Ensuring End-Of-Life Rights For Gays

* The Challenge? Gay people have 1064 fewer rights than their straight counterparts.
* The Problem? I’m gay.
* The Solution? Ensure every gay person in America has a well-executed estate plan to secure, under the law, those same rights they’re denied.
* The Predicament? Estimates say that there are over 30 million gay people in America. I run a four-person law firm.
* The Hypothesis? If I create a game that’s both executable in reality and yet bold enough to rally people’s support, we could cause a veritable “tipping point” in the LGBT population, causing them to both know about the importance of estate plans, and execute one for themselves.
* The Plan of Attack? Give away free Advance Healthcare Directives to 50-thousand people.

They say to be a successful writer you should write what you know. So…what do I know? Other than the song list of every episode of Glee and how to differentiate a 300 thread-count sheet from a 500 thread-count sheet by touch, I mean?

I know estate law. Now hold on a moment…I am crystal clear that estate planning in Los Angeles is boring as all get out, and no one wants to talk about death, but I happen to know the field well. Very well. Twenty-three years of practice well. What else do I know? The gays. Intimately. Personally. I’m a practicing member so-to-speak. As the old commercial goes, “I’m not only the HairClub president; I’m also a client.” Did I mention I’m gay? So my big fat strategy is to write a big fat gay estate planning blog.

There are still a few little, minor, shall we say hurdles to overcome. One: I ain’t a writer. Two: I can’t spell worth a damn, either. Three: why would anyone want to listen to me? Other than the fact that I have great hair, that is? My own friends tune me out from time-to-time.

My solution is this: this blog won’t be about me. Let me clarify that. I will be the vessel, in a manner of speaking, but this blog will be about the journey towards fulfilling my crazy mission of ensuring every LGBT person in America has an estate plan. Starting with my equally-crazy mission of ensuring 50-thousand people execute Advance Healthcare Directives. For free, I might add. So now I am man on a mission.

Who cares what I like and don’t like? Don’t get me wrong; I’m personally invested in the subject, it’s just that I’m 44 years old and starting to realize that maybe when you get older, especially as a man, a gay man, a barren gay man with no heirs, you kind of start to think about the mark that you’re leaving behind. Thus far there hasn’t been much of a mark to write home about. I’m hoping this game will change all that. For all of us. In the words of George Bernard Shaw, the true joy in life is, “being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one.”

How I’ll accomplish this mission I have no idea. I’ll start by simply being candid with you all. In this blog I also hereby formally declare a moratorium on any happy-assed, Pollyanna-like cliché-speak that plays nicely as a sound bite but is too cheery for my jaded gayness. Don’t misunderstand me; I love being inspired and excited about people doing great things with their lives, but blowing-smoke-up-your-ass possibility-spew that’s not grounded in reality drives me nuts. You can affirm, “I’m a billionaire!” all you want, but unless there’s evidence behind it, it quickly becomes just crazy talk. Maybe you’ll want to join this cause. Maybe you’ll tell others and they will, too. Maybe you won’t. One thing you can count on me for is to be straight and tell it like it is. Well…I better press the “post” button now before I chicken out and talk myself out of this madness over a nice bottle of cabernet.

Here goes!