Our July Calendar

JULY: 2007

We will be visiting the following events/locations in the month of July.

07.05.07 Denver LGBT Center: glbtcolorado.org

07.06.07 Las VegasLGBT Center: thecenterlv.com

07.08.07 San Luis Obispo Pride: slopride.org

07.09.07 San Luis Obispo LGBT Center: ccgala.org

07.13.07 Palm Springs Desert PrideCenter (9am - 3pm): desertpridecenter.org

07.16.07 Tucson LGBT Center (3pm - 7pm): wingspan.org

07.17.07 Phoenix LGBT Center (3pm - 7pm): 1vcc.org

07.18.07 Colorado Springs MCC (6pm -9pm) : healcoloradosprings.org

07.19.07 Return visit to Reading Grounds Bookstore, Omaha NE: readinggrounds.com

SUBMIT YOUR STORY Reading Grounds Bookstore, Omaha NE: 06.30.07

When we attended Omaha Pride there were numerous people who asked us if we had gone to Reading Grounds. We had never heard of Reading Grounds before that day, but with so many people mentioning it we knew it was someplace we needed to discover, and we are so glad we did.
Reading Grounds is owned by Cindy Collins and her partner Angie Keyes. This is the only bookstore of its kind in all of Nebraska!! What these women are doing for the community is tremendous. They offer an opportunity to do more than purchase books from a huge selection of gay and lesbian literature. It is also a safe place for many LGBT people who would otherwise have no place to go. Cindy and Angie have created more than a bookstore—it is a home for any LGBT heart to find solace, safety, support, and love! We immediately fell in love with these women and their mission and they with ours.
Reading Grounds provided a space for people to come and share their stories with us. We interviewed eighteen people for up-coming publications. The interviews lasted all day, one right after the other. The stories we heard are moving and make us feel proud to be part of a community that is so diverse and magnificent.
A huge thanks to Cindy and Angie at Reading Grounds for making this happen. Please take the time to check out their web site. Also, give them a call if you are looking for LGBT literature—they can find it—and get it to you regardless where you live. So, check them out.

ST. LOUIS PRIDE RECAP: 06.23.07

Wow, this Pride event was located in Tower Grove Park! We were there for the Pet Parade and thousands of people showed up regardless of the heat, humidity, or rain. We were seated among approximately a hundred forty vendors. What an experience getting to know so many people, sharing what each of our companies are doing within our LGBT Community. We had a hundred forty-two people sign up for information, eighty-eight people wanted to share their story, we gave away over four hundred books, and handed out over six hundred bookmarks. Again, the legendary dollar bill—touched hundreds of hearts and lives.

DES MOINES PRIDE RECAP: 06.10.07

This was our third Pride celebration and it was located in a gorgeous park (Simon Estes Amphitheater) downtown located by the river with the state’s stunning capital building as a backdrop. What a beautiful place and what beautiful people we met. Again, the interest was thrilling. Nearly a hundred people signed up for our mailing list. Also, thirty people wanted to share their story, we gave away three hundred books, five hundred bookmarks, and the Legendary dollar bill was a huge hit. The reaction about the dollar bill never loses its impact, people tear up, hug us, and tell us, “I love you two!” It is so exciting to see this project taking flight in the hearts and minds of others.

OMAHA PRIDE RECAP: 06.09.07

This was our second Pride event located on the city streets of downtown Omaha. Yes, this time we were more prepared. We remembered to bring both the camera and video camera. We had clipboards for people to sign up if they wanted to share their story with us, or if they wanted to receive additional information. After setting up, we were ready to experience the great city of Omaha and the beautiful, colorful, people of Nebraska Pride. The outpouring of interest was incredible. We had hundreds of people sign-up and seventy-seven people wanted to share their story with Rainbow Legends. We were thrilled. We gave out nearly five hundred books, and a thousand bookmarks. Again, a huge success, and also the Legendary Dollar Bill was shared and loved.

KANSAS CITY PRIDE RECAP: 06.02.07

Kansas City Pride was located at Liberty Memorial Park. This was Rainbow Legends’ first Pride event and we did not know what to expect. We had no idea how people would respond to us or to our current project, What’s Your Story? So we just showed up, no camera (sorry), no booth—just Amanda and I with a few boxes of books and a few thousand bookmarks. As we began to talk with people the interest was tremendously positive! During our two days there we spoke with thousands of people, gave out over a thousand books, and over fifteen hundred bookmarks. We considered it a huge success.
The most memorable experience throughout this Pride event that seemed to touch people the most was that in every book we gave away we placed a dollar bill inside. At first, people were somewhat baffled by this until we explained its significance. Then they were touched, some cried, many wanted to hugs us, and some even told us, “I love you two!!”

The Legendary Dollar Bill!

A dollar bill seems insignificant by itself. All of us spend dollar bills every day and often without much thought. When you consider that every book or bookmark Rainbow Legends gives away has a dollar bill with it and you begin to think of the thousands we give away at Pride and other celebratory events then the impact becomes huge. The same is true with each person’s personal story—many people think, “Oh, it is just my story. Who cares to hear about my life or circumstances? Nobody wants to hear about my struggles or triumphs.” But, we at Rainbow Legends understand the power of storytelling and how important every life is and that every life’s journey has value and as we are willing to share our LGBT stories with the world—the magnitude of our sharing is world changing and healing.

Welcome to Rainbow Legends

Celebrating and sharing who are as LGBT people!

Within the LGBT Community there is and has been much anger and fear. Many within our community have felt the pain of rejection from their family, their society, and/or their God. This rejection has taken many forms. For some it has been a hostile condemnation: exposed publicly, fired, beaten, or disowned by their families. For others, it has been an ever present painful existence of invisibility—a constant feeling of being unseen or that their existence in the world is unimportant.
At Rainbow Legends, we understand the need for a bridge to span the gapping cavern that appears to stand between us and the world around us. We, believe the way to span this gap is as old as humanity—story telling. We understand that by telling our stories we provide success, victory, happiness, strength, and courage to the entire LGBT Community.
We believe, the time has come for us as LGBT people to take our true place in history, our true place in everyday life…to be celebrated for the colorful, brilliant, magnificent people we are—this is why Rainbow Legends exists and we are looking for your stories.