Imagine living with your partner and the love of your life of 25 years. Then imagine your partner suffers an injury and is hospitalized against his will, separating you from your loved one during the last three months of his life. Then to add insult to injury, the county decides to auction off your and your partner’s partners personal belongings.
This is a real situation. This happened to Harold and Clay, and Clay Greene is fighting for the basic financial and medical rights he and his partner should’ve had.
You can read more details about this court case here.
It is rightfully a LGBT rights issue, but even more importantly it is a civil rights issue. The trial date has been set for July 16 of this year, and funds are being raised in support.
You too can support by either donating directly to NCLR via the above link, or purchase a book from an author who will be donating funds towards the case at All Romance eBooks during the month of May: HERE.
Although my books are among those whose proceeds will be donated this month to the cause, I urge you to support by buying anyone and everyone’s books. Most if not all of us are LGBT authors who either write LGBT and/or are in the LGBT community ourselves. I myself am both.
Someday blog posts like mine will no longer exist, but until the next social revolution comes we must do what we can to help people to stand up for their rights as human beings.
All the best,
Adrianne
The Pagan & the Pen ~ An Online Magazine! 
This is such an awful story, and I’d totally agree that this is a civil rights issue, and everyone should be concerned about it, regardless of orrientation. Authorities that feel they can pick on one group of people seldom stop there. Anyone who is not moved by compassion around this issue should give some thought to the importance of a bit of enlightened self interest. You never know where this kind of crap might be heading.
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Adrianne, thank you. These things should be known worldwide … and NOT allowed to happen. It’s a dreadful story. I hope things will change but, unfortuately, don’t feel enough confidence in most humans to hold my breath :-(.
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I first heard of this story a month or so ago through one of my writer’s groups. Frankly, I was sickened and horrified. These two men did everything right legally. The County of Sonoma should pay until they bleed and the people involved with this inexcusable cluster f*** should be fired–period.
What was done to this couple was not only illegal it was immoral on all levels. In a country that claims to be a free democratic nation the very idea that the government, whether federal or local, has a right to separate a loving couple, sell their worldly possessions, and destroy their world is unacceptable.
The lawsuit will not bring back Harold who unfortunately died three months after he and Clay were forcibly separated. It will not bring back those last moments that Clay should have had with his partner, but what it will do is punish and make an example of those who felt they had the right to play God.
Greene vs. Sonoma has the potential to be something far bigger than the County ever imagined. Their actions may well have repercussions that resonate with the entire country for years to come. Hopefully, in a positive way so this can never be done to anyone else.
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Its a free nation as long as we are doing everything that the majority (running the show) is doing. We spend a lot of time dictating to others on how they should live, act, breathe that we attempt to make sure WE are acting or living in a way that doesn’t harm or hurt others. The entire argument on Gay’s marrying, rights of others, etc shouldn’t even be an issue. I laughed when I heard on the news that we were helping the Middle East form a government–constitution. I thought, why not give them ours, we sure as hell don’t use it.
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I’ve known a number of gay and lesbian couples that have struggled with issues such as there around funeral rights, hospital visitation, even parental custody, which is why the fight for full LGBT right is such a crucial one. I would love if we could put together an anthology to support the legal funds around this. Any thoughts around planning of something of this sort. I imagine even after the court date money will be needed to pay these fees.
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This happens to straight couples as well. The government will confiscate everything you own if you end up in a nursing home. It’s awful. That the partner wasn’t listened to when he had the power of attorney is sickening. The whole thing is sickening. That the sick one’s wishes were ignored shows you just how Orwellian our government has become. But, then, think about it, if a parent refuses to have their child medically treated the way a doctor thinks they should be treated, the government can, and will, take the child away even if the parent believes there all alternative treatments more beneficial for their child’s health. I’ve spoken to DAs and detectives who agree this is wrong.
And I agree with CH Scarlett that gays and lesbians being able to marry shouldn’t even be an issue, but a right guaranteed.
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Very chilling. The first thing the wife and I did after having kids was to put all of our legal stuff in order because we knew my parents would make a grab for them if anything happened to me. Most people aren’t aware of these issues and politicians like to ignore them. Too bad Obama’s bill concerning hospital rights didn’t come sooner- decades sooner for many people. It’s not something I like to think about. I would be willing to contribute to a fundraising anthology, either under my name or my pen name (Michele Zurlo). If someone is going to put this together, please contact me.
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