By Frances Dinger
Share this article Published: Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Updated: Thursday, November 12, 2009
Via MPowerment
MPowerment volunteers assemble hundreds of safe-sex kits annually.
Capitol Hill has a lot to offer the adult LGBTQ community, be it through clubs, bars or bathhouses, but this leaves some members of the community asking what there is for queer youth.
MPowerment is part of the answer to the question.
The group has been with Lifelong Aids Alliance since 2001 as a program specifically for 18-22 year olds in Seattle’s LGBTQ community. The organization is modeled after prevention programs adopted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and offers fun youth activities as well as outreach to help educate the community and prevent the spread of HIV and STDs.
“Outreach is a big part of what we do,” says Ken Myers, Mpowerment outreach coordinator. “It’s really about going out into the community and sharing information.”
Mpowerment has a three-part approach to its outreach, focusing on venue specific events, community education in street outreach and the distribution of educational materials. Venue specific outreach sends members of its Core Team—the youth team responsible for planning MPowerment events— to 18-and-older nights at local businesses like Neighbors, where volunteers answer questions and hand out free safe-sex packets that include condoms, lubricant and information on disease prevention.
“I know what we do is helpful,” says Mehron Abdollmohammadi, junior English major and Core Team member since January 2009. “Sometimes we’ll go to an outreach venue we’ve been to before and someone will recognize one of us and say, ‘You’re that guy who gave me a condom. Because of that, I used one.’”
Street outreach tries to reach homeless queer youth, offering safe-sex packets and hygiene products, but the group is looking to offer more resources to street youth.
Since September, Myers and Donny Gerke, MPowerment supervisor and Seattle University alumnus, have been aiding the Core Team in putting together a resource guide for queer homeless youth. They are currently editing and reviewing the information before it is sent to print. Once the review process is complete, MPowerment plans to distribute the new pamphlet at the same time as a pamphlet on STDs other than HIV.
“[The pamphlet] could have been very doom and gloom if we let it,” Myers says. “We wanted to make this material empowering.”
The pamphlet for queer homeless youth was designed by three Core members and was funded by the Jeffirs Wood Foundation, a private foundation that is committed to providing opportunities for street youth and impoverished individuals. The pamphlet will include information on shelters, safe sex education and opportunities open to homeless youth.
“There is always a need for more resources,” Abdollmohammadi says. He feels there is a general deficiency in resources for queer youth in Seattle, but what the community needs most is access to comprehensive information. The group distributes safe-sex information to local coffee shops and has also found more creative ways to educate the community on HIV prevention.
One of MPowerment’s educational tools is “Censor This,” a quarterly zine. The publication features visual art as well as prose and poetry relating to LGBTQ issues and, like the rest of the groups outreach, focuses strongly on HIV prevention.
MPowerment is still negotiating its contract for the next two years. Gerke says the organization wants to extend its outreach into South Seattle. The organization recently received funds from King County because of its drug and alcohol education program, which addresses the increased sexual risk when sexual encounters are combined with substance abuse.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
call your senator
We are one step away from making marriage equality a reality in New York State. The New York Assembly passed marriage equality legislation earlier this year and Governor Paterson has pledged to sign it, so the only step left is the New York Senate.
The Senate is scheduled to reconvene tomorrow, Tuesday, November 10, and marriage equality is on the agenda.
Take action today and call your state senator, Sen. Thomas Duane (518) 455-2451 . Politely tell Sen. Duane to vote for marriage equality.
Give the person who answers the phone your name and address, and then tell them that you want the senator to vote for marriage equality. These calls should only take a minute, but they are extremely important.
Even if you've already written or called your senator, make a final call today and ask your friends, family members and colleagues to do the same.
The Senate is scheduled to reconvene tomorrow, Tuesday, November 10, and marriage equality is on the agenda.
Take action today and call your state senator, Sen. Thomas Duane (518) 455-2451 . Politely tell Sen. Duane to vote for marriage equality.
Give the person who answers the phone your name and address, and then tell them that you want the senator to vote for marriage equality. These calls should only take a minute, but they are extremely important.
Even if you've already written or called your senator, make a final call today and ask your friends, family members and colleagues to do the same.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
I'm sure you're feeling as disheartened as I am about the election in Maine. But if we crawl into a corner and lick our wounds, we're playing right into our opposition's hands. And today of all days, we can't afford to do that.
As we speak, the Senate is holding a hearing on the fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), and the House could hold its first important vote on ENDA in the coming weeks.
This bill would end a bitter injustice in our country: In 29 states, it's legal to fire someone because they're lesbian, gay, or bisexual; in 38 states, it's legal to fire someone for being transgender.
We need to make sure your representative's support stays strong – it's critical to passing this bill!
As we speak, the Senate is holding a hearing on the fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), and the House could hold its first important vote on ENDA in the coming weeks.
This bill would end a bitter injustice in our country: In 29 states, it's legal to fire someone because they're lesbian, gay, or bisexual; in 38 states, it's legal to fire someone for being transgender.
We need to make sure your representative's support stays strong – it's critical to passing this bill!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Gay Activist Rev. Steve Parelli Speaks Out
Source: OutTake, Monday, October 26, 2009
In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson chats with Steve Parelli, Executive Director of Other Sheep, a multicultural ecumenical Christian ministry working worldwide for the full inclusion of LGBT people of faith within their respective faith traditions. Parelli's current priority is to stop the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 which will impose the death penalty and prison on the Ugandan LGBT community. He is urging the evangelical community to email their evangelical leaders. "Tell evangelical leaders like Rick Warren to tell the-largely-evangelical Ugandan people to STOP the bill. Why tell Rick Warren? Because of his endorsement of the widely acclaimed 2006 Zondervan Africa Bible Commentary in which a featured article entitled "Homosexuality" by a Nigerian evangelical leader supports no toleration for homosexuals in Africa and says homosexuals are no better than beasts. This is the evangelical talk in Africa and Rick Warren of the USA and John Stott of England and Douglas Carew of Kenya have endorsed it." Email Rick Warren...
On a personal note, Steve, a graduate of Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan, had served the Faith Baptist Church of Sparta, New Jersey, as senior pastor for ten years when in 1997 he chose to leave the ministry to make a new life with his partner, Jose. Prior to leaving the ministry, Steve was in reparative therapy with Joseph Nicolosi, "ex-gay" support groups, an international male mentoring group and spiritual counseling, all with the purpose of "overcoming" his homosexual attractions. After leaving his now ex-wife and four children and establishing himself in a gay relationship, Steve was accordingly defrocked by the First Baptist Church of Sinclairville, New York. On May 31, 2009, Steve was ordained by Rev. Nancy Wilson, Moderator of the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC). Steve and his spouse Jose were legally married in Sacramento, California, August 25, 2008. They make their home in the Bronx, New York.
In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson chats with Steve Parelli, Executive Director of Other Sheep, a multicultural ecumenical Christian ministry working worldwide for the full inclusion of LGBT people of faith within their respective faith traditions. Parelli's current priority is to stop the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 which will impose the death penalty and prison on the Ugandan LGBT community. He is urging the evangelical community to email their evangelical leaders. "Tell evangelical leaders like Rick Warren to tell the-largely-evangelical Ugandan people to STOP the bill. Why tell Rick Warren? Because of his endorsement of the widely acclaimed 2006 Zondervan Africa Bible Commentary in which a featured article entitled "Homosexuality" by a Nigerian evangelical leader supports no toleration for homosexuals in Africa and says homosexuals are no better than beasts. This is the evangelical talk in Africa and Rick Warren of the USA and John Stott of England and Douglas Carew of Kenya have endorsed it." Email Rick Warren...
On a personal note, Steve, a graduate of Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan, had served the Faith Baptist Church of Sparta, New Jersey, as senior pastor for ten years when in 1997 he chose to leave the ministry to make a new life with his partner, Jose. Prior to leaving the ministry, Steve was in reparative therapy with Joseph Nicolosi, "ex-gay" support groups, an international male mentoring group and spiritual counseling, all with the purpose of "overcoming" his homosexual attractions. After leaving his now ex-wife and four children and establishing himself in a gay relationship, Steve was accordingly defrocked by the First Baptist Church of Sinclairville, New York. On May 31, 2009, Steve was ordained by Rev. Nancy Wilson, Moderator of the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC). Steve and his spouse Jose were legally married in Sacramento, California, August 25, 2008. They make their home in the Bronx, New York.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Victory! Appellate Court Strikes Down “Doctor's Note” Requirement for Transgender Name Changes
A New York State appeals court today struck down a lower court's requirement that transgender people seeking to change their names provide medical evidence of their need for the name change. The ruling was handed down in an appeal we filed on behalf of Olin Winn-Ritzenberg, a transgender man whose petition to change his name to Olin was denied by the lower court because he had failed to provide a letter from a doctor, therapist or social worker establishing his need to change his name.
But the appellate court wrote, "[t]here is no sound basis in law or policy to engraft upon the statutory provisions an additional requirement that a transgendered-petitioner present medical substantiation for the desired name change." The court's decision sends a powerful message that transgender people must be treated equally and that they cannot be subjected to different legal requirements than everyone else. People's names are fundamental to their identities. This decision confirms that each one of us has the right to be known by a name we choose. That decision can't be second-guessed by doctors, therapists or anyone else simply because someone is transgender.
Upon learning of the ruling, Olin said, "This means that I can finally change my name and move forward with my life. My gender transition has been a very personal journey, and no one is in a better position to decide that I need to change my name than I am."
We were lucky to have the assistance of some incredibly talented lawyers, including Brenna DeVaney, Benjamin Edwards, Daniel Gonen, and Janson Mao, who served with us as Olin's co-counsel. Daniel admirably argued the appeal. And our friends at Debevoise & Plimpton and Lambda Legal submitted a stellar brief in support of Olin's appeal. You can read the appeal brief we submitted on Olin's behalf here.
We'd be remiss if we failed to acknowledge Olin's perseverance throughout the long appeal process. Instead of complying with a lower court requirement that we all knew was unjust (and that had been imposed upon many other people), he chose to fight it, delaying his own name change for many months to finally put an end to the practice of subjecting transgender name change applicants to this burdensome and demeaning doctor's note requirement. Thank you, Olin!
Olin changed his name through TLDEF's Name Change Project, which provides free and low-cost name changes by matching transgender community members in New York City with lawyers in private practice who provide their services free of charge. If you or someone you know needs help with a name change, please contact us.
Many months ago, when we first filed this appeal, we asked the question, "Who Decides?" Who decides what your gender identity is? Doctors, government officials, and agency administrators? Or each one of us as autonomous individuals? After many months, we're very happy to have closed the circle with a victory for freedom and self-determination.
A New York State appeals court today struck down a lower court's requirement that transgender people seeking to change their names provide medical evidence of their need for the name change. The ruling was handed down in an appeal we filed on behalf of Olin Winn-Ritzenberg, a transgender man whose petition to change his name to Olin was denied by the lower court because he had failed to provide a letter from a doctor, therapist or social worker establishing his need to change his name.
But the appellate court wrote, "[t]here is no sound basis in law or policy to engraft upon the statutory provisions an additional requirement that a transgendered-petitioner present medical substantiation for the desired name change." The court's decision sends a powerful message that transgender people must be treated equally and that they cannot be subjected to different legal requirements than everyone else. People's names are fundamental to their identities. This decision confirms that each one of us has the right to be known by a name we choose. That decision can't be second-guessed by doctors, therapists or anyone else simply because someone is transgender.
Upon learning of the ruling, Olin said, "This means that I can finally change my name and move forward with my life. My gender transition has been a very personal journey, and no one is in a better position to decide that I need to change my name than I am."
We were lucky to have the assistance of some incredibly talented lawyers, including Brenna DeVaney, Benjamin Edwards, Daniel Gonen, and Janson Mao, who served with us as Olin's co-counsel. Daniel admirably argued the appeal. And our friends at Debevoise & Plimpton and Lambda Legal submitted a stellar brief in support of Olin's appeal. You can read the appeal brief we submitted on Olin's behalf here.
We'd be remiss if we failed to acknowledge Olin's perseverance throughout the long appeal process. Instead of complying with a lower court requirement that we all knew was unjust (and that had been imposed upon many other people), he chose to fight it, delaying his own name change for many months to finally put an end to the practice of subjecting transgender name change applicants to this burdensome and demeaning doctor's note requirement. Thank you, Olin!
Olin changed his name through TLDEF's Name Change Project, which provides free and low-cost name changes by matching transgender community members in New York City with lawyers in private practice who provide their services free of charge. If you or someone you know needs help with a name change, please contact us.
Many months ago, when we first filed this appeal, we asked the question, "Who Decides?" Who decides what your gender identity is? Doctors, government officials, and agency administrators? Or each one of us as autonomous individuals? After many months, we're very happy to have closed the circle with a victory for freedom and self-determination.
National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS).
As you know, CHAMP has been active in fight for a measurable and effective National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS).
We wanted to give you this important update:
The White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) has launched a website where you can submit testimony and/or supporting documents for consideration by the panel developing the NHAS.
The deadline for online submission is November 12, 2009
We wanted to give you this important update:
The White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) has launched a website where you can submit testimony and/or supporting documents for consideration by the panel developing the NHAS.
The deadline for online submission is November 12, 2009
Urgent Alert - Organizations and Individuals: Sign-On Letter
Demand Withdrawal of Proposed Legislation in Uganda
Expanding LGBT Sanctions, Including DEATH PENALTY!
CHAMP urges you to support International HIV Prevention Justice
TAKE ACTION BY THIS THURSDAY!
ENDORSE LETTER TO OPPOSE LEGISLATION!
Send an e-mail to klauer@msmgf.org with the Subject: Here is my Name, City, State and Country for endorsement of the Uganda Letter
Thank you to the Global Forum on MSM and HIV for distributing a version of this alert:
As you may know, legislation in Uganda was introduced late last week that will greatly expand criminal penalties against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community.
Expanding LGBT Sanctions, Including DEATH PENALTY!
CHAMP urges you to support International HIV Prevention Justice
TAKE ACTION BY THIS THURSDAY!
ENDORSE LETTER TO OPPOSE LEGISLATION!
Send an e-mail to klauer@msmgf.org with the Subject: Here is my Name, City, State and Country for endorsement of the Uganda Letter
Thank you to the Global Forum on MSM and HIV for distributing a version of this alert:
As you may know, legislation in Uganda was introduced late last week that will greatly expand criminal penalties against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community.
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