PFLAG Scholarships Available
PFLAG San Diego is proud to announce that this is our 13th year of offering LGBT students scholarships. We hope to offer seven scholarships as we did last year. They range from $1000-2500. To be eligible, you must currently be a senior in high school or in secondary education, including graduate school. The deadline isFriday, March 25. For other elegibility requirements and to download the application, go towww.pflag.com and click on the scholarship link. We must also stress that recipients must be able to attend the Awards Presentation in order to receive the scholarship: Monday, June 27. If you have any questions, please email Scholarship Chair Olivia Dorman,oliviaenid@gmail.com.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Pflag scholarships
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Apple pulled Iphone ap off
|
Remembering Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor -- a great and courageous ally, friend and champion -- has passed and we stop for a moment today to honor her courage and activism on behalf of so many of us.When she first began speaking out about HIV/AIDS in the early 1980s, there was still a great deal of mystery, fear and stigma surrounding the disease. She was the first really big celebrity to use her fame to advocate for better public health policy, and to raise funds for HIV/AIDS treatment, services and research.
While she started local, appearing at the first major AIDS benefit for AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), in 1985 she joined forces with Dr. Mathilde Krim and went on to become the founding international chairperson of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR).
It was a time when thousands of people became devastatingly ill and died rapid and horrible deaths, and yet the silence from our government was deafening. In those dark times, Elizabeth Taylor used the light of her celebrity to draw mainstream media attention to the government's failure to respond to the AIDS crisis. She boldly stood with us to urge public support for better treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS. In those days, before e-mail, texting, Facebook and Twitter, her voice had a powerful ripple effect that helped make the world more aware of this growing health crisis.
She took on the fight for a cure with a determined and focused passion. She traveled around the world – she spoke at conferences, visited with people with AIDS in hospital wards, testified before Congress to ensure support for the Ryan White CARE Act and addressed the General Assembly at the United Nations on World AIDS Day.
In addition to supporting the work of numerous HIV/AIDS organizations, in 1991 she established the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, with a focus on direct services for people living with HIV/AIDS throughout the world. Today her family requests that any memorial donations benefit that fund.
In looking back at her steadfast commitment in the fight against HIV/AIDS, some of her words are important reminders of the difference she made during her lifetime.
"So many people were frightened and doing so little about it and saying so little …. The silence was thunderous, and the only way to stop that is to speak out."
"I'm not here in Washington to make people like me. I'm here to speak about a national scandal; a scandal of neglect, indifference and abandonment."
In 1993, she was awarded a special humanitarian Oscar for her HIV/AIDS advocacy. As she received that award 18 years ago, she spoke words that are just as resonant today as they were then.
"I call upon you to draw from the depths of your being -- to prove that we are a human race, to prove that our love outweighs our need to hate, that our compassion is more compelling than our need to blame."
While we mourn her passing, and extend our sympathies to her family and friends, we know that her spirit will live on – not just in her many films, but in the hearts and minds of all those she touched as one of the most inspirational HIV/AIDS activists of our time. RIP Elizabeth Taylor, and thank you.
Monday, March 21, 2011
The Center LGBT happenings this week!
About Giving Events Programs Other Resources Join Us Contact March 21, 2011 LGBT Movement Makes Major Advances, But Are They Sustainable?
Read the latest Movement Advancement Report on LGBT social justice and advocacy organizations - now available online at www.lgbtmap.org.
A Huffington Post op-ed by MAP Executive Director Ineke Mushovic examining implications of the report's findings, "LGBT Movement Makes Major Advances, But Are They Sustainable?" states that, "MAP analysis shows that fewer than 4 percent of all LGBT adults in the U.S. are donating $35 or more to these organizations. At the same time, just the top 10 anti-LGBT organizations--groups like Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, American Family Association and the National Organization for Marriage--spent $333.1 million in 2009. That amounts to twice the 2009 expenses of all 39 participating LGBT organizations combined ($165.6 million)."
Dine Out! Fight AIDS! Volunteer!
The Center's fifth annual Dining Out for Life® San Diego will take place on Thursday, April 28, and volunteers are needed! Ambassadors are assigned to a participating restaurant, bar or coffee shop (location of their choice) and they invite everyone they know to dine at their location during their shift on the day of the event. To volunteer, call Casey Fields at (619) 692-2077, ext. 247. Last year, more than 15,000 diners participated. Find out more at www.diningoutforlife.com/sandiego or on Facebook!
Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast Student Essay Contest
The Harvey Milk Video Essay Contest is open to all high school students ages 14-18 in San Diego County schools. Videos are due by 5 pm on April 29 and the winner of the contest will be announced on May 6. The winner will receive a $750 prize sponsored by San Diego LGBT Pride and will be featured at the Third Annual Harvey Milk Breakfast on May 20, 2011. For application and submission information, visit our website.
Saturday, March 26, Community Yard Sale – Donate Today, Shop on Saturday!
Don't miss the Community Yard Sale at The Center on Saturday, March 26, 7 am-2 pm! Clean out your closets, cabinets and garage, and donate the reusable items to the San Diego LGBT Community Center. Then stop by on the 26th to shop! For more information, contact Jane Schmoll at 619.692.2077 x121, or families@thecentersd.org.
Save the Dates
Thursday, April 28 – Dining Out for Life
Saturday, May 7 – Women's Fest
Friday, May 20 – Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast
Saturday, June 25 – Happy Birthday Frida
Sunday, Sept. 25 – AIDS Walk San Diego
Saturday, Oct. 22 – The Center's Annual Gala
Saturday, Oct. 29 – Nightmare on Normal Street
Spotlight Events...Tuesday, March 22, 11:30 am, LGBT Creative Writers Group
Join 50 & Better Together's LGBT Creative Writers Group every fourth Tuesday of the month at 11:30 am for another stop on our journey to become better writers. Bring a pen, paper and an open mind! No previous writing experience necessary. For information, contact Abby Schwartz at 619.692.2077 x212 or seniors@thecentersd.org.Thursday, March 24, 7 pm, Women's Lecture Series Presents Feeding the Hand That Bit You
Don't miss the stimulating second talk in the Women's Lecture Series, at 7 pm on Thursday March 24 at The Center. Dr. Susan E. Cayleff presents "Feeding the Hand That Bit You: Lesbian Daughters at Mid-Life Negotiating Parental Care." This lecture will explore how lesbian daughters, some of whom were not accepted by or remained closeted to their families, respond to the need to care for their elderly parents. Join us for a vibrant discussion of family dynamics, sexual identity, and caregiving issues. For more information, contact Abby Schwartz at 619.692.2077 x212 or women@thecentersd.org.Tuesday, March 29, 6 pm, Same Sex Couple Tax Filing & IRS Community Property Workshop
The Internal Revenue Service has announced it will apply community property laws to California, Washington and Nevada registered domestic partners and California same-sex spouses to reflect "income-splitting" in the same way that it applies those laws to different-sex married couples who file their federal income tax returns separately. This change may affect your tax return. The Center will host a free workshop on Tuesday, March 29 at 6 pm featuring Michael Williams of Williams & Dodson, CPA, who will review the change and provide resources for same-sex couples for this filing cycle. RSVP to Carlos Marquez cmarquez@thecentersd.org by Friday, March 25 if you plan to attend. To help understand the new rules in the meantime, Lambda Legal has developed and posted a list of answers to frequently asked questions. Visit the website for details.Tuesday, March 29, 7 pm, Transgender Rights Workshop
Please join us at The Center on Tuesday, March 29, at 7 pm for a workshop on transgender rights. Representatives from the San Francisco-based Transgender Law Center will be in San Diego to answer your questions on transgender issues surrounding our legal system. Find out about driver's licenses, passports, employment and much more. All are welcome.
News of Note...
Tell Congress to Respect ALL Marriages Today!
 |
| On Wednesday, March 16th, Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Barney Frank (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jared Polis (D-CO), David Cicilline (D-RI), and John Conyers (D-MI), announced the re-introduction of the Respect for Marriage Act (H.R. 1116) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Additionally, for the first time ever, Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced a companion bill (S. 598) in the U.S. Senate. The bill would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and restore the rights of all lawfully married couples - including same-sex couples - to receive the benefits and responsibilities of marriage under federal law. The legislation would also provide married same-sex couples with over 1,100 federal benefits even if they moved to a state that does not recognize their marriage. Currently Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and the District of Columbia all recognize same-sex marriages.
|
| |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Subscribe
Posts
All Comments
