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

Trans* Vermonters Gain Equal Access To Health Care

Press Release

April 26, 2013

New Health Insurance Bulletin Clarifies Access to

Health Care for Transgender Vermonters

 

For Immediate Release

Contact: Jean-Denis Couillard, Health and Wellness Coordinator

RU12? Community Center

802-860-7812 trans@ru12.org

 

The Vermont Department of Financial Regulation (DFR), Division of Insurance, this week, issued a bulletin clarifying key protections for transgender people in Vermont. The bulletin provides a clear directive to insurers that health care plans may not exclude coverage for medically necessary services for transgender people, including gender reassignment surgery.

 

The bulletin rests on key protections in law prohibiting gender identity discrimination, as well as the important and controlling standard of medical necessity regularly enforced by DFR rule. Insurance companies must comply with the terms of the bulletin, and new insurance policy forms filed by insurers will not be approved if they exclude gender transition related care.  The bulletin will impact a wide range of plans purchased by individuals and employers in Vermont, but does not regulate self-insured employer plans, which will continue to be subject to federal law.

 

“This is an important clarification of Vermont law.  Many health insurance plans categorically exclude gender-transition related care for no reason other than stigma and bias, and that is wrong,” said Corey Mallon, member of the Vermont Equal Care Coalition, a coalition of community organizations and individuals who advocated for the trans-inclusive reform in health insurance coverage.  “There is no principled reason for denying a transgender employee medically necessary health care.”

 

This bulletin confirms that discrimination against transgender people, including discrimination perpetuated by unfair insurance coverage, is against Vermont public policy. The bulletin states that “DFR is committed to ensuring that Vermonters do not face discrimination in accessing medically necessary health care benefits, including those based on gender identity and gender dysphoria. This is both a simple question of fairness and a matter addressed by existing insurance law and DFR regulation.”

 

“This bulletin is a momentous achievement, an achievement that rests not only on the work of the Equal Care Coalition, but on years of extraordinary efforts of many people in Vermont, and indeed across the country. We are extremely pleased that yet another barrier to receiving quality health care has fallen.  Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals is proud to be part of the Equal Care Coalition, the group that helped bring this over the finish line”, said Mari Cordes RN, President of Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals.

 

“Vermont joins a growing number of states in ensuring that transgender people are able to get the care they need, when they need it. Data shows that eliminating discriminatory insurance exclusions does not drive up costs, and is invaluable for helping transgender people lead healthy and authentic lives,” added Andrew Cray, a policy analyst with the LGBT Research and Communications Project at the, Center for American Progress in Washington, DC. California, Oregon, Colorado, and the District of Columbia have released guidance recognizing that equal access to health coverage is supported by medical science, improves the health of transgender people, and does not increase costs. Ending arbitrary insurance discrimination against transgender people simply supports what expert medical professional organizations including the American Medical Association, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and others have been saying for years: transition-related health care is medically necessary for many transgender individuals whose health and well-being depends on bringing their physical body into alignment with their gender identity, and determination of what care an individual patient needs properly rests with medical providers, not insurance companies.

 

Read the full bulletin here -  http://www.dfr.vermont.gov/sites/default/files/Bulletin_174.pdf

 

Frequently Asked Questions – http://www.ru12.org/bulletin_faq.html

RU12?'s LGBTQ Community Dinner Tickets Now Available!!

RESERVE TICKETS

Please join us for RU12? Community Center’s 15th Annual LGBTQ Community Dinner: Emerald. Our signature event, this year’s dinner celebrates fifteen years of RU12?’s commitment to LGBTQA community building across Vermont.

RU12’s Annual Dinner brings together community members and allies for a fabulous evening of dinner and entertainment in support of our vital health and human rights programs as well as our social and educational events. It is a time for us to recognize community leaders, organizations, and businesses dedicated to building and strengthening our community.

The Annual Dinner begins at 5:00PM

The Sheraton Hotel, Burlington

in the Emerald Ballroom  

Kim Fountain Featured on This Show Is So Gay

Check out the podcast of Ken Schneck interviewing RU12? Executive Director Kim Fountain!

http://thisshowissogay.com/node/486

Jeanne Manford Dead: PFLAG Founder And Pioneering Gay Rights Ally Dies At 92

Posted 1/8/13

The Huffington Post  |  By Curtis M. Wong

Jeanne Manford, the founder of PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and an all-around pioneering straight ally in the LGBT rights movement, has died at 92.

Manford died at her Daly City, Calif. home and had been in declining health for some time, daughter Suzanne Swan confirmed.

“She is known to thousands of people as the mother of the straight ally movement, but to me –- she was my mother," Ms. Swan said in an email statement. "She was someone who would always do the right thing, the good thing. She supported all people, and that meant so much to us growing up.”

Born Jeanne Sobelson on Dec. 4, 1920 in Queens, N.Y., Manford became active on behalf of LGBT rights in 1972 after her son Morty was beaten during a Gay Activists Alliance demonstration. After Morty's attack, Manford penned a letter to the editor of The New York Post, declaring "I have a homosexual son and I love him."

She subsequently joined her son in the 1972 Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade (predecessor to NYC's LGBT Pride Parade), carrying a placard stating "Parents of Gays: Unite in Support Of Our Children." The first meeting of PFLAG (which was then known as "Parents of Gays" or "POG") was held in New York's Metropolitan Community Church the following year.

"All of us -- people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and straight allies alike -- owe Jeanne our gratitude," PFLAG officials said in an email statement. "She paved the way for us to speak out for what is right, uniting the unique parent, family, and ally voice with the voice of LGBT people everywhere."

A private interment service will be held and details of a later celebration of Manford’s life and legacy will be announced later. The family requests that any donations be made to the Jeanne Manford Legacy Fund to support the ongoing work of PFLAG National: 1828 L Street, NW, Suite 660, Washington, D.C. 20036.

Translating Identities Conference & More!

A Note From Jean-Denis:

Last weekend brought the Translating Identities Conference, an annual conference at UVM which explores a wide variety of topics related to gender and transgender identities, expressions, communities, and intersections. After a brief post-TIC recovery time (whew!), I'm excited to share my experiences with all of you!

The conference is always a pleasure to attend; You know it's a great conference when you can't decide which of the many interesting workshops you'd like to attend. This year brought workshops relating to human rights and refugees, family, the criminalization of gender non-conformity, sex, asexuality, polyamory... such a wide array! I was happy to bring two workshops of my own- one on health care reform in Vermont and the movement to make it trans-inclusive and another in a town hall-style format on community, done with educator and advocate Samuel Lurie.

Informing the community about what is currently happening in health care reform and why gender transition exclusions are harmful (and illegal) was amazing. More and more people in our community are starting to become aware of the issue and have already shown such support and dedication to expanding equality in Vermont. Currently, care available to Vermonters accessing it for reasons other than gender transition (such as post-menopausal people listed as female who choose hormone replacement therapy or people listed as female who have a hysteretomy for endometriosis) are not available to people seeking those same services for the purpose of gender transition, discriminating against trans people. These services are considered by expert agencies (such as the American Medical Association and American Psychological Association) to be effective and medically necessary for people needing to alleviate the gender-related body dysphoria they experience. 

I was inspired to see the passion of those working on, or just learning about, this issue and I look forward to continuing to work with the fabulous people in our community/ies!

- Jean-Denis

Are you interested in joining this fight for equality? If so, email or call Jean-Denis (trans@ru12.org, 802-860-7812) to join the community committee forming!

Exciting News! The next version (5th) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, which mental health and other professionals use to guide diagnosis and treatment of patients, will no longer list "Gender Identity Disorder", only "Gender Dysphoria", which describes the depression many trans people struggle with when their body doesn't match their internal sense of themselves. This is a big win for trans and gender non-conforming people, de-pathologizing gender non-conformity and the natural variations of human gender experience. 

Don't forget to check out our 2nd Trans Town Hall on November 1st at 6:30p in the McClure Multigenerational Center in Burlington. This Town Hall's focus is on relationships: how can we work towards healthy relationships? What that looks like for us? What is working in our lives and what might we need to change to best fulfill that vital need for love, intimacy, and human connection? We welcome guest speaker Nancy Feldman, LCMHC.

Finally, November 3rd is a special series of workshops about trans sexuality and the use of gender in kinky play, presented by Vermont Alternative Sexuality Education and RU12?. Register now and come check it out! (ages 18+)

October (Domestic Violence Awareness Month) SafeSpace Happenings

It's DVAM (Domestic Violence Awareness Month) and our SafeSpace program interns have been busily tabling at local colleges. Community College of Vermont (Winooski), St. Michael's and Champlain College happily welcomed our program for community outreach, education, informal discussion and at two of the three sites, the showing of an impressive art exhibit produced by our commuity partners Women Helping Battered Women (WHBW) titled, "A Survivor Stands Beside Me". The exhibit consists of powerful life-size photos viewing domestic violence as an issue that crosses into all ages, cultures, and socioeconomic statuses. At St. Mike's campus, we joined WHBW and HopeWorks (formerly Women's Rape Crisis Center) for the Abuse Awareness Project, a statistics and awareness event that highlighted the number of survivors served by WHBW, HopeWorks and SafeSpace with purple, white and rainbow flags. These events were a great success. Our interns were not only able to make some new friends and allies, but raise awareness out about an important issue in the LGBTQ community (and our culture at large), as well as spread the word about RU12?'s SafeSpace anti-violence program and the work it does with LGBTQ survivors.

In solidarity with local agencies working to end domestic and sexual violence, SafeSpace advocates and supporters will have a presence at WHBW's Candlelight Vigil and Survivor Speak Out at 6pm on Thursday, October 25th in front of City Hall on Church Street. This will consist of a candle-lighting ceremony in honor of those who have lost their lives as the result of domestic and intimate partner violence, followed by a silent march to the Unitarian Universalist Church at the top of the Marketplace, where survivors will be able to share their stories in a healing space. We hope you will spread the word about this incredible event, and that we will see you there!

If you or anyone you know has experienced domestic, intimate partner, sexual, transgender, hate violence or discrimination, SafeSpace advocates are available to offer support and advocacy services by calling 802.863.0003, or you can report violence anonymously to SafeSpace. If you'd like to make a donation to SafeSpace in honor of your own or a loved one's survival experience, you can donate here and make a designation for the SafeSpace Program.

 

Pride Vermont “Equality Equinox” -Sept 22nd

Parade & Festival Registration Information

In order to offset the costs for the event, Pride Vermont now has suggested donation fees for the parade and festival. You may request a fee waiver by emailing director@pridevt.com if it would otherwise prevent your attendance. Don’t forget that you get the most benefit by being a Sponsor!

Please register by September 15th, 2012.

To register for marching in the parade only, please fill out the Parade Registration Form so we have your correct contact info then make your donation on the Payment page.

A la carte Parade donations: 

• • Non-profit organization: $30
  • Community group**: $50
  • Business: $75
  • Political candidate or 501(c)4: $100

To register for vending at the festival only, please fill out the Festival Registration Form so we have your correct contact info then make your donation on the Payment page.

A la carte Festival Table/Booth:

•  
  • Sheltered table for non-profit organization or community group: $45
  • Sheltered table for Business: $75
  • Political candidate or 501(c)4: $100
  • Sheltered Booth: $200

To apply as a performer in the festival, please fill out the Performer Registration Form. We cannot guarantee space for all performers but the committee will be in touch with you!

To sign-up for BOTH parade space and festival vending space, please fill out the Sponsorship Form so we have your correct contact info then make your donation on the Payment page.

Parade & Festival Combo: (Parade space and Sheltered Table)

•  
  • Non-profit organization: $60
  • Community group**: $75
  • Business: $100
  • Political candidate or 501(c)4: $150

**Performers or groups selected for the festival bandshell are exempt from the fee. Please complete the appropriate form for contact use.

To secure an ad space in the Pride Guide, visit the Sponsorship page.

Day-of event information will be provided to the contact person listed on the registration form. Please be prepared to arrive at the parade staging area (Hood Plant parking lot) by 10:30am and have your festival booth (Battery Park) set-up by noon.

 

Questions?  Please email director@pridevt.com.

Reporting live from Richmond, Virginia...the other V state

This is Brenda and Jean from SafeSpace reporting to you from the 2012 National Coalition of Anti Violence Programs (NCAVP) Roundtable, a meeting of the minds for queer anti violence programs.  We’ve spent the past two days connecting with coalition members from; San Francisco, Los Angeles, Colorado, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Atlanta, Miami, New Orleans, Virginia, South Carolina, New York City, and Boston.

Collectively we’ve shared successes and challenges of doing LGBTQ anti violence work.  This has been validating for many of us doing this work because it can easily feel like we are alone in this journey.  We have exchanged resources, knowledge and ideas with one another which will help us keep our programs, and the queer anti violence movement moving forward locally and nationally.

We were inspired to be part of the dialogue and the vote to adopt NCAVP’s policy platform and priorities for 2013. NCAVP has been instrumental in bringing national attention to the LGBTQ community as a historically underserved population in anti violence work and continues to advance efforts to ensure an LGBTQ inclusive Violence Against Women Act. This is just one piece of NCAVP’s very important work for 2013, which also includes publishing two significant annual reports (on LGBTQ intimate partner violence and hate violence); providing invaluable technical assistance on LGBTQH cultural competency for anti-violence issues; and building membership and recruiting anti-violence allies in Southern states, which have traditionally lacked this crucial work.  All this, while basking in the beauty and charm of historic Richmond, VA.

We’ll be back at RU12? on Monday, brains full and hearts recharged, and with plenty of new info to share. See you soon!  

Peace, Jean and Brenda

 

 

Staff Reflections on the Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference

Having the opportunity to join several of our fantastic community members at the Trans-Health Conference was quite the treat! RU12? applied for, and received, a travel scholarship which allowed myself and others to attend who otherwise would've been unable to go. 

The conference is the largest of it's kind in the world, with over 2,500 trans and/or intersex people and our fabulous allies in attendance. The THC offers a plethora of workshops, running from 9a to 7p and activities for conference-goers afterwards. Topics of workshops include such issues as trans-inclusive healthcare, legal issues, issues of family, sexuality, appearance and general well-being. Intersections of gender with race, dis/ability, socio-economic status, religion, age, and sexual orientation are woven throughout workshops, often playing key roles in discussion. This year featured special tracks for femme-identified individuals, sex workers, and those doing HIV-Prevention work. 

I attended many workshops on trans-inclusive sexuality education, gaining insight and language that will help me better serve our community right here in Vermont.  Because of the work we are currently doing to help insure the single-payer healthcare system (coming to VT in 2017) is trans-inclusive, I attended several healthcare-focused workshops- one focusing on legal rights relating to healthcare and one focusing on advocating for yourself and/or clients in healthcare settings. I gained a wider view of what is happening in trans communities across the US and beyond, including police interactions with the trans community in NYC, and the new laws in Argentina allowing people to change gender markers on official documents without surgery or psychiatric diagnosis and to receive free hormone treatment and surgery. 

Milling around the most gender-fabulous crowd one could ever hope for, I was overcome with the feeling of belonging to an enormous, diverse, and dynamic community. I returned with new energy and new tools to continue the important (and extremely rewarding) work we do at RU12? with and for trans people throughout the state.

Shumlin to visit Outright VT Wednesday!

Burlington, VT - This Wednesday, May 23rd, from 2:45pm-3:15pm, Governor Peter Shumlin will visit the Outright Vermont queer youth space at 241 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington, VT to thank the youth, staff, board, and volunteers for their work to advocate for stronger anti-harassment legislation this year.    Bill H412, which allows individuals to sue schools for not stopping harassment, and H771, which requires schools to adopt harassment, hazing, and bullying prevention policies, both passed both the Vermont House and Senate by the end of the session in early May.  Outright Vermont, along with the Vermont Human Rights' Commission and the RU12? Community Center, advocated with lawmakers for weeks to ensure that the two bills would pass to strengthen the current anti-harassment laws that protect all Vermont youth in schools.   "Governor Shumlin has demonstrated his support of the queer community in many ways over the years, but it is his unwavering support for the safety and celebration of queer youth that really makes him stand out," said Melissa Murray, Outright Vermont's Executive Director.  "We are proud and excited to have him come to our queer youth space in Burlington on Wednesday!"     Members of the press invited to attend this brief event!  For more info, call 802.865.9677 or email Llu Mulvaney-Stanak at llu@outrightvt.org

The mission of Outright Vermont is to build safe, healthy, and supportive environments for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth, ages 13-22. Since 1989, Outright has worked to provide safety and support for LGBTQQ youth, helped make schools safer, and focused on youth empowerment, leadership, and advocacy. To learn more about Outright, visit www.outrightvt.org.

 

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

 

SafeSpace Offers New Option to Report Violence Online

RU12? Community Center is proud to announce the launch of our online reporting form as part of Sexual Violence Awareness Month.  The report was carefully designed and piloted by our SafeSpace program to offer one more avenue for reporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) related violence.  Now people can report discrimination, hate violence, domestic violence, intimate partner violence and sexual violence through a secure link on the website www.ru12.org.  As with any reporting to SafeSpace the information is confidential and there is the option to remain anonymous. 

In hate violence cases power and control can be exerted through sexual violence.  In other cases, sexual violence is part of a pick up crime where the perpetrator relies on the likelihood of the victim not reporting because he or she fears that law enforcement of mainstream providers will either out them or not take them seriously.  Sexual violence is also often a part of domestic violence where batterers rely heavily on fears of stigma and isolation.  For these and many other reason, RU12’s SafeSpace program offers specialized direct services for LGBTQ survivors of sexual violence.  The online reporting form is now a part of those services. 

“Calling our office or dropping in is still an option.” said Brenda Pitmon, SafeSpace Coordinator.  “We are introducing the online reporting form because people who have experienced LGBTQ violence or discrimination need as many ways to report it as possible.”

Having the secure online option means that if someone wants to make a report to SafeSpace but choose not speak to someone, they can do so.  “Not everyone who experiences violence feels that they can bring themselves to make a call, but still might want to get the information out there,” said Pitmon.  It is also provides another layer of safety for people who cannot access a phone but who may be able to access a computer at for instance a public library.  

In addition to increasing options and safety, the form helps SafeSpace to track more of the data on violence within and against the LGBTQ community.  The more data that can be documented, the greater SafeSpace’s ability to address the persistent problem of violence.

If you or someone you know has experienced violence, advocates in the SafeSpace program can help provide emotional support, advocacy, information and referrals.  Advocates are available M-Th 9am-6pm and Fri. 9am-2pm at 802-863-0003 or toll free 866-869-7351.

 

April 1st Film Series- Dangerous Living: Coming Out in the Developing World

RU12? Community Center, VGSA, and Truth Wins Out host a film and discussion series once a month on Sundays at 2:00 pm in the Pickering Room on the 2nd Floor of the Fletcher Free Library, Burlington.

Sunday, April 1st 2:00 pm 
Dangerous Living: Coming Out in the Developing World

Directed by John Scagliotti and produced by Dan Hunt and Janet Baus, is the first documentary to deeply explore the lives of gay and lesbian people in non-western cultures. With the 2001 police raid on an Egyptian disco at its center, the film explores several global instances of mistreatment against homosexuals. Traveling to five different continents, we hear the heartbreaking and triumphant stories of gays and lesbians from Egypt, Honduras, Kenya, Thailand and elsewhere, where most occurrences of oppression receive no media coverage at all. 

Dangerous Living is the winner of the Audience Award (Best Feature) in the Barcelona GLBT Int. Festival, Audience Award (Best Documentary) in the Hartford Alternatives Festival, and officially selected in the International Film Festival on Human Rights, Geneva. By sharing the personal stories coming out of developing nations, Dangerous Living sheds light on an emerging global movement striving to end discrimination and violence against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

 

Current and Future Vermont LGBTQ Leaders to Gather at Statehouse

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Contact: Kim Fountain, Executive Director, RU12? Community Center

Phone: 802-860-7812

Email: kim@ru12.org

Current and Future Vermont LGBTQ Leaders to Gather at Statehouse 

 

Montpelier, VT -- A coalition of five Vermont organizations serving the state’s diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and ally (LGBTQA) communities announced plans today for the seventeenth annual Leadership Day at the Vermont Statehouse on Friday, April 6, 2012. On Leadership Day, previously known as Visibility Day, current and future Vermont LGBTQA leaders will gather in Montpelier to meet lawmakers, network, and discuss legislative priorities.

 Organized by the RU12? Community Center, Outright Vermont, Vermont CARES, Vermont Freedom to Marry, and Truth Wins Out, this awareness and leadership day is designed for LGBTQA people of all ages and all degrees of civic engagement.

“This is an exciting opportunity for Vermont’s LGBTQA community members to meet with lawmakers to have our concerns over issues from bullying to transgender health care heard,” said Kim Fountain, Executive Director of RU12? Community Center.   

The goals of this event are twofold: to make certain LGBTQ legislative issues remain a priority for lawmakers, and to promote leadership in the private and public sectors among LGBTQA communities around the state. 

The schedule for Leadership Day is as follows:

7:45AM – 9:15AM: Breakfast in the Statehouse cafeteria

8:45AM: Framing the day - conversations with Vermont’s LGBTQA organizations

9:15AM: Introduction on the House floor

Morning devotional by Rev. Emily Heath of the West Dover Congregational Church

9:45AM - 11:00AM: Discussion and Mingling with LGBTQA Statehouse regulars in Room 11:

Meet and greet fellow Leadership Day participants. Q&A with LGBTQA legislators, Statehouse workers, and Statehouse regulars

11:00AM: Meet with Governor Peter Shumlin in the Ceremonial Office

11:30AM-12:45PM: Meet and greet with legislators in the cafeteria

1:00PM: A light luncheon for participants hosted by Vermont CARES in their new Montpelier offices at 58 East State Street

Vermont LGBTQ leaders will be available for comment during the mid-morning meet and greet in Room 11 on the first floor of the Statehouse.

Facebook Event

Celebration of the life of Greg B. Raney (Sat 2/25 10am)

 

Celebrating the life of Greg Raney

10am Saturday, February 25th

RU12? Community Center

Champlain Mill, Winooski

 

 

 

 

On Saturday, February 4th, RU12? lost a dear friend and devoted volunteer, Greg B. Raney.

Greg was often the first person visitors would see as they walked through the front door of RU12?. He showed up every morning promptly at 10:00AM and spent an average of 20 hours a week making certain that visitors felt welcomed and that the Center schedule ran efficiently. Greg shared with his close friends that he felt he found a whole family at RU12? and a purpose for his life. We know that having Greg in our lives enriched us all.

Beyond greeting walk-in users, Greg fielded calls, monitored the Cyber Center, and tracked books in our lending library. His incredibly strong work ethic and diplomacy in handling sensitive situations were critical to the successful operation of the center. Greg’s commitment to RU12? extended beyond his volunteer work at the front desk. He also served on the Board of Directors and helped with the pledge drives and mass mailings. His dry sense of humor kept us all in good spirits especially on those days when we’d lose sight of what's really important.

Greg also had a tremendous love of dogs, having shown them for many years across the country. He especially loved Borzois and the Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka. Greg was also a voracious reader. He always had a book with him, especially those by James Patterson, Janet Evanovich and Jonathan Kellerman, who were among his favorite mystery and suspense writers.

As a way to honor Greg’s life and his commitment to our community, RU12? will be dedicating our library in his name.

Please join us on Saturday, February 25th in celebrating Greg’s life. We will gather at 10:00AM on the dot at RU12? for coffee and light snacks, including Greg’s favorite, cinnamon rolls. The dedication of the Greg B. Raney Memorial Library will take place at 10:30AM. Donations can be made to RU12? Community Center or the American Cancer Society in Greg’s memory.

As a way to honor Greg’s life and his commitment to our community, RU12? will be dedicating our library in his name.

 

Some thoughts from RU12?'s ED, Kim Fountain

On Thursday I watched a video of Washington state Governor Christine Gregoire advocating for same sex marriage.  Many of her arguments have been in circulation for well over a decade. While I listened with a bit of jaded happiness, because I am always amazed by the glacial pace of cultural transformations, I found myself listening much more closely and hopefully as she began to shift from the political rhetoric to her description of her personal journey.

For her first seven years in office, Gregoire publically opposed same sex marriage on the basis of her personal religious beliefs. Throughout the speech she gave in support, her delivery was steadfast and resolute. Toward the end, she became much softer and more emotive, even tearing up a bit as she described what moved her to shift her position. She said,  “It’s time for us to stand up and understand that the state cannot be in the business of discrimination…It was that and it was my children, it was the children of friends, friends, it was leaders…I finally said to myself, it’s time to do the right thing and let me tell you I feel so much better today than I have in the last seven years.”  At the center of her transformation was a part of her community that knew the importance of equality and respect for LGBTQ people and who chose to share those views with her. Governor Gregoire needed to see a thriving and engaged LGBTQ culture with people from various parts of her life that supported this culture. 

I hope that we can continue to so move our political and community leaders. To do so will mean that we must continue to see the importance of LGBTQ visibility and we must continue to contribute to the building of community, not just during political struggles, but on a daily basis. 

In solidarity,

Kim Fountain

 

This isn't your ordinary volunteer opportunity!

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Facebook Event

When: Sunday, January 29th, from 11am-12:30

Where: RU12? Community Center, 20 Winooski Falls Way, Winooski, VT

If you are interested in joining us at this session, please contact Kim Fountain:DCAT@ru12.org or 802-860-7812

If you can't make it to the session, but are still interested in volunteering with DCAT, there will be another session on Monday, March 27th at 6:00 pm.

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Do you know someone who you think would be perfect for DCAT? Download the DCAT and pass along to a friend!

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Events that you could help create:

 

Summer Semester

One of RU12? Community Center’s first programs is back! Summer Semester offers the opportunity for LGBTQ community members to draw upon the skill, ability and knowledge of our talented peers with short series of classes throughout the summer. Potential classes to be offered include: Basic Car Maintainance, Yoga, Financial Planning, Photography, Zumba, Resume Writing, Home Ownership and more!

Family Bowling!

When you host a bowl-a-thon, you recruit people to bowl on a designated day for your special event. Each participating bowler solicits a flat rate pledge among neighbors, friends, and relatives. This could be a fun way to get families to engage in supporting RU12? as well as having a great event for families to enjoy together.

Grab a Bite with Friends

Help introduce the community to RU12? by working with your favorite local restaurants to host benefit nights.

 

 

House or Garden Party

Team up with a friend or neighbor to put together a fabulous event for your friends. Let them know how much you care about your community and ask them to support a organization you believe in.

Tee Off With RU12?

Hosting a golf tournament can be a high-profile, and often very lucrative fundraising event. A great advantage of hosting a tournament is the connections you make with local businesses and celebrities that support the RU12? Community Center. Plan a whole day event with lunch and prizes.

 

Pitch us your own idea!

Contact Kim Fountain: DCAT@ru12.org or 802-860-7812

 Make a Difference in Your Community 

Join the RU12? Community Center's Development Committee Action Team (DCAT). DCAT is designed to produce events aimed at fundraising and/or 'friendraising' for RU12?.

On January 29th, we will be hosting our first DCAT volunteer recruitment. This is not your ordinary volunteer opportunity. Whether you want to lead the organizing, participate in only one particular aspect of the organizing such as advertizing or outreach, or you only have time to show up at the event and help take care of logistics, we have the need for your time, energy, and commitment.

The recruitment session will introduce you to RU12's plans for 2012, outline the DCAT structure and present you with opportunities to get involved.

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Research Findings re: the Coming Out Process for LGBTQ Individuals

Andrew Dunlap is a researcher who recently successfully defended his dissertation research at Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, PA. His research questions centered on the process of coming out for LGBTQ community members, and how this process has changed over time. His research was comprised of survey results from LGBTQ individuals collected by contacting LGBTQ community centers, such as RU12?, nationally. You can read the summary of his research findings here, or for more information, you can contact him directly: Andy Dunlap, PhD, LCSW, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work & Gerontology, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA by emailing him at aldunlap@ship.edu.

 

RU12? Wishes You a Happy New Year!!!

 

 

United States Declares Support for LGBTQ Rights Worldwide

Last Tuesday, Hillary Clinton delivered a powerful speech to the United Nations in support of ending violence and discrimination against LGBTQ individuals on a world-wide basis. The speech followed an announcement by President Obama stating that the United States would use its foreign aid money to support the advancement of gay rights.Clinton stated, “Like being a woman, like being a racial, religious, tribal, or ethnic minority, being LGBT does not make you less human. And that is why gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.” She not only took a stand for our community, but also declared to the world that, on a policy level, the United States supports equal protection for LGBTQ individuals. Clinton admitted, however, that the United States own record on LGBTQ rights was “far from perfect,”  but this speech still represents what could prove to be a major turning point in policy around LGBTQ issues world-wide. In fact, it has already begun to have an impact.

Anti-LGBTQ laws and practices in Africa are well-known. Uganda has shaped it’s LGBTQ policy around the 7 verses in the Christian Bible that address homosexuality, Nigeria recently proposed a bill that will punish any same-sex romantic interactions with a jail sentence of up to 14 years, and Malawi treats acts of “sodomy” as a criminal offense; however, following Clinton’s speech, the Malawi government is “reviewing” the anti-gay laws on the books. Though government officials are making it clear that they are not rescinding the laws just yet, it seems like the country is moving in that direction.

By taking a stand for the rights of our community over seas, the current administration seems to finally be trying to keep the campaign promises made in 2008- to fight with us for equality. We can only hope that President Obama and the leaders of this country will continue to fight for equality for us in this country, as well, and not view the strides that have already been made as “good enough.”

If you would like to see Clinton’s speech in full, visit this link: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1857622883?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAAGWqYgE~,KxHPzbPALrFGi6o0QhQY9IxyliWBJ3Vq&bctid=1312977734001