Are you a small business owner interested in the LGBT Market? Coming to the Twin Cities on April 21st to 23rd….NGLCC open to all. You must pre-register at the website below.

“Don’t miss this opportunity to join the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, our Midwestern Regional Council and our host affiliate chamber, Twin Cities Quorum, for the most comprehensive and educational gathering of LGBT business leaders in the region!
“This regional conference is an amazing opportunity to bring our Midwest LGBT Chamber leaders together to share initiatives, ideas and best practices. Whether you are just starting a chamber or taking your organization to the next level this is a unique opportunity to be at the table with the national leaders of the LGBT Chamber movement.”

Sam McClure
Regional Chair, NGLCC Midwestern Regional Council President, Quorum

http://www.nglcc.org/

Did you read the book FARM BOYS: Lives of Gay Men from the Rural Midwest by Will Fellows? The book is a collection of coming out stories from real farmers. Last year the book was made into a play (http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/5164) in New York. On April 29th the play will open at the History Theater in St. Paul (get your ticket now because some dates are sold out already).

Save the Day: April 15th, 1pm
Esrea will be at Query Booksellers

He will talk about and sign his new book
Alone in the Trenches: My Life as a Gay Man in the NFL

At its heart, Esera�s story also exposes the behind-the-scenes world of professional football and what happens on the field and in the locker room. It is a world where nationally-recognized players attend conferences on Christian prayer and preachers remind that homosexuals are sinners, damned to hell. Esera, a deeply religious man, often sat in silence, pinned by his players’ hatred for his hidden identity. Knowing that his career would end if he were discovered, he dared not share his life, his secret.

Some people have requested that we have a “frequent buyer” punch card. I want to show you some math. If the cafe did a “frequent buyer” card you would have to buy 10 coffee drinks to get a FREE drink. (10 X $3.50= $35). That is a lot for a free drink.

Now if you get a $25 gift card you get a FREE drink. So, for $10 less you get a FREE drink. The best part is you can buy the card as a gift for someone else and keep the FREE drink for yourself! Then you don’t have to wait.

I understand that sometimes it is not easy pre-paying for your coffee, but trust me it is a better deal.

On Wednesday, March 1st, 2006, in Annapolis at a hearing on the proposed Constitutional Amendment to prohibit gay marriage, Jamie Raskin, professor of law at AU, was requested to testify.

At the end of his testimony, Republican Senator Nancy Jacobs said: “Mr.Raskin, my Bible says marriage is only between a man and a woman. What do you have to say about that?”

Raskin replied:”Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible.”

Comedian Sandra Bernhard once said, �Marriage has never been a high priority for me, but I would like my options kept open. Excuse me, what girl doesn�t?� Well, a whole lot of people seem unusually interested in limiting my options these days.

I write to let you know of a rally scheduled for Thursday morning at the State Capitol. Organized by Outfront Minnesota, the rally is an opportunity for people of faith to voice opposition to a proposed amendment banning same-sex marriage and domestic partnership.

Information about it is linked below:

https://www.outfront.org/events/rally.html

On Friday, March 31st at 8:30pm catch Dean and Tom on the Rachel Ray Show (Food Network)

The Wilde Roast Cafe is not going to be featured, but Chocolat Celeste (where we get our chocolate grams and Oreos) is, and we are the guests eating truffles.

Did you catch the news from the Capitol last night? Well, supporters of the “marriage amendment” are going after our biggest supporter Dean Johnson and his Gang of 12 (http://www.gangof12.com/). Don’t go to this site expecting to find news from our supporters, it is a site by a group trying to ban gay marriage. Check it out to see who you should support.

What can you do?

Please take time to contact your senator to say you oppose the amendment. This is the first and MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do. At times like these it is vitally important for elected officials to hear from their hometown constituents.

Then plan on attending justFair Lobby Day. Plan now to take April 27th off work. Join OutFront that Thursday as thousands of citizens come together to rally for fairness at the Capitol.

I know the MN AIDS Walk is over 2 months away, but we want to beat our last years giving! So, we need to start NOW. If you want to join our team visit the web site and sign up today for Team Wilde Roast Cafe. Don’t forget the cool Wilde Roast Cafe T-Shirt you will get for FREE!

http://register.mnaidsproject.org/site/TR?pg=teamlist&fr_id=1040