PFLAG National needs our help

Hello PFLAGers,

 

PFLAG National has been working for the several months on an important piece of legislation called the Every Child Deserves a Family Act which would prevent states from discriminating in the placement of foster children or children up for adoption based on the perspective parent's sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status. 

 

This legislation means a lot to the thousands of children waiting for homes in this country and the perspective parents waiting to provide love and support to a child.

 

One of the most important tools we have in lobbying this bill is stories of how adoption and foster care policies have impacted your family.  We are looking for the following:

 

- Grandparents or perspective grandparents who have children who dealt with the foster care or adoption system

- LGBT individuals or couple who have tried to be foster or adoptive parents

 

We are looking for both positive or negative stories.  Stories that resulted in a successful placement and those that did not.  Please contact Rhodes Perry at rperry@pflag. org if you are willing to share your story.

 

Please forward this email on to other PFLAGers! Personal stories make such a difference.  We have an opportunity to  pass this bill if you contact us today!

 

Elizabeth Fregiato

Director of Policy and Programs

PFLAG Nationa

 

Thank you,

Patti Boman

 Darkness cannot drive out darkness;

 only light can do that.

 Hate cannot drive out hate;

 only love can do that.

 ~MLK Jr.

Story from a true Christian perspective "I hugged a man in his underwear. And I am Proud."

Monday, June 28, 2010

I Hugged a Man in His Underwear. And I am Proud.

I hugged a man in his underwear. I think Jesus would have too.

I spent the day at Chicago's Pride Parade. Some friends and I, with The Marin Foundation, wore shirts with "I'm Sorry" written on it. We had signs that said, "I'm sorry that Christians judge you," "I'm sorry the way churches have treated you," "I used to be a bible-banging homophobe, sorry." We wanted to be an alternative Christian voice from the protestors that were there speaking hate into megaphones. 

What I loved most about the day is when people "got it." I loved watching people's faces as they saw our shirts, read the signs, and looked back at us. Responses were incredible. Some people blew us kisses, some hugged us, some screamed thank you. A couple ladies walked up and said we were the best thing they had seen all day. I wish I had counted how many people hugged me. One guy in particular softly said, "Well, I forgive you." 

Watching people recognize our apology brought me to tears many times. It was reconciliation personified. 

My favorite though was a gentleman who was dancing on a float. He was dressed solely in white underwear and had a pack of abs like no one else. As he was dancing on the float, he noticed us and jokingly yelled, "What are you sorry for? It's pride!" I pointed to our signs and watched him read them. 

Then it clicked. 

Then he got it. 

He stopped dancing. He looked at all of us standing there. A look of utter seriousness came across his face. And as the float passed us he jumped off of it and ran towards us. In all his sweaty beautiful abs of steal, he hugged me and whispered, "thank you." 

Before I had even let go, another guy ran up to me, kissed me on the cheek, and gave me the biggest bear hug ever. I almost had the wind knocked out of me; it was one of those hugs. 

This is why I do what I do. This is why I will continue to do what I do. Reconciliation was personified. 

I think a lot of people would stop at the whole "man in his underwear dancing" part. That seems to be the most controversial. It's what makes the evening news. It's the stereotype most people have in their minds about Pride.

Sadly, most Christians want to run from such a sight rather than engage it. Most Christian won't even learn if that person dancing in his underwear has a name. Well, he does. His name is Tristan. 

However, I think Jesus would have hugged him too. It's exactly what I read throughout scripture: Jesus hanging out with people that religious people would flee from. Correlation between then and now? I think so. 

Acceptance is one thing. Reconciliation is another. Sure at Pride, everyone is accepted (except perhaps the protestors). There are churches that say they accept all. There are business that say the accept everyone. But acceptance isn't enough. Reconciliation is. 

But there isn't always reconciliation. And when there isn't reconciliation, there isn't full acceptance. Reconciliation is more painful; it's more difficult. Reconciliation forces one to remember the wrongs committed and relive constant pain. Yet it's more powerful and transformational because two parties that should not be together and have every right to hate one another come together for the good of one another, for forgiveness, reconciliation, unity.

What I saw and experienced at Pride 2010 was the beginning of reconciliation. It was in the shocked faces of gay men and women who did not ever think Christians would apologize to them.

What I saw and experienced at Pride 2010 was the personification of reconciliation. It was in the hugs and kisses I received, in the "thank you's" and waves, in the smiles and kisses blown.

I hugged a man in his underwear. I hugged him tightly. And I am proud.

 

Invitation to OUT IN THE SILENCE Premiere in LA

 Please join us for the

 

Los Angeles Premiere 

of

OUT IN THE SILENCE

at Outfest

co-sponsored by PFLAG-LA

Sunday July 11 at Noon

Laemmle Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood

more info and tickets:  http://www.outfest.org/tixSYS/2010/filmguide/films/3072

Equal Benefits Ordinance

The Center Advocacy Project Issues PAC is a non-partisan, 501 C4 organization, donations to which are NOT tax deductible. Committee ID# 1305388, ML Associates,Treasurer Please call or email to thank the members of the Rules, Open Government and Intergovernmental Relations Committee of the City Council who today, on a motion from Councilmember Tony Young and a second by Councilmember Donna Frye, unanimously supported Councilmember Todd Gloria's Equal Benefits Ordinance proposal. The members of the committee include Councilmembers Gloria, Young, Faulconer, Frye and Council President Hueso. And, of course, thank Councilmember Todd Gloria for his leadership! There to register support (in addition to The San Diego LGBT Community Center, Center Advocacy Project) were EQCA, ACLU, HRC, CPI (Center on Policy Initatives), San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council, SDDC (San Diego Democratic Club), the San Diego County Democratic Party and a variety of others. Please thank them all when you see them! The Equal Benefits Ordinance ensures that those organizations and businesses that contract with the City of San Diego who offer benefits to their married employees, also offer the same benefits to the employees who are domestic partners. Information regarding the EBO can be found at http://www.sandiego.gov/citycouncil/cd3/pdf/100610.pdf. Please also consider emailing or calling Councilmembers Emerald, Lightner and DeMaio (if you live in their districts) to urge their support of the Equal Benefits Ordinance, as it moves to be considered by the full City Council. If you aren't certain which City Council member represents you, use this link and simply enter your zip code for the answer: http://www.sandiego.gov/citycouncil. District 2 Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer E-mail: kevinfaulconer@sandiego.gov District 3 Councilmember Todd Gloria E-mail: toddgloria@sandiego.gov District 4 Councilmember Tony Young E-mail: anthonyyoung@sandiego.gov District 6 Councilmember Donna Frye E-mail: donnafrye@sandiego.gov District 8 Council President Ben Hueso E-mail: benhueso@sandiego.gov District 1 Councilmember Sherri Lightner E-mail: sherrilightner@sandiego.gov District 5 Councilmember Carl DeMaio E-mail: carldemaio@sandiego.gov District 7 Councilmember Marti Emerald E-mail: martiemerald@sandiego.gov Thank you! Dr. Delores A. Jacobs djacobs@thecentersd.org About Us Center Advocacy Project Issues PAC is a non-partisan, 501 C4 organization, donations to which are not deductible for income tax purposes. Committee ID#: 1305388, ML Associates, Treasurer. Checks should be made payable to The Center Advocacy Project Issues PAC or can be paid on-line at www.centeradvocacy.org. For more info contact us at info@centeradvocacy.org.

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Celebration Event -- 2010 July 10

California Men's Gatherings presents... LBGT Library Celebration Event - San Diego Saturday July 10, 2010 Warm up your Pride a little early in a place we don't usually...the Library!  This is a landmark event for SD City Libraries and it should be fun AND interesting! DATE:  July 10, 2010 TIME:  12pm - 3pm LOCATION: Lemon Grove branch of the San Diego Public Library:  8073 Broadway, Lemon Grove, CA 91945 RSVP:  Not required, but if you know you're coming, it'd be good to know!  Email sdEvents@TheCMG.com if you think you'll be there! EVENT COST: This is a free event. DESCRIPTION:    When openly gay librarian Jennifer T. suggested a "Pride" program at her Lemon Grove library to celebrate gay writing and authors, she was met with a very cautious okay.  So far, response has mostly been from those opposed to the event and she is really hoping for turnout from the community to show that we value our libraries and their role in sharing our world through books and other media.  This sounds like a great chance to enjoy a valuable program AND let the public know we do support our own in education.  And we just learned that the city library systems is watching Lemon Grove as a test of whether to implement this citywide next year!  So Jennifer has really put it on the line for our community. Once upon a not-too-long ago, books by Oscar Wilde and Quentin Crisp would have been unfindable…novels like "Tales of the City" and "Dancer from the Dance" would have been banned…movies like "Milk", "Go Fish", and "The Celluloid Closet" could not have been checked out.  Open-minded librarians and administration are the salvation of young people craving a connection to the gay world and help the straight world learn about who we really are. Here's Jennifer's description of the event: A Pride Celebration: A Festival of Literature, Music & More!!! Music by Lisa Sanders, Mary Dolan & The Gay Men's Chorus Ensemble! Speakers Sally Hall & Toni Duran! Six Authors! Henna Tattoos Gay/Lesbian Themed Storytime! The hip-hop themed Kruciaal Element Dancers! Emcee for the day: Former SD Pride Director Ron deHarte!!!  Even health screenings! The first 100 after 12pm to check out 15 library items will receive a pair of Padres Tickets. At 3pm the first 20 folks that check out 50 items will receive a 1 day pass to the sold out Comic Con!!!   Spread the word... Please post on your FB Wall and tell lots of supportive folks! Come together for an interested afternoon of focus on the books that shaped our community, the men and women who dared to write them, and today's gay authors, some of whom will be featured and present. Note:  CMG will probably be able to staff a table at the event at no cost to us!  Still working out those details but please let us know at sdEvents@TheCMG.com if you would be willing to greet people at that table on behalf of CMG. By all means, invite any friends of the community regardless of gender or orientation to lend our mutual support and learn together. Afterward, if the mood strikes some of us, we may go out for a bite to eat together in the area. What to Bring: Nothing special, but if you happen to own a CMG T-shirt or sweatshirt, please wear it to help us find each other...especially newcomers to the group! Parking: There is free parking at the library and at the church across the street, though car pooling is  encouraged. All CMG events are drug free. This event is also alcohol free. Sponsored by the CMG Local Events Committee in San Diego. All men, local or visiting, are welcome. Please feel free to bring along a friend (or 2!) you would like to introduce to the CMG.   _____________________________________________________________ The California Men's Gatherings (CMG) is a statewide community of thousands of men who get together for a wide range of local events -- from the healing to the hilarious, and the sacred to the silly -- from personal growth workshops to pool parties to theater outings and our very own trademark Puppy Piles.  Plus we host three annual Gatherings and two annual Weekends that some call "Summer Camp for Men."    Since 1978 , CMG has been a place where all men -- gay, bi, trans and straight, from 18-80+ can find a different way to connect -- more openly...more honestly...with less fear... and a lot more fun, with some truly unique and supportive men.   If you have never been to a CMG Gathering, Weekend or Local Event, this is a great way to find out about the California Men's Gatherings and the many wonderful men who attend our three annual Gatherings, two annual Weekends and our many Local Events. (Click here for more details on CMG).   The men who attend our Gatherings, Weekends and Local Events are a diverse group of men of varying ages, beliefs, religious traditions, and spiritual practices.   We have differently-abled men and men from all cultural and ethnic backgrounds.   While CMG attendees are predominately gay and bisexual, all men 18 years or older are welcome, including those who are transgender or straight.   _____________________________________________________________ To the CMG Website | Events Page