Save the Date

Last week conservative Judge John Walker ruled that gay marriages could proceed starting August 18th - this Wednesday. I have received no formal invitations for weddings in California but a rush of 'I dos' is expected.

I witnessed my first same-sex exchange of vows this summer in DC where gay marriage was legalized earlier this year. The couple had been waiting for over 40 years to officially tie the knot. Now California couples can proceed with their ceremonies starting Wednesday. Let's just hope their rights are not taken away again - as they were with Prop. 8. The case is expected to be seen by the Supreme Court a year or two from now.

Goodbyes and Hellos

After being back in Lawrence a week now I have looked back and remembering the good times with my DC friends.

But I am fortunate to have my outstanding friends in college! I look forward to an amazing senior and final year in Lawrence at KU with them.

DC: So long but not Goodbye

Last week I concluded my internship with Log Cabin Republicans and my summer in DC. It was the best summer of my life, full of opportunities and exceptional experiences. What a great week to finish on as well. The Perry v. Schwarzenegger, more commonly know as the Prop. 8 trail, case was concluded. The decision from a conservative judge was in favor of equality and overturned the decision barring gays and lesbians from getting married in California! It was a great victory and amazing note to end my internship on. The Log Cabin Executive Director threw me a going away reception that evening of the trial decision; there were many reasons to celebrate. I will miss greatly my other intern friends, friends I met in DC, the others at Log Cabin, and the one I got close to throughout the summer.

Leaving DC would have been more difficult if I wasn't headed straight for Las Vegas with five of my closest college friends that I hadn't seen in three months. That aspect made leaving my dream DC home a little easier. I packed up my life in my massive two suitcases two large carry-ons and flew across the country for an outstanding party to my working summer.

Vegas was a blast! But what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...

I am now back in Lawrence and gearing up for the beginning of my senior year and last year at the University of Kansas. I love KU and Lawrence but this is no DC. Although I will miss DC, I have remarkable friends and involvement at the university and am ready to plunge back into my busy Lawrence life with my Senate job, bothers of Delta Lambda Phi, and politics in Kansas. My eyes are forever gazed at DC and the national political arena. I plan to continue my Rainbow Republican blog so please continue to read. I also will be guest blogging for Log Cabin Republicans from time to time as well.

Thank you to all who helped this intern experience astonishing! I am extremely grateful and know I will see you again in DC, around Capitol Hill.

Lesson Learned: You are the author of your own life's story. Write a best selling novel, not a piece of crap!

Jewish Politics and Social Calendars

This past week I attended the Saban AIPAC Conference. It was held here in DC at the Grand Hyatt. This was not connected with my internship but instead my Legislative Director position back at KU. AIPAC is America’s Pro-Israel Lobbying group.

I first was introduced to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee last winter when I attended a Kansas City meeting of the organization with other leaders in Student Senate. The current Chief of Staff for KU Senate is the Liaison with AIPAC and does an excellent job in ensuring that leaders at our University are informed on the issues and attend important conferences to represent KU.

There were six members of the Executive officers from KU. They got into DC on Sunday and stayed through Wednesday. It was great to spend time with all of them and to focus on international issues that are extremely important. Between seminars and sessions we walked the National Mall and other attractions. We were able to get away for an evening and met a graduated Senate friend that now works in DC. We all went to the Capitol Grill, one of DC’s finest and oldest restaurants. Extravagant! Being around and working with my fellow student leaders reminded me of how excited I am for the upcoming year at KU and to enjoy my last year in Lawrence.

After my Kansas friends and co-workers headed home, I headed back to the office. I am working to tie up loose ends and finish projects as my internship draws to a close. I have filled my schedule in order to squeeze every last drop of excitement I can from this experience. Thursday is my last day at the office that has been my home for the summer. The time has flown by but the experiences are one’s I will never forget.

The social scene has been as extraordinary as the internship. This weekend I went to the opening of an art gallery with a well connected DC friend that I met at a lobbyist luncheon. He invited me to tour the gallery and sip champagne with him as we discussed a variety of issues. After we went to eat at a locally owned gay restaurant and bar. He introduced me to the owners and had a fabulous time.

Saturday I attended a surprise birthday celebration for a friend at the State Department who I met through my friend at Georgetown. The party was on a rooftop that overlooked DC’s up and coming neighborhood. There were several people there to celebrate and we all dined on fresh shrimp and New England Crab. Crab cracking parties aren’t an everyday event in Kansas, especially ones on rooftops with the nation’s capitol skyline surrounding you. Unforgettable!

Last night I attended a bbq in Virginia for area KU alumni, current students, and upcoming freshmen. I remember 4 years ago going to this same event in Salina and thinking how amazing KU alumni were, but now I truly know the network of Jayhawks and the significant connects that exist from simply graduating from the University of Kansas. The evening was beautiful and the hosts were very welcoming. I was fortunate enough to attend with a friend and KU grad. to the bbq. We networked and ate and drank the night away.

I look forward to my last couple of days and know that I will miss DC and the people I’ve met here but I will return soon. I will be in Las Vegas in four days with some of the most amazing fabulous people I know! That part makes leaving a little easier. This week still holds excitement, with working to help elect Congressman Moran to Senator Moran, my birthday, a going away party, and a variety of other events to end this remarkable experience on the right note.

Lesson Learned: Keeping one’s social calendar full is just as important, and sometimes more, as keeping a professional calendar booked.

Tours, Twitter, and Twilight

TOURS
I am graduating this upcoming May from my undergrad. at KU. I have loved it and look forward to my senior year. But with this end comes a new beginning – Law School. I am studying for the LSAT on the weekends and taking tours of DC area law schools. It’s said you should go to law school where you want to live and work after you graduate because that is where you will build you network and work while in school, so naturally I am looking in DC first.

Last week I took a private tour of Georgetown Law from a good friend I’ve met here and he is also a first year law student/ 1L at Georgetown. He showed me the beautiful and historic college that over looks the Capitol and Supreme Court and detailed his experience there, both positive and negative. The following day after work, I went to an information session led by Georgetown Admissions. It was excellent and helped to answer several of my questions. Being accepted to Georgetown Law would be a dream come true.

Later, I went on a tour of George Washington Law after work. It is quite different from Georgetown, with a smaller more laid back feel. It had its positives and negatives as well. The campus was gorgeous and I would love to have an acceptance letter from them as well.

I still plan to tour American University Law in the coming week while here in order to have a full experience of area schools. It isn’t a decision of whether I’ll go to Law School for me, but instead which one and how to get in to it.

TWITTER
If you haven’t joined the Twitter craze, you are missing out. I know it can be as scary as Facebook, or even MySpace was but it is amazing and how our world is communicating. As great as Twitter is though, it is a lot of work to stay on top of things, if running an account for an organization or political effort. Those who tweet are today’s journalist, breaking information and stories before news can print an official article. You can also tweet from anywhere that has cell phone reception and places that don’t allow cameras i.e. court rooms.

Last week and the week prior, Log Cabin Republicans v. United States court case was taking place in California. We worked diligently to keep our members and follows involved and informed through all media outlets, including Twitter. You can’t film or take pictures in a court room but you can provide play-by-play details through tweets. Oh technology!

TWILIGHT
My 20 minute Metro ride to the office twice a day has turned into the perfect time to listen to my ipod. But I’m not like the many others who listen to music; I choose to instead listen to audiobooks. People may think that I’m some hipster on the Metro, when instead just a nerd in disguise. What is probably especially nerdy is my choice in books. I fill my day with hard work and watching the news and decided I needed a lighter form of entertainment, so I joined the Twilight craze. I have surprisingly enjoyed the books, even though they are built around teenage love… Fortunately I am not such a crazy and am not on Team Edward or Team Jacob but instead just listen to the books to stay up with pop culture and for light entertainment to and from work. Audiobooks also offer another great way to multitask, which I could not live without.

Between touring law schools, tweeting all day everyday, and listening to love stories on the Metro I stay busy during my exciting summer as an intern.

Lesson Learned: Law Schools, new technology, or book fads – don’t knock them until you have tried them and experienced what they have to offer.

Victories and Dreams

This week held several monumental decisions for equality. From DC to California to Argentina, gays and lesbians are receiving the same rights as everyone else, and keeping up with all of these updates is my job. Twitter has taken on a whole new meaning for me.

Log Cabin Republicans v. The United States trial challenging the failed 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' (DADT) military policy that bans gays and lesbians from openly serving in the military began this week with testimony. The case was filed six years ago and is finally being heard in Riverside California. Log Cabin has an amazing team of lawyers from White & Case and moving testimony from national board members to discharged individuals from the military. The trial began on Tuesday and is scheduled through next Thursday. Log Cabin is the only court case challenging the constitutionality of DADT. If this policy is repealed through executive, legislative, or judicial it won't matter, simply getting it repealed is the final goal. The Obama administration is defending the policy even though he is pro-repeal?

Washington DC is also in the news for a court decision announced this week. They ruled to uphold the same-sex marriage law made earlier this year and continue to allow gays and lesbians equal marriage rights as everyone else in the city. I have met several people who have fulfilled their vows after the passage of the law and the other day met a couple who traveled here from Texas just to be able to have an official ceremony, even though their marriage would not be recognized in their home state. (all in good time, with the work of Log Cabin and many other dedicated workers)

A big shout out to all my Latinas! Argentina voted this week to pass a gay marriage in their nation! They are the first Latin American country to allow same-sex marriage, even though the Catholic Church highly opposed the legislation.

Congrats to any of the gays who now have equal rights! It must be nice. One small step in a sequin pump for our community! Enough talk about gays around the world, lets focus on me now!

This week was, as usual, busy and challenging. Congress is back in session after the July 4th recess and that means the entire town is back to its fast pace lifestyle. Phone calls, emails, conferences, briefings, press releases, receptions, OH MY.

I'll expand on my favorite, receptions! This week my director invited me to attend a reception for Rep. Aaron Schock! If you don't know who he is then google image him now and read the rest of this later!

It was a great event and I got my pic with Aaron and talked with him for around 15 minutes with three other gay men, naturally we swarmed him. The event was at my favorite club, the Republican Capitol Hill Club and had food and wine. The Congressman is a very nice guy and I wish him the best of luck on his next election, in office, and coming out.

One of my roommates finished his internship this week and has left for home. He was a great guy to get to know and have political discussions that often lead to debates with. I am just three weeks away to leaving my now comfortable life in DC and flying to Vegas for an exciting weekend with my Lawrence crowd and then back to Kansas for a slower lifestyle, but still just as fun. DC is feeling like home and one day I hope it will be home. I toured what I would like to be my next home, Georgetown Law this week. The law school is located in the heart of DC and I believe it would be an amazing place to attend school. But for that to happen I better focus on the LSAT studying and keep up my hard work efforts. So enough blogging and on to the books.

Lesson Learned: Never discredit any option or disregard any opportunity. Those least expected roads may be the greatest route to take in life.

Working 9 to 5

Although my social life in DC is picking up and my evenings are excellent, I wanted to share more about my typical work week and the work I do for Log Cabin Republicans.

I wake up in the morning (feeling like P. Diddy) and depending whether of not I had a social evening out on the town the prior night, I go running. Then I shower and watch Good Morning America while ironing my shirt and eating breakfast. I leave for work 40 minutes early to give time for walking and the metro ride. Recently, I've gotten into listening to an audiobook with my ipod on the metro, which helps pass the time of the ride. I begin the work day by tidying my director's desk then checking my many emails. I don't understand the people who email in the evening, there won't be a reply until the next morning. I then proceed to check and delete spam from our Log Cabin email and search for news reports to blog and tweet about for BlogCabin or What Marriage Means blogs and twitters I help to run.

I usually have an on going 'to-do' list on my desk that includes scheduling appointments for my directors and reserving rooms for meetings. Once the mail comes in, I sort the bills and donations, entering them in the computer then making copies. I take the donation checks to our bank and make deposits, often these checks are fairly large. I save our bills in a folder to once a week take to our accountant.

Often I draft letters for donations or inviting guest to our upcoming events and fundraisers. Past letters have been sent to Congress members, Senators, Laura Bush, Cindy McCain, Dick Cheney, Ambassadors, and many others. Finding out who each of these people's schedulers is takes a long time as well. It seems that I share something in common with other schedulers because we always hit it off on the phone or exchange pleasant emails. We must be sharing similar experiences throughout our days.

There is always something else to work on as well including building and up-keeping websites, wikipedia pages, returning phone calls and emails, helping on the logistics of future events, attending meetings, attending congressional briefings on issues in focus, and many other tasks assigned to me.

I do an extensive amount of writing and researching, more then I would have ever imagined. My official title is Staff Assistant, which is very fitting because even though I am an intern, I am blessed with additional responsibilities. Communication is also a significant portion of my daily activities. Written and online communication takes place during my work day and interpersonal and face-to-face communications at evening events networking and spreading the name of Log Cabin.

Working with Log Cabin Republicans has been and still is an amazing experience. It is one that offers challenging tasks to develop and grow skills. To be able to work at a place where I have a passion for the work we do and can see the results is absolutely remarkable. This summer has been one full of issues that strike a passion for gay rights and rebuilding the Republican Party and prove that "Inclusion Wins!" (Log Cabin tag line). I now know the importance of an internship and hands on experience learning. These lessons are ones you simply cannot teach in Bailey or Blake Halls but must instead be learned here in Washington.

Lesson Learned: Multitasking is a blessing when done correctly. Be constantly working but don't forget to follow through to the finish, paying close attention to the details.