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

National HIV Testing Day

An estimated 250,000 people in the United States have HIV and are not aware of it. National HIV Testing Day is an opportunity for people nationwide to learn their HIV status, and to gain knowledge to take control of their health and their lives.

There are a number of sites that regularly offer free, anonymous HIV testing in Chittenden County. If you are interested in finding out more about what sites are available state-wide, please call the Department of Health's HIV/AIDS hotline at (800) 244-7639.

For National HIV Testing Day, RU12? will offer Orasure testing. In addition, VT Cares will offer the following walk-in locactions:

Burlington: CARES office. 187 St.Paul St. 8am-6pm   
COTS Daystation. 179 S. Winooski Ave.  12pm-3pm   
Montpelier: 73 Main St. Suite 401. 11am-2pm   
Rutland: CARES clinic at Asa Bloomer Bldg. 12pm-4pm   
St. Johnsbury: CARES office. 1290 Hospital Dr. #1. 8am-4pm   

Below are some of the regular Rapid Testing days for Chittenden County. These sites offer free results in 20 minutes with no needles:

Mondays: VT Cares, 4-7pm

Tuesdays: RU12? Community Center, 11-6pm

Wednesdays: Community Health Center of Burlington, Call for details

Thursdays: RU12? Community Center, 11-6pm
                 Safe Recovery, 1-5pm

Also keep in mind you can make an appointment with the Fletcher Allen Comprehensive Care Clinic or the Department of Health.

Hepatitis A&B Clinic - Free Vaccination!

If you are a sexually active gay or bi man, you qualify to get vaccinated for Hepatitis A&B for FREE at RU12?! The clinic will be on Friday, June 27th, 4-7 PM.

Hepatitis A is transmitted through the oral-fecal route – meaning unprotected rimming can put you at risk.   Hepatitis B is transmitted in many of the same ways HIV is, but it is much more infectious than HIV. Both of these are preventable through this vaccination.

Here's more on Hepatitis from The Body (which is a great resource in general for HIV and STD information!):

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is transmitted through the oral-fecal route. Sexually, this infection is transmitted by oral-anal sex (rimming). Sexually transmitted hepatitis A tends to occur more commonly among gay men. Outbreaks of hepatitis A among gay men are a recurring problem in many large cities in Western nations. There is now a very effective vaccine to prevent infection with hepatitis A. Unfortunately, despite the higher rates of hepatitis A infection among gay men, most members of the gay community are unaware of this vaccine. Most gay men who are at risk for this infection have never been vaccinated, despite the availability of the vaccine. A strong effort needs to be made to increase hepatitis A vaccination rates among gay men.

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is transmitted the same way as HIV, but is much more infectious than HIV. Between men, the infection is most commonly transmitted through unprotected anal intercourse and giving oral sex. Some gay men have been infected through sharing drug needles as well. In Western nations, sexually transmitted hepatitis B tends to occur more commonly among gay men. There is now a very effective vaccine to prevent infection with hepatitis B. Unfortunately, despite the higher rates of hepatitis B infection among gay men, most members of the gay community are unaware of this vaccine. Most gay men who are at risk of this infection have never been vaccinated, despite the availability of the vaccine. A strong effort needs to be made to increase hepatitis B vaccination rates among gay men.

 

Celebrate Juneteenth!

On this day in 1865, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, troops arrived in Texas to spread the news that the war had ended and that the slaves were free. , Juneteenth began as the celebration of this day, and is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Today Juneteenth celebrates African-American freedom while encouraging self-development and respect for all cultures.

And this year, we have even more to celebrate, as last week Vermont officially adopted Juneteenth as a holiday, thanks to the work of tireless advocates. Check out the Burlington Free Press article for more information.

Interested in learning more about Juneteenth and where you can get your own strawberry soda pop? Check out the Juneteenth website and the National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign site.

Oscar Wilde meets The Dialogue Project

Vermont LGBTQ Oral History Project

RU12? and Montpelier's Lost Nation Theater proudly present an exhibit of artwork created for “The Dialogue Project: Bridging Generations of LGBTQ Vermonters”, a program of the Vermont Queer Archives. This exhibition will be hosted in the alley Lobby of Lost Nation Theater throughout the run of its production of Oscar Wilde's comedic satire, "The Importance of being Earnest" playing Thursdays - Sundays, June 19 - July 6.

In 2005 two Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) youth groups were asked what they wanted to know from their LGBTQ elders. Questions from the youth at Outright Vermont and the University of Vermont’s Free to Be Student Group included, “Did religion or faith play a role in how you viewed your sexuality?” and “What is your perspective on the portrayal of LGBTQ people in the media and entertainment industry?” Fourteen Vermonters over the age of 50 answered the questions from the youth. These interviews were recorded and ten local Vermont artists were asked to make interpretive art pieces of the recorded interviews.

In 2007 the second phase of this project was begun and turned the cycle giving LGBTQ elders the opportunity to ask queer youth about their lives. Some questions that the LGBTQ elder group at the RU12? Community Center posed to youth included; “Do you see identifying as LGBTQ as a civil rights issue?”, What has the impact of HIV/AIDS had on your life?”, “Would your coming out process be different if you did not have the internet?” and “What do you expect your life to be like when you are 65?”

This is the first project in Vermont documenting the lives and contributions of LGBTQ elders and youth in Vermont. The Dialogue Project is a celebration of LGBTQ experiences past and present and includes excerpts from interviews; pieces from the Vermont Queer Archive collection and interpretive artwork. The recorded interviews are available for educational use through RU12? Community Center’s Vermont Queer Archives and copies are also housed and available at The Vermont Folklife Center in Middlebury, Vermont.

Past exhibitions have included Johnson State College's Julian Scott Memorial Gallery, Rose Street Gallery in Burlington, and Marlboro College. Lost Nation Theater is pleased to partner with the RU12 Community Center to bring this thought provoking exhibit for the first time to the residents of central Vermont, throughout the run of "The Importance of Being Earnest," an enduring work by one of the most prominent figures in LGBTQ literary history. We think Mr. Wilde would approve.

Please check with the theater for times when the exhibit will be available for viewing other than prior to the scheduled performance times for "Earnest". Call 802-229-0492 or visit Lost Nation Theatre’s web site at www.lostnationtheater.org.

Thank You Dinner Supporters!

Thank  You for coming OUT and celebrating Vermont's LGBTQ Community at this year's 10th Annual Queer Community Dinner. The 2008 dinner was complete with both a silent & live auction, dancing, Dan Savage, volunteer awards, a fancy hat contest and lots of fun! For the first time ever this was a sold out event and 15,000 dollars went towards supporting the RU12? Community Center. Thank you for being a part of this event and MAKING IT WORK!! It's support and commitment like this that allows RU12? to celebrate, educate and advocate with and for LGBTQ Vermonters.

We would like to especially thank all of our major business sponsors.

• · Borders

• · Merrill Lynch

• · Seven Days

• · North Country Federal Credit Union

• · Smith Barney

• · Langrock, Sperry & Wool, LLP

Also, Thank You Dan Savage for making this event truly remarkable! We enjoyed your wit and humor! RU12? will now forever be known as R2D2's Gay little Brother! 

Congratulations Don Eggert for winning Community Volunteer of the year and Congratulations Steph Clark for being RU12?'s Volunteer of the Year! You both bring so much to our community and we are so lucky to have you!

A message from Kara...

As a member of the Council on the Future of Vermont, and as the Executive Director of RU12?, I would like to personally invite you to a special LGBTQ focus group on Thursday, June 19th from 5-6pm at the Fletcher Free Library in Burlington.  This unique and historic event will be taking place in the Pickering Room, upstairs at the Library. This is our chance to contribute our unique perspectives and concerns about Vermont's future to what will be a significant final report to be used by policy makers and leaders for years to come.

RU12? is proud to be partnering with the Council on the Future of Vermont which is a 2 year program, produced by the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD). VCRD is a small non-profit that works on rural policy initiatives at the state level. This policy work is grounded by work in local communities, where VCRD does visioning, facilitation and convening to help bring communities together around the strategic issues and plans that are defined locally. This new program, the Council on the Future of Vermont, is meant to step back from some of this local work to identify and explain what issues are common across the state, what challenges and opportunities we face, and what priorities Vermonters have for the next generation. Our mission is to create a statewide dialogue in which each Vermonter has the opportunity to share the vision they have for the future and what we might do to achieve that vision. 

To do this, the Council on the Future of Vermont is traveling all around the state of Vermont, sitting down with high school students, with seniors, firemen, teachers, nurses, business leaders, veterans, pastors and many others. We’re holding public forums as well as focus groups. We will be visiting the greater Burlington area on June 19th, and would like to invite the LGBT community, with the help of the RU12? Community Center, to join us for a discussion of about an hour. We would value learning from members of the LGBT community in the Burlington area about how Vermont has and should react to equal rights issues, to social and cultural trends, and to safe and healthy spaces for all its citizens. We think that this conversation will ensure that the work we’re conducting all over the state does not miss this critical element of Vermont’s future. The Council on the Future of Vermont wants to ensure that this project reaches deep into Vermont’s current issues so that this project can serve as an historic marker for our time. We hope you can be a part of this work.

For more information fact sheets are attached and you may also visit www.futureofvermont.org.

Please help spread the word and feel free to contact me with any questions, 860-7812.

A League Of Our Own

We are looking for 4 teams of 10 players each (dressed in the most insane drag gear possible) to help raise money f or PRIDE VERMONT. This will be a elimination, tournament style game. We are limited to four teams to keep the game within a few hours. If you have extra players on your team they can pay a fifteen dollar donation and be a pinch hitter. YOU MUST PRE- REGISTER TO PLAY BALL.

Date:	Saturday, June 21, 2008
Time:	1:00pm - 6:00pm
Location:	Technology Park (off the highway by the Whales Tails)
Street:	30 Community Drive
City/Town:	South Burlington, VT

Here's the deal...

Team Player
$20 per player
($200 team/ 10 players per team)

Pinch Hitter
$15 each additional player
(after initial 10 players)

Cheerleader
$10 per cheerleader
$100 cheerleading squad
(10 people per squad)

Bench Warmers
$5 suggested donation to come
and watch the shenanigans!

PRIZES FOR MOST ORIGINAL TEAM COSTUME & INDIVIDUAL COSTUME.

INFO: dragsoftball@ru12.org

Have you celebrated Men's Health Week lately?

Happy National Men's Health Week!

There's a bunch of things you can do to celebrate and keep you and the men in your life healthy, happy, and living well.

First off, know your status and help protect those you love and play with. RU12? offers free, anonymous 20 minute HIV testing with no needles every Tuesday and Thursday. While you're in, pick up *FREE* condoms and lube -- we have a wide assortment of colors, flavors, and sensations!

Second, check out www.vdhp.org to find an LGBT-friendly health practitioner. While you're in, some of the important screens and check-ups to do are checking for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, sexually transmitted diseases, and cancers of the skin, prostate, and colon.

Third, save yourself some cash and give yourself a chance to breathe... by quitting smoking. Check out QuitNet -- they have resources and support to help you stop smoking. Their free program tracks your progress and gets you motivated to stay smoke-free.

Interested in more information? Check out the CDC Webpage for more info on men's health.

What is a MEATing?

Are you a young gay, bi or queer guy? Are you interested in meeting other guys? Do you have something to say about sex and dating as a non-straight guy in Vermont?

Oh, and how about some FREE FOOD?

If that all sounds good to you, e-mail glam@ru12.org to sign up for GLAM's upcoming MEATing (Men's Education and Activity Time) - its coming up this Monday evening - so don't delay!!