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

RU12? can earn a donation every time you search the Internet and shop online!!!

 What if RU12? Community Center earned a donation every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 30 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you'll be supporting RU12?.

And if you download the GoodSearch – RU12? Community Center toolbar, our cause will earn money every time you shop and search online - even if you forget to go to GoodShop or GoodSearch first! Add the RU12? Community Center toolbar at http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/ru12-queer-community-center

LGBTQA Elder Group Meeting

The LGBTQA Elder Support Group will be meeting December 23rd from 1-3 pm.  The holidays can be a difficult time for some people who have experienced loss and so we wanted to open up a space where people can talk about their grief.  This is the first gathering of this support group.  The meeting is open to anyone who is struggling with grief and loss (there is no age requirement to join).  Light refreshments will be provided.

D.C. Council Votes to Approve Same-Sex Marriage!!

On Tuesday, December 15th the District of Colombia Council voted 11 - 2 in favor of same-sex marriage for D.C. citizens! Mayor Adrian Fenty has promised to sign the bill; however, due to the fact that Congress has jurisdiction over the governance of our nation's capital, same-sex marriage will not become legal in D.C. until it survives a 30-day congressional review period. Congratulations to the LGBTQ community in the District of Colombia, let's hope this bill can survive!

New Support Group for Male Identified Survivors of Violence

 My name is Damian Siskavich, and I have joined SafeSpace as the facilitator for the male identified survivors of violence support group located at RU12? Community Center. I am a graduate of SUNY Plattsburgh with a bachelors degree in Child and Family Services with experiences as a hate crime educator and crisis counselor.

 

SafeSpace is offering a peer led support group for male identified survivors of relationship violence, dating violence, emotional violence, sexual violence, or any other form of hate violence. This group will meet in Burlington at the RU12? Community Center.

 

Support groups give survivors a safe and supportive environment to tell their stories, share information, and offer and receive support. These groups also provide survivors an opportunity to gain information on how to better cope with feelings and experiences that surface because of the trauma they have experienced or are currently experiencing.

 

If you are a male identified individual and feel that you may benefit from this support group, then contact SafeSpace today at: (802) 863-0003.

Violence has no face because it affects everyone.

What's New with GLAM!

There have been many new changes with GLAM in the last few months, and we wanted to take the time to update you all on the exciting news! For starters a new HIV Prevention Program Director started in the beginning of November. Mike Cartier joined the staff at theRU12? Community Center and is the newest addition to GLAM as the coordinator. The field of HIV outreach and prevention programming is not new to Mike as he has been in this field of work for some time now. He is also very excited to start working with the community to increase awareness around HIV. Even with a new staff member learning the in and outs, GLAM has still be busy making sure that the activities are still available, and that the message of HIV prevention is still being heard around the community.

GLAM has been trying to make sure to have a visible presence at as many events going on around town as possible. Also our planning group is also starting to plan activities that will be happening in the new future. Everything from a Bowling event held at SpareTime to condom distributions at events happening around the community. We also had a great turn out and condom distribution at the last First Friday! This is just some of the events we had to close out the amazing year we had! Just wait to see what happens next year! We did want to take the time to also let people know that if they are interested in helping plan these events starting back up on January 4th, 2010 our Core Planning Group will start back up their meetings which start at 6 pm and are held at RU12? Community Center.

Everyone at GLAM wishes everyone a Happy Holiday Season!

LGBQQ Social and Support Group Cancelled Tomorrow Night

The LGBQQ Social and Support Group scheduled for tomorrow, January 17th, at 6:00 pm is cancelled. The next group will be held on Thursday, January 7th at 6:00 pm. Feel free to email hannah@ru12.org or sharon@ru12.org for more information.

Todd's Peek in Review: A Quintessential Look at Mark Doty as a Read

 Whether it is a book of his poetry, or the book I chose to read Dog Years (a memoir), Mark Doty writes with style and beauty.  That is the sole point I wish to share with you, my book reviewing audience of Dog Years by Mark Doty!

Mark Doty is an established, contemporary writer and spends his time in New York, Provincetown and Texas.  He has been on the writing faculty locally in Montpelier as a Professor in the Creative Writing Program at Vermont College of Union Institute.  I work with someone who is also on the faculty there and feels he is one of the best creative contemporary writers of his age, not just as aside!

Dog Years is his own memoir about coming to grips with the loss of his life partner to AIDS in New York City at the time of 9/11.  He learns to coalesce in meaning  the loss of his partner by understanding the context of loss. He finds the ability to grieve and move on comes from within himself and through his beloved alliance with his two dogs.  Doty learns to develop in himself a greater meaning of that true friendship as he moves on from the loss of his partner with his own true feelings.  

He also learns "to give back" in new ways in his life, that is the so-called Dog Years as a play on words to the titling, seeing new, altruistic meaning to family through the love and care he gives to his own dogs as Family!  In other words, it's both self-sustaining and truly nurturing to move on out of love, to bridge the gap once again, from that big world which we also see from within two, to share in the healing process with the ones we love the most over time within the continuum of loss. For Doty, this is the unending need we all take with us in spirit from the day to day, day by day as he continues to live on himself from day to day, day by day!

You see, in the spirit of Christmas rendered 2009, Mark Doty has the most noteworthy style in prose and poetry so once you read him, you can never put him down.  He has written three memoirs and enough poetry to have his own anthology of poetry.  I read both his Anthology of Poetry Fire to Fire and Dog Years.  I find his style is always strong in imagery and his use of parallel construction clear and crisp in all his writings. 

So ultimately I feel Mark Doty is the quintessential read for December because he communicates the beauty in being a gay man and a gay writer and because he is considered a great, contemporary writer in America today.  Interestingly enough you can find most of his writings at the South Burlington Public Library and but of course, R.U.1.2.? has its own copy of Dog Years (a memoir) and Fire to Fire Doty's anthology of poetry that I love so much.  So head to RU.1.2.? or even the South Burlington Library and let your own metaphysical interests in Life and the Living and Our Times especially traverse your capacity to read, to read on that is, and to feel on par with your own metaphysical sense of life, by sensing the beauty and meaning and style that Doty writes about so eloquently.

 “Merry Christmas Everybody 2009 --  Happy New Year 2010 For Two as in you and me to read on”!

Holiday Gift Idea

We are in the midst of the holiday season and if you are one of those people that still has quite a bit of shopping left to do then stop by the RU12? Community Center and pick out the perfect gift: a book! We have a vast selection of LGBTQ-related books that would make the perfect gift for anyone on your "nice" list, and come to think of it we even have some for those people that ended up on your "naughty" list!  At the bargain price of $0.50 a book, or $1.00 for three books, you really can't find a better deal anywhere in this town. So feel free to stop by and browse our selection! *Happy Holidays*

LGBTQ Americans Outraged at Delay in Basic Job Rights

As the end of 2009 quickly approaches we anxiously await for the House of Representatives to take action on the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act. It is shocking to think that we may have to wait another year for basic job rights to be granted to our community. At a time when our government is intensley focused on the high rate of unemployment in this country to delay action on ENDA is deplorable. Every single job that is lost as a result of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity needlessly contributes to the rising unemployment challenges we are facing.

Right now in 29 states it is legal to fire someone based on sexual orientation. In 38 states it is currently legal to discriminate against someone based on gender identity. By failing to take action to pass the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act our lawmakers are continuing to let rampant bigotry go unchecked and sending the message that it is OK to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity. This lack of action is leading to the loss of jobs, fear in the workplace, economic instability and personal hardship for LGBTQ community members.

Please join us in calling on Congress for the immediate passage of ENDA!!

Write to Peter Welch

We're back in action!

It appears as though the RU12? Community Center's technological problems are over, seeing as to how I am posting this from the front desk as opposed to the Border's Cafe! The Center is back in action and will be open until 6:00 pm tonight. We will be offering HIV testing from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm today.

Trans Guys Over 35 Group Cancelled for Tonight

Due to the arrival of winter and the blanket of snow that is covering the state, the Trans Guys Over 35 group will not be meeting at the Center tonight. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 13th. If you have any questions regarding this cancellation or the group please email kara@ru12.org.

Technological Problems at the Center

We are currently experiencing some technological problems here at the RU12? Community Center, and both our phone lines and internet connection are down. We apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing you, and we hope to have everything up and running by tomorrow. 

For the time being we have routed our phone lines to a cell phone and welcome you to call 860-7812 (our usual number) if you need to get in touch with RU12? or one of our staff members. We are working on responding to emails as promptly as possible, and we appreciate your patience during this time! 

Due to these technological issues the RU12? Community Center will be closing at 3:00 pm today, but our phone line will be open until 6:00 pm. Please call tomorrow before stopping by to make sure that we are open. Thanks for your understanding!

Thank you for your support! Phon-a-thon Volunteers Needed

We are grateful to our supporters who have already responded to our annual appeal, thank you for your generosity! As a small non-profit we rely on community members like you to support our programs and services. If you have not yet sent in your gift to support the critical work of RU12? there is still time!

 

This year's annual phon-a-thon to follow up on our annual appeal starts this Sunday evening and continues on Dec. 8th & 10th all from 5:30-8pm. If you have already signed up to help make calls to fellow supporters thank you! If you would like to help make calls we could still use some more volunteers. Free dinner and training provided. Please contact Kara@ru12.org, 860-7812.

 

Thank you for helping support a healthier, safer, and more connected community for all Vermonters!

 

Make the Call, Make a Difference in Healthcare

This past Monday many of us returned to work or school, ate the last of our Thanksgiving leftovers and surfed the web for insane shopping deals. While we were debating whether or not the stuffing was still OK to eat, Senators from across the country assembled in our nation's capital to debate their version of health care reform. This debate has continued over the past few days, and now we are urging you to pick up your phone and make the call to Senators Leahy and Sanders and let them know that there have been some Amendments made to the Affordable Health Care for America Act that you just wont stand for!

 One of which is the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, which was approved by the House on November 7, 2009. This Amendment would effectively prohibit millions of women from purchasing health insurance coverage that includes abortion (the exception being in cases of rape, incest or danger to the life of the mother), even with their own money. The Senate bill already contains a compromise which specifies that no federal funds can be used for abortion, but it ensures that women can use their own money to purchase a comprehensive health plan that meets their needs. It is ludicrous to think that women's benefits are currently in jeopardy due to health care reform. Women should be better off, not worse off after the Affordable Health Care for America Act is passed!

Call 1-888-423-5983 to get in touch with the Senators, or if email is your preferred method of contact:

Click here to email Senator Leahy

Click here to contact Senator Sanders

The following is a Call-In script developed by Choice USA that you can use when you call:

Hi. My name is __________. May I please speak with the Senator's lead aide on health?

(after they transfer you to the right person in the office)

Hi. My name is __________ and I am calling from Vermont. The House recently passed the Stupak Amendment with their reform Bill. I'm calling to urge Senator Leahy/Sanders to fight to keep similar language out of the Senate Bill when it's debated on the floor. We deserve healthcare reform that advocates for everyone and provides comprehensive coverage for women. Rent, bills, tuition, and basic insurance premiums are already difficult for working people and students to juggle. Paying out of pocket for healthcare that was promised as part of the reform is unfair. Will Senator Leahy/Sanders work to keep language like Stupak's out of the bill?

(Wait for response)

As a woman/student/young person I don't want to be sacrificed in the name of compromise, budgets and deadlines. Thank you and please thank Senator Leahy/Sanders for standing up for the women and young people in Vermont.

SafeSpace Conference Wildly Successful!!!

 
The SafeSpace Conference was such a success we will be doing it yearly from now on!  You heard us right, this was the first annual SafeSpace conference!  On November 13th SafeSpace hosted the "Transitioning Our Social Programs:  Creating Safety and Access with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Community"  The conference was held at the Double Tree Hotel in South Burlington. 

The conference could not have happened without the dedication of many local activist who joined our planning committee and provided exceptional guidance, vision and direction.  Attendance was amazing, we registered 110 people and the feedback we got was all positive! 

Avy Skolnik, an activist from New York City and a LGBTQ Cultural Competency Trainer and Consultant was our key note.  This was Avy's first time in Vermont!  His key note energized audience members and got everyone thinking about what they can do to ensure culturally compentent services in their agency.  Avy presented in a way that engaged people and got them really thinking about the LGBTQ community. 

We offered three workshops in the afternoon.  Our very own Hannah Hauser presented on "LGBTQ 101 in Your Work" and had the most participants signed up!!  Almost 60 people attended this workshop.  Hannah's presentation focused in on how to take the learning that occured earlier in the day and actually apply it to the work that people are doing!  This was an exercise in action steps for sure!!! 

Bobbi Gagne, the Executive Director of the Sexual Assault Crisis Team (SACT)located in Barre, Vermont offered an afternoon workshop on "Solutions to Sheltering All" people.  This was well attended by individuals working in social programs that offer some sort of housing options for their clients.  SafeSpace thought it important to have Bobbi present as SACT is the only shelter option for survivors of violence that identify as something other than biologically female.  Bobbi has gone to great lengths to make SACT a welcoming and inclusive space for all survivors. 

Andrea VanLiew and Ella Kaplan jointly did a workshop titled "Supporting Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning Youth in Foster Care".  This workshop was attended by several youths as well as folks who work in their daily lives with youth.  LGBTQ youth need a safe place to be, and a safe person to understand and accept who they are.  Andrea also co-facilitates the Gay & Lesbian Adoptive and Foster Families Support Group that meets monthly at Casey Family Services in Winooski.  

Overall the day was exceptional.  We cannot thank our community partners enough for their generosity and passion around the issue of providing good services to the LGBTQ community.  Our partners include LUND Family Center, the Center for Crime Victim Services, COTS, Outright Vermont, WHBW, UVM Women's Center, The Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Assault, The Sexual Assault Crisis Team, and the Vermont Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NSAW).  We are already thinking about next year....if you are interested in becoming more involved next time around be sure to let us know!!  

Until next time people....thanks for you support of the SafeSpace Program, we appreciate it!!

World AIDS Day 2009

 

December 1, recognized as World AIDS Day, is an international effort to raise awareness of the epidemic and honor those that have died in the wake of the global epidemic. We at RU12? are saddened as we think of all the amazing, beautiful members of our local and global communities that we have lost, and we join with the others working to support those currently living with HIV as well as working to end the transmission virus. We will be at the VT CARES' candle lighting ceremony at the Burlington Unitarian Universalist Church at 5:30pm to honor the lives and love of people with HIV/AIDS.

HIV is preventable! Knowing your status, using a condom, and using clean needles all help you take care of yourself and of your community. Want to know where to get a FREE HIV test? For this week, VT CARES is offering extended testing hours from 9am-4pm all week long. It's a great time to check in and make sure that you know your status.

RU12? also offers testing every Tuesday and Thursday from 11-5pm, but if you are looking for testing around the state, there's a great resource to check out. It's called Get Tested Vermont - and its main purpose is to promote HIV testing in all it's forms and link people in need of testing to the services they most want.  In addition, it includes basic info about HIV and available testing technologies. Check it out at www.gettestedvermont.com .

In the meantime, also check out AIDS.gov, and think about participating in their "Facing AIDS" campaign! Remember that visibility is strength, and the only way we can change this is to take action in our own lives and communities!