 |  |  |
| ||
 | |  |
| ||
| | |
| ||
| | |
| ||
January 7, 2004
In this issue of GSA Network News, you'll find:
GSA Network Highlight
Welcome to GSA Network's New Community Organizer
GSA Network Announcements
1. Register Online for OHMY Conference (Bay Area)
2. Register Online for Expression Not Suppression Conference
(Central Valley)
3. Upcoming GSA Leadership Trainings
4. Palm Springs/Palm Desert GSA Social
5. Central California Region Open-Door Youth Council Meeting
(Fresno)
Other Announcements
6. Are you enrolled in the Revolution? (Bay Area)
7. Theatre Think Tank for Addressing LGBTQ issues in Schools
(LA)
8. Q Action Events at the Crib (San Francisco)
9. Call for Submissions from Youth with LGBT parents
10. JOB: 20 Youth Evaluators needed (Alameda)
11. JOB: Bilingual Trainer/Health Educator (San Francisco)
12. JOB: Assistant Coordinator, Higher Learning Youth Organizing
Program (East Palo Alto)
13. SCHOLARSHIP: Fulton Memorial Scholarship Application (Peninsula/South
Bay)
14. SCHOLARSHIP: PFLAG Community College Scholarship (Peninsula/South
Bay)
15. NEWS: Colorado Teens Sue in Favor of Gay-Straight Alliance
16. NEWS: California school system to pay $1.1 million to settle
allegations of gay harassment
+++++++++++++++ GSA NETWORK HIGHLIGHT +++++++++++++++
Welcome to GSA Network's New Community Organizer
GSA Network is happy to welcome our new Northern California Community Organizer, Sean Saifa M. Wall. Saifa hails from the Eastern Side of the United States. Born and raised in the Bronx, Saifa is a videographer by trade and a youth worker in practice. His work as a videographer has taken him from the sweaty, electric runway of the "Paris is Burning" ballroom community to the Bayamo countryside in Cuba. As a organizer and youth worker, Saifa has stirred awareness and consciousness from his tiny college town in Williamstown, MA to the streets of Greenwich Village, where working with FIERCE!, a queer youth of color organizing body in the West Village, protested racial profiling and the displacement of queer people of color from the Chelsea piers. Saifa has been involved with and continues to support the peace and justice movement, violence prevention, juvenile justice, and prison abolition.
You can email Saifa at mailto:saifa@gsanetwork.org
+++++++++++++ GSA NETWORK ANNOUNCEMENTS +++++++++++++
*********************************************
1. Register Online for the OHMY Conference (Bay Area)
The weeks are winding down! Starting on Friday, January 9, you can register online for the OHMY Conference. http://www.gsanetwork.org/ohmy
OHMY will take place on February 14th from 9AM-5PM at Horace Mann Middle School.
For more information:
415.703.6150 x15
http://www.gsanetwork.org/ohmy
mailto:ohmy@gsanetwork.org
*********************************************
2. Register Online for the Expression Not Suppression Conference
(Central Valley)
Starting on Friday, January 9, you can register online for the Expression Not Suppression Conference.
Expression Not Suppression will take place on Saturday, March 20 at Pace Academy at Manchester Mall in Fresno.
Expression Not Suppression is a conference for LGBTQ and straight ally youth ages 14-23 and it's FREE!!
On-site registration is at noon; Conference begins at 1pm. Dance concludes at 10pm. Dinner is provided along with workshops, networking, drag show, and dance.
For more information:
(559)453-9040
http://www.gsanetwork.org/fresno-reg.html
mailto:diana@gsanetwork.org
*********************************************
3. Upcoming GSA Leadership Trainings
Central Contra Costa GSA Leadership Training
When: Saturday, January 10, 10am - 4pm (Breakfast and lunch provided.)
Where: GLSEN SF/EastBay, 1924 Grant St, Suite 4, Concord
Youth from Contra Costa County get PAID if you attend!
Co-sponsors: GLSEN/SF-EB and QYAT
West Contra Costa GSA Leadership Training
When: Saturday, January 24, 10am - 4pm (Breakfast and lunch provided.)
Where: TBA
Youth from Contra Costa County get PAID if you attend!
Co-sponsor: Youth Together, GLSEN/SF-EB, and QYAT
Questions? Contact Stephanie Cho at:
stephanie@gsanetwork.org
or call 415-552-4229.
Los Angeles/Long Beach GSA Leadership Training
When: Saturday, January 31, 10am - 4pm (Breakfast and lunch provided.)
Where: UCLA LGBT Campus Resource Center, 220 Westwood Plaza, Suite B36, Los Angeles
Cost: FREE
Co-sponors: UCLA LGBT Campus Resource Center
RSVP: Stephanie Cho: stephanie@gsanetwork.org or 415.552.4229
Los Angeles GSA Leadership Training
When: Saturday, February 21, 10am - 4pm (Breakfast and lunch provided.)
Where: LA Gay and Lesbian Center, Village at Ed Gould Plaza, 1125 N. McCadden Place, Hollywood (one block East of Highland, just North of Santa Monica)
Cost: FREE
Co-sponsors: LA Gay & Lesbian Center Family Services Program
RSVP: Stephanie Cho:
stephanie@gsanetwork.org or 415.552.4229
Arielle Rosen: arosen@laglc.org
or 323.860.7397
*********************************************
4. Palm Springs/Palm Desert GSA Social
Wanna network with other GSAs in your area?
Wanna improve your GSAs?
Wanna get new ideas and expand your activism in your GSA?
Date: Wednesday, Jan 28th, 2004
Time: 6pm-8pm
Food: Yes & its FREE
Place: Gay Associated Youth Center
call 760.776.1744 or PSGAYCenter@aol.com
to get directions!
*RSVP*
Angela @ mailto:PSGAYCenter@aol.com or
Stephanie @ mailto:stephanie@gsanetwork.org
*********************************************
5. Central California Region Open-Door Youth Council Meeting
Central California Region Open-Door Youth Council Meeting
All student activists are invited to be a part of the first youth council
meeting of the new year. Join us this Saturday, January 10th at 2pm at
our Fresno office in the Barrios Unidos office across the street from Roosevelt
High School at 4403 E. Tulare.
++++++++++++++++ OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS ++++++++++++++++
GSA Network News is a publication of Gay-Straight Alliance Network.
Events, resources, and news items listed under "Other Announcements" are
not sponsored or written by GSA Network, and do not necessarily reflect
the views and opinions of GSA Network.
*********************************************
6. Are you enrolled in the Revolution? (Bay Area)
Revolution 101 is a 10-session class, one session a week, designed to introduce young organizers of color, young working class organizers, young LGBTQ organizers and young women organizers to the basics of revolutionary theory and practice. This year Rev. 101 will run between the months of February and April.
Revolution 101 meets the young generation of movement leaders need for relevant training- helping us learn the lessons and models developed by our revolutionary ancestors and giving us the space to apply those models to our organizing work today.
Send in the attached application form,
by email to mailto:malachi@youthec.org
by fax (510) 451-5866
by mail @ 1357 A 5th Street, Oakland, CA 94607 Attn: Malachi Larrabee-Garza
This is a free class. With a class manual sold sliding scale $10-20 dollars, to cover the cost of production.
Get your application in by January 16th, and we'll let you know by Jan. 24th. Here's the deal: YOU NEED TO MAKE A REAL COMMITMENT TO THE CLASS! We are only accepting 20 people to the class (for real this time) so don't take space you can't fill.
*Exact day and time will be worked out according to participant's schedules
and needs
*Childcare and Spanish Translation available
*Rev. 101 will be held at the Youth Empowerment Center (see above address)
which is wheel chair accessible
*We encourage everyone to apply. We have a strong affirmative action
program for young people, people of color, working class people, LGBTQ
people and women.
Name:
Organization (if any):
Home phone #: Cell phone #:
Address:
Email: Age:
Race/Ethnicity: Gender:
Class: Sexuality:
What is your political background?
Why do you want to participate to Revolution 101/What specifically do
you want to learn in Revolution 101?
What impact will Revolution 101 have on your work?
What day/time could you do:
_______Monday 6-9pm
_______Tuesday 6-9pm
_______Wednesday 6-9pm
_______Thursday 6-9pm
_______Sun 12-3pm
_______Sun 3-6pm
Would you need:
_______Translation
_______Childcare
*****************************************************
7. Theatre Think Tank for Addressing LGBTQ issues in Schools (LA)
Please join us on Saturday, January 10, 2004 -- from 2 to 5pm at our Theatre Think Tank for Addressing LGBTQ issues in Schools
We will lead FUN theatre games and improvisations, and brainstorm ideas for creative ways to address LGBT issues in schools -through plays, assembly presentations, video PSAs and perhaps even Pep Rally skits.
The Think Tank is open to all youth (14 and older), parents, educators, theatre artists, therapists, activists, thinkers and allies interested in creating &/or collaborating on performance pieces dealing with LGBTQ issues.
The Think Tank will continue to meet throughout the year on the following dates from 2-to-5pm at GLASS, 735 S. La Brea Blvd., Los Angeles.
(1/2 block south of Wilshire Blvd.. Metered street parking and some residential parking are available.)
Feb. 14 * Mar. 13 * Apr. 17 * May 15 * June 6
Please contact Natalya Brusilovsky at mailto:natalya2k@earthlink.net or call (213) 252-8112 for more information and to RSVP as space is limited.
*Contact Norma Bowles at mailto:normabowles@earthlink.net or call (323) 953-9036 if you would like Fringe Benefits to go to your school or community center and work with a group there to develop an original play about LGBT or other discrimination issues.*
******************************************************
8. Q-Action Events at the Crib (San Francisco)
Both events will be held at 539 Castro and 18th St.
"Young 'N Poz"
Wednesday, January 14 @ 7:00pm
Thinking it's no big deal? Haven't met a young poz guy? This chat is about why staying HIV-negative should be imperative to you and about the realities of being a young person with HIV.
"Sticky Situation"
Thursday, January 15 @ 8:00pm
Caught in the moment, it's all up to you. No condom around... what are you to do? These are those "moments" some live to regret. What else can you do with the guy you just met?
Q Action is for guys of all colors & flavors 25 & under who dig other guys.
*Want the 411? http://www.qaction.org OR 415.865.0790 x304
******************************************************
9. Call for Submission from Youth with LGBT parents
The COLAGE Bay Area Youth Leadership and Action Program invites YOU
to
submit to a brand new anthology of writing, art, poetry, essays and
more by
youth with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents. We are a
group of
youth from diverse family backgrounds ages 14-22 who live around the
San
Francisco Bay Area who meet once a month and have chosen the anthology
project as a tool to raise awareness about our experiences and our
families.
We will be compiling the submissions into an anthology which will be
produced by June 2004.
We are looking for ORIGINAL works:
*essays *poetry *song lyrics *comics *photography
*art * scene/screenplays *short stories *fiction
Write about what is important to you!
Be heard!
Topics may include:
*coming out/telling friends *daily life *school
*dating/boyfriends/girlfriends
*extended family *activism *other types of oppression *being 2nd Gen
*homophobia *being straight in a gay family *emotions/feelings
Submissions are welcome from anyone with one or more lesbian, gay, bisexual
or transgender parent(s), especially those ages 10-23. Written submissions
should be a maximum of 5 pages(single space, 12 point font, Times New
Roman). Visual art submissions must be two-dimensional.
Submissions are due (at the latest, though welcomed earlier) by March
1st,
2004.
Send to: COLAGE
Attn: YLAP Anthology
3543 18th Street #1
San Francisco, CA 94110
Written submissions are welcomed as email attachments (Microsoft Word
only)
to mailto:meredith@colage.org
with the subject header YLAP Anthology.
******************************************************
10. JOB: 20 Youth Evaluators needed (Alameda)
California Youth Connection has a unique job opportunity for current and former foster youth in Alameda County. Our new Youth Led Evaluation Project (YLEP) is seeking up to 20 Youth Evaluators to be trained to conduct interviews with group home residents throughout Alameda over the course of 3 years. Please pass this job posting on to current and former foster youth and young adults 14-24 years old who may be interested! The application deadline is January 16th.
For any questions about YLEP or for application materials, please contact Lori Fryzel, our Project Coordinator at 510-434-2539 or by email to: mailto:lorifryzel@yahoo.com
******************************************************
11. Bilingual Trainer/Health Educator (San Francisco)
Job posting for: Trainer/Health Educator
Reports to: Training Department Manager
Salary: 1.0 FTE (40 hours/week); $35,000/year plus benefits
Start date: 3/15/2004; negotiable
Application deadline: 1/26/2004
Para esta posición, es mandatorio hablar español e inglés.
Position Summary
Under the general supervision of the Training Department Manager, the
Trainer/Health Educator's primary responsibility will be facilitating trainings
for adult providers who work with youth. She or he will also develop
curricula and ensure evaluation of the trainings. The Trainer/Health
Educator will also occasionally facilitate workshops for youth. Some
of these workshops will be in Spanish.
Job Duties
* Conduct trainings on a variety of topics (HIV, Positive Sexuality,
Working with LGBTQIQ Youth, Substance Use, Youth Development) for adult
providers who work with youth in settings such as schools, community centers,
transitional shelters, and treatment programs.
* Conduct trainings on the above topics with peer educators; develop
annual peer educator retreat.
* Develop and update new curricula as needed.
* Present health workshops , on topics such as substance use, HIV,
STDs, safer sex, self-advocacy, body image, and self-esteem, to a variety
of youth in settings such as high schools, transitional living facilities,
afterschool programs, treatment centers, and jails.
* Present health workshops to youth in Spanish and English.
* Ensure collection, entry and analysis of evaluation data from participants
and provide periodic summary reports for grants and evaluation.
* Participate in relevant community collaborations and respond to requests
for information from community members and peers.
* Contribute articles and information to publications and printed materials.
* Participate on HIFY project teams related to new agency initiatives.
* Other duties as they relate to HIFY's mission.
Qualifications
Candidates Must:
* Be fluent in Spanish and English and be able to present in both languages.
* Have two years experience in adult education, health, working with
youth, and/or related field.
* Feel comfortable and excited about working with diverse groups of
youth and adults.
* Embrace HIFY's mission and the services we provide.
* Be able to work in a small, close-knit team environment.
How To Apply
Send cover letter and resume to: HIFY, Attention: Hiring Committee
for Trainer/Health Educator Position, 235 Montgomery St., Suite 430, SF,
CA 94104; Fax: 415-274-1976; Email: mailto:receptionist@hify.org.
No phone calls please.
Application deadline: 1/26/2004
Health Initiatives for Youth is an equal opportunity employer.
We encourage people of color, youth, young men and LGBTQIQ people to
apply.
******************************************************
12. Assistant Coordinator, Higher Learning Youth Organizing Program
(East Palo Alto)
Position Overview
The Higher Learning Assistant Coordinator will be supervised by the
Higher Learning Coordinator. Salary starts at $12.98/hour and goes up to
range between $14.42 to 16.83 [depending on experience and performance]
after three months with pro-rated medical and dental benefits. Position
is 30 to 40 hours per week throughout the year with four weeks of paid
vacation. Specific hours may vary and will include some weekends
and holidays. Position Starts May 1, 2004 (Date Flexible)
* Be third person in team of three to
facilitate and coordinate a youth-led organizing program
* Assist in the supervision and support
of high school youth in organizing campaigns and education projects in
the community
* Participate in developing youth membership
base
* Mentor high school youth
* Work with other staff to develop political
education, training and skills curriculum for youth
* Work with other staff to develop computer
skills of youth
* Meet with foundations and funders
* Coordinate Fun Nights
* Coordinate Family Nights and other
events
* Attend Staff Meetings and Retreats
for Evaluation, Planning and Programmatic and Organization Development
* Participate in Staff Development Trainings
and Workshops
* Higher Learning administration and
paperwork
* Drive youth to YUCA related events
and meetings
* Collaboration with Ally and Community
Organizations
* Creating a safe space for youth
* Aid youth in campaign strategy, project
planning, and decision making as a facilitator
Qualifications
The ideal candidate should have experience in community organizing,
developing the political consciousness of and working with low-income young
people color. Candidate should be patient, detail oriented, possess
good time management skills, have basic computer skills, be a "people person",
able to work under pressure and in a fast-paced environment. Candidate
should be politically conscious and have a commitment to the empowerment
of low-income young people of color and environmental justice.
Fluency in Spanish, Tongan or Samoan is also desired.
Please submit resume and cover letter by February 1, 2004 to:
ATTN: Le Tim Ly, Higher Learning Coordinator [ mailto:le@youthunited.net
]
YOUTH UNITED FOR COMMUNITY ACTION
1836 Bay Road, Ste. C, East Palo Alto, CA 94303
Phone: (650) 322-9165 Fax: (650) 322-1820
http://www.youthunited.net
******************************************************
13. SCHOLARSHIP: Fulton Memorial Scholarship Application (Peninsula/South
Bay)
Candidates must meet the following criteria to be eligible for consideration
for a SAN JOSE/PENINSULA PFLAG or GLSEN/SB Joyce Palmer Fulton Memorial
scholarship:
*You are a high school senior at a public or private school in San Mateo
or
Santa Clara County, and you will be attending an accredited two or
four-year
college, university, business/technical school full or part-time in
Fall
2004.
*You have included a personal essay discussing how you have demonstrated
support for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons in your
community, you have included a brief description of your career plans
and
have informed us of any special needs or other factors you wish us
to
consider.
*You are in good academic standing with your current high school.
*You have provided a copy of your high school transcript and you will provide a copy of your college/university/business/technical school acceptance letter and proof of enrollment prior to the receipt of the scholarship money.
*You have provided at least two letters of recommendation (e.g. counselor, teacher, other.)
*You must be present to accept the scholarship at a PENINSULA PFLAG and GLSEN/SB awards event the evening of April 22, 2004. Payment of the scholarship will be made after receipt of satisfactory college/school enrollment.
SAN JOSE/PENINSULA PFLAG and GLSEN/SB Joyce Palmer Fulton Memorial
scholarships will be given to those individuals whose educational histories,
personal plans and activities demonstrate support for justice and equality
for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons.
SAN JOSE/PENINSULA PFLAG and GLSEN/SB Joyce Palmer Fulton Memorial
scholarships provide financial support for high school seniors who
will be
attending an accredited two or four-year college, university, or
business/technical school in Fall 2004. These scholarships will be
given to
individuals whose educational history, personal plans and activities
demonstrate support for justice and equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual
and
transgendered persons. The awards are provided with understanding that
the
funds will be used to offset the costs of tuition, books or required
fees.
Before filling out this application, please read the eligibility
requirements to determine if you are qualified to receive this scholarship.
The completed application, along with supporting documents, must be postmarked
by March 29, 2004.
Please print clearly or type.
Name: _______________________________________________________
Address:______________________________________________________
City:______________ State:____ ZIP: _______
Tel# (preferred # to contact you)
Day: ___________ Evening: ____________E-mail: _________________
Date of Birth: _______________
EDUCATIONAL DATA
High School name and address:____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Scholarships, Honors , Recognitions:_______________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
COMMUNITY SERVICE AND CIVIC INVOLVEMENT
Please indicate those activities which have been of highest importance
to you, not necessarily every activity you have undertaken; indicate any
leadership positions you may have had:__________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
WORK EXPERIENCE
Employer's Job Description Dates of
Name/City Employment
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
List those individuals, at least two adults (teacher, counselor, work
supervisor, etc.,) who have provided letters of recommendation for
you.
Indicate their names, titles, and telephone numbers. Please advise
them a
member of the PFLAG & GLSEN/SB Scholarship Committee may contact
them:________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
________________
PERSONAL ESSAY
In about two pages, enclosed, discuss how you have supported justice
and
equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons in your
community. Include a brief description of your educational and career
plans.
This essay will be confidential unless we have personally checked with
you.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
*If you wish, in one page, let us know of any particular needs or other
factors you wish us to consider. This too will remain confidential
unless we have checked with you.
*How did you learn of this scholarship?____________________________
*If you are awarded this scholarship, may we use your name in a news
article?______; may we list the scholarship in your high school graduation
program?________.
*If you are chosen a finalist, there may be a short personal interview
with
the Scholarship committee. Winners will be notified by telephone or
in writing.
CERTIFICATION
To the best of my knowledge, the information provided in this application
is
true and complete.
Signature:__________________________ Date:________________
Applications and supporting materials should be postmarked no later
than
March 29, 2004 and mailed to PFLAG & GLSEN Scholarships, 690 Persian
Dr.,
#57, Sunnyvale, CA 94089. Scholarship winners must be present at an
awards
event on the evening of April 22, 2004. Payment of the scholarship
will be
made after receipt of satisfactory college/school enrollment.
For questions or information, contact Bob Obrey, 408-745-1736 or Wanda
Steffens, 650-726-6902, or write GLSEN & PFLAG Scholarships.
*********************************************
14. SCHOLARSHIP: PFLAG Community College Scholarship (Peninsula/South
Bay)
The Peninsula PFLAG Community College scholarship provides financial
support
for a community college student who will be transferring to an accredited
college, university, or business/technical school during 2004. This
scholarship will be given to an individual whose educational history,
personal plans and activities demonstrate support for justice and equality
for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons. The award is
provided
with the understanding that the funds will be used to offset the costs
of
tuition, books or required fees.
Number and amount of Scholarship: One at $1500
Application Deadline: Postmarked by Monday, March 29, 2004
Mail application and supporting documents to:
PFLAG & GLSEN Scholarships
690 Persian Dr., #57
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
Candidates must meet the following criteria to be eligible for consideration
for a PFLAG Community College Scholarship:
*You are a student with a GPA average of 2.4 or better and attending
a
community college in San Mateo or Santa Clara county, and you will
be transferring to an accredited college, university, or business/technical
school full or part-time during 2004.
*You have included a personal essay discussing how you have demonstrated support for justice and equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons in your community; you have included a brief description of your educational plans, and have informed us of any special needs or other factors you wish us to consider.
*You have provided a copy of your college transcript(s) and a copy of your college/university/business/technical school application.
*You have provided two letters of recommendation (e.g. counselor, instructor, other.)
*You must be present to accept the scholarship at a PENINSULA PFLAG & GLSEN Awards event the evening of April 22, 2004. Payment of the scholarship will be made after receipt of satisfactory college/school enrollment.
Before filling out this application, please read the eligibility
requirements to determine if you are qualified to receive this scholarship.
The completed application along supporting documents must be postmarked
by
Monday, March 29, 2004
(PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY OR TYPE)
Name:________________________________________________________
Address:______________________________________________________
City: ____________________State ____ZIP:_________
Tel# (Preferred # to contact you)
Day:__________Evening:___________E-mail:______________________
Date of Birth:_______________
EDUCATIONAL DATA
Community College Name and Address:____________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Scholarships, Honors, Recognitions:_______________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
COMMUNITY SERVICE AND CIVIC INVOLVEMENT ACTIVITIES
Please indicate those activities which have been of highest importance
to
you, not necessarily every activity you have undertaken; indicate any
leadership positions you may have had:___________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
WORK EXPERIENCE
Employer's Name Job Description Dates of
& City & Title Employment
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
List at least two people (teacher/professor, counselor, pastor/rabbi,
work
supervisor, etc) who have provided letters of recommendation for you.
Indicate their titles and telephone numbers. Please advise them a member
of
the PFLAG & GLSEN Scholarship committee may contact them.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
________________
PERSONAL ESSAY
In about two pages, discuss how you have supported justice and equality
for
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons in your community.
Include
a brief description of your educational and career plans. This essay
will be
confidential unless we have personally checked with you.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
*If you wish, in one page, also let us know of any particular needs
or other factors you wish us to consider. This too will remain confidential
unless we have checked with you.
*How did you learn of this scholarship?_____________________________
*If you are awarded this scholarship, may we use your name in a news
article?______________.
*If you are chosen as the scholarship winner, there may be a short personal interview with the Scholarship committee. Winners will be notified by telephone or in writing.
CERTIFICATION
To the best of my knowledge, the information provided in this application
is
true and complete.
Signature:_________________________Date:_______________________
Applications and supporting materials should be postmarked no later
than
Monday March 29, 2004 and mailed to PFLAG & GLSEN Scholarships,
690 Persian
Dr., #57, Sunnyvale, CA 9489. The scholarship winner must be present
at an
awards event the evening of April 22, 2004. Payment of the scholarship
will
be made after receipt of satisfactory college/school enrollment.
The PENINSULA PFLAG Community College scholarship will be given to an
individual whose educational history, personal plans and activities
demonstrate support for justice and equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual
and
transgendered persons.
For questions or information, contact Bob Obrey, 408-745-1736 or write
PFLAG
& GLSEN Scholarships.
******************************************************
15. NEWS: Colorado Teens Sue in Favor of Gay-Straight Alliance
A group of Colorado Springs high school students filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Friday alleging that the Palmer High School Gay/Straight Alliance, unlike other clubs, has been barred from holding meetings on school property.
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~1828019,00.html
*********************************************
16. NEWS: California school system to pay $1.1 million to settle
allegations of gay harassment
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-morgan7jan07,1,1984488.story?coll=la-headlines-california
LA Times
January 7, 2004
Ex-Students Settle Harassment Suit
Plaintiffs say they were victims of anti-gay abuse while attending
schools in the San Jose area.
By Lee Romney, Times Staff Writer
SAN FRANCISCO - Six former students of the Morgan Hill Unified School
District settled their federal lawsuit Tuesday alleging that district officials
ignored years of anti-gay harassment and violence inflicted on the plaintiffs
by other students.
Gay advocacy groups praised the $1.1-million settlement, approved by
a San Jose federal judge, as a national model. It requires the school district
south of San Jose to implement mandatory annual training regarding harassment
based on sexual orientation or gender identity for administrators, teachers,
middle school and high school students, and staff.
The settlement ends five years of wrangling during which a state
law was passed - with the Morgan Hill students' input - prohibiting anti-gay
harassment of students.
The case also prompted a U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in
April that stated public school administrators who fail to take effective
steps to counter anti-gay harassment could be violating the U.S. Constitution's
guarantee of equal protection - even if they have an anti-discrimination
policy in place.
That ruling covered districts in California and eight other Western
states and, according to plaintiffs' attorneys, finally brought district
officials to the negotiating table.
"It was like pulling on a rope for five years in a game of tug of war,
and then suddenly they let go," said lead plaintiff Alana Flores, now 24,
who along with friend Freddie Fuentes sought legal help shortly after graduating
from Live Oak High School in 1997.
"It was so difficult dealing with administrators. They would say it
wasn't their problem," Flores said. "Well, five years later, it is their
problem. Unfortunately, it took us hitting their pocketbooks and taking
them to court for them to get it."
Both Flores and Fuentes say they were subjected to anti-gay epithets
at school on a nearly daily basis. Anti-gay slurs were scribbled on Flores'
locker, and she once received a pornographic death threat scrawled on a
picture of a bound and gagged woman with a slit throat. Fuentes was beaten
and his ribs broken.
The former students said they reported the incidents to administrators,
teachers and staff. But only one perpetrator was ever disciplined.
"When things like that weren't addressed, they would escalate," Flores
said Tuesday at a news conference. "It was perpetuating violence."
Morgan Hill district officials said in a prepared statement Tuesday
that they believed the district had no liability in the matter but agreed
to the settlement to avoid a trial. Supt. Carolyn McKennan said in the
statement that there "was no credible evidence É that any district employee
ever discriminated against or acted with in deliberate indifference toward
any student."
"The district has been against all forms of harassment before, during
and after this litigation," the statement said.
But plaintiffs' attorneys, as well as other gay-rights advocates, say
the settlement represents a significant advance in the battle for legal
protections for students who are harassed because they are gay or perceived
to be gay.
A successful 1999 bill sponsored by state Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa
Monica) banned harassment of gay students, and eight other states now have
similar laws, said Kate Kendall, executive director of the National Center
for Lesbian Rights, which litigated the case along with the American Civil
Liberties Union and San Jose attorney Diane Ritchie. Those laws do not
mandate awareness training for school districts. But last year's federal
appeals court ruling strengthened the message to districts that they must
take seriously anti-gay harassment against students and offer those students
the same protections offered to others.
"Schools now have an obligation to address anti-gay harassment," said
Ann Brick, the ACLU's staff attorney who worked on the Morgan Hill case.
"This settlement shows them how to do itÉ. It becomes a model for other
districts."
Brick said the monetary damages in the case also send a strong message
that "those school districts that ignore the problem do so at their own
peril." Of the $1.1-million settlement, $560,000 will go to the plaintiffs
and the rest to attorneys.
Similar cases have been settled in recent years on behalf of gay students
around the country, including in Visalia, Calif., and Reno.
But this appears to be the first brought on behalf of a group of students,
and the training mandated by the settlement is the most comprehensive to
date because it applies to such district employees as bus drivers and custodians,
and builds in a strict monitoring system to ensure compliance, said Jon
Davidson, senior counsel for the gay and lesbian civil rights group Lambda
Legal, which has handled several similar cases.
Tina D'Elia, hate-violence director at San Francisco's nonprofit Community
United Against Violence - which addresses violence against gays, lesbians
and transgender people - applauded the mandated training, calling it crucial.
"The only way to institutionalize anti-discrimination is if the administration
is supporting the teachers and the teachers then support the students.
"Everyone has to be on the same page with how you're going to be putting
a policy forth," she said.
The case against Morgan Hill was filed in U.S. District Court in 1998.
In addition to Flores and Fuentes, the plaintiffs include Jeanette Dousharm
and three other students.
The alleged abuses occurred between 1991 and 1998 at Live Oak High
School, Britton Middle School and Murphy Middle School.
According to the lawsuit, a bus driver ignored an assault on Fuentes
that left him with broken ribs at a school bus stop when he was in seventh
grade, allowing the attacker to board the bus.
When Flores showed the pornographic death threat she received to the
assistant principal, the lawsuit alleges, she was sent back to class and
told, "Don't bring me this trash anymore. This is disgusting."
The assistant principal then allegedly asked Flores if she was gay
and said, "If you're not gay, why are you crying?"
With their mothers seated at their sides Tuesday, Flores and Fuentes
recounted their years at the school.
Fuentes was shy and withdrawn, and began failing his classes. Flores,
meanwhile, became more strident, defending other gay students who were
victimized.
Although she did not come out as gay until her senior year, she complained
regularly about the harassment against her, Fuentes and other gay students.
Soon, Fuentes joined her in speaking out.
"Once I started complaining, I didn't stop," he said. "I would bring
Alana with me. I'd even get her out of class."
But they were regularly rebuffed, the former students said. When Fuentes'
mother, Maritza Glynn, complained to administrators, she said, "I'd always
get, 'Kids will be kids,' or 'Boys will be boys.' "
Now that the case is concluded, Fuentes hopes to complete his last
year of college and obtain his bachelor's degree in dance.
Flores said the harassment by students and indifference of administrators
have made her confrontational and defensive, a trait she hopes to shed
as she moves forward with her life.
"It feels like I've been strapped to a giant rubber band, trying to
run and then something pulls me back," she said. "There's a huge part of
my life that I feel I needed to make amends withÉ. [The settlement] is
a turning point. I feel it in my heart that it's a dawning for me."
For other articles about the Morgan Hill settlement, visit the links:
San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/01/06/national1709EST0739.DTL
San Jose Mercury News
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/7645554.htm
In this issue of GSA Network News, you'll find:
GSA Network Highlight
Largest Ever Study on Anti-Gay Harassment in Schools Shows Problem is Widespread,
Dangerous, and Preventable
GSA Network Announcements
1. Register Online for OHMY Conference (Bay Area)
2. Register Online for Expression Not Suppression Conference (Central Valley)
3. Upcoming GSA Leadership Trainings
4. GSA-led School Climate Surveys Available
5. Palm Springs/Palm Desert GSA Social
6. Expression Not Suppression Planning Committee Meeting (Fresno)
7. Central California GSA Network Afternoon At The Theatre (Fresno)
Other Announcements
8. Queer Movie Night! (Santa Monica)
9. Screening of "Let's Get Real" (San Mateo)
10. LYRIC Announcements including OHMY dance information
11. Queer Youth Action Team's Youth Forum for Mt. Diablo students (Concord)
12. Q Action Events at the Crib (San Francisco)
13. LGBT Family One-Day Conference (Los Angeles)
14. Youth in Film
15. Theater of the Oppressed Workshop Series (Oakland)
16. Know your rights about the new federal education legislation!
17. NEWS: Black supporters of gays ignored
18. NEWS: Assembly Bill to limit student HIV & Sex Education Fails in Committee
+++++++++++++++ GSA NETWORK HIGHLIGHT +++++++++++++++
Largest Ever Study on Anti-Gay Harassment in Schools Shows Problem is
Widespread, Dangerous, and Preventable
Despite an anti-harassment law that took effect four years ago this month, harassment and bullying based on sexual orientation remain persistent and pervasive in California schools, according to the California Safe Schools Coalition which released the Safe Place to Learn study. 7.5% of California's middle and high school students, more than 200,000 students every year, are targets of harassment based on actual or perceived sexual orientation. The Safe Place to Learn study found that such widespread bullying has dangerous academic, health and safety consequences for students. The study is among the first to document that schools can take concrete steps, such as establishing and supporting GSAs, to reduce harassment and improve student health and safety.
GSA Network is a co-founder and leader of the California Safe Schools Coalition.
To view the full Safe Place to Learn report, visit:
To read the full press release from the California Safe Schools Coalition,
visit:
http://www.casafeschools.org
For media coverage of the Safe Place to Learn release, visit:
http://www.casafeschools.org
+++++++++++++ GSA NETWORK ANNOUNCEMENTS +++++++++++++
*********************************************
1. Register Online for the OHMY Conference (Bay Area)
The weeks are winding down! Register online for the OHMY Conference. http://www.gsanetwork.org/ohmy
OHMY will take place on February 14th from 9AM-5PM at Horace Mann Middle School--3351
23rd St.
For more information:
415.703.6150 x28 (LYRIC)
http://www.gsanetwork.org/ohmy
mailto:ohmy@gsanetwork.org
*********************************************
2. Register Online for the Expression Not Suppression Conference (Central
Valley)
Register online for the Expression Not Suppression Conference.
Expression Not Suppression will take place on Saturday, March 20 at Pace Academy
at Manchester Mall in Fresno.
Expression Not Suppression is a conference for LGBTQ and straight ally youth
ages 14-23 and it's FREE!!
On-site registration is at noon; Conference begins at 1pm. Dance concludes at
10pm. Dinner is provided along with workshops, networking, drag show, and dance.
*There is no pre-registering for workshops and we are not asking for performers including those that want to do drag*
For more information:
(559)453-9040
http://www.gsanetwork.org/fresno-reg.html
mailto:diana@gsanetwork.org
*********************************************
3. Upcoming GSA Leadership Trainings
West Contra Costa GSA Leadership Training
When: Saturday, January 24, 10am - 4pm (Breakfast and lunch provided.)
Where: Coronado YMCA (Conference Room), 263 S. 20th Street, Richmond, CA 94804
Youth from Contra Costa County get PAID if you attend!
Co-sponsor: Youth Together, GLSEN/SF-EB, and QYAT
Questions? Contact Stephanie Cho at:
mailto:stephanie@gsanetwork.org
or call 415-552-4229.
Los Angeles/Long Beach GSA Leadership Training
When: Saturday, January 31, 10am - 4pm (Breakfast and lunch provided.)
Where: UCLA LGBT Campus Resource Center, 220 Westwood Plaza, Suite B36, Los
Angeles
Cost: FREE
Co-sponsors: UCLA LGBT Campus Resource Center
RSVP: Stephanie Cho: mailto:stephanie@gsanetwork.org
or 415.552.4229
Los Angeles GSA Leadership Training
When: Saturday, February 21, 10am - 4pm (Breakfast and lunch provided.)
Where: LA Gay and Lesbian Center, Village at Ed Gould Plaza, 1125 N. McCadden
Place, Hollywood (one block East of Highland, just North of Santa Monica)
Cost: FREE
Co-sponsors: LA Gay & Lesbian Center Family Services Program
RSVP: Stephanie Cho: mailto:stephanie@gsanetwork.org
or 415.552.4229
Arielle Rosen: mailto:arosen@laglc.org
or 323.860.7397
*********************************************
4. GSA-led School Climate Surveys Available
** Do you want to get data about slurs at your school?
** Does your GSA want to be able to prove to school administrators and teachers
that slurs are a common problem?
** Do you want to make your school climate safer for LGBT youth and those perceived
to be?
Then, you'll want to get a copy of the Make It Real Evaluation Kit!
Email our Program Director, Stephanie Cho, at mailto:stephanie@gsanetwork.org to get your copy.
The Make It Real Evaluation Kit includes a school climate survey that you can distribute to classes at your school, plus tips on how to get the survey approved. There are two versions of the survey - one that asks for students to identify their sexual orientation and one that doesn't. Once you conduct the survey, send GSA Network the original surveys and we'll do all the data entry for you. We'll run reports for you and send you back all the info you need about your results.
How can you use the results?
- make a presentation to the school board about slurs and the school climate
- show your administration the results and make your demands for change
- educate teachers about how you need them to intervene when slurs are used
- publish the data in your school newspaper
Use the data to send a loud and clear message to your school that name-calling is pervasive problem that school administrators and teachers need to do a better job addressing!
*********************************************
5. Palm Springs/Palm Desert GSA Social
Wanna network with other GSAs in your area?
Wanna improve your GSAs?
Wanna get new ideas and expand your activism in your GSA?
Date: Wednesday, Jan 28th, 2004
Time: 6pm-8pm
Food: Yes & its FREE
Place: Gay Associated Youth Center
call 760.776.1744 or PSGAYCenter@aol.com
to get directions!
*RSVP*
Angela @ mailto:PSGAYCenter@aol.com
or
Stephanie @ mailto:stephanie@gsanetwork.org
*********************************************
6. Expression Not Suppression Planning Committee Meeting
Expression Not Suppression Planning Committee Meeting This Sunday, January 18th
at 4pm. Come to Diana's house at 4pm to help plan the Expression Not Suppression
Conference. Call or e-mail for directions. Contact Diana at mailto:diana@gsanetwork.org
or (559) 453-9040
*********************************************
7. Central California GSA Network Afternoon At The Theatre
Calling All Central Cali GSAs! On Sunday, January 25th, GSA Network activists
are invited to the 2pm matinee of the powerful play by Lillian Hellman, "The
Children's Hour". The play is being performed at Roosevelt High School
and was controversial from its debut in 1934.
"The Children's Hour" is set at a school for girls which is run by two women. The play unfolds around an unfounded rumor started by a malicious student that the two women have exhibited "inappropriate affection" for each other.
GSA Network has reserved a private room for conversation and free refreshments during intermission. We will also be staffing a literature table at the event. Tickets are $4 each and are available through Diana--mailto:Diana@gsanetwork.org or (559) 453-9040
++++++++++++++++ OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS ++++++++++++++++
GSA Network News is a publication of Gay-Straight Alliance Network.
Events, resources, and news items listed under "Other Announcements"
are not sponsored or written by GSA Network, and do not necessarily reflect
the views and opinions of GSA Network.
*********************************************
8. Queer Movie Night!
As part of the queer film series at Crossroads, sponsored by FLAG (our gay/straight
alliance), we will be having our next movie screening on Thursday, January 22nd,
from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. We invite you to join us!
This time we'll be showing Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin, a great new documentary (and gay audience favorite) about the civil rights leader who was a mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr., and who organized the famous March on Washington. How come you've never heard of him? We'll give you one big queer guess. . .!
All students and faculty from Gay/Straight alliances and their friends are welcome. It's a great way to meet new friends, or see old ones. The movie is free and free pizza and drinks will be provided! But please e-mail us and let us know if you might come, so we have an idea of how much pizza to get. You can reach us at flag@xrds.org
Directions:
Crossroads is at 1714 21st St. in Santa Monica, at the corner of 21st St. and
Olympic Blvd.
The room we're screening the film in is Roth Hall.
Here's what you do--when you turn onto 21st from Olympic, take an immediate
right onto a driveway-looking street and find a place to park. You'll see our
"quad" which looks like a parking lot or an alley, and which we call
(of course) the alley.
Roth Hall is on 21st St, right next to our Upper School Administration building.
*********************************************
9. Screening of Let's Get Real
Assemblymember and Gene Mullin and San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools
John Mehl are proud to invite you to a screening of Let's Get Real!
Tuesday, February 10th, 2004
San Mateo Performing Arts Center
600 North Delaware
San Mateo
6:30pm: Doors Open
7:00pm: Screening and Filmmaker's Remarks
Free Parking
This 35 minute documentary showcases a number of 6th-8th grade students who
offer an unflinching look at the bullying and name-calling that goes on at their
schools. Available with the film is a comprehensive curriculum guide that would
work well in any school where safety, name-calling, bullying and harassment
are a concern. It would enrich any school health curriculum and help districts
stay in compliance with AB 537, The Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act.
The screening is free of charge as is the follow-up staff development at the
SMCOE (using the film and the curriculum in the classroom) courtesy of the Respect
for All Project. It's a win win situation.
*****************************************************
10. LYRIC Announcements
LYRIC's Young Women's Program presents
QUEER GIRL HEALTH SERIES
WHO: Open to all LBTQQ young women ages 23 and under.
WHAT: FREE Health Class specifically for young LBTQQ women. Learn about our
bodies, sexual communication, self-healing, holistic health, going to the
doctor, exploring our identities, ejaculation, sexual health, relationships,
body image, and more!!!
WHEN: Tuesdays, 6-8pm, February 2, 2004 - March 29, 2004
WHERE: Youth Space at the SF-LGBT Center, 1800 Market Street (at Octavia)
SPACE IS LIMITED! SIGN UP NOW!
The SF-LGBT Center is accessible.
To speak to another young person, call 800-264-PRIDE.
FREE CREATIVE WORKSHOPS
Monday, January 12th, 5pm-7pm: Button Making
Monday, January 26th, 5pm-7pm: Intro to Mural Making
**We provide all of the supplies, just be show up and create!**
workshops at LYRIC--127 Collingswood St. bet 18th and 19th near Castro.For more
information about the above opportunities, please call or email Kristin at 415-703-6150
x12 or mailto:kristin@lyric.org.
Wanna Help plan a Dance? Cuz we want you!
LYRIC's next dance will be held on February 14th, 2004 and we need people to
help us plan it out! We're working on themes and decorations! The discussion
continues on Monday Jan. 26th at the ASP Program.
Where - LYRIC House, 127 Collingwood Ave.
When - 4pm, Monday January. 26th
Why - to get your thoughts and opinions out there! and besides, haven't you
always wanted to plan a dance....?
We need people to help hand out fliers, post cards and posters for this event,
and we're looking for people who want to perform!
SPEED, METH, ICE, TINA, GLASS, CRANK Info Session
On Thursday January 15th, LYRIC's After School Program, the Education and Employment
Departments and Young Men's Wellness will host a panel discussion around methamphetamine
use in the LGBTQ community and its legal, medical, and social impacts.
This discussion will especially focus on criminal justice and legal issues
surrounding methamphetamine possession and usage.
Confirmed panelists/presenters include Ellen Fritz, former supervisor at the
Federal Probation Office; Raymond Chan and Albert Law, former club promoters
for X-Ray productions, X-Men parties and Club Caliente; Ronnie Singh, San Francisco
Assistant D.A.; and Robert Amparan, former San Francisco Public Defender.
When: 4 - 6pm on Thursday, January 15th
Where: 2nd Floor of the LYRIC house, 127 Collingwood Ave., in the heart of the
Castro.
Food and beverages will be provided during this panel discussion.
Please RSVP with Rob at the below contact information.
We look forward to seeing you here!
LYRIC and OHMY present - APHRODISIAC, a dance event
What better place to go with your sweetie or to go to meet that special someone
than Aphrodisiac, the LYRIC dance of the season! After learning and growing
all day, relax and dance the night away at this year's OHMY after-party // Valentine's
Day Dance...
What: Aphrodisiac -- the official OHMY after-party.
Where: SF Boys and Girls Club, 450 Guerrero St.
Who: any LGBTQQ or allied youth 23-under, 25 & under trans-identified
When: Saturday, February 14th, from 8-12 midnight
This is a clean and sober event. No hats or gum will be allowed in the building.
Sign up now to perform - here's your American Idol moment... poetry, performance
and dances strongly encouraged Sign on up!
We will also need people to help hand out fliers, post cards and posters for this event... help make this dance the best one EVER!For information about the above events, please swing on by or call Rob at 415.703.6150, ext. 20 or mailto:rob@lyric.org, or the Youth Talkline at 1.800.246.PRIDE for more info!
******************************************************
11. Queer Youth Action Team's Youth Forum for Mt. Diablo students
***Queer Youth Action Team's Youth Forum for students in the Mt. Diablo Unified
School District***
Join other youth activists and make your voice heard! Learn about your rights at school and what's being done to create positive change in your district!
Thursday, January 15th from 4.00-6.30 PM
@ CSUH Contra Costa Campus
4700 Ygancio Valley Road, Concord
FREE PIZZA FREE PIZZA FREE PIZZA
contact Nancy with questions or if you need a ride.
mailto:queeryouthactionteam@hotmail.com
925-687-8844 x307
back to top
******************************************************
12. Q-Action Events at the Crib (San Francisco)
Both events will be held at 539 Castro and 18th St.
"Young 'N Poz"
Wednesday, January 14 @ 7:00pm
Thinking it's no big deal? Haven't met a young poz guy? This chat is about why
staying HIV-negative should be imperative to you and about the realities of
being a young person with HIV.
"Sticky Situation"
Thursday, January 15 @ 8:00pm
Caught in the moment, it's all up to you. No condom around... what are you to
do? These are those "moments" some live to regret. What else can you
do with the guy you just met?
Q Action is for guys of all colors & flavors 25 & under who dig other
guys.
*Want the 411? http://www.qaction.org OR
415.865.0790 x304
******************************************************
13. LGBT Family One-Day Conference
LGBT Family One-Day Conference
Sunday, January 25, 2004
8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's Village at Ed Gould Plaza
1125 N. McCadden Place
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Join parents, prospective parents, teens and children of all ages for a fun
and informative one-day conference. There will be a variety of workshops for
adults and
teens plus activities and childcare for children.
Breakfast and lunch will be provided.
Conference sponsored by the LA Gay and Lesbian Services Family Program
Keynote address by Aimee Gelnaw, Executive Director of Family Pride Coalition
Workshops and activities for youth provided by COLAGE (Children of lesbian,
gay,
bisexual and transgender parents/guardians Everywhere)
COLAGE'S Art Exhibit, "That's So Gay: Art by Youth with LGBT Parents"
will be
displayed during the conference.
For more information and TO REGISTER please contact the LA Gay and Lesbian
Services Famliy Program
PHONE: 323-860-7397
E-MAIL: mailto:familyservices@laglc.org
REGISTRATION
$25 Adult pre-registration
($40 at-the-door)
$20 Youth (9-18 years)
$10 Childcare (0-8 years)
$80 Maximum for pre-registered families
$100 Maximum for families who pay at the door
back to top
******************************************************
14. Youth in Film
YOUTH IN FILM
IN COLLABORATION WITH
REELIFE MOVIE CAMP
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
A 14-week course that will teach students from the ages of 16 to 18 the basics
of filmmaking. This course will be designed to help youth development story
ideas, cinematic theory and post production.
CLASS DESCRIPTION
Instruction, theory and practice in the basic technique of film production.
*Acquire the basic craft, theory and practice of filmmaking.
*Explore methods of analyzing and evaluating films and screenplays in order
to participate in class discussion.
*Increase skills and techniques needed to handle the administrative and management
side of filmmaking.
*Learn protocols of working with other people while making films
*Learn how to integrate expression of verbal, written and film communication
For more info please contact:
Juan Bonilla 415-453-8645 <mailto:Visionarypictures@yahoo.com>
Victor Ballesteros 415-338-3417 <mailto:copernicanfilms@aol.com>
Alex Alvarez 415.378-6279 <mailto:Alexxx2339@hotmail.com>
******************************************************
15. Theater of the Oppressed Workshop Series
Theater of the Oppressed
(TO) is a collection of over 600 games developed by Augusto Boal to help people
confront both internal and external forms of oppression. It uses movement, storytelling,
and improvisation to explore how images of personal experience reflect universal
issues of power and liberation.
Theater of the oppressed was founded in the 1970s in Brazil as a way of empowering people to draw on their personal experience to make political change. This class offers an energizing set of skills for activists, teachers, leaders and artists working for social change.
Workshop details:
3 Sundays, January 25 -- February 8
(with an option for continuing...)
5:30 -- 9:30 p.m.
First Congregational Church, Oakland
2501 Harrison Street at 27th
Sliding scale $30 -- $60
To register, call Rebecca Schultz: 415 285-5087
To reserve a space, register by January 20
******************************************************
16. Know your rights about the new federal education legislation!
Q: How does the Vitter Amendment to No Child Left Behind legislation affect
queer youth?
A: Because the Vitter Amendment forces schools to release students' names and
allow military recruitment on school grounds, or lose their federal funding,
despite the military's, don't ask, don't tell policy against LGBTQ people. Although
Representative David Vitter (R-Louisiana) is back in the news again, as one
of the co-sponsors of the Federal Marriage Amendment, a lesser known injustice
he did against LGBTQ folks is enshrined in the Vitter Amendment to No Child
Left Behind.
Among the provision of the Amendment is that secondary school administrators
receiving federal funding are required to release the names and personal information
of juniors and seniors to military recruiters, and allow recruitment activities
on school grounds, or risk losing their federal funding. We all want schools
that support LGBTQ youth, and the values that are as important to them as to
every youth. However, through the Vitter Amendment, even schools with anti-discrimination
policies (some of who actively opposed military recruitment for this and other
reasons) are being forced to hand over private student information to military
recruiters, despite the military's
don't ask, don't tell policy.
For more information, contact http://www.afsc.org/youthmil/
Would you or other LGBTQ youth like to know more about how you can participate
in the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition's upcoming activities on civil
liberties, Patriot Acts 1 and II, and other issues on March 4, 2004? Contact
mailto:nyac@nyacyouth.org for more information.
*********************************************
17. NEWS: Black supporters of gays ignored
Something's been wrong with the picture of gay America: It's been way too white
for way too long. That distorted image has had damaging consequences: Seeing
so many white faces accompanying gay stories, many heterosexual African-Americans
understandably equate being gay with being white. Sensing discomfort and disapproval
in their families and churches, many black gay men and lesbians stay closeted,
both from those they love dearly and the media. Meanwhile, mostly white right-wing
groups have effectively showcased well-known African-Americans who oppose gay
equality.
The result of all this?
Americans are much more likely to know that Colin Powell opposed allowing gays to serve openly in the military than to know that supporters of gay marriage include such prominent African-Americans as Coretta Scott King, Congressman John Lewis, former Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders, actress Whoppi Goldberg, Democratic presidential hopefuls Al Sharpton and Carol Moseley Braun, and the Rev. William Sinkford, president of the Unitarian Universalist denomination. And probably few heterosexuals of any race realize the key role that gay African-Americans are playing in the legal struggle for equal rights for those of us who're gay. Last summer, when the Supreme Court handed gay Americans our biggest victory ever, African-American Tyron Garner and his white partner made history for successfully challenging their arrest for private, romantic intimacy. And as the recent Massachusetts ruling that marriage licenses must be given to gay couples beginning next May demonstrated, black gays are central to the drive to allow gay couples to marry in this country. That ruling grew out of a suit filed by seven couples, two of them black-white unions.
Yet the fact that gay America is every color rarely gets broadcast. "When
99 percent of the time the image they see about gay rights is a white face,
black heterosexuals will go, 'It is not a black issue.' Yet we who are black
and gay know just how important being able to marry is to our relationships,"
says North Carolina activist Mandy Carter.
Now, valiantly countering the effort to drum up support in the black community
to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriages, a black gay group is working
to improve the picture. The new National Black Justice Coalition plans to seek
allies in black churches, reach out through the black media and talk at leading
black conferences to stress how such a ban would hurt black same-sex families.
(Contact: http://hometown.aol.com/nbjcoalition/)
"When we talk about marriage equality as a civil rights issue, the African-American
community can be an ally," says gay African-American Keith Boykin, a former
aide to President Clinton and with Carter is a founder of the Justice Coalition.
"It's a question of framing the issue." Polling illustrates the coalition's
uphill road: Blacks are more likely than whites to think sexual orientation
"can be changed" (58 percent versus 39 percent in a Pew Research Center
poll in November) and to think gay sex should be illegal (64 versus 48 percent
in a December New York Times poll). On gay marriage, survey results are mixed,
with Pew finding 60 percent of both blacks and whites opposed, but the Times
reporting much more black opposition (75 versus 59 percent).
Gary Daffin, co-chair of a leading Massachusetts gay group, says persuading
fellow black gays to be out in the black community is central to changing hearts.
"Gay and lesbian people of color have to show the courage that our ancestors
showed in fighting racism and segregation," Daffin says. "What changed
history was people saying, 'We are going to put our lives on the line because
we don't want our children to live like this.' We don't want the next generation
of black gay kids to have to hide."
******************************************************
18. NEWS: Assembly Bill to limit student HIV & Sex Education Fails in Committee
SACRAMENTO - Assembly Bill 950, which could have resulted in thousands of students failing to receive education about sexual health and HIV prevention, died in the Assembly Education Committee yesterday. Equality California, the statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights advocacy organization, testified in opposition to the bill, which was authored by Assemblymember Ray Haynes (R-Murietta). Haynes, along with state Senator Pete Knight, filed a proposed referendum to repeal AB 205, the Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act of 2003, but failed to gather enough signatures to put that referendum on the ballot. "Just three days into the new year's session, legislators on the right are already trying to undo legislation that passed in 2003," noted Geoffrey Kors, EQCA Executive Director. "Haynes' bill was an attempt to roll back Senator Sheila Kuehl's bill, Senate Bill 71, which ensured that students would consistently receive critical and accurate instruction about sexual health and HIV prevention. This effort is part of ongoing attempts by the right to prevent youth from fully understanding the consequences of unprotected sexual activity."
The California Comprehensive Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Prevention Act (S.B.
71), signed into law last year, protects children's health and their parents'
rights by eliminating confusing contradictions in previous law. A.B. 950 would
have undermined the very purpose of S.B. 71 by restricting the information students
can receive about protecting themselves from HIV and sexually-transmitted diseases.
Haynes' bill also would have added parental opt-in requirements for sexual health
education, increasing the burden on schools to obtain affirmative, written approval
from all parents before students could receive potentially life-saving information
about healthy sexuality.
"This legislation was one small piece of the right wing agenda to dismantle
the hard-won gains of the LGBT civil rights movement in California," Kors
said. "EQCA fought the proposed ballot referendum against the Domestic
Partners Act, we are fighting lawsuits by the right against that same Act, and
we will continue to fight legislation like A.B. 950 that denigrates LGBT Californians
and attempts to undo our efforts to create a safer and more just society for
all Californians and our children." A.B. 950 was actively supported by
the Traditional Values Coalition and the Campaign for California Families, organizations
that advocate in favor of discrimination against LGBT people and that work to
codify their religious beliefs into law.
Founded in 1998, Equality California (formerly CAPE) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots-based, statewide advocacy organization whose mission is to ensure the dignity, safety, equality and civil rights of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Californians. Equality California is one of the largest and fastest growing statewide LGBT organizations in the country. We can be contacted through our website at www.eqca.org.
In this issue of GSA Network News, you'll find:
GSA Network Highlight
First-Ever GSAs Established In Kern County
GSA Network Announcements
1. Register Online for OHMY Conference (Bay Area)
2. Register Online for Expression Not Suppression Conference (Central Valley)
3. Upcoming GSA Leadership Trainings
4. GSA-led School Climate Surveys Available
5. Palm Springs/Palm Desert GSA Social
6. Central California GSA Network Afternoon At The Theatre (Fresno)
Other Announcements
7. Facilitators Needed for GSA Coalition Group (Mid-Peninsula)
8. Queer Movie Night! (Santa Monica)
9. Screening of "Let's Get Real" (San Mateo County)
10. LYRIC Announcements including OHMY dance information
11. AQUA's first drop-in of 2004!
12. Bike Out Overnight
13. Queer Country Swing with live band! (Bay Area)
14. A Woman's Word (Bay Area)
15. Nominate Grand Marshals for the SF Pride Celebration
16. Document Police Abuse and Misconduct Affecting LGBT communities
17. SCHOLARSHIPS: Models of Excellence Scholarship
18. JOBS: Trainer/Health Educator
19. NEWS: Transgender Students Will be Protected in Denver Public Schools
+++++++++++++++ GSA NETWORK HIGHLIGHT +++++++++++++++
First-Ever GSAs Established In Kern County
Determined students at both Bakersfield High School and West High School in Bakersfield have succeeded in their efforts to start GSAs on their campuses. They are the first GSAs in the county. The formation of the clubs drew the attention of local media and and the harsh criticism of some parents. But, Anni Telfer, club co-founder and senior at Bakersfield High says that her principal is supportive and that there has been little protest against the club from her peers. As Anni says "Our biggest challenge as a club will be to get the parents to allow their own daughters and sons to go to our club meetings. The parents are more resistant than the kids."
Tim Lafond, a senior at West High School, came out to one of his teachers last year and shortly thereafter decided to start a GSA. He e-mailed teachers throughout the summer in search of an advisor and by the fall, had everything in place to start the club. The first meeting of the West High School GSA was held in November. "Already on campus, LGBT students feel better and are relieved to have a club. There was standing room only at our last meeting," says Tim. The GSA has already been responsible for bringing 58 panels of the AIDS Quilt to their school and is planning to include a focus on LGBT issues in a school-wide anti-discrimination rally.
Congratulations to the student founders and all GSA members at West HS and
Bakersfield HS!
You can read a news story about the GSAs in Bakersfield that ran in the Bakersfield
Californian at:
http://www.bakersfield.com/local/story/4458488p-4491726c.html
+++++++++++++ GSA NETWORK ANNOUNCEMENTS +++++++++++++
*********************************************
1. Register Online for the OHMY Conference (Bay Area)
The weeks are winding down! Register online for the OHMY Conference. http://www.gsanetwork.org/ohmy
OHMY will take place on February 14th from 9AM-5PM at Horace Mann Middle School--3351
23rd St.
For more information:
415.703.6150 x28 (LYRIC)
http://www.gsanetwork.org/ohmy
mailto:ohmy@gsanetwork.org
*********************************************
2. Register Online for the Expression Not Suppression Conference (Central Valley)
Register online for the Expression Not Suppression Conference.
Expression Not Suppression will take place on Saturday, March 20 at Pace Academy
at Manchester Mall in Fresno.
Expression Not Suppression is a conference for LGBTQ and straight ally youth
ages 14-23 and it's FREE!!
On-site registration is at noon; Conference begins at 1pm. Dance concludes at 10pm. Dinner is provided along with workshops, networking, drag show, and dance.
For more information:
(559)453-9040
http://www.gsanetwork.org/fresno-reg.html
mailto:diana@gsanetwork.org
*********************************************
3. Upcoming GSA Leadership Trainings
West Contra Costa GSA Leadership Training
When: This Saturday, January 24, 10am - 4pm (Breakfast and lunch provided.)
Where: Coronado YMCA (Conference Room), 263 S. 20th Street, Richmond, CA 94804
Youth from Contra Costa County get PAID if you attend!
Co-sponsor: Youth Together, GLSEN/SF-EB, and QYAT
Questions? Contact Stephanie Cho at:
mailto:stephanie@gsanetwork.org
or call 415-552-4229.
Los Angeles/Long Beach GSA Leadership Training
When: Saturday, January 31, 10am - 4pm (Breakfast and lunch provided.)
Where: UCLA LGBT Campus Resource Center, 220 Westwood Plaza, Suite B36, Los
Angeles
Cost: FREE
Co-sponsors: UCLA LGBT Campus Resource Center
RSVP: Stephanie Cho: mailto:stephanie@gsanetwork.org
or 415.552.4229
Los Angeles GSA Leadership Training
When: Saturday, February 21, 10am - 4pm (Breakfast and lunch provided.)
Where: LA Gay and Lesbian Center, Village at Ed Gould Plaza, 1125 N. McCadden
Place, Hollywood (one block East of Highland, just North of Santa Monica)
Cost: FREE
Co-sponsors: LA Gay & Lesbian Center Family Services Program
RSVP: Stephanie Cho: mailto:stephanie@gsanetwork.org
or 415.552.4229
Arielle Rosen: mailto:arosen@laglc.org
or 323.860.7397
*********************************************
4. GSA-led School Climate Surveys Available
** Do you want to get data about slurs at your school?
** Does your GSA want to be able to prove to school administrators and teachers
that slurs are a common problem?
** Do you want to make your school climate safer for LGBT youth and those perceived
to be?
Then, you'll want to get a copy of the Make It Real Evaluation Kit! Email our Program Director, Stephanie Cho, at mailto:stephanie@gsanetwork.org to get your copy.
The Make It Real Evaluation Kit includes a school climate survey that you can distribute to classes at your school, plus tips on how to get the survey approved. There are two versions of the survey - one that asks for students to identify their sexual orientation and one that doesn't. Once you conduct the survey, send GSA Network the original surveys and we'll do all the data entry for you. We'll run reports for you and send you back all the info you need about your results.
How can you use the results?
- make a presentation to the school board about slurs and the school climate
- show your administration the results and make your demands for change
- educate teachers about how you need them to intervene when slurs are used
- publish the data in your school newspaper
Use the data to send a loud and clear message to your school that name-calling is pervasive problem that school administrators and teachers need to do a better job addressing!
*********************************************
5. Palm Springs/Palm Desert GSA Social
Wanna network with other GSAs in your area?
Wanna improve your GSAs?
Wanna get new ideas and expand your activism in your GSA?
Date: Wednesday, Jan 28th, 2004
Time: 6pm-8pm
Food: Yes & its FREE
Place: Gay Associated Youth Center
call 760.776.1744 or mailto:PSGAYCenter@aol.com
to get directions!
*RSVP*
Angela @ mailto:PSGAYCenter@aol.com
or
Stephanie @ mailto:stephanie@gsanetwork.org
*********************************************
6. Central California GSA Network Afternoon At The Theatre
Calling All Central Cali GSAs! On Sunday, January 25th, GSA Network activists are invited to the 2pm matinee of the powerful play by Lillian Hellman, "The Children's Hour". The play is being performed at Roosevelt High School and was controversial from its debut in 1934.
"The Children's Hour" is set at a school for girls which is run by two women. The play unfolds around an unfounded rumor started by a malicious student that the two women have exhibited "inappropriate affection" for each other.
GSA Network has reserved a private room for conversation and free refreshments during intermission. We will also be staffing a literature table at the event.
Tickets are $4 each and are available through Diana. mailto:Diana@gsanetwork.org or (559) 453-9040
++++++++++++++++ OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS ++++++++++++++++
GSA Network News is a publication of Gay-Straight Alliance Network.
Events, resources, and news items listed under "Other Announcements"
are not sponsored or written by GSA Network, and do not necessarily reflect
the views and opinions of GSA Network.
*********************************************
7. Facilitators Needed for GSA Coalition Group (Mid-Peninsula)
The Outlet Program is starting a GSA Coalition Group for the Mid-Peninsula in Mountain View. This group will provide a place for gay and straight allies from different schools all over the area to come together. Meetings will be held in the evenings from 6-8pm. The day and location to be announced. The purpose of the group is to plan events, support school GSA's, share ideas, and create a stronger presence in the community.
*2 Volunteer Positions
*Open to all genders and sexual orientationsRESPONSIBILITIES:
* Complete training
* Co-facilitate bi-weekly Gay Straight Alliance Coalition meetings
* Check in bi-weekly with Program Coordinator
* 1 year commitment, 3-4 hours for each meeting
* Occasionally attend special events.
QUALIFICATIONS:
* Experience with community group organizing and facilitation.
* Ability to relate to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning
youth.
* Knowledgeable and passionate about issues facing LGBTQQ youth.
* Extremely organized, committed, responsible, and reliable.
* Bilingual Spanish speaker preferred.
To apply, contact the Program Coordinator:
Eileen Ross at 650-965-2020 ext. 22, or eross@chacmv.org <mailto:eross@chacmv.org>.
If interested please respond by Friday, January 30th.
*********************************************
8. Queer Movie Night! (Santa Monica)
As part of the queer film series at Crossroads, sponsored by FLAG (our gay/straight alliance), we will be having our next movie screening on Thursday, January 22nd, from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. We invite you to join us!
This time we'll be showing Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin, a great new documentary (and gay audience favorite) about the civil rights leader who was a mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr., and who organized the famous March on Washington. How come you've never heard of him? We'll give you one big queer guess. . .!
All students and faculty from Gay/Straight alliances and their friends are welcome. It's a great way to meet new friends, or see old ones. The movie is free and free pizza and drinks will be provided! But please e-mail us and let us know if you might come, so we have an idea of how much pizza to get. You can reach us at mailto:flag@xrds.org
Directions:
Crossroads is at 1714 21st St. in Santa Monica, at the corner of 21st St. and
Olympic Blvd.
The room we're screening the film in is Roth Hall.
Here's what you do--when you turn onto 21st from Olympic, take an immediate
right onto a driveway-looking street and find a place to park. You'll see our
"quad" which looks like a parking lot or an alley, and which we call
(of course) the alley. Roth Hall is on 21st St, right next to our Upper School
Administration building.
*********************************************
9. Screening of Let's Get Real (San Mateo County)
Assemblymember and Gene Mullin and San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools John Mehl are proud to invite you to a screening of Let's Get Real!
Tuesday, February 10th, 2004
San Mateo Performing Arts Center
600 North Delaware
San Mateo
6:30pm: Doors Open
7:00pm: Screening and Filmmaker's Remarks
Free Parking
This 35 minute documentary showcases a number of 6th-8th grade students who
offer an unflinching look at the bullying and name-calling that goes on at their
schools. Available with the film is a comprehensive curriculum guide that would
work well in any school where safety, name-calling, bullying and harassment
are a concern. It would enrich any school health curriculum and help districts
stay in compliance with AB 537, The Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act.
The screening is free of charge as is the follow-up staff development at the
SMCOE (using the film and the curriculum in the classroom) courtesy of the Respect
for All Project. It's a win win situation.
*****************************************************
10. LYRIC Announcements
LYRIC's Young Women's Program presents
QUEER GIRL HEALTH SERIES
WHO: Open to all LBTQQ young women ages 23 and under.
WHAT: FREE Health Class specifically for young LBTQQ women. Learn about our
bodies, sexual communication, self-healing, holistic health, going to the
doctor, exploring our identities, ejaculation, sexual health, relationships,
body image, and more!!!
WHEN: Tuesdays, 6-8pm, February 2, 2004 - March 29, 2004
WHERE: Youth Space at the SF-LGBT Center, 1800 Market Street (at Octavia)
SPACE IS LIMITED! SIGN UP NOW!
The SF-LGBT Center is accessible.
To speak to another young person, call 800-264-PRIDE.FREE CREATIVE WORKSHOP
Monday, January 26th, 5pm-7pm: Intro to Mural Making
**We provide all of the supplies, just be show up and create!**
workshops at LYRIC--127 Collingswood St. bet 18th and 19th near Castro.
For more information about the above opportunities, please call or email Kristin at 415-703-6150 x12 or mailto:kristin@lyric.org.
Wanna Help plan a Dance? Cuz we want you!
LYRIC's next dance will be held on February 14th, 2004 and we need people to
help us plan it out! We're working on themes and decorations! The discussion
continues on Monday Jan. 26th at the ASP Program.
Where - LYRIC House, 127 Collingwood Ave.
When - 4pm, Monday January. 26th
Why - to get your thoughts and opinions out there! and besides, haven't you
always wanted to plan a dance....?
We need people to help hand out fliers, post cards and posters for this event, and we're looking for people who want to perform!
LYRIC and OHMY present - APHRODISIAC, a dance event
What better place to go with your sweetie or to go to meet that special someone
than Aphrodisiac, the LYRIC dance of the season! After learning and growing
all day, relax and dance the night away at this year's OHMY after-party // Valentine's
Day Dance...
What: Aphrodisiac -- the official OHMY after-party.
Where: SF Boys and Girls Club, 450 Guerrero St.
Who: any LGBTQQ or allied youth 23-under, 25 & under trans-identified
When: Saturday, February 14th, from 8-12 midnight
This is a clean and sober event. No hats or gum will be allowed in the building.
Sign up now to perform - here's your American Idol moment... poetry, performance
and dances strongly encouraged Sign on up!
We will also need people to help hand out fliers, post cards and posters for
this event... help make this dance the best one EVER!
For information about the above events, please swing on by or call Rob at 415.703.6150, ext. 20 or mailto:rob@lyric.org, or the Youth Talkline at 1.800.246.PRIDE for more info!
******************************************************
11. AQUA's first drop-in of 2004! (Bay Area)
When? Wednesday, January 28th, 2004 from 6-8pm
Where? Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center--730 Polk Street (between
Eddy and Ellis), 4th Floor
What? Hang Out, Eat Some Food, Meet New People, and Celebrate the Lunar New
Year
AQUA (Asian Pacific Islander, Queer and Questioning, Under 25, All Together) is a group for and run by young queer (lesbian, gay, bi and trans) and questioning Asians, Pacific Islanders and HAPAS
For more information, please contact Sabrina Wu, AQUA's Program Coordinator at 415.292.3420 or mailto:sabrina@apiwellness.org
back to top
******************************************************
12. Bike Out Overnight
Calling all youth ages 23 and under! Bike Out will be holding an overnight
bike trip in Sycamore Canyon February 7-8, 2004. This trip is now open to all
youth. Learn how to mountain bike on some of southern california's best beginner
trails! Roast marshmallows over an open fire and converse with your peers on
topics such as coming out, LGBT discrimination, HIV/AIDS awareness and much
more! Fall asleep to the wild sounds of coyotes howling underneath the full
moon! All bikes, gear and food provided.
Bike Out's mission is to promote physical health and self-esteem in lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender youth and their straight supporters through challenging
mountain biking expeditions. Are tours are open to all youth ages 14-23. The
only requirement is that you know how to ride a bike! Small sliding scale fees
apply.
To sign up, please contact:
Becca at (310) 453-5040 or <mailto:becca@bikeout.org>.
Leave a message with your name, address, telephone number and email (if you
have it) and we will send you an informational packet right away.
For more information on Bike Out, visit <http://www.bikeout.org>
or call (310) 453-5040.
P.S. Don't forget Bike Out's Spring Break Catalina Island Expedition is coming
up! Save the dates, April 5-8, 2004.
******************************************************
13. Queer Country Swing with live band! (Bay Area)
International Queer Dance Week in SF!
Feb. 27 to March 6
International Dancers from around the world dance with you in SF!
Beginning lessons, Parties, Shows Competitions and dancing in local venues from
SF to Sacramento all week long!
Visit http://www.SFQueerDanceCampExchange.com
or call 415-305-8242
On Wednesdays we have:
Queer Swing and Ballroom Dance Classes includes social Latin Dances
Month long!-Starting first Wednesday every month!
All beginning, no partner or experience needed 4 week programs!
7pm beginning Lindy
8pm beginning social dance class different every monthAnd almost every other
Saturday we have a recurring party:
Queer Ballroom and Swing Parties!
2nd and Last (4th or 5th) Saturday every month
Beginning lessons with no partner or experience needed!
7pm and 8pm lessons check website for which dance being taught!
9 to midnight party with many DJ's and sometimes live bands and performers!
Queer Ballroom 2nd Saturday every month-Locations vary check online whether
at Synergy 1387 Valencia or LGBT Center-Check online!
Queer Swing Last (4th or 5th) Saturday every month at the LGBT Center; 1800
Market.
For more info:
Call 415-305-8242 or
visit http://www.queerballroom.com/
or http://www.queerjitterbugs.com/
******************************************************
14. A Woman's Word (Bay Area)
MONDAYS 4-6pm (January 26 through March 29)
@ Youth Speaks
2169 Folsom Suite 100
San Francisco (between 17th & 18th)
Facilitator: Aimee Suzara
A Woman's Word
An exploration, through the written and spoken word, of issues affecting young
women today, including race, gender, sexuality, culture, mass media, and identity.
It will be a space for reflection, dialogue, and crafting your voice. We'll
talk & write about mothers, sisters, warriors, Barbie dolls, pregnancy,
sex, sexism, love, and/or whatever you want to bring to the
table. This is your space, so bring your pens, your stories, and an open mind!
In celebration of International Women's Day and Month, the class will participate
in a special reading on Monday, March 8.
Facilitator's Bio:
Aimee is a 28-year-old environmental and social justice activist, poet &
writer working at Youth Speaks as the Arts in Education Associate, overseeing
Youth Speaks' Chapter O.N.E. (Oral Narrative Experience) workshops in high schools
throughout the Bay Area. Over the past year and a half, she has been working
with Youth Speaks as a creative writing mentor. She is also a rape crisis counselor
and staff member at San Francisco Women Against Rape, a performing member of
multi-ethnic, multi-arts revolutionary women's group Dancers Without Borders,
and a founding member of EJ organization Filipino/American Coalition for Environmental
Solutions (FACES). Over the past four years, she has been sharing workshops,
organizing, and performing poetry at various anti-war, environmental justice,
Filipino-American and other community events. She graduated from UC Berkeley
with studies in Religious Studies, Women's Studies and Creative Writing, where
she studied under poets/scholars Ishmael Reed and Thom Gunn; she has also studied
creative writing through Voices of Our Nations underaccomplished writer-educators
Elmaz Abinader, Quincy Troupe and Saul Williams.
For more information, please contact:
Aimee Suzara
Arts in Education Associate, Youth Speaks
415-255-9035 x16
mailto:aimee@youthspeaks.org
or visit: http://www.youthspeaks.org
back to top
******************************************************
15. Nominate Grand Marshals for the SF Pride Celebration
*Out 4 Justice Comes Out Of The Blocks*
Nominations are now officially open for the Community Grand Marshals of this
year's San Francisco Pride Parade. With this yearís theme, OUT 4 JUSTICE,
and an impending presidential election, the ground is fertile with potential
candidates.
SF Pride President, Joey Cain, said:
"From labor, health and pro-choice activists to peace, sexual liberation
and human rights workers, the LGBT community has produced leaders for many justice
movements. This year's theme gives us a chance to recognize and honor those
members of our community who work for social and economic justice in the greater
human community."
Members of the public may make nominations in the categories for the organization Grand Marshal, individual Community Grand Marshal and the Pink Brick, an anti-award symbolizing the first brick thrown at the Stonewall Riots in New York. The Pride Committee chooses the grand marshals in the Celebrity category, but all nominations are welcome.
Members of the public are encouraged to mail, fax and submit their nominations
via the committee's website (details below) by January 31, 2004 -- the closing
date for nominations. To be valid, nominations must include a brief biography
of the nominee and contact details for the nominee. Nominations can be made
on-line at: http://www.sfpride.org/yourvoice/gmvote.htm
or mailed to:
Grand Marshal Nominations
PMB 421 1230 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
fax (415) 864-5889.
The event is to be held over the weekend of June 28/29. For more information about the history of San Francisco Pride, please visit our website at: http://www.sfpride.org/heritage/index.htm.
******************************************************
16. Document Police Abuse and Misconduct Affecting LGBT communities
Dear Stop Police Abuse members:
Re: Request for assistance/participation in documentation of police misconduct
and brutality against LGBT communities
Amnesty International is an international human rights organization that undertakes research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of human rights, including the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination. Amnesty's work in the United States has focused on human rights abuses by police, correctional institutions, and the criminal justice system, and these issues remain a priority for the organization. Amnesty also has a strong track record of documenting and addressing human rights abuses based on sexual orientation and gender identity and/or expression.
As part of its ongoing work on both policing issues and on human rights violations based on sexual orientation in the United States, Amnesty International, USA (AIUSA) has recently launched a research project aimed at more comprehensively documenting police misconduct and brutality against LGBT communities. We are attempting to document and understand police misconduct over a broad spectrum, ranging from non-response to inappropriate responses, through verbal abuse to physical and sexual abuse.
The end result will be a research report providing a national overview of police misconduct against LGBT individuals, describing the trends and issues identified through interviews, surveys and media research, and citing specific examples from across the nation. The report will also contain more detailed analysis of four cities -- New York, LA, Chicago and San Antonio -- providing in-depth coverage of local issues and individual cases, as well as of the specific practices, procedures and policies followed by police departments as they affect LGBT communities.
Preliminary research shows that, as in the broader community, LGBT individuals'
experiences of policing differ along race, gender, and class lines, and specific
groups within the LGBT community are disproportionately affected by police misconduct
and brutality. LGBT communities at the intersection of identities, such as LGBT
people of color, LGBT youth, lesbians and bisexual women are particularly vulnerable
to police abuse. Additionally, transgender people and LGBT sex trade workers
are at greater risk of being targeted by police and treated inappropriately
and abusively while in police custody. AIUSA seeks to document and reflect this
critical diversity of experiences of police misconduct within LGBT communities
in its research and final report.
When conducting research projects such as this one, Amnesty International not
only analyzes statistics, legislation, and media reports, but also places significant
emphasis on individuals' accounts of their personal experiences. AIUSA is therefore
reaching out to individuals and organizations who may be able and willing to
share their experiences and/or expertise in this area. In some instances we
may also be able to act on behalf of individuals, for example by asking members
to send letters on their behalf. Any information provided to us by individuals
will be treated in the strictest confidence. All organizations who participate
in this project will be clearly credited in the final report. We would also
appreciate your input in designing and implementing campaign activities publicizing
and building on the report, many of which we hope will be collaborative efforts.
We would very much like to hear from you - whether it's about your own experience or someone else's, or to discuss trends you have observed in policing issues in general.
Please contact us by email at mailto:tchriste@aiusa.org or mailto:aritchie@aiusa.org, or by phone: 212.633.4277. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information or if you have any questions. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
Sincerely,
Trine Christensen, Andrea Ritchie, Remy Kharbanda
Research Department
Amnesty International USA
******************************************************
17. SCHOLARSHIPS: Models of Excellence Scholarship
Applications are now available to seniors graduating from any California school and who are going onto higher education. Students must demonstrate a commitment to LGBT civil rights issues. This scholarship is sponsored by Friends of Project 10 Inc.
The application deadline is April 12, 2004.
Contact Friends of Project 10 Inc. for more information and for an application
at
(626) 577-4553 or mailto:project10@hotmail.com.
******************************************************
18. JOBS: Trainer/Health Educator
Reports to: Training Department Manager
Salary: 1.0 FTE (40 hours/week); $35,000/year plus benefits
Start date: 3/15/2004; negotiable
Application deadline: 1/26/2004
Para esta posición, es mandatorio hablar español e inglés.
About HIFY
HIFY's mission is to improve the health and well-being of young people through
education, advocacy and leadership opportunities. We believe in providing complete,
accurate health information to young people and supporting them in making their
own decisions. Our work is grounded in harm reduction, positive sexuality, youth
development and anti-oppression principles. HIFY does not require specific degrees
for its positions. Experience requirements can be met through educational, professional
or life experience.
Position Summary
Under the general supervision of the Training Department Manager, the Trainer/Health
Educator's primary responsibility will be facilitating trainings for adult providers
who work with youth. She or he will also develop curricula and ensure evaluation
of the trainings. The Trainer/Health Educator will also occasionally facilitate
workshops for youth. Some of these workshops will be in Spanish.
Job Duties
* Conduct trainings on a variety of topics (HIV, Positive Sexuality, Working
with LGBTQIQ Youth, Substance Use, Youth Development) for adult providers who
work with youth in settings such as schools, community centers, transitional
shelters, and treatment programs.
* Conduct trainings on the above topics with peer educators; develop annual
peer educator retreat.
* Develop and update new curricula as needed.
* Present health workshops , on topics such as substance use, HIV, STDs, safer
sex, self-advocacy, body image, and self-esteem, to a variety of youth in settings
such as high schools, transitional living facilities, afterschool programs,
treatment centers, and jails.
* Present health workshops to youth in Spanish and English.
* Ensure collection, entry and analysis of evaluation data from participants
and provide periodic summary reports for grants and evaluation.
* Participate in relevant community collaborations and respond to requests for
information from community members and peers.
* Contribute articles and information to publications and printed materials.
* Participate on HIFY project teams related to new agency initiatives.
* Other duties as they relate to HIFY's mission.
Qualifications
Candidates Must:
* Be fluent in Spanish and English and be able to present in both languages.
* Have two years experience in adult education, health, working with youth,
and/or related field.
* Feel comfortable and excited about working with diverse groups of youth and
adults.
* Embrace HIFY's mission and the services we provide.
* Be able to work in a small, close-knit team environment.
How To Apply
Send cover letter and resume to:
HIFY, Attention: Hiring Committee for Trainer/Health Educator Position
235 Montgomery St., Suite 430, SF, CA 94104
Fax: 415-274-1976;
Email: mailto:receptionist@hify.org
No phone calls please.
Application deadline: 1/26/2004
Health Initiatives for Youth is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage people of color, youth, men and LGBTQIQ people to apply.
******************************************************
19. NEWS: Transgender Students Will be Protected in Denver Public Schools
January 10, 2004 - For the first time ever, the Denver Public School System (DPS) has said that transgender and gender non-conforming students will be protected under policies unanimously adopted by the school board at its recent meeting. The board voted to add the term "gender identity" to the list of those students afforded protection under the policy that describes "Equal Educational Opportunities" for students.
The amended policy reads as follows; "All students within this school district regardless of race, color, religion, sex, marital status, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity shall be entitled to the benefits of a good education. To secure such benefits, the needs and aspirations of all students shall be considered." "We made a promise four years ago to get this done, and now we've finally fulfilled that promise," said Keith Lucero of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Education Advisory Council.
"I grew up in a Denver suburb and by middle school I was harassed and physically attacked, sometimes as a daily event. When I asked for help, adults told me it was my fault for these attacks because I didn't "act normal." I did not know any other way to act," said Zia Klamm, LGBTEAC member and community activist. "By adding gender identity to the school policy, my hope is that other kids will not have to go through the kind of harassment that I experienced."
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Education Advisory Council (LGBTEAC), has worked with advisors to DPS as well as lawyers from the Colorado Legal initiatives Project (CLIP), for the past two years to develop policies and protections for those students whose gender expression is not traditional. The adoption of these policies affirms that the Denver Public School System is committed to fair and equal educational opportunities for all its students.
The mission and goals of LGBTEAC contribute to district aims to improve student achievement. The work of LGBTEAC helps to provide the safe nurturing environment, which all students need in order to learn and thrive.
In this issue of GSA Network News, you'll find:
GSA Network Highlight
New GSA: California School for the Deaf
GSA Network Announcements
1. Register Online for OHMY Conference (Bay Area)
2. Register Online for Expression Not Suppression Conference (Central Valley)
3. Upcoming GSA Leadership Trainings (LA)
4. GSA Network Endorses Day of Silence (DOS)! Register your GSA for DOS by 1/31/04!
5. Central California Youth Council Special Meeting--Saturday January 31st
Other Announcements
6. Sacramento GSA Leadership Committee Meeting
7. Screening of "Let's Get Real" (San Mateo County)
8. MTV Looking for Youth
9. The Yuri Kochiyama Leadership Institute (San Francisco)
10. New Fundraising Training for Communities of Color (Bay Area)
11. CUAV Crisis Line Volunteer Training (San Francisco)
12. NEWS: Classroom Incidents Involving Educators Fuel Action In Fremont
+++++++++++++++ GSA NETWORK HIGHLIGHT +++++++++++++++
New GSA: California School for the Deaf
Students, teachers and counselors worked together to form the GSA at the California
School for the Deaf in Fremont. This is the first school for deaf students in
California to have an active GSA. With the full support of faculty and administration,
the GSA club has begun to meet and is ready to take on projects for the year.
GSA Network would like to congratulate and welcome this GSA to the network!
We wish them amazing activism and good luck in the New Year.
+++++++++++++ GSA NETWORK ANNOUNCEMENTS +++++++++++++
*********************************************
1. Register Online for the OHMY Conference (Bay Area)
The weeks are winding down! Register online for the OHMY Conference. OHMY will take place on February 14th from 9AM-5PM at Horace Mann Middle School--3351 23rd St.
For more information:
415.703.6150 x28 (LYRIC)
http://www.gsanetwork.org/ohmy
mailto:ohmy@gsanetwork.org
*********************************************
2. Register Online for the Expression Not Suppression Conference (Central Valley)
Register online for the Expression Not Suppression Conference.
Expression Not Suppression will take place on Saturday, March 20 at Pace Academy at Manchester Mall in Fresno. Expression Not Suppression is a conference for LGBTQ and straight ally youth ages 14-23 and it's FREE!!
On-site registration is at noon; Conference begins at 1pm. Dance concludes at 10pm. Dinner is provided along with workshops, networking, drag show, and dance.
For more information:
(559)453-9040
http://www.gsanetwork.org/fresno-reg.html
mailto:diana@gsanetwork.org
*********************************************
3. Upcoming GSA Leadership Trainings (LA)
Los Angeles/Long Beach GSA Leadership Training
When: Saturday, January 31, 10am - 4pm (Breakfast and lunch provided.)
Where: UCLA LGBT Campus Resource Center, 220 Westwood Plaza, Suite B36, Los
Angeles
Cost: FREE
Co-sponsors: UCLA LGBT Campus Resource Center
RSVP: Stephanie Cho: mailto:stephanie@gsanetwork.org or 415.552.4229
Los Angeles GSA Leadership Training
When: Saturday, February 21, 10am - 4pm (Breakfast and lunch provided.)
Where: LA Gay and Lesbian Center, Village at Ed Gould Plaza, 1125 N. McCadden
Place, Hollywood (one block East of Highland, just North of Santa Monica)
Cost: FREE
Co-sponsors: LA Gay & Lesbian Center Family Services Program
RSVP: Stephanie Cho: mailto:stephanie@gsanetwork.org
or 415.552.4229
Arielle Rosen: mailto:arosen@laglc.org
or 323.860.7397
*********************************************
4. GSA Network Endorses Day of Silence (DOS)! Register your GSA for DOS by 1/31/04!
GSA Network is proud to endorse the Day of Silence in 2004! To check out GSA Network's resources about the Day of Silence, visit: http://www.gsanetwork.org/resources/dos.html
Are you interested in creating safe schools for all students? If so, you should register and participate in the Day of Silence on April 21, 2004 at your school!
The Day of Silence, a project of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) in collaboration with the United States Student Association (USSA), is a student-led day of action where those who support making anti-LGBT bias unacceptable in schools take a day-long vow of silence to recognize and protest the discrimination and harassment -- in effect, the silencing -- experienced by LGBT students and their allies.
You can register yourself or your student club's, commonly known as a gay-straight
alliance (GSA) or other similar club, participation -- which shows the strength
of this year's national day of action, the Day of Silence. When you register
for the Day of Silence before January 31st, you will receive free student organizing
resources that will help you make the Day of Silence a success at your school.
To register yourself or your
student club, go to: http://www.dayofsilence.org
To get a local organization (like your LGBT or youth community group) more
involved, ask them to endorse the Day of silence. By endorsing the Day of Silence,
organizations make it clear that they support safe schools for all students.
Endorsers also help GLSEN outreach to students, student clubs and others about
the Day of Silence. To endorse the Day of Silence go or direct the staff of
the community group to:
http://www.dayofsilence.org/endorse.html
To get even more involved and make a bigger impact, your student club or community group can plan a Breaking the Silence event. These events bring together students and allies to celebrate and educate the local community about safe schools issues. If you decide to plan a Breaking the Silence event, be sure to let Martha Cabrera Estevez, Day of Silence Specialist, know about it by emailing her at: mailto:mcabrera@glsen.org.
To learn more about
Breaking the Silence events, check out:
http://www.dayofsilence.org/organize.html
*********************************************
5. Central California Youth Council Special Meeting--Saturday January 31st
Calling Central California activists to a very important meeting at the Fresno
office this Saturday, January 31st. The meeting will be devoted to mapping our
relationship with safer sex and harm reduction initiatives.
Robin McGehee, professor at College of the Sequoias, will facilitate our discussion.
We will start promptly at 2pm with a brief report from the Expression Not Suppression
Planning Committee, and then we will move right into our topic for the day.
We need your ideas!
The Expression Not Suppression Planning Committee will stay late on the 31st
to continue preparation for our conference on March 20th.
++++++++++++++++ OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS ++++++++++++++++
GSA Network News is a publication of Gay-Straight Alliance Network.
Events, resources, and news items listed under "Other Announcements"
are not sponsored or written by GSA Network, and do not necessarily reflect
the views and opinions of GSA Network.
*********************************************
6. Sacramento GSA Leadership Committee Meeting
Saturday, February 7 12:30 - 2:30 P.M., Lambda Community Center
The Sacramento GSA Leadership Committee will be meeting at the Lambda Community
Center in downtown Sacramento to discuss the Sacramento Gay Youth Dance.
All GSA leaders in the Sacramento area are encouraged to attend.
For more information:
e-mail Chris George at mailto:desertdruid@yahoo.com
or call 916.359.3934.
*********************************************
7. Screening of Let's Get Real (San Mateo County)
Assemblymember and Gene Mullin and San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools
John Mehl are proud to invite you to a screening of Let's Get Real!
Tuesday, February 10th, 2004
San Mateo Performing Arts Center
600 North Delaware
San Mateo
6:30pm: Doors Open
7:00pm: Screening and Filmmaker's Remarks
Free Parking
This 35 minute documentary showcases a number of 6th-8th grade students who offer an unflinching look at the bullying and name-calling that goes on at their schools. Available with the film is a comprehensive curriculum guide that would work well in any school where safety, name-calling, bullying and harassment are a concern. It would enrich any school health curriculum and help districts stay in compliance with AB 537, The Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act. The screening is free of charge as is the follow-up staff development at the SMCOE (using the film and the curriculum in the classroom) courtesy of the Respect for All Project. It's a win win situation.
*****************************************************
8. MTV Looking for Youth
MTV's Choose or Lose Wants to Hear from You!
MTV's Choose or Lose wants to hear from young people whose lives will be affected
by the 2004 presidential election.
Are you a young person who served in the U.S. military in Afghanistan or Iraq before you voted in a presidential election?
Do you have a sibling or parent who was killed while serving in the U.S. military in Afghanistan or Iraq?
Are you a recent high school or college grad trying to find work, or recently out of a job?
Do you work in a field where many of the jobs have moved to a different region or out of the country?
Are you a college student having a hard time paying for school?
Have your student loans decreased, or failed to increase as fast as the cost of your tuition?
Are you a young person who has been injured or had a family member killed or injured by terrorism?
Are you a high school student who was able to move to a new and better school because of a school voucher program?
Are you a senior in a high school that is overcrowded?
Does your school lack enough computers, books, and equipment for the students there? Do you feel unprepared to move on to college?
Do you feel like your teachers and school administrators don't care how you do?
Are you a young GLBT person who wants to marry?
Are you just out of college, uninsured, and facing an injury or illness that requires medical care you can't afford?
If you are between the ages of 18-30, and your life experience has been
significantly affected by any of these issues, we want to hear your
stories.
Please send an email to mailto:chooseorlose@mtvstaff.com.
Be sure to include:
Name
Age
Contact info
Recent pictures of yourself
-------------------------------------------------
TELL IT TO THE CAMERA!!!!!!
* Please keep the tape under 2 minutes.
* Please be very direct, we wanna hear what you have to say. Make it personal.
* Please submit your footage on Digital Video or VHS tape.
* Please make sure that your lens is CLEAN.
* Please do not have any tv or music playing while you are taping yourself (background
noise can ruin a shot)
* Please check the lighting and make sure it's not too bright or too dark.
* Please check your tape to make sure that you can be seen and heard CLEARLY.
* Please shoot close, not far away. We want to be able to see your face, expressions
and your mouth moving while you speak.
* Feel free to move around while you film yourself but please make sure camera
stays on you at ALL times.
* Please have someone else film you. IF you don't have someone to help you out
with filming, you can use the mirror to film yourself.
LOCATIONS
Please be creative in where you film (examples: in front of a school if dealing
with education or in front of a hospital if addressing healthcare) but PLEASE
keep in mind that depending upon your location, the audio can get tricky with
outside noise and distractions. If you can't find a location that works for
your particular topic, feel free to film in your bedroom or living room.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR:
* Please tell us in 2 sentences or less what's happening with your job/education/health
problems, etc.--the most important issue in your world.
Remember these rules:
1) Please answer in sentence form: " My name is ____" "I am ____
years old" "I am from ________") .
2) Please make it as personal as possible: i.e. "I have a part time job
but I can't get health insurance." Instead of "there should be healthcare
for everyone"
3) Please state this on camera for release purposes: "MTV has my permission
to use this footage."
Other questions we'd like to hear you answer:
1) State your name, age and where you are from.
2) State your nationality.
3) What do the presidential candidates need to know about you? What would you
tell them if you were given a minute of their time?
4) Are you going to vote in the next presidential election?
PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR TAPES TO:
Kathleen McDonough
MTV Networks
1633 Broadway, 32-215
New York, NY 10019
******************************************************
9. The Yuri Kochiyama Leadership Institute (San Francisco)
Women's Institute for Leadership Development (WILD for Human Rights)
presents
The 2004 Yuri Kochiyama Leadership Institute
For young women ages 14-18
Nine Sessions March 13-June 19
Applications due Feb 24!
(Please call office for application)
The Yuri Kochiyama Leadership Institute is a series of nine sessions (workshops and field trips) that take place almost every other Saturday starting March 13-June 19. The purpose is to bring together 20 young women from the Bay Area to sharpen their leadership, build with each other and get in-depth about issues that affect them:
Practice leadership: planning, decision-making, facilitation
Take Action: In the streets, at City Hall
Gain Knowledge about the world and human rights: the war, poverty,immigration,
meet revolutionary women
Connect your life struggles: across neighborhood, ethnicity, sexual orientation,
ability and immigration status
This is not a lecture-style, school type of environment. Trainings are interactive, supportive, challenging, safe and fun. You will be a teacher as well as a student.
Who is it for?
Bay Area young women ages 14-18 who are strongly interested or already involved
in making social change in their communities. African American, Arab, Latina,
Indigenous, Asian Pacific Islander, young mothers, low-income, immigrant women,
transgender and queer women are strongly encouraged to apply.
What's the schedule?
*You must be able to commit to ALL the following dates to participate*
Saturday, March 13 & Sunday, March 14 11am-3pm
Human Rights 101
Saturday, March 27 11am-3pm
Connecting Struggles
Saturday, April 10 11am-3pm
Different Social Change Methods
Saturday, April 24 11am-3pm
Leadership 101
Saturday, May 8 11am-3pm
How to Confront Power at City Hall
Week of May 10 Half day
FIELD TRIP to City Hall
Saturday, May 22 & 23 11am-3pm
Looking at the World from Inside the Belly of the Beast
Saturday, June 5 11am-3pm
Sharing Life Lessons
Saturday, June 19 11am-3pm
Revolutionary Women, Closing
Where is it?
The Women's Building 3543 18th St. (btwn Valencia & Guerrero), Room A,
Mission District, SF Wheelchair accessible
What else do I get?
On-site Childcare
Scholarships for transportation costs
When is the application due?
Tuesday, February 24 by 5 p.m.
How do I turn it in?
You can fax it, mail it or turn it in to our office.
3543 18th Street Box 11, San Francisco, CA 94110
phone (415) 355.4744 x405
fax (415) 355.4745
When will I find out if I am accepted?
We will notify you the week of March 1, 2004.
What if I have other questions?
Call Tina Bartolome at (415)355.4744x405.
What is WILD for Human Rights?
WILD for Human Rights is an organization that promotes a human rights vision
in the U.S. through the conscious leadership and action of women and girls.
Why is it named after Yuri Kochiyama?
Yuri Kochiyama has been a racial justice and human rights activist for more
than four decades. She and her family were interned in 1942 with more than 120,000
other Japanese Americans during World War II. A close friend of Malcolm X, Kochiyama
became politically active in the 1960s, while living in Harlem with her husband
and six children. She has spent much of her life working across racial lines
to build multiracial support for the end of South African apartheid and the
war in Vietnam, and for redress for Japanese Americans, Puerto Rican independence
and Cuban solidarity. At 77 living in Oakland, her commitment to change the
world remains strong and her passion for justice is contagious.-excerpt from
Interview with Yuri Kochiyama by Josina Morita, War Times Newspaper 2002
Applications due Feb 24!
******************************************************
10. New Fundraising Training for Communities of Color (Bay Area)
CompassPoint Nonprofit Services and the Grassroots Fundraising Journal are proud to announce The Fundraising Academy for Communites of Color, a comprehensive fundraising training program designed to build the sustainability of organizations based in communities of color. The Fundraising Academy strives to address the economic, educational, and psycho-social obstacles that tend to block people of color from successful careers in fundraising and organizations of color from implementing successful strategies for contributed dollars. The Fundraising Academy will accept applications for its inaugural class in January 2004.
Applications are being accepted for The Fundraising Academy for Communities of Color, an intensive training and coaching program offered from April- October of 2004. Staff of organizations that are based in communities of color in the San Francisco Bay Area may apply before February 14, 2004 to be considered.
As a collaboration between CompassPoint Nonprofit Services and Grassroots Fundraising, the academy will provide expert led sessions on a variety of fundraising strategies, skills building and practice in a peer learning environment, conversations with funders and donors, and additional coaching to help each participant implement their fundraising work.
The 2004 academy will be limited to 20 participants and the application deadline is February 14, 2004.
For more information, eligibility criteria and an application to the
Fundraising Academy for Communities of Color: http://www4.compasspoint.org/p.asp?WebPage_ID=647&Profile_ID=151491
******************************************************
11. CUAV Crisis Line Volunteer Training (San Francisco)
February 14 & 15; 21 & 22; & 28.
You can Help Stop the Violence Against and Within Queer Communities!
Community United Against Violence (CUAV) is accepting applications from LGBTQQ
folks and their allies for our crisis line.
Language skills needed: we offer bilingual stipends.
For more information, contact Vanissar at CUAV 415-777-5500 ext. 323, or
mailto:vanissar@cuav.org.
Folks of color, transgender folks, women, and survivors of violence strongly
encouraged to apply.
******************************************************
12. NEWS: Classroom Incidents Involving Educators Fuel Action In Fremont
By Julie Patel, Mercury News January 19, 2004
Kennedy High student Dario Slavazza, 15, tells a diversity awareness class about the racial tension he sometimes feels when he wears his jacket honoring the late Malcolm X. As waves of immigration transform its campuses, Fremont schools are confronting a spate of racially charged classroom incidents that have stunned the community and embroiled the district in the difficult issues surrounding ethnic change.
At John F. Kennedy High School a teacher recited a version of the nursery rhyme ``Eenie, meenie, minie mo,'' inserting a racial slur for African-Americans before finishing with ``. . . by the toe.'' A teacher at nearby Irvington High announced to his class, ``If you don't stand for the Pledge, you should go back to the country you came from.'' Two elementary school principals and a third high school teacher also drew complaints about their lack of cultural sensitivity.
While the nation today honors the birthday of slain civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr., the tumult in the Fremont Unified School District serves as a powerful reminder: Even in multicultural places such as the Bay Area, the diversity King championed still leads to the tensions he sought to ease. All of the Fremont teachers and principals apologized for their actions and were reprimanded. At least one teacher was transferred to another job in the district. And now the district is instituting special sensitivity training for teachers and students. The discord comes as the Fremont district undergoes the rapid growth of its Asian and Asian-American population. Minorities now comprise more than two-thirds of the district's student body, up from 40 percent 10 years ago.
Most troublesome to parents is that the problems have come from the individuals entrusted with setting an example of tolerance and understanding for children: teachers. ``These people are forming the minds of young people,'' said Keionia Braxton, the mother of a student who was in the Kennedy High class. ``I don't send my child to school to learn that type of ignorance.''
But even as the region grows increasingly diverse, teachers in Fremont and elsewhere often lack the tools to avoid such conflict, said Roland Tharp, director of the Center on Research for Education, Diversity and Excellence at University of California-Santa Cruz. ``They're not being given adequate resources and training to deal with classrooms that are becoming ethnically and linguistically more complex,'' Tharp said. ``This is a failure of national and state policies.''
Since the tensions in Fremont spilled into the open last fall, parents have confronted administrators to demand action, and student newspapers have found themselves chronicling the controversy. This month, the district hired a Massachusetts-based multicultural consulting firm to conduct a ``diversity audit'' to evaluate how the district is handling the situation and what tools it has in place to support a diverse student body.
As part of that, teachers and students at the district's five high schools, five middle schools, 29 elementary schools and one continuation school this year will take part in a series of programs aimed at improving racial sensitivity. At Kennedy High -- where much of the initial diversity training is being tested -- officials last month invited a speaker to talk about racial sensitivity. High school students made presentations on diversity in classes at the school last week. Erin Tangilinan, a senior at Irvington High, said she was upset when she heard about the series of incidents. ``It's terrible,'' she said. ``As a minority, you feel like you're a target of these comments, and it makes students lose trust in our teachers.''
That's what teachers like Kwynn Uyehara want to prevent. Uyehara, a second-grade
teacher at Joseph Azevada Elementary School, said she considers the situation
a wake-up call. ``It hurts that we're still stuck in a time where this happens,
especially in
California where it seems like there's an understanding about diversity,''
she said.
About 40 parents of Middle Eastern and Asian descent first called on the district to better handle racial tensions in September. They aired their concerns in a meeting with schools Superintendent John Rieckewald about a climate of fear following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many of those parents followed up on that meeting in another this month where they presented district officials with videos promoting awareness about their cultures. But by then, the issue had moved to a different -- and, for many, shocking -- level.