Next Meeting - Feb 21, 2010Transgender Issues 101 |
As many of you know, the PFLAG National office gives out thousands of dollars in scholarship money each year to lesbian, gay, bi and transgender students as well as allies. You may access the scholarship information and on-line application at: www.pflag.org/ scholarships
To qualify, students need to:
PFLAG National relies on chapters to get out information about the scholarship program to your local schools. The scholarship program is a great way to engage your local schools in a discussion about LGBT students. Recommend this scholarship to anyone you know.
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Here are new titles for the library that will be available for check out as of Dec. 20.
DVD: (2 copies available for check out)
"Testimony Time", a Positive Perspective on Homosexuality, introduction
by Pastor Lowell O. Erdahl.
Bishop Erdahl tells about his personal journey learning about sexual orientation and how his mind changed as his understanding of homosexuality grew. Erdahl's meeting and learning from gay and lesbian people, his study of biblical texts, countless books and new scientific evidence makes for an excellent educational DVD viewing and discussion opportunity.
Book titles:
"Sexual
Personae" by Camille Paglia
"Silent Lives: How
High A Price?" by Sara L. Boesser
"Stellaluna"
by Janell Cannon, a Reading Rainbow Book and ABBY Winner for children
and adults of all ages
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Washington State voters preserve domestic partnership rights: We’re thankful for the success in Washington State, where Regional Director Kathy Reim led PFLAG chapters in the fight to protect relationship recognition in the state. In this challenging ballot measure, citizens had to vote in favor of keeping domestic partnership benefits. Despite hard campaigning from our opposition, couples will continue to receive some of the benefits of marriage – a critical step in the fight for full marriage equality. Remarkably, this marked the first time a state’s voters have approved a gay equality measure at the ballot box and PFLAG was a part of this win.
The District of Columbia now will allow same sex marriage! It passed on Dec. 1, 2009.
But, the state senate of New York did not pass the bill that would allow marriage equality there. Win some. Lose some.
Click here to see where other states stand on gay marriage.
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History was made this week when Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on ending the odious "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that prevents gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the military.
Admiral Mullen courageously expressed his personal view that the policy should end, and Secretary Gates out-lined his directive to assess what steps can be taken immediately and to study how the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" can be fully implemented.
Since 1997, our military has forced out nearly 11,000 dedicated, skilled, patriotic service members solely on the basis of their sexual orientation. At a time when we need them most, we have lost trained Arabic linguists and other specialists, putting all of our troops and our national security at greater risk.
It is high time the U.S. catch up with many of our allies, including some fighting with us in Afghanistan, by ending "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell." These allies have welcomed openly gay and lesbian service members into their ranks with no loss of morale, unit cohesion, or other adverse effect. Certainly we can do the same.
Ultimately, the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," must come from Congress. President Obama has indi-cated emphatically that he will sign a repeal into law. I will continue my strong efforts to pass the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1283) to eliminate discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in our military.
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NCROnline.org has an article (see Gay Group Director Responds
to Cardinal’s Criticism) detailing the response of New Ways Ministry
to Chicago Cardinal Georges criticism of the Ministry.
Gay
group director responds to cardinal's criticisms
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Planning a vacation? Fly on American Airlines and support the preferred airline
of PFLAG National. PFLAG national staff gets free miles (and you do NOT lose
any bonus miles).
When booking on www.AA.com, follow these instructions:
Step One - Choose your travel dates and your best flight option.
Step Two - Login. (If you have an AAdvantage Number and a password, key it
in. If not, click "continue" without logging in.)
Step Three - Confirm your itinerary and complete passenger details. LAST STEP
- Important! - Key in PFLAG's Business ExtrAA Account Number (527590).
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Monona Terrace Conference:
There is a college conference at Monona Terrace Feb. 19-21 "Midwest
Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgendered Ally College Conference. The information
is at http://lgbt.wisc.edu/mblgtacc.
PFLAG Speakers' Bureau:
Kay is still looking for someone to lead the speakers' bureau. First one to
respond will get to be the boss.
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Having strong leadership is the foundation for any effective PFLAG chapter because it creates a structure that helps you provide better services to your community and better support to your members. While understanding and establishing chapter leadership can seem intimidating, it doesn’t have to be. In fact, there are a few simple guidelines to keep in mind when you’re looking at building your chapter.
To get started, keep in mind that in order to be recognized under PFLAG National’s tax-exempt 501(c)3 umbrella, most Secretaries of State (via the Articles of Incorporation that all chapters complete) require that chapters have (at minimum) a president, secretary and treasurer. These three positions must be held by three separate people who do not live together and are not related. Here is an example of what these roles might look like:
President:Secretary:
Treasurer:
It is ok for chapters to mix and match the duties of chapter leaders. Some chapters’ boards brainstorm to deter-mine what tasks need to be accomplished and then divide it up. What’s important is that the roles are clearly defined and that the leadership knows what is expected of them.
In addition to the three required positions, many chapters have additional leadership roles. Some other positions that chapters have include: membership coordinator, fundraising chair, safe schools coordinator, advocacy coordinator, librarian, new member coordinator, programming coordinator, faith coordinator, and diversity coordinator. The possibilities are endless, and the more people you have involved in running the chapter, the more you will be able to share the workload, and the more you will be able to accomplish.
Chapter leaders should meet together separately from the overall membership on a monthly basis to discuss any chapter business. Many chapter boards find that meeting before or after the general meeting is more convenient than finding a separate day when everyone is available. The leadership should also provide a short summary of the board’s activities at each meeting of the general membership. Keeping the membership informed of the work the board is doing makes members feel more connected to the chapter. Remember: If your chapter members are worried about finances, leadership, or that work is not being accomplished then they are not focused on supporting each other – the primary goal of our meetings!
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Kay suggests that you might find the national PFLAG blog interesting and worthwhile: www.pflagblog.blogspot.com
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HRC Weekly Update From Joe Solomonese – Feb 5, 2010
It's snowing in Washington, and everything looks new.
Even before this winter storm, Washington started looking different this week. On Wednesday, Colin Powell came out against Don't Ask, Don't Tell. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Bill Clinton, Powell disagreed with his commander-in-chief and rejected the idea of open service by LGBT service members. The result—a 16-year-long failure, during which over 13,000 men and women were discharged, countless more declined to enlist, and tens of thousands served – and are still serving – in silence.
When Powell followed Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen in supporting repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, that signaled something new in Washington. Today, opposing repeal means second-guessing military leaders at the very top echelons. Today, turning your back on our brave LGBT sol-diers is counter to what General Powell called "military effectiveness." Today, if you want to hide behind the justifications that got Don't Ask, Don't Tell passed in the first place, you'd better be able to tell us what you know that Gates, McMullen, and Powell don't know. Good luck.
Tuesday's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Don't Ask, Don't Tell provided a remarkable snapshot not only of how far we've come, but of the past we're leaving behind. As I watched John McCain blast back with intolerance, bias, and unfounded scare tactics, he looked defeated already. His time has passed, our time is now. He could have been our commander-in-chief but we averted that disaster, and now he's just another voice against the inevitable. In 2006 he said that he would defer to military leadership if they determined that repeal was appropriate. They have, and he needs to make good on that statement. But we will move on, with or with-out him. Tell him to listen to our top military leaders' advice on Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
It's been clear for quite some time that barring LGBT people from open service had no military value and in fact depletes both financial resources and valuable humanpower. The military's review should incorporate these solid findings so that when Congress repeals Don't Ask, Don't Tell, implementation can be immediate.
As activists we are now called to keep the pressure on in Congress. HRC has organized a campaign to reach our senators and representatives across the country to bring repeal to a vote and to get it to the president's desk. In partnership with the President and the Pentagon, we will bring the law into step with public opinion and with what we know is right for our country.
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