RU12? Community Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Vermont

Community Calendar Spotlight: VGSA Sunday Brunch

Join VGSA in Jericho this month for a potluck brunch. Please bring a dish to share and/or mimosa fixings. FMI: email info@vgsa.com or visit www.vgsa.com

TONIGHT!: Pop-Up! A Queer BINGO May Party - Maglianero Cafe

 

Pop-Up! Queer BINGO Party time again!

February's Bingo Pop-Up! seems like so long ago, so we thought we would give the dancing shoes a break and bust out the blotters again.

LOCATION: Maglianero 47 Maple St, Burlington, VT 05401

SUNDAY, MAY 20th - 7pm doors, 7:30-9:30pm games.

Hosted by Ita Meno!

 

Prices for bingo on Sunday are:

$5 for a block of ten card with 3 bingo squares.

$10 for block of ten cards, 6 bingo squares across.

$15 for block of ten cards, 9 squares across.

We will play ten games.

 

Blotters are $1 a piece - for you to keep forever. You can also play with a sharpie, crayon or anything else you want to mark with - bring your own, we don't mind!

 Over 80 people backed Maglianero Cafe last time, so plan on getting there early to grab a seat & table space.

 FABULOUS QUEER prizes are on the line people!

Hosted by producers Chopper & DJ Llu - as always this event is meant to bring out the queer community from all over the state to connect, dance and mingle.

Find out more at: http://popupqueerdanceparty.com/

 

 

 

 

 

RU12?'s Spring Plant Sale Ends Friday!!

A great opportunity to brighten your yard and support your local LGBTQH Community Center!

RU12? has partnered with Claussen's Florist and Greenhouse to offer our community members great deals and competitive prices on annuals and perennials (singles of varying sizes and flats) while offering a generous portion of the proceeds to RU12?!

Please consider purchasing your spring blooms through us. Here is a link to the SurveyMonkey site for purchase, or feel free to call us at 802.860.7812 to place a phone order.

Order by May 18th for pick-up (at RU12?) or delivery to your home during the week of May 21st.

 

Order Here

 

BIG GAY ONION: RU12?'S Open-Mic Coffeehouse Event

Thursday May 17th, 6:30pm

The Block Gallery, Winooski

UPDATE: After the Open-Mic The Steph Pappas Experience will perform!! 8PM Every Third Thursday, 6:30pm-8:30pm, with featured performer Antara! At the Block Gallery in Winooski, RU12? hosts an open mic night featuring community performers. Anyone and everyone is encouraged to participate: musicians, comedians, puppeteers, spoken word artists, and more! Event is free but we will pass the hat for appreciation for RU12? For more information call RU12? 860-7812. Email BigGayOnion@ru12.org to sign up for a performance spot, or just show up!

Facebook Event

RU12? Family Project: Kid's Day, Burlington Sat 5/12

When: Sat., May 12, 10:45 a.m. 
Phone: 860-7812 
Email: jean@ru12.org 
Price: $1.

Facebook Event

 

Please join LGBTQ families from RU12?'s Family Program and the Central Vermont GLBT Parents Group (vtglbtparents@gmail.com) at Kids Day 2012 (May 12, 10am-3:30pm). Come for an hour or come all day, admission is only $1! 

Meet-up will be at 10:45am (after the parade) outside the exhibition tent where the RU12? Family Program will have a table. Look for the rainbow pride flag!

Any questions or comments, please feel to email Jean at RU12? (jean@ru12.org), and feel free to spread the word to anyone else who might enjoy the Kids' Day event! Also, please stop by the RU12? Family Program table to say hi to Jean, Crystal and the gang--we'll be making egg-carton bugs!

For more info:

From Burlington Parks and Rec's Kids Day website: (http://www.enjoyburlington.com/Programs/SpecialEvents/KidsDay.cfm)

For Kids of ALL Ages!!

 

Mark your calendars for Kids Day in 2012. Don't miss the fun! It's our 27th year!!

President Comes Out In Support of Same-Sex Marriage

Yesterday, in an interview with ABC, President Obama said that he supports the right of same-sex couples to marry. He stated:

"I'd hesitated on gay marriage in part because I thought civil unions would be sufficient . . . I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married."

We applaud his affirmation that couples legally recognized as being the same sex are entitled to the same rights that couples who are legally recognized as being different sexes currently benefit from.

To see our own Kim Fountain speak on this important topic, check out her interview on Channel 5.

 

Leslie Jordan: My Trip Down the Pink Carpet this Sunday!

RU12? Community Center, VGSA, and Truth Wins Out host a film and discussion series in the Pickering Room on the 2nd Floor of the Fletcher Free Library, Burlington.

Sunday, May 13th 2:00 pm 

Leslie Jordan: My Trip Down the Pink Carpet

Leslie Jordan widely regarded as one of the funniest men in show business, and also a fixture of gay culture, spent his first few decades in the industry racking up droll tales of his life and experiences. Those stories appeared in Jordan`s bestselling memoir MY TRIP DOWN THE PINK CARPET, and now form the basis of this performance video. Jordan toplines the program, speaking candidly and wittily about his initial trip from small town America to Los Angeles on a Greyhound bus, with $1,200 sewn into his undershorts; he also opens up about irresistible temptations, painful childhood angst, encounters with everyone from Culture Club frontman Boy George to Hollywood heartthrob George Clooney, and most of all, the long and touching journey of self-acceptance and self-love that he himself undertook.

Facebook Event Page

 

New PFLAG Chapter Forms in Southern Vermont

Dorset, Vermont – A chapter of Parents, Friends and Family of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) has been formed in Southern Vermont. PFLAG Dorset, an affiliated chapter of PFLAG, has formed as a local, nonprofit community support and educational outreach group.

Parents, Friends  and Families, of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) promotes the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, their families and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity.

PFLAG Dorset represents the mission, values, and goals of PFLAG – here in Vermont.  Each month, PFLAG Dorset sponsors a community meeting to support the gay and lesbian community, engage the public, and contribute to a loving and accepting community. Throughout the year, PFLAG Dorset will host guest speakers, luncheons, workshops, and offer educational outreach to all of Vermont.  PFLAG Dorset is the only active chapter of PFLAG in Vermont.

For more information, please contact Mike Watrous at PFLAG.Dorset@gmail.com or 802.768.1585

 

FED UP Vermont: Reproductive Rights Rally 5/12

More info

 

Contact: Fed Up Vermont
Name: Kara
Phone: (802) 343-2888
Name: Hayley
Phone: (802) 734-5100
Email: fedupvermont@gmail.com 

Fed Up with the escalating Congressional attacks on women’s rights? Outraged by the blatant sexism rampaging through women’s healthcare “debates”? Ready to do something about it? So are we! Join us on May 12th at noon at Burlington City Hall Park to rally for real and accessible reproductive rights for all. 

We affirm that women must be able to make their own decisions without coercion. We

"RU" is looking for instructors for Summer Semester.

 

This summer, RU12? is offering a series of community classes taught by members of Vermonts LGBTQA communities. Do you have a skill that you’d like to share? How about an idea for a class that you feel would impact our community.

Pitch us your ideas HERE!

It has been over a decade since RU12? first offered community classes through a program called “Summer Semester”. That summer, I enthusiastically signed up for almost every class. With classes like spinning, yoga, knitting, Spanish 101, financial planning, samba drumming, water color painting, and home grown homeopathy -- there was something for everyone. Each class seemed to attract its own beautiful motley crew. My purpose for joining the classes was to learn a new skill, which I did, but I also found community and friendship among people of diverse ages and identities with a shared queer experience. Long lasting friendships were built, as members of our knitting group would head over to 135 Peal with our needles and yarn after class. Just recently I was on the receiving end of warm smile of recognition accompanied by a “buenos dias” from a woman from my Spanish class while on the checkout line at the food coop. Experiences like this remind me of that wonderful summer.

This summer we’re bringing back one of RU12?’s first programs! “RU”, (short for RU12? University) offers the opportunity for LGBTQ community members to draw upon the skill, ability and knowledge of our talented peers with a short series of classes throughout the summer and fall. Potential classes to be offered include: Basic Car Maintenance, Yoga, Financial Planning, Photography, Zumba, Resume Writing, Home Ownership and more!

The Development Committee Action Committee (DCAT) is conducting a call for class instructors. Whether you have a skill that you’re just dying to share with your community or you have an idea for a class that we should include in our class catalog, sign up or pitch us your ideas  HERE. Members of DCAT will work with volunteers throughout the state to secure a proper venue for the class and recruit participants. With your help, this summer, new friendships will be forged, new skills will be mastered, our communities will be strengthened and memories will be made!

Looking forward to another memorable summer,

–Mike Bensel, Health & Wellness Program Coordinator

 

Wishlist Items for Kid's Day

RU12?'s Family Program is participating in this year's Kid's Day!

We need your help gathering the following art supplies:

• cardboard egg cartons
• pipe cleaners of various colors
• googly eyes of varying sizes
• washable paint and paint brushes
• glitter
  
• school glue
• glitter glue
• markers

Below is a Wish List of other items that RU12? staff, volunteers, and groups use frequently. Please consider supporting your community by making an in-kind donation of any of the items listed below

 

• Steam Mop Click Here
• Art Supplies for Family Project
• Ground Coffee
• Dry Erase Markers Click Here
• Printer Cartrages Click Here
• Post-It Easel Pads Click Here
• White Out Click Here
• Large Flat Screen Television
• Gift Cards (Costco, Staples, Supermarket, WB Mason, etc)
• Copy Paper Click Here
• Large Conference Room Table
• Paper Towels
• Paper Cups, Plates, Utensils, Coffee Cups
• Cleaning Supplies
• Bottled Water
• Manilla Folders Click Here
• LGBTQ Friendly Children's Books for our library.
• MacBook Laptop Power Cords
• Knitting, Crocheting, Craft Supplies
• LGBTQ Friendly Children's Books
• Kids Toys and Games

* All donations are Tax Deductable. 

If you'd like to donate something or have questions please call us at 802-860-7812 or email: thecenter@ru12.org

 

UVM Study Seeks Transgender Individuals

A new study is starting up at the University of Vermont and we are looking to recruit both MtF and FtM transgendered individuals between the ages of 18 and 55 for a two hour study. Individuals may be at any stage of HRT or surgical status, or non-transitional. This study will use brain imaging techniques to examine neural activation during processing of emotional information in order to compare results between transgendered and cisgendered individuals. Financial compensation of up to $50 is available for those who complete the study.

For more information or to be screened for this study, please contact Melanie at 802-847-4081 or Melanie.waldbrise@uvm.edu

 

Open Door Coming Out Support Group Returns

_____

After a 2 month break, RU12?'s Open Door Coming Out Support Group returns with new energy as we welcome new facilitators, Adam & Kara!

This informal gathering welcomes all adults from the LGBTQ spectrum as well as allies. All topics are free to discuss and nothing is too taboo.

The group meets the 1st and 3rd Monday of every month at RU12? From 6-7:30pm. If you have any questions about this group please call (802) 860-7812. Or email thecenter@ru12.org

LGBT Elders film "GEN Silent" Burlington screening on May 16th!

    RU12? Community Center and our collaborating partners would like to cordially invite to our screening of Stu Maddux’s award winning documentary GEN Silent. This film poignantly illustrates the discrimination facing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) seniors as they seek long- and short-term health/home care services, and profiles a group of Boston-area LGBT seniors who face the difficult decision of whether or not to go back in the closet as a result. Many LGBT seniors fear bias, discrimination and alienation as they move into senior housing and assisted living facilities; LGBT seniors are also more likely to live alone and be reluctant to allow caregivers and providers into their home due to fear of discrimination.

    This screening of "Gen Silent" will be held on May 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Main Street Landing Film House in Burlington (One Main Street) as part of a state-wide effort to promote the film and awareness of the issue, and is geared towards LGBT community members, allies, and helping professionals. Following the screening there will be a facilitated discussion with audience members and local experts to answer any questions you may have. Joining us to share their unique perspective and to shape a discussion of our community’s response will be Rachel Inker MD from the Community Health Centers of Burlington, Jackie Weinstock, Associate Professor Human Development & Family Studies UVM, Jackie Majoros, State Long Term Care Ombudsman, Sam Abel-Palmer Vermont Legal Aid, facilitated by Tim Palmer, Principal at VerMentor.

    This event is free and open to the public with a suggested donation of $3-5. Continuing education credits (2) will be available for physicians (CME), nurses (Contact Hours), social workers, nursing home administrators, and LNA’s for an additional fee of $10 to cover accreditation costs. Light refreshments and childcare will be provided.

    For more information, contact RU12? at 802.860.7812 or email jean@ru12.org; call the Senior HelpLine at 1-800-642-5119 or go to http://stumaddux.com/GEN_SILENT.html to see a trailer of the film.

    GEN Silent is being brought to Vermont by a collaboration between RU12?, Area Health Education Centers (AHEC), and Area Agencies on Aging, and is sponsored by the Samara Fund for LGBT Issues, a component fund of the Vermont Community Foundation, with additional support by the Department of Aging and Independent Living, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont.

    If you are unable to make it to this event, additional screenings of the film will also be happening during the month of May:

• Tuesday, May 8—Brattleboro, VT—Hooker Dunham Theater, 139 Main Street. 7pm
• Thursday, May 17—Newport, VT—North Country Career Center, 209 Veterans Avenue. 6:30pm
• Wednesday, May 23—Bomoseen, VT—Castleton Family Health Center, 275 Route 30 North. 7pm

Todd’s May 2012, Peek in Review: ‘The Ultimate Satire’: “Kiss Of The Spider Woman”, by Manuel Puig

I read the play, “Kiss Of The Spider Woman”, which had been adapted from the novel of Manuel Puig. The novel, by the Argentinean writer was published in 1976, and the play was first published in 1983.  He wrote eight novels and a total of seven plays and screenplays.  The play opens up with Molina and Valentin in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1976.  The men share a prison cell together for six months. The two characters are based on Valentin, as a Marxist revolutionary, and Molina, as a homosexual window-dresser.  They are put in prison because of their beliefs, Valentin, because of his political idealism and activism, and Molina, because he is openly gay, a heinous crime by law.  They pass the time together, by Molina referring back to his favorite movie with specific detail indulging in escapist fantasy, with Valentin , about the meaning of this movie, as query to life.

The play also sets the stage for an abysmal darkness to the prison cell. They are given little food to survive on. Valentin becomes sick due to the wrongful intent of the prison officials. In the meantime, Molina and Valentin develop a perplexing need for each other, as friend and lover.  The ulterior motive of the prison officials is to set Molina against Valentin, to find out where Valentin’s political and social unrest originates from.

Molina and Valentin are two men longing for their own truths. Their lives are also at stake.  Argentina is politically and socially corrupt. The country is derisively shaped by detente of the government and its people.  The characterization of Molina and Valentin evolve out of this satire, given the question for their own need for each other, as friend and lover. 

Molina:  I want to ask you for a going-away present.  Something that we never did, although we got up to worse.

Valentin:  What?

Molina:  A kiss.

Valentin:  It’s true.  We never did.

Molina:  But right at the end, just as I’m leaving.

Valentin: Okay. 

 “Kiss Of The Spider Woman” is a part of the Greg B. Raney Memorial Library holdings at R.U.12?.  It is a political and social satire, with infinitesimal meaning.  So it is also context for the notion of world history, as seen by Molina and Valentin.  Ciao, Todd