate to keep Ej and the rest of the field team on staff, tirelessly fighting for gay and trans equality in Kalamazoo! In an ideal world, my birthday wish would be that EVERYONE had the security of knowing they could stay in their homes, keep their jobs, and walk around this world with their FULL selves visible, acknowledged and celebrated. But sadly... we don&#39;t live in an ideal world. We live in a world in which homophobic groups have moved their sights to this small city in Michigan, where democratically-elected officials have already voted unanimously (TWICE!) to affirm these basic protections. We live in a world where transphobic mailings (<a href="http://twitpic.com/iw7l9">like this</a>) have already gone out to every registered voter, attempting to sell them on the idea that gay and transgender people are pedophiles, voyeurs and predators. We live in a world where we have LOST on this very issue <b>twice</b> in Michigan in the last year alone. Let&#39;s turn the tide. We have a chance to set a new standard for how these campaigns are run-- with honesty, integrity, and a real eye toward full representation of our community from the ground up. Where every volunteer is invited to bring their full selves to this work and where organizing across lines of difference is a task we embrace with joy in our hearts. Where we openly say (with pride) that this is really about equality for all people-- including gay and transgender folks. So... check out my video, forgive me for being absent from your life, and think about the real cost of a win in the Midwest! [[youtube: http://www.youtube.com/v/zlK89wLJLzU]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-fZBMfoBPM]] Thanks for watching my little recording and thanks for figuring out a way to make an investment in my work in Kalamazoo. I&#39;ll be returning to the world in November... hope to see you then! Trystan Angel Reese Field Director, One Kalamazoo PS ActBlue provides a unique way for you to make your voice echo in the corridors of power. Please support them with a 10% tip when you contribute. public true 1848.00 24 2000.00 One Kalamazoo false one kalamazoo 100000.00 44011.36 838 http://www.onekalamazoo.com https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/entity/22791 1848.00 24