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

A call of sadness... and of support...

We at RU12? are saddened and angered at the recent senseless murders of Lawrence King, Saneesha Stewart, Simmie Williams Jr.,  and Adolphus Simmons, all within this past month. These unrelated murders illustrate numerous connections – all the victims were young, all were trans women or gender-variant in some way, and all the victims were people of color. It is also devastating to note how young those who killed these people were, and we condemn the biased, traumatizing, and sensationalized media that reported on these cases. 

Lawrence King, 15, California, Feb. 14
Saneesha Stewart, 25, New York, Feb. 16
Simmie Williams Jr., 17, Florida, Feb. 22
Adolphus Simmons, 25, South Carolina, Feb. 25

These hate crimes not only have the obvious devestating results for the victims and their families, but also are meant to send a message of hate and fear to the larger community.  Whether or not we have been personally attacked, we are in fact all victims of these hate crimes. 

We stand with and support our sister organizations within the queer movement, including Outright Vermont, TransAction, and the Freedom to Marry Taskforce, among others, that are calling for an end to violence in schools, equal access to legal protections for LGBTQ people, and envisioning a world of acceptance, not violence.

Please know that our SafeSpace advocates are here with support around this news or around hate or bias incidents within your own life, both in person or on the SupportLine at (802) 863-0003, and that we at the Center celebrate each individual that contributes to our diverse, beautiful community.

"When you look at the names here, remember these people. Cry for those who we have lost, and let your anger out for a society that would allow them to die. " —Gwendolyn Ann Smith, Remembering Our Dead

RU12? at the Drag Ball

We had a blast at 13th Annual Drag Ball at Higher Ground! Thank you, House of LeMay, for putting on this terrific event. The event, which benefited The Vermont People with AIDS Coalition, sold over a thousand tickets and attracted more attendees than ever at Higher Ground!

We RU12? staffers took the opportunity to share our new logo with some of the folks we met there. We handed out stickers and valentines with our web address showcasing the new look (and maybe that’s how some of you readers found your way here)! GLAM guys (and our GLAM girl supporters) also passed out condoms and flyers about upcoming events.

Seven Days has a great slideshow of pictures from the event. Also be sure to check out our photostream at the top of this page to find more pictures of us in our draggy, glammy get-ups!

We can’t wait to see you at the next event!

SafeSpace Volunteers Needed!

SafeSpace is looking for Volunteer Advocates to work with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (lgbtqq) survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, bias crimes, and discrimination.

Please call 863-0003 or email thecenter@ru12.org to sign up!  The training will begin on March 4th at 6pm at the RU12? Community Center.  All volunteers will receive more than 20 hrs. of free training and ongoing training and support!

SafeSpace is a social change and social service program of the RU12? Community Center working to end physical, sexual, and emotional violence in the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQQ) people. We provide information, support, referrals, and advocacy to LGBTQQ survivors of violence and offer education and outreach programs in the wider community.

Dan Savage coming to Vermont on May 31!

RU12? is thrilled to announce that Dan Savage will be this year's Annual Community Dinner Speaker on Saturday, May 31st. Doors will open at 6pm at the Sheraton Hotel in South Burlington. Please visit the Annual Dinner page for more information and check back regularly for event updates.

Dan Savage has been writing Savage Love an internationally syndicated sex advice column, for more than ten years. The column originates in The Stranger and runs in The Village Voice, The Chicago Reader, The San Francisco Weekly, and in papers in Los Angeles, Toronto, Hong Kong, Tel Aviv and more than fifty other cities in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Canada.

In addition to the column, Dan is the editor of the groundbreaking Seattle alt-weekly, The Stranger. His writing has also appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Salon, Travel and Leisure, Rolling Stone, and on the New York Times Op-Ed pages. Dan has been featured on CNN, "Politically Incorrect," "ABC News" The FOX News Channel, and on NPR's "Fresh Air." He is a regular contributor to NPR's "This American Life."

Savage is also the author of four books: "Savage Love," a collection of his advice columns (Plume 1998); "The Kid: What Happened When My Boyfriend and I Decided to Get Pregnant" (Dutton, 1999), an award-winning memoir about adoption PEN USA West Literary Award for Creative Nonfiction); "Skipping Towards Gomorrah: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Pursuit of Happiness in America" (Dutton, 2002), which won the Lambda Literary Award for non-fiction; and "The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage and My Family" (Dutton 2005). Savage has appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO, Colbert Report, ABC's 20/20, MTV, VH1, and other television and cable programs.

Get A Taste of Dan on YouTube!

Welcome to the new RU12? website!

We are so excited to launch our new website with our new logo and tag line. Welcome to RU12's new site where you can access the most current information about events and happenings in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community in Vermont.

The new, interactive site encourages LGBTQ and allied members of the community to connect to the Center and to each other. You will notice that you can post comments to updates and informational posts on the new website. We would love to have you interact with our website and let us know what you think! Feedback, comments and questions are welcome.

Our new website is also a comprehensive, informative site where you can find out about the date of the Drag Ball (this Saturday, February 16th at Higher Ground to benefit the People With AIDS Coalition), when free, anonymous HIV testing is available at RU12? (Tuesdays & Thursdays), how to access anti-violence resources and support, ways to get involved with RU12? by volunteering or donating, and much, much more.

This fabulous new website and the new RU12? logo were designed by Don Eggert, one of our greatest supporters, a RU12? founder and original Board member, and an on-going volunteer who generously gives of his time, talent, and resources to strengthen RU12? and Vermont’s LGBTQ community. We cannot thank you enough Don!

Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at RU12? We thank you for your continued support, and are looking forward to seeing you online and in person soon!