Buy Venus in May and support equality

During the month of May, Vanilla Heart Publishing will be donating 25 percent of the publisher's proceeds from my novel, Conquering Venus, as well as L.E. Harvey's Loving Her, Kate Evan's Complementary Colors and Sarah Natalia Lee's Saving Amy, to the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) to aid in the case of Greene vs. County of Sonoma.

While the NCLR is helping spread the word, the case actually involves two elderly gay men, Clay Greene and his 20-year partner Harold Scull, who were forced by a hospital and Sonama County in California to separate and go into different nursing homes. They're relationship was ignored despite the fact that they had drawn up legal documents including wills, powers of attorney and medical directives. What happened to them is one of the worst cases of injustice I've ever heard about. It's also further proof that gays and lesbians do not have the same civil and human rights in this country.

After a serious fall, Harold was hospitalized and Clay should have been the one making his partner's medical decisions, but the hospital and county stepped in and forcibly put them in separate nursing homes. Clay was not allowed to see Harold and while they were in the nursing homes, the county went a step further and sold all their personal belongings and had the lease to their home terminated. Worst of all is that Harold died in the nursing home and Clay did not get to say goodbye.

The case will go to court in July and supporters of Clay and Harold are raising money to take this all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary. You can read all the details at this NCLR link or at the New York Times. There is also a Facebook page about Clay and Harold.

If you haven't purchased a copy of Conquering Venus, this is the month to do so. Visit this link to find out where to buy Venus and the other titles. If you already own the book, please make a donation to NCLR to help Clay and Harold find justice. The fight for equality continues.