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In this issue of GSA Network News, you'll find:
1. Upcoming GSA Leadership Training: Palm Springs
2. GLBT Skate Night (Clovis)
3. Please Don't Kill the Freshman - Book Tour! (Bay Area)
4. Live Music at the Kern Street Coffee House! (Fresno)
5. Film Screening: Honor Thy Children (Long Beach)
6. Youth Activist Convergence (Sonoma County)
7. LGBTQ Youth Conference (San Diego)
8. DiversityWorks Seeks Summer Interns (Bay Area)
9. Job Announcement: Youth Editor Position at HIFY (SF)
10. API Pride Scholarship (Bay Area)
11. Action Alert: Day of Silence Resolution
12. NEWS: AP Article on GSAs
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1. Upcoming GSA Leadership Training: Palm Springs
Wanna learn how to improve your GSA?
Wanna meet other people fighting homophobia?
Wanna learn about AB 537 and how to get it implemented in your school?
Come to the Palm Springs GSA Leadership Training!!!
The training is absolutely free. We provide breakfast and lunch!
Saturday, April 13th
9am - 4pm
LT/Make It Real Training
at Gay Associated Youth Center
Contact Gay Associated Youth Center at 760.202.7510 or e-mail them
at PSGAYCenter@aol.com for location and directions.
Contact CC at GSA Network at 323.662.3160 or e-mail her at cc@gsanetwork.org
for more information.
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2. GLBT Skate Night (Clovis)
The GLBT Skate Night in Clovis has been RESCHEDULED!
The new date and time:
Sunday, April 14 from 8:30-10:30pm
at CalSkate in Clovis
Join members of GSA Network and the Central California Alliance for skating, food (bring money) and fun!
$8 per person. FREE to the first 20 students who register.
Call Diana at 559-442-4777 to register or for more information.
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3. Please Don't Kill the Freshman - Book Tour! (Bay Area)
Zoe Trope is a fifteen-year-old queer author. Her first book _Please Don't Kill the Freshman_ was just published by Future Tense Books.
Wednesday, March 27--"High School Survival Strategies for Poets and
Queers"
with Beth Lisick, Kristi Bruce, and Thea Hillman at the San Francisco
Public
Library (100 Larkin Street at Grove). Hispanic/Latino Room, 6:30 p.m.
FREE
Thursday, March 28--"Afterschool Special" with Eric/Checkers, Dani
Montgomery, Max Cohen, and MC Thea Hillman at Books Inc., 2275 Market
St.,
7:30 p.m. FREE
March 29--"Tag" Book Release, spoken word, and music performances by
Joey Stevenson, Natalie Joseph, and Other (Storm Florez & Thea
Hillman) at
Mama Bears Bookstore, 6536 Telegraph Ave. @ Alcatraz. 7:30 p.m. $6-10.
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4. Live Music at the Kern Street Coffee House! (Fresno)
Head to the Kern Street Coffee House in downtown Fresno on Thursday, April 4th to hear Stephanie Hafner and her guitar. Show starts at 7:30pm. Stephanie is a member of PFLAG in Stockton and has just put out her first cd. Quirky, cool stuff!
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5. Film Screening: Honor Thy Children (Long Beach)
Honor Thy Children
A film by Francisco Leon
"Honor Thy Children" is a must-see film that addresses prejudice, parenting and denigration. It is a story that teaches us to truly love and honor our children.
The film will be followed by a q&a session with the Nakatani's
Monday, April 8
3:30 p.m.
University Student Union "Beach" Auditorium
California State University, Long Beach
1250 Bellflower Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90840
With special guests
Al and Jane Nakatani
Al and Jane Nakatani were living the American Dream. They had successful
careers, a comfortable home and three bright children. Like millions of
other parents, Al and Jane were blind to the multi-layered discrimination;
racism, and homophobia that plagued their sons' search for identity and
self-acceptance. Al and Jane's ignorance of their sons' struggles cost
them dearly. They lost all three sons (two to AIDS, one to murder.) It
has been Al and Jane's journey to make sense of the senseless and to take
responsibility for their role in the deaths of all three sons. They wish
to spare other parents the same tragedy that they have been burdened with.
. . surviving all their children.
ADMISSION IS FREE
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6. Youth Activist Convergence (Sonoma County)
GSA Network will be leading our "How to Start and Lead a Kick-Ass GSA" workshop at this conference - come check it out!
***
YOUTH ACTIVIST CONVERGENCE
April 12th-14th
Sebastopol Teen and Community Centers
390 - 425 Morris Street, Sebastopol
The Youth Activist Convergence is a youth-inspired and youth-driven conference focusing on issues within the broader context of social, political, economic and environmental justice.
The Youth Activist Convergence will:
* Build alliances between youth in the urban Bay Area and rural
Northern California communities;
* Encourage young adults to seek elected positions in local
communities;
* Facilitate the creation of a youth speakers' network;
* Connect youth activists with other community organizations;
* Facilitate the continuation of future networks and youth citizen
committees;
* Establish a model for future Youth Activist Convergences.
PRICING:
Friday Kick-Off Celebration $15-50 (sliding scale)
One-Day Pass $25-75 (sliding scale)
Two-Day Weekend Pass $35-100 (sliding scale)
For more information, visit http://www.townhallcoalition.org/ e-mail mailto:townhall@sonic.net or call 707-874-9110.
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7. LGBTQ Youth Conference (San Diego)
Come be a part of Generation Q!
Queer People of Color (QPOC) and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender
Resource Office (LGBTRO) at UC San Diego are proud to host our third annual
conference for queer youth and their allies, Generation Q: My Time, My
Movement. This event will bring together students, youth, scholars,
and various organizations from all over the San Diego area. Our goals
are to prioritize the needs of youth, encourage youth activism, and to
provide queer youth with community resources and services. We hope
to offer a safe space for youth to
come together, and to increase awareness of diversity within the queer
community.
Generation Q: My Time, My Movement will convene Saturday, May 4, 2002 on the UCSD campus. We will have workshops, speakers including Margot Kelley Rodriguez (aka "El Pachuco" of the San Diego Kings Club), and entertainment. The conference will be followed by the LGBTA dance at Porter's Pub. You are invited to join us and be a part of this exciting, youth-run event!
Check out our website (http://lgbtro.ucsd.edu/genq) for updated information
about Generation Q, a registration form, and directions. We are also looking
for workshop proposals, and we would love for you to lead a workshop at
Generation Q! On our website we have an online form you can use to
submit your proposals, as well as some ideas for what we might be looking
for. The deadline for workshop proposals is Monday, April 8.
Please feel free to contact us by email:
qpocatucsd@yahoo.com, or phone: (858) 822-3493. Thanks!
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8. DiversityWorks Seeks Summer Interns (Bay Area)
DiversityWorks is seeking 3 interns who will work with us during the summer months to help support our third annual Summer Institute (below you will find more information about the institute). Interns will serve as staffpeople for the Summer Institute, handling direct program, program support, and administrative duties. Each intern will work directly with a permanent staffperson to develop a work plan that will include many of the following tasks:
- Designing and delivering diversity-related trainings
- Mentoring youth participants
- Chaperoning youth at service-learning projects
- Record-keeping and program evaluation
- Writing institute reports at the summer's end
- Light administration
- Housekeeping and errands for the Institute
- Staff meetings
- Supporting other staffpeople as necessary
- Special event planning
Interns must be available one week before and after the institute which runs July 1st through August 11th. Interns must be at least 18 years of age and have experience with anti-oppression work. Interns will be expected to work 4 days a week and will receive a $1000 stipend in two payments, the first half in the middle of their term, the second half upon completion. DiversityWorks does not provide housing or food outside of program hours but can help arrange accommodations.
Interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume no later than March 29th to DiversityWorks, 800 Heinz Ave #14, Berkeley, CA 94710 or fax these to 510-540-6976.
Information About the Summer Institute
DiversityWorks is proud to announce its third annual Summer Institute
aimed at youth, aged 15 to 20. This six-week program brings diverse
young people together to dialogue about issues of power and oppression
and to develop skills and knowledge so that they can be effective peer
diversity trainers in their communities. The Summer Institute will
include workshop topics such as storytelling, spoken word, popular theater,
community organizing, goalsetting, and many others.
The Summer Institute will run from July 1 through August 11, 2001. The 25-30 participants will spend approximately thirty hours a week engaged in team building, interactive workshops aimed at consciousness-raising, skill building, and community action. The Summer Institute will also feature a three day camping/wilderness experience and an Action Planning Retreat.
*********************************************
9. Job Announcement: Youth Editor Position at HIFY
youth editor
reports to: publications coordinator
schedule: 10 hours / week
salary: $8 - $10 depending on experience
Position to last until June 2003
position summary:
Under the general supervision of the publications coordinator, the youth editor will brainstorm topics, collect submissions, create and/or solicit artwork and write and edit material specifically for HIFYâs "Young Man's Survival Guide". Additional tasks on other publications, including Spill (our general youth health zine), Vital Signs (our queer youth health zine), and other HIFY publications will be based on available time. In addition to creating the Young Man's Survival Guide, each youth editor will work on bringing in other youth to participate in creating the guide.
duties:
- Work with publications coordinator on all aspects of producing the
Young Man's Survival Guide.
- Learn about new health issues, especially as they relate to young
men.
- Research, interview and write articles, editorials and reviews for
the Young Man's Survival Guide.
- Create and/or solicit artwork ? including photographs, drawings and
paintings ? for the Young Man's Survival Guide.
- Learn to use desktop publishing software (PhotoShop, Quark) to design
and layout the Young Man's Survival Guide.
- Outreach to other youth interested in participating in the Young
Man's Survival Guide with submissions of poetry, artwork or writings.
- Participate on HIFY project teams related to agency programs.
- Other duties as they pertain to HIFYâs mission.
minimum qualifications:
Interested in learning more about youth health; nonprofits; youth programs;
and the process of creating a publication from inception to distribution
required. Must be energetic and enthusiastic about getting others involved,
soliciting submissions, doing research and writing materials. Must have
strong writing skills. Eager to learn about design software (or already
has a command of these programs) and comfortable working with a diverse
group of nonprofit professionals. Youth and young adults ages 15-22
encouraged to apply. Hours are flexible.
Send resume/application to:
Attn: Youth Editor Position, 235 Montgomery Street, Suite 430, San
Francisco, CA 94104
Fax: 415.274.1976; Email: dejesus@hify.org
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10. API Pride Scholarship (Bay Area)
A scholarship program for queer A&PI (22 and under) living in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Applicants should be: 1. seniors in high school, have a high school diploma or GED, or are attending a college, university, technical or vocational school, and 2. be able to indicate financial need.
The deadline to submit applications is May 15, 2002. Queer Asian and Pacific Islander Pride Scholarships awards annual youth scholarships totalling $16,000. Applications are available online at http://www.apiwellness.org/v20/youth/application.html.
Sponsored by the Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center.
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11. Action Alert: Day of Silence Resolution
Please Urge Your Representative to Cosponsor H. Con. Res. 346, the National Day of Silence Resolution
Click here to take action: http://glsen.policy.net
On March 12th, Congressman Eliot Engel, D-NY introduced H.Con.Res. 346, a resolution supporting the goals of the National Day of Silence. H.Con.Res. 346 encourages each state to adopt laws to prohibit discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students and school staff; encourages each school district in the US to adopt policies to prohibit discrimination against LGBT students and school staff, and urges the President to issue a proclamation calling on all Americans to observe the national Day of Silence.
Founded in 1997, the Day of Silence Project offers all students a unique opportunity to raise awareness of the pervasive discrimination, harassment and physical violence that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students encounter in schools. By participating in the National Day of Silence on April 10th, all students, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity, have an opportunity to support each other, educate their school communities, and begin to alleviate the hostile conditions experienced by far too many students.
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12. NEWS: AP Article on GSAs
Gay-straight clubs spread through high schools nationwide, raising hopes,
posing challenges
DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer
STRATFORD, Conn. (AP)
Sunday, March 24, 2002
For the Gay-Straight Alliance at Stratford High School, progress can be measured in the hallways: These days, only some of its posters get torn down.
Harassment and name-calling haven't vanished from the 900-student school. But its gay students -- and their straight allies -- are pleased to have a club of their own, a weekly forum to share worries, frustrations and laughs.
For Michael Burgess, a sophomore who co-founded the club with some friends in the fall of 2000, it was partly an act of self-protection.
"We were having a lot of problems," Burgess said. "Not one day passed that I wasn't being called a fag."
Gay-straight alliances, or GSAs, first appeared in Massachusetts in 1989 and have spread rapidly coast-to-coast in recent years. About 1,000 of America's 26,000 high schools now have them, according to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.
Critics argue that GSAs promote homosexuality and have no place in schools. Defenders say the clubs are invaluable in encouraging tolerance and easing the isolation that drives many gay students into substance abuse and suicide attempts.
"Any other minority group has their families, churches and communities behind them," said Patricia Boland, a school psychologist in Chesterfield County near Richmond, Va. "Gay youth don't. If they're getting harassed, often they don't tell their parents. They're very much on their own."
She said anti-gay sentiment can be damaging even to straight students.
"Kids shy away from the arts, or get pushed into having sex way before they're ready, just to prove they're not gay," Boland said.
Some GSAs consist almost entirely of gay and lesbian students. Others, like Stratford High's, have many straight members.
"A lot of my friends are gay," said junior Julie Baron. "I'm straight, but because I'm in the club, somebody called me a fag. They need to grow up."
About 50 students attended the first Stratford GSA meeting last year. The club now has about 20 regular members, and seems to have established a comfortable niche in this middle-class town of 50,000.
Early on, the group's posters were torn down swiftly, members said. A year later, gay students say face-to-face harassment has eased, and posters often manage to stay in place, though they sometimes get defaced with slurs and swastikas.
"We know the people doing it," Burgess said. "But we try to ignore it. It's hard to get inside their minds, because they're so closed."
The GSA's adviser, English teacher Michael Fiorello, is heartened by the high-spirited camaraderie that has developed among the students. "When I was in high school, if you wanted to experience anything gay, it was going to be dark and dangerous," he said.
In some schools, GSAs emerged due to the efforts of a few activist students, then collapsed after they graduated. Kevin Jennings, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, blames indifferent and hostile school administrators.
"With other school clubs -- the French club, the math club -- the system commits to supporting them so they will always be there, but the system hasn't made that commitment to GSAs," Jennings said. "In too many cases, once the student activist graduates or the dedicated teacher is transferred, the GSA goes with them."
Efforts to form GSAs have been resisted in some communities by parents, school boards and clergy. But court rulings generally side with GSA supporters, primarily because of a federal law that requires equal access to public school facilities.
In California's Orange County, the Orange Unified School District tried two years ago to ban a GSA from meeting at an area high school, then reversed course in the face of a lawsuit. As part of the settlement, the board prohibited student clubs from discussing sexual activity.
In Utah, the Salt Lake City School District voted in September 2000 to end a four-year ban on all nonacademic clubs that was imposed to keep a GSA from meeting.
The outcome in Utah dismayed other foes of GSAs, including Christine Watson, mother of two high school students in Vista, Calif. She tried to rally opposition to a new GSA at their school, but was rebuffed by the principal.
"I look at this as parents' rights being eroded," Watson said. "But there's nothing we can do. The parents in Utah spent a quarter of a million dollars fighting, and they lost."
In Arlington, Texas, Martin High School senior Jesse Brown has been
struggling since last year to form a GSA. His latest hopes were dashed
in December when the one teacher who volunteered to sponsor the club backed
away from the commitment.
"Many teachers are very fearful of backlash," Jennings said. "They have mortgages to pay, they're very vulnerable."
The National Education Association, the country's largest teachers union, has asked school districts to crack down on harassment of gay students and staff.
Gerald Newberry, executive director of the NEA's health information network, said some teachers worry that working with a GSA may label them as gay, but students generally find a faculty sponsor.
"They have rather well-developed radar -- they seek out someone who through overt or covert messages has communicated that they care about all kids in the school," he said.
Massachusetts, where more than half the high schools have GSAs, is the only state to help finance them. The attitude of the state's principals toward the clubs varies, depending partly on how much opposition surfaces among parents.
"It's a delicate balance, a dance that a principal has to do," said David Rudewick, director of a student civil rights project run by the Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes.
Parental resistance in Massachusetts has waned over the past decade, Rudewick said. "Society has changed. It's hard for them to say now that these clubs are going to turn kids gay."
However, Rudewick said GSAs can backfire if members find themselves isolated.
"If the school doesn't give them resources, allow them to have projects that bring people across lines, it can be divisive," he said. "It can leave students even more exposed to harassment, and the administration might turn a blind eye."
Jennings agreed that joining a GSA can entail risks.
"But it's more damaging to feel invisible than it is to feel like a target," he said. "When they form a group and have allies, that gives them a sense of power they don't have when they feel alone."
Mike Haley, a youth policy specialist with the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, argues that GSAs do isolate gay students. Haley campaigns against GSAs in articles and speeches that cite his personal background: He was an active homosexual during his teens and 20s, and now has a wife and child.
"I've visited GSAs," he said. "They want to be all-inclusive, but they tend to become a homosexual clique on campus. The last thing I needed, when I was in high school, was to be further isolated."
Other critics say GSAs serve as recruitment centers, drawing students into homosexuality who are still wrestling with their sexual identity.
"You get lonely, mixed-up kids, not getting along with their parents, not doing well in school, and someone tells them, 'It's not your fault,"' said conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly. "It's simply a recruitment device."
Michael Burgess has heard this argument, saying some Stratford parents have pressured students to shun the GSA because "they thought we would convert them."
Alliance members said their main purpose is to boost solidarity and have fun, not to proselytize.
"I've had friends ask me, 'Do you have to be gay, or be straight, to be in the group?"' said Ellyn Lambeck, a junior. "They don't get it. The whole point is to unify."
In this issue of GSA Network News, you'll find:
1. Unite the South Bay GSAs!
2. GLBT Skate Night (Clovis)
3. Jewish Family Services Drop-In for LGBT Youth (Santa Monica)
4. Wicked Child Seder (SF)
5. CFJ Educational Justice Campaign Kickoff (South Bay)
6. East Bay Gay Asian Film Fest
7. Queer Youth Entertainment and Arts Event (SoCal)
8. Library Program: LGBT Images on Television (SF)
9. Essay Contest (NorCal)
10. NEWS: San Diego School Board Edits Tolerance Film
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1. Unite the South Bay GSAs!
Special Workshop/Discussion About Slurs
Thursday, March 21st
6-7:30pm
Billy DeFrank Center
938 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95126
All South Bay GSA members and advisors are invited to come and network with other youth, share ideas, hang out, and learn more about how to have a kick-ass GSA.
This month, we'll talk about preventing and responding to slurs at your school. We'll talk about organizing and awareness strategies GSAs can use to fight slurs and make the school environment better for everyone.
Snacks provided!
Co-Sponsored by GSA Network and the Billy DeFrank Center.
For more info, contact Emilie at GSA Network -- emilie@gsanetwork.org,
415-552-4229.
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2. GLBT Skate Night (Clovis)
Sunday, March 24th from 8:30-10:30pm
at CalSkate in Clovis
Join members of the GSA Network and the Central California Alliance for skating, food (bring money) and fun!
$8 per person. FREE to the first 20 students who register.
Call Diana at 559-442-4777 to register or for more information.
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3. Jewish Family Services Drop-In for LGBT Youth (Santa Monica)
Jewish Family Services of Santa Monica is sponsoring a drop-in get together
for LGBT youth, ages 13-18
Sunday, March 24, 2002
4:30-6:30 p.m.
1424 8th St., Santa Monica.
Social networking, rap groups, and cultural presentations are planned.
This
will be an ongoing drop-in group.
Contact Gary Glickman at (310) 393-0732 ext. 319 for more information.
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4. Wicked Child Seder (SF)
Wicked Child Seder
for Jewish LGBTQ youth 25 and under, and their friends
March 29, 2002
beginning at 6pm at
LYRIC - 127 Collingwood Street
in San Francisco.
Space is limited to 20.
For more information, or to make a reservation, contact Jason Roche
or Ana
Lara at (415) 703-6150, x21.
This event is sponsored by LYRIC (the Lavender Youth Recreation and
Information
Center)
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5. CFJ Educational Justice Campaign Kickoff (South Bay)
If you're not planning to come to the Unite The South Bay GSAs meeting
(see #1 above), you should come to this!!
The Eyes on Education Campaign Kickoff:
CFJ Town Hall Meeting & Speakout
Thursday March 21st * 6:00- 8:00 pm
Alum Rock Methodist Church
(30 Kirk Ave near Alum Rock and White Rd)
Hear from students, parents and community members & express your
concerns to
East Side Union High School District Superintendent Joe Coto!
Music, FOOD, Poetry, Open Mike, Student Testimonies, and lots of FUN!
Through surveys and interviews with students, teachers, counselors, administrators, district staff, and Board of Trustee members of the East Side Union High School District, we have identified a few district-wide issues:
* Many students face discrimination, harrassment, and outright racism in their classes because they're black or brown or speak a language other than English.We want anti-racist, anti-oppression training for teachers that equips them with the tools to effectively & fairly teach their students.
* Schools in East San Jose are not preparing students to enter college or obtain livable wage employment-leaving them to minimum wage jobs or the prison system. We want every student to have a comprehensive 4 year course plan that gets them on track to a future with real options.
* We believe bilingualism should be celebrated and valued. We propose Bilingual Certification for students-so the hard work they've done to maintain their home language or learn a new one is recognized.
* The High School Exit Exam and other high stakes tests punish students for the failure of their schools. That's why we're leading a state-wide effort to stop the Exit Exam.
What issues do YOU care about?
Don't miss this opportunity to come together and
create a vision for public education on the East Side
Food & Spanish translation provided.
Questions? Call CFJ at 408-292-9476
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6. East Bay Gay Asian Film Fest
3rd Annual East Bay Gay Asian Film Fest.
Saturday March 23, 2002, 7:00pm-11:00pm
Fine Arts Theatre, Shattuck at Haste, 2451 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley
Free Admission!
7:00 pm-- Margaret Cho's I'm the One that I Want. Hear the self-identified
fag-hag talk about the relationship of abs and blowjobs, hear her story
about Gwen, and her struggle through show-biz as a Korean American.
9:30 pm-- 10 new queer Asian men's shorts featured in NAATA's SF International
Asian American Film Festival.
Sponsored by Asian Health Services.
RSVP to reserve your tickets. Send your first name, last name, how many tix you want, which programs you are coming to (or both) to Joseph G at mailto:jgavin@ahschc.org
Check http://www.ahschc.org/filmfest.htm or call Joseph G at 510-986-6830 ext. 371 for more info.
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7. Queer Youth Entertainment and Arts Event (SoCal)
The UCLA Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center presents:
invisible lives through invisible eyes:
portrayals of southern california queer youth*
THE DEBUT HAS ARRIVED!**
March 30th
Ackerman Grand Ballroom, UCLA
5PM - 7:30PM
Admission is FREE and open to ALL
Come join us for a night of entertainment and art, and be the first
to see
the new Southern California Queer Youth Photo exhibit!
Entertainment to include:
Comedy by: Sabrina Matthews, Scott Silverman, & Bob Smith (subject
to availability)
Performances by: Noel Alumit & Erin O'Brien
Poetry by: Adelina Anthony, and much more!
Please RSVP by emailing invisiblelives@hotmail.com or call the LGBT
Resource
Center at (310) 206-3628, leave your name and the names of those in
your
party.
For more information on invisible lives through invisible eyes please
go to
our website at http://www.geocities.com/invisiblelives/Invisible.html
* invisible lives is funded with a generous grant donated by the Donald
A.
Strauss Foundation, resources also donated by PhotoRun of West Hollywood
** This evening is being sponsored by GALA: The UCLA LGBT Multicultural
Student Association
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8. Library Program: LGBT Images on Television (SF)
Wednesday, April 3
5:30 p.m.
Main Library (100 Larkin Street at Grove)
Lower Level, Koret Auditorium,
"Alternate Channels: The Story of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Television Images" - The Jack Benny Show, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, All in the Family, Soap, Dynasty, Roseanne, Ellen, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Will & Grace...
Steven Capsuto, author of Alternate Channels: The Uncensored Story
of Gay and Lesbian Images on Radio and Television, 1930s to the Present
(Ballantine Books, 2000), will present video excerpts tracing the evolution
of gay, lesbian, and
bisexual images in American television from Bob Hope's coy "queer"
ad libs from the 1950s to the cable-only eroticism of Queer as Folk.
Co-sponsored by San Francisco State University. Books will be available for sale and signing at the event.
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9. Essay Contest (NorCal)
2002 HIGH SCHOOL PRESS AWARDS ESSAY CONTEST
The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) Northern California
Region is proud to announce our annual High School Press Awards Essay
Contest
sponsored by KPMG LLP. The topic this year focuses on multicultural
inclusion
and social justice in post-September 11 America.
Topic: "Subsequent to the tragic events of September 11, 2001, America
witnessed
a dramatic increase in intolerance toward and scapegoating of Arab
and Muslim
Americans. Despite repeated and impassioned appeals for tolerance
by the
nation's religious and political leaders, hate crimes targeting individuals
of
Arab, Muslim and Indian descent soared immediately following the terrorist
attacks. In addition, increased concern for national security
facilitated an
almost celebrated resurgence of racial profiling."
Question: "In the aftermath of the September 11 tragedy, how should
Americans
further the process of healing while simultaneously bridging our intensified
racial and cultural divides? How can America's young and emerging
leaders work
within their communities to combat bias and discrimination in order
to create a
safer, more inclusive country for all?"
Contest Rules:
- Entries must be received no later than Tuesday, April 2, 2002.
- All Northern California high school students are elibible.
- Entries should be submitted in double-spaced, typewritten form.
- Essays should be a minimum of 200 words and a maximum of 400 words.
- All entries must include a cover page with the title of the essay;
the name,
mailing address, telephone number and email address of both the author
and
her/his school; and the name of the author's teacher. Subsequent
pages should
ONLY include the title and text of the essay.
- Entries will be judged by a diverse panel of Bay Area journalists.
- Articles and editorials written for school newspapers are especially
encouraged.
- Entries become property of The National Conference for Community
and Justice
and cannot be returned, so please do not submit your only copy.
- Finalists and winners will be notified by Monday, April 22, 2002.
Prizes:
- $400 is awarded to each of six winners
- Winners are required to participate in the 2002 NCCJ Community Inclusiveness
Awards Luncheon in San Francisco on May 16 to receive their awards.
Winners'
parents/guardians and teachers are also invited to attend.
How to Enter:
- Email submissions to: tlato@nccj.org
OR
- Mail submissions to:
2002 High School Press Awards
The National Conference for Community and Justice
The Presidio
1009 General Kennedy Avenue, #2
San Francisco, CA 94129-1700
Contact Traci Lato, NCCJ Program Specialist, 415.561.2283, for more information or to request posters about the contest.
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10. NEWS: San Diego School Board Edits Tolerance Film
Pickets protest board's editing of tolerance film
Gay segment deleted by Grossmont Union
San Diego Union-Tribune, March 14, 2002
By Jill Spielvogel, Union-Tribune Staff Writer
EL CAJON - Students last night
protested a Grossmont Union district move to have a film promoting tolerance
edited to exclude a segment on discrimination against homosexuals.
About 35 people, including activists
from the gay community, carried signs outside the district's board meeting
last night, criticizing the deletion. The signs included ones that
read "Silence Kills" and "Our Voices Will Not Be Silenced."
The edited film was shown as part
of an assembly at Granite Hills High School on Tuesday. The movie
is part of an Anti-Defamation League program presented at schools.
"People need to be educated on
it if we want the hate to stop," said sophomore Nickelle Ismert.
She and other students said there is anti-gay name calling and harassment
on campus.
"The school board has been getting
in the way of our trying to stop that," said senior Merritt Linden.
Members of the Gay, Lesbian &
Straight Education Network and the Lesbian and Gay Men's Community Center
in Hillcrest participated in the demonstration.
Three trustees, who felt the film
cuts were appropriate, said yesterday they would not have supported the
program without the changes. The topic was not on last night's agenda,
but protesters told trustees their decision furthered intolerance of homosexuals
at their school. A few parents, however, praised the trustees.
Some students said they will protest
at the board's meeting tonight as well.
The district requested that the
league cut the film after trustees Dan McGeorge, Priscilla Schreiber and
Gary Cass expressed concerns last month, when the board voted on a contract
for the organization to work with Valhalla High School in El Cajon.
"We were told that changes would
have to be made if the program was going to go on," said Denise Frey, an
associate director of the San Diego County Anti-Defamation League.
She and director Morris Casuto
characterized the editing decision as difficult, but said they believe
the program is needed in the Grossmont district and should continue.
The group has received several angry messages condemning the decision.
The league presents the "Names
Can Really Hurt Us" program at other districts in the county, but none
requested film changes, Frey said.
The portion of the film that was
removed dealt with a gay police officer talking with youths, an interview
with the mother of a bisexual student who committed suicide and a mention
of Matthew Shepherd, a gay college student beaten to death in Wyoming.
In addition to the film, the assembly
features student panelists who discuss types of discrimination. One
of the panelists at the Granite Hills assembly was a lesbian who discussed
harassment and intolerance.
Cass and Schreiber complained
about the film after it was shown last year at Steele Canyon High School
in Spring Valley. Schreiber said the portrayal of a gay authority
figure sends a message that homosexuality is normal and acceptable, which
she said does not belong in the classroom.
She and the other trustees supporting
the cuts said students should learn harassment is unacceptable, but they
say there's no need to single out sexual orientation.
"We want to make sure everyone
is respected, and not promote a sexual lifestyle," she said.
Trustee Ted Crooks said cutting
the film was a missed opportunity to prevent discrimination based on someone's
perceived sexual orientation. But he ultimately agreed the district
should show the altered film when it was clear the majority of the board
would not support the program otherwise.
"We were in a circumstance where
three-quarters of a loaf is better than none," he said.
Excluding one type of discrimination
from the film tells students that a type of harassment is OK and increases
isolation and the possibility of violence said Sherry Wright, director
of public policy at the Hillcrest center. Wright helped students
organize the protest.
But Brad Dacus, president of the
nonprofit Pacific Justice Institute in Sacramento, said in a telephone
interview the district's decision to have the film altered was a responsible
way to teach about tolerance while respecting the beliefs of parents concerned
about the controversial issue.
In this issue of GSA Network News, you'll find:
1. Peace and Justice Rally (Central Valley)
2. Unite the South Bay GSAs!
3. Transgender/Gender Nonconforming Youth Focus Group (SoCal)
4. Lives for the American Dream Rally (Santa Barbara)
5. Retreat for Gay/Bi/Trans Young Men of Color (Bay Area)
6. Community Panel in Marin County
7. Interdisciplinary/Multigenerational Art Installation (SF)
8. Youth Activist Convergence (Sonoma County)
9. Warm-Up Walk for AIDS (Bay Area)
10. Art vs. Prison Event (SF)
11. Anti-Racist Alliance Building Workshop (Bay Area)
12. NEWS: Elementary School in Oakland Hosts LGBT Awareness Event
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1. Peace and Justice Rally (Central Valley)
Central California GSAs Rally in the Valley!
Saturday, March 16th
12:45 pm
Fresno County Courthouse
Members of area GSAs and the Central Cali Network will be meeting at the Fresno County Courthouse at 12:45 on Saturday afternoon, March 16th to raise their voices for peace and justice for all people. There will be music, activities, poetry and speeches. Everyone is welcome to come and help us raise our banner alongside numbers of others including WILPF, Labor Community Alliance, Muslim Women's Organization, Merced Green Party, Hmong American Community Inc., San Joaquin Valley Immigrant Rights Coalition and Food Not Bombs.
Call Diana for more information (559)442-4777 or diana@gsanetwork.org
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2. Unite the South Bay GSAs!
Special Workshop/Discussion About Slurs
Thursday, March 21st
6-7:30pm
Billy DeFrank Center
938 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95126
All South Bay GSA members and advisors are invited to come and network with other youth, share ideas, hang out, and learn more about how to have a kick-ass GSA.
This month, we'll talk about preventing and responding to slurs at your school. We'll talk about organizing and awareness strategies GSAs can use to fight slurs and make the school environment better for everyone.
Snacks provided!
Co-Sponsored by GSA Network and the Billy DeFrank Center.
For more info, contact Emilie at GSA Network -- emilie@gsanetwork.org, 415-552-4229.
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3. Transgender/Gender Nonconforming Youth Focus Group (SoCal)
Want an opportunity to talk about what you go through at school?
Do you want to help draft a model policy on how administrators should deal
with your issues?
Come to a focus group with other trangender, gender questioning, and
gender nonconforming youth.
We'll be discussing pronoun usage, locker room and bathroom accessibility, and gender segregated activities.
Food will be provided.
For more information contact CC Sapp at 323.662.3160 or e-mail her at
cc@gsanetwork.org.
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4. Lives for the American Dream Rally (Santa Barbara)
Lives for the American Dream Rally
Saturday March 16, 12:00pm
State Street & De LA Guerra Plaza, downtown Santa Barbara
Come join the community in a day of remembrance for lives lost pursuing the American dream. Poster board presentations will be on-site to learn about issues such as, 9/11, POLICE BRUTALITY, QUEER ISSUES, VICTIMS of AFGHANISTAN, and BORDER VIOLENCE. Live music, theater, and dance, will be provided for your enjoyment.
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5. Retreat for Gay/Bi/Trans Young Men of Color (Bay Area)
Saturday March 23 and Sunday March 24, 2002
Santa Cruz Lighthouse
Do You Remembah Me?: A retreat for gay, bisexual and trans men of color to get real. We will be creating our own space, to look at our own lives and how we can move forward as young men in this world. We will cover topics like self-respect, lovin' each other and our sisters, and how to navigate the challenges of manhood in our communities.
To register, print and mail the following to: Ana Lara, LYRIC, 127 Collingwood Street, San Francisco, CA 94114 or cut and paste the following and email it to ana@lyric.org
Name:
Address:
Phone/Number Where You Can Be Reached:
Email Address:
What's the best way to reach you?
Do you want us to be discreet when contacting you? Yes No
Can we leave messages? Yes No
Retreat(s) I would like to attend:
(If under 18): Name of a Parent/Guardian Who Can Be Contacted in Case
of
Emergencies:
Allergies, including Food Allergies:
Dietary Requirements:
Demographic Info:
Age:
Sex/Gender Identity:
Race/Ethnic Background:
Sexual Orientation:
How did you find out about the Retreats (check all that apply):
Flyer/Poster
Talkline
Newspaper
Internet
Friend
School
Another agency
Other:
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6. Community Panel in Marin County
PANEL OF AMERICANS
Wednesday, March 20
7:00- 9:00 p.m.
Novato Unified School District Office
This will be a panel presentation by individuals who represent
the diversity of our communities. They will tell their stories and
discuss how discrimination and inclusion have impacted their lives.
Fair Housing of Marin sponsors this program.
Panelists include:
Whitney Hoytt, Principal, Mill Valley Middle School (who will tell
her personal story of being a lesbian and a school administrator)
Carole Hayashino, Japanese American Citizen League
Dr. Marlene Jones, Executive Director, Marin Human Rights Roundtable
on Hate Violence
For more information, Contact
Annan Paterson, Diversity Project Coordinator
897-4206 x327
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7. Multidisciplinary/Intergenerational Art Installation (SF)
"possible SIDE EFFECTS may include..."
San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery
401 Van Ness Ave.
February 27-March 30th
Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11-5
Live works evening:
Friday, March 29th
7:30 pm
free
"possible SIDE EFFECTS may include..." is an intergenerational, multidisciplinary art installation exploring the effect of globalization on the relationship between multinationals, government and media conglomerates. It is our desire to place a question mark on these relationships.
Participants/Artists:
Eva El Beze * Nahir El Beze * René Garcia * Harjant Gill * Nine
de Javier * Pricilla Joffe * Dominic Santos * Casey Selzer * Lise Swenson
* Suzanne Thomas
"possible SIDE EFFECTS may include..." was commissioned by "CO-LAB: New Generations Collaborative Art and Learning" and conceived in partnership by San Francisco State University and the San Francisco Arts Commission. CO-LAB is a project involving Bay Area artists in collaboration with Bay Area youth.
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8. Youth Activist Convergence (Sonoma County)
April 12th-14th
Sebastopol Teen and Community Centers
390 - 425 Morris Street, Sebastopol
The Youth Activist Convergence is a youth-inspired and youth-driven conference focusing on issues within the broader context of social, political, economic and environmental justice.
The Youth Activist Convergence will:
* Build alliances between youth in the urban Bay Area and rural
Northern California communities;
* Encourage young adults to seek elected positions in local
communities;
* Facilitate the creation of a youth speakers' network;
* Connect youth activists with other community organizations;
* Facilitate the continuation of future networks and youth citizen
committees;
* Establish a model for future Youth Activist Convergences.
PRICING:
Friday Kick-Off Celebration $15-50 (sliding scale)
One-Day Pass $25-75 (sliding scale)
Two-Day Weekend Pass $35-100 (sliding scale)
For more information, visit http://www.townhallcoalition.org/ e-mail mailto:townhall@sonic.net or call 707-874-9110.
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9. Warm-Up Walk for AIDS (Bay Area)
Warm-Up Walk for AIDS
Paramount's Great America
Sunday April 14, 2002
Registration begins at 7:30 and walk starts at 8:30
Each Walker raising $40 or more is entitled to a free day at Paramount's Great America on the day of the Walk! Walk individually, or put together a team (5 or more walkers). We look forward to seeing you at the walk -having a good time and raising money to help people in our community.
There are many opportunities to volunteer for the Warm up Walk:
Registration, Refreshments, Course monitors, starting line ect.
Please contact Walk For AIDS Silicon Valley at: 408-248-7420 or on line at <http://www.walkforaids.org>www.walkforaids.org and we will send you information on how to Volunteer or get a team involved.
The Warm-Up Walk For AIDS Silicon Valley is a 1K walk to raise funds for local HIV/AIDS programs. As the first year of this new event supporting Walk For AIDS Silicon Valley, we are excited about this opportunity to partner with Paramount's Great America to raise funds for and awareness of Walk for AIDS Silicon Valley, and our benefiting agencies, who reach over 30,000 people annually with education and information, and more than 5,000 people through direct services. Walk For AIDS Silicon Valley is the only Walk event assisting those living with HIV and AIDS locally, as well as raising awareness about this disease within the local community - there is still no cure!
*********************************************
10. Art vs. Prison Event (SF)
Artists' Television Access Presents:
Art vs. Prison
992 Valencia @ 21 St., SF
Friday March 15th, 8pm
$5 and up
http://www.atasite.org
415-824-3890
Art vs. Prison is a hard-hitting multimedia art show that combines painting,
film, and music to speak out and confront the Prison Industrial Complex.
The evening will present artwork by Leonard Peltier, Marilyn Buck,
Linda Evans, Tom Manning, Laura Whitehorn, and other US political prisoners.
The show will also feature "The Life of Mumia Abu Jamal" a slide show by
nationally renown, graphic artist Seth Tobocman and several films including:
"I Thought I Saw a Convict," "The Blessing," "Lil Paypa," "Life in Da Small
Town," and "Truth To Power." UC
Professor Ruthie Gilmore will address the roots of the Prison Industrial
Complex, and Company of Prophets will rock the house with their blend of
electric, acoustic and acapella Hip-Hop. All the benefits for this event
will
go to Mumia Abu-Jamal defense fund.
VIDEOS
"I Thought I Was Seeing Convicts" - exposing human rights violations
by guards in Corcoran, California.
"The Blessing" & "Lil Paypa" - two films on prison seen through
the eyes of children and youth.
"Life in Da Small Town" - Polynesian youth speak out on jail, racism,
and life in East Palo Alto.
"Truth To Power" - powerful testimony from women on life-threatening
medical abuse in California prisons.
HIP HOP
Company of Prophets - electric, acoustic & acapella Hip-Hop
ARTWORK
Art by Leonard Peltier, Marilyn Buck, Linda Evans, Tom Manning, Laura
Whitehorn & other US political prisoners.
"The Life of Mumia Abu-Jamal" - slideshow by Seth Tobocman
SPEAKERS
Ruthie Gilmore / Critical Resistance writer/scholar speaking on California
prisons and the new economy.
Jeff Mackler / Mobilization to Free Mumia up-to-the-minute info on Mumia's legal case.
*********************************************
11. Anti-Racist Alliance Building Workshop (Bay Area)
The Institute for MultiRacial Justice presents a 10 week Anti-Racist Alliance Building Workshop for activists/organizers of color beginning April 18, 2002.
The goal of our workshop is to train grassroots anti-racist organizers of color who can work effectively to help create mass-based social justice movements. You will have the opportunity to strengthen your analysis of White Supremacy; learn about what unites and what divides different communities of color, and how alliances can be built; understand problems specific to persons of color, such as internalized racism; and develop organizing skills for community work.
Last spring we held a workshop entitled "Becoming An Anti-Racist Activist" for people of color. The structure and curriculum for this year's workshop has been revised to reflect feedback from the first one. New emphasis will, for example, be placed on interactive exercises and hands-on training.
The workshop will take place:
Thursdays in San Francisco
April 18 - June 20, 2002,
from 6:30pm - 9:30 pm.
The cost for the workshop is $25 to cover supplies, rental of the space, etc. The application process is now in progress and space is limited.
Applications must be received by March 29, 2002.
So contact us soon! Thank you.
Contact Darryl at i4mrj@aol.com or
call 415-701-9502 for more information.
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12. NEWS: Elementary School in Oakland Hosts LGBT Awareness Week
Sunday, March 10, 2002 (SF Chronicle)
Teaching the reality of gay life/Oakland school kids learn a rare lesson
Meredith May, Chronicle Staff Writer
Oakland -- The students at Park Day School in Oakland
are probably the
only elementary school kids in America whose spelling lists contain
words
such as "homosexual," "lesbian" and "transgender."
At a time when high schools around the country are
battling over bringing
gay studies and gay student clubs to campus, the private Park Day School
is skipping the controversy and being straight with little kids about
gay
life.
Last week, the kindergarten through sixth grade school
hosted 45 speakers
from a list of Bay Area's gay movers and shakers, including KFOG disc
jockey Dave Morey and East Bay chocolatier John Scharffenberger. A
lesbian
married couple spoke, as did a lesbian animal caretaker and a lesbian
Baptist minister.
A male therapist who was once female talked to the sixth-graders.
None of the speakers had ever been invited to talk
about their personal
lives to schoolchildren before, and the exercise brought some of the
adults to tears.
Students wanted to know when the guests first knew
they were gay, how they
came out to their families and whether the speakers ever encountered
homophobia. The youngest children had few questions about homosexuality,
preferring instead to talk about the puppies or chocolate bars involved
in
the speakers' jobs.
The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, which had never
been invited to
perform at any school in its 24-year history, treated the children
to
songs about self- pride, an ode to Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the
City,"
and the Sesame Street Ernie classic, "Rubber Ducky."
Former San Francisco Supervisor Harry Britt talked
to them about growing
from a lonely gay child at Robert E. Lee Elementary in Texas to a San
Francisco supervisor who carried on the legacy of tolerance after the
shooting deaths of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk,
who
was gay.
"The idea," said Park Day Director Tom Little, "is
that if they ever
encounter homophobia, their association will be that lots and lots
of
wonderful people they have met have been hurt by that."
Not one parent complained, Little said. In fact,
several came to the
school to thank him for broaching a sensitive subject and making it
easier
to discuss gay topics at home.
That may be because Park Day School was founded in
1976 by progressive
parents who wanted their students to study social justice and diversity.
Every year, the school hosts Care Week to study a disenfranchised segment
of society.
Last year it was the disabled. This year it was the
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual
and Transgender group -- or "GLBT" group, according to the students'
vocabulary list.
Teachers posted the new vocabulary words in hallways,
on playground fences
and on doors to help students study.
"You need to learn prejudice, and this is the right
age to get to them,
before it starts," said parent Beverly Burch.
Public schools have had a harder time bringing gay
issues into the
classroom. A parental uproar arose in Danville last year when some
teachers and gay activists at Charlotte Wood Middle School wanted to
hold
gay tolerance classes in the wake of a student-created homophobic Web
site
directed at an openly gay teacher. In a compromise, the teachers union
held a voluntary class for teachers only, which was sparsely attended.
On the flip side, school districts in San Francisco,
Berkeley and Oakland
provide offices and counselors for gay and questioning youth.
While their parents debate, students have taken up
the mantle at several
school districts, bolstered by a state law that went into effect in
2000
barring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender
identity in California public schools. They have created more than
800
Gay/Straight Student Alliances at schools in 46 states, despite resistance
from school boards and parents in many cities, including California's
Clovis and Orange.
A bill to "prohibit the promotion of homosexuality
in public education"
introduced by Southern California Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy, R-Monrovia,
died in committee this year.
"I think things are changing. Park Day is definitely
not like my
elementary school was in Weaver, Ala.," said Gay Men's Chorus member
Carlton Lowe. "It was exhilarating to sing for them and see how engrossed
they were in our songs. "
Students had homework, too.
They wrote essays on famous gay people such as Michelangelo,
interviewed a
family member who was in the gay community or knew someone else who
was,
and wrote Dear Abby-style letters to imaginary gay children who had
been
teased on the playground. They decorated their classrooms with rainbow
flags and pictures of singer Melissa Etheridge and her partner.
And in a move to stamp out anti-gay slurs, they wrote
gay epithets using
salt on the playground, then kicked off their shoes and smudged them
out.
For 11-year-old Ben Ruffman-Cohen, who has two moms,
last week was "the
best week of my life."
He was part of the speakers circuit, and talked to
the first-graders about
his family. He told them he does the same stuff at home that they do
with
a mom and a dad. On the baseball form, he just crosses out the box
for
"father" and writes "mother" over it.
"I told them to imagine how much they love their
mom and then double
that," he said. "That's my life.
"A lot of schools don't have the opportunity to do
this, and if I even
said the word 'gay' other places, there would be a lot of flinching.
Now
all 225 of us here know how to be gay allies," he said, using another
vocabulary word.
Once and Again to Air GSA Episode
On Monday, March 11 at 10pm, ABC will air a new episode of the show Once and Again that deals with joining a GSA and other issues. Writers for the show consulted with GSA Network staff in preparation for the episode, which is called "Gay-Straight Alliance." Check it out!
Episode Summary:
Grace pursues her teacher and Jessie develops an attraction for her
friend, Katie. When Grace enthusiastically joins the high school's
"Gay-Straight Alliance," many characters are forced to confront their own
feelings about relationships and sexuality. While some struggle to
come to terms with their loved ones' choices, others find they are unable
to repress their feelings any longer.
In this issue of GSA Network News, you'll find:
1. Call for Art Submissions for Gay-Straight Alliance Network
2. Sexual Identity Forum at Redwood City Youth Health Center
3. Rights On! Conference (SoCal)
4. NYAC - 5th Annual National Summit in DC
5. Queer-Youth-A-Palooza & Drag King Junior Contest (SF)
6. Play It Loud - Theater Workshop (East Bay)
7. High School Survival Strategies for Poets and Queers (SF)
8. LGBTQ Youth Theater Workshop (SF)
9. Benefit Performance at SF State
10. Youth Speaks Writing and Performance Workshop (East Bay)
11. Youth Art and Activism Celebration (SF)
12. Researchers Seeking LGBTQ Youth in Foster Care
13. "SAY WHAT?" - WireTap Magazine Art and Writing Contest
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1. Call for Art Submissions for Gay-Straight Alliance Network
* Would you like to contribute to an awesome youth led
organization?*
Gay-Straight Alliance Network is asking for your contributions to
a queer and straight ally art silent auction (event on Saturday, April
20) to raise money for our programs. We will be highlighting contributions
from youth, 25 and under, but would also appreciate contributions from
adult allies. We're looking for drawings, photos, collages, cartoons, paintings,
sculptures, zines, etc. (if you can matte or frame your work that would
be great). We would also love donations of matting and framing. Learn more
about the organization below or by visiting our web site at www.gsanetwork.org
And come to the event, Saturday April 20,7-9 pm, at Z Center, 2211 Mission St. @ 18th.
Submissions due:
April 5, if unmatted/framed
April 15, if ready to hang/show
for more information contact Jill at jill@gsanetwork.org or
415-552-4229
or just send your work to our Northern California office:
GSA Network
art stuff
160 14th St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
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2. Sexual Identity Forum at Redwood City Youth Health Center
The Sexual Identity Forum at the Redwood City Youth Health Center is active again!
The group meets every Wed night from 7:30-9pm.
630 Laurel St., Suite B
Redwood City, CA 94063
(650)366-2927
Anyone aged 12-23 is welcome.
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3. Rights On! Conference (SoCal)
Teachers, students, and other staff members interested in attending the Rights On! conference, co-sponsored by Friends of Project 10 and the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center should download the registration form below, fill it in, and e-mail it to project10@hotmail.com, or mail it to Friends of Project 10. State Senator Sheila James Kuehl, author of AB 537 (Calif., Student Safety and Violence Protection Act, 2000) will be the keynote speaker. Rights On! is a half-day training on AB 537, the Equal Access Act, and other laws related to lgbt students in public schools. The conference is free to participants. Pre-registration is required.
When: Saturday, March 16, 2002
Where: Village at Ed Gould Village Plaza, 1125 N. McCadden Pl.,L.A.
90038(1 block east of Highland
and 1 block north of Santa
Monica Blvd.)
Time: 9 a.m.-1:15 p.m. (lunch will be provided)
More information? Call 626-577-4553 or 213-625-6411, or e-mail mailto:project10@hotmail.com.
Registration Form--Rights On!
Name ________________________________ School __________________________
E-mail address _____________________________ Ph. ______________________
Check off: Student ___ Teacher ___ Adminstrator ___ Counselor___
Other
___
E-mail completed form to: project10@hotmail.com or
Mail to: Friends of Project 10
115 W. California
Blvd., #116
Pasadena, CA
91105
Fax: Call 213-625-6411 or 626-577-4553 for fax number.
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4. NYAC - 5th Annual National Summit in DC
NYAC's 5th Annual Summit
23 - 27 May 2002
Who should attend NYAC's 5th Annual Summit?
Unlike most national conferences, which focus on talking heads, NYAC's
Summit is three days of think tank discussion and strategic action on the
key issues facing young people by young people. Youth leaders from diverse
communities bring their expertise to the table to create momentum and strategies
for the
larger LGBTQ movement.
The Summit is for you if you are:
-An LGBTQ young person interested in connecting with other LGBTQ youth
from around the country
- A young person interested or involved in LGBTQ youth organizing
- Affiliated with an LGBTQ organization or foundation
- An ally to LGBTQ youth, including parents, service providers, researchers,
educators, health practitioners, etc.
The Annual NYAC Summit represents a unique opportunity for people from across the United States, including Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, to share their experiences and expertise with friends, allies and colleagues. Join us for useful skills-building workshops, structured roundtable discussions, and participant initiated caucus sessions*as well as many opportunities to, socialize network, and have fun!
For more info and registration instructions, visit:
http://www.nyacyouth.org/nyac/events.html
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5. Queer-Youth-A-Palooza & Drag King Junior Contest (SF)
Friday March 8, 2002
6p-1a
The Center
- 1800 Market St. @ Octavia, San Francisco
www.sfcenter.org
Free to queer youth (26 or so and younger) WITH Donation of drag or
books/magazines for our youth room. No one turned away for lack of funds.
ALL AGES
as part of the gala week of events for the new queer community center the youth take over Friday night
6p Open House
- Center tours
- Hope Altar
- Jewels in a Jewel Box art show
- Nail Salon
Hip as Sh*t DJ's
DJ Celeste * D'jay Clay * DJ Mermaid * DJ Wacksmster Jamez * DJ Michael
Blythe * DJ Pusspuss * DJ Quest
Chill Spaces
Psychic Lounge w/Tarot and crystal ball * Saint Mitcho's Craft Zone
* Drag-a-Rama room * Drag King Mac Daddy Lounge
7p Mixed Fruit Word Jam
featuring Youth Speaks
special guests:
DhaiaTribe
and
Deep Dickollective
9p Drag King Junior Contest
hosts Fudgie Frottage and Sister Kitty Catalyst
Celeb Judges
Deena Davenport * Putanesca * Electro * Rat Bastard * Miss Juanita
More! * Sister Roxanne Roles * Sini Andrson * Cooper Lee Bombadier
Performances by
- BoyWonder
- Juanita More!
- the Sister Sock Show
and Mr. Hanky the Xmas Poo!
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6. Play It Loud - Theater Workshop (East Bay)
Queer Youth Perform Their Lives!
In Play It LOUD!
A Theater Project for LGBTQIQ Youth 20 & under!
Let the world know what you think! Tell your stories and share your experiences!
Using text and movement, sound and image, we will work together to create an original theatre piece, to be presented in May 2002.
No previous experience is necessary, only enthusiasm!
At the Pacific Center, 2712 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley.
Saturday afternoons, 2:30-4:30 pm.
STARTS MARCH 9TH!
For more information call Kari at the Pacific Center (510) 548-8283
ext. 216
or email Project Director Rebecca Schultz at mailto:rebesf@juno.com
See you there!
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7. High School Survival Strategies for Poets and Queers (SF)
March 27
San Francisco Public Library - 100 Larkin Street (at Grove)
Hispanic/Latino Room
6:30 pm.
FREE
readings by Zoe Trope, Beth Lisick, Kristi Bruce, Thea Hillman
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8. LGBTQ Youth Theater Workshop (SF)
Dama kings and queens!
Express yourself!
Learn acting skills, creativity, and spontaneity in this FREE drama workshop.
Play theater games, do improv, and act out skits all while discussing the social reality that LGBTQ youth face each day.
Free pizza!
Mondays at 4:00pm at the Eureka Valley Rec Center (in the auditorium) - 100 Collingwood St. - across from LYRIC.
Drop in any Monday!
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9. Benefit Performance at SF State
**SEVEN INCH HEELS AND A MICROPHONE**
The second annual Seven Inch Heels and a Microphone: A Queer Alliance/Cindy Kolbs AIDS Fund Benefit Cabaret and Art Show is coming up next week!
DATE: Thursday, March 14, 2002
TIME: Doors open at 7 PM, Show begins at 7:30 PM
LOCATION: Jack Adams Hall, on the terrace level of the Cesar Chavez
Student Center of San Francisco State University; 1600 Holloway Avenue,
San Francisco, CA 94132
ADMISSION: $5 for student, seniors, and children; $7 for general admission
The Queer Alliance is proud to present the second annual production of Seven Inch Heels and a Microphone: a Queer Alliance/Cindy Kolb AIDS Fund Benefit Cabaret and Art Show.
Seven Inch Heels and A Microphone will feature artwork and exciting performances by guest artists and entertainers from SFSU and the San Francisco area - Including live musical productions, performances by prominent drag kings and queens, and acts by other well-known entertainers including Tom Ammiano. We will also display a variety of works by artists from SFSU and the surrounding community. Fifty percent of all proceeds will benefit the Cindy Kolb AIDS Fund, which provides grants for SFSU students, faculty, and staff living with HIV. The remaining proceeds will benefit the Queer Alliance at SFSU, which provides support to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender students and their allies by using these funds in our continuing effort to make available a positive and safe environment, promoting Queer awareness and acceptance, as well as supplying educational, and social support to our campus and community.
For more information, please contact us by phone: 415/338-1952, or by e-mail: queer@sfsu.edu, or visit our website atwww.sfsu.edu/~queer.
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10. Youth Speaks Writing and Performance Workshop (East Bay)
YOUTH SPEAKS SPOKEN WORD Writing and Performance Workshop
focusing on urban youth culture, the juvenile justice system, and how
we can
change it up!
share your words ? create new pieces ? refine your skills ? rap with
youth ?
find your voice
facilitated by RASHIDI OMARI of the COMPANY OF PROPHETS
When: EVERY SATURDAY, 2-4 PM
Where: DESTINY ARTS CENTER, 5688 San Pablo at 57th Street
Cost: FREE FOR ALL YOUTH
Info: 510.597.1619, freedomdancer@earthlink.net
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11. Youth Art and Activism Celebration (SF)
Celebrating youth art & activism in San Francisco.
Friday, March 15, 2002
6:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.
@
cell space
2050 Bryant Street, SF
FREE
FREE workshops, videos and performances by:
loco bloco * art & revolution * 8th wonder * jack kiwi de jesus
* b&gcsf * excelsior * recording studio * marie charlie GASA * run
wild productions * rasmo
bj garcia * ytec video * guerrero b & g club * oasis * move youth
group * digital stories
For info contact RasMo: 415/626-6629 x. 316 or
mailto:rasmo@menovercomingviolence.org
Sponsored by MOVE & SF Department of Public Health
MOVE (Men Overcoming ViolencE) is a non-profit organization that has
been
working in San Francisco to end men's violence for 20 years.
MOVE provides leadership & intervention training and community organizing
to
end gender-based violence against women, girls, lesbians, gay, bisexual,
transgender and queer people.
Join the MOVEMENT!
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12. Researchers Seeking LGBTQ Youth in Foster Care
Researchers need GLBT youth who've been in foster care for phone interviews
Eastern Michigan University folks are in the process of developing training programs in 3 states. They are training workers in the foster care system that assist adolescents and young adults in making the transition from care to independent living. One of their goals is to help these workers better understand and meet the needs of LGBT youth in the foster care system.
Currently, they are looking for LGBT youth to participate in a phone interview (compensated $20.00 for their time) and youth to participate in a focus group in the future. LGBT or questioning youth who have been or are currently in the foster care system.
This study has been through the Human Subjects review process and is funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Dennis Grady, a gay man, a foster parent and an assistant professor at the University is the interviewer. His phone number is 734-480-2721. YOUTH CALL HIM COLLECT. His e-mail address is mailto:DGrady@online.emich.edu.
Participants' identity and participation will be kept CONFIDENTIAL.
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13. "SAY WHAT?" - WireTap Magazine Art and Writing Contest
http://www.alternet.org/wiretapmag/contest.html
Do you have a story that's never been told? Are you a young person that's been censored, silenced, or told that your opinion doesn't count? Do you have a statement to make about freedom of expression? WireTap Mag http://www.wiretapmag.org, the online magazine by and for socially conscious youth, invites you to tell your story in "Say What?" Express your opinions. Share your thoughts on free speech. Tell the world what you have to say.
WireTap is digital proof that young people across the country are rising up and claiming their right to have their voices heard. Exercise your right to free speech in the form of art, personal essays, investigative articles, and creative writing: we want to know what freedom of speech means to you!
Details, details:
Categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Visual Art
Theme: Freedom of Speech
Prizes: In each category:
One First Place: $300 cash award plus prizes
Three Honorable Mentions: $100 cash award plus prizes
All winning entries will be published/ displayed on WireTap.
Submission Requirements:
Non-Fiction: Please submit an original essay on your ideas on free speech, an article about an event involving freedom of expression/free speech, or the story of an experience you've had that relates to the topic.
Fiction: Please submit an original short story that relates to the topic of free speech and individual expression.
Art: Please submit original artwork that you feel addresses the importance of free speech.
1000 word maximum for writing submissions
75 K maximum for art submissions as .gif or .jpg files
E-mail submissions along with your name, age and contact info to: contest@wiretapmag.org
Or send by snail mail with your name, age, and contact info to:
WireTap
c/o Independent Media Institute
77 Federal Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
*All contestants must be under 23 years old
Deadline:
All submissions due to WireTap by 4/8/02
Winners announced 4/22/02
WireTap strives to give young people that voice by showcasing their opinions, essays, artwork, and activism. WireTap creates an online space for the issues that young people really care about, and provides a place for them to network and organize. We hope to help them challenge stereotypes, to inspire their creativity, and to foster dialogue.