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Articles From Our March, 2002 Newsletter |
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Bob comes to us from Children's Mercy Hospital, and will speak to us about health and other issues facing glbt youth. Bob's specialty is in Developmental & Behavioral Sciences.. He graduated from the Kansas City School of Medicine in 1987; and his residency was in psychiatry at Medical University of South Carolina, in Charleston. He was certified in Adult Psychiatry in 1992, and in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry in 1994. His special interests are in Tourette's syndrome, attention deficit disorders, OCD, anxiety disorders, and affective disorders. Let's all come out and welcome Bob. He will bring us a wealth of information and a warm spirit. Our meeting will be held on the 10th of March at 3pm. ACTION ALERT This action item was brought to PROMO's attention by Ken Haller, MD, a PROMO member and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics: FROM OUR PRESIDENT
This winter I was motivated by great curiosity and interest to visit two very different parts of the world. In December I traveled to Egypt where, for two weeks, I immersed myself in six thousand years of history and civilization. I was overwhelmed by the detailed knowledge available of the ancient Egyptians, knowledge of their daily lives, religion, and social conventions. I also learned much of contemporary Egyptian life. This month I visited Cuba for two weeks and learned about the only socialist republic in the western hemisphere. Cuba is an incredibly beautiful country and the Cuban people are warm, friendly and welcoming. Cubans are emerging from 500 years of occupation and oppression by Spain, America, and the Soviet Union. They are a people of extraordinary and impressive spirit and a strong sense of nationalism. In both countries I asked many people about attitudes, policies, and practices regarding gays and found that there are great differences between the two countries. Presently, in Egypt there is repression, discrimination and criminalization of gays. Several months ago 50 men were tried, found guilty and jailed as homosexuals. Those I talked with in Egypt regard these government actions as condescension to militant Moslems. Whatever the impetus for these proceedings, life for glbt people is difficult and perilous in Egypt. In Cuba, following the revolution in 1959, gays were persecuted and sometimes jailed. They were fired from jobs and some were exiled in the Mariel boat lift. In the past decade, the Cuban government has attempted to make amends and there is a new sense of freedom for gays who gather in gay clubs, especially in Havana. Gays who were purged have been rehired with back pay and Cubans with whom I talked said that there is legal and judicial protection for gays from discrimination and prejudice. It is also interesting that, although both countries have governments that we might characterize as undemocratic, Egypt is the second largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid and Cuba is blockaded by the U.S. In both countries I was touched and impressed by the public's differentiation between American people and American government. People I met embraced Americans with enthusiastic affection and, at the same time, harshly criticized our government's biased and hurtful policies. My mind still reels with all that I saw, heard and learned in my travels and, with time, I will process the learnings and make more sense of my experiences. The observations shared here are so brief and limited and do not include adequate historical context so I welcome responses from those of you who have insights into life in Egypt and Cuba, especially as it impacts glbt people in those countries. Troy Perry, head of MCC, calls for Resignation of Alabama Supreme Court Justice "Today, I am adding my voice to the many voices of faith and conscience around the world in calling for the resignation of Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore. Justice Moore, in his ruling this past week in a custody case involving a lesbian parent, called for the confinement and execution of homosexuals, imposing his own draconian morality on the judicial system and upon the citizens of Alabama. Many people of faith who know the Christian Scriptures will recognize that Justice Moore has simply lifted words from the Bible, twisted the meaning of those words to fit his own personal biases, and then imposed them as law upon the citizens of Alabama. This is unconscionable....Justice Moore's decision contains some of the most biased and hate-filled propaganda to come out of a governmental authority since Nazi Germany.... I am all the more horrified that this legal decision was rendered in the same state in which Billy Jack Gaither was savagely murdered solely for being gay, and in which a recent survey by the University of Alabama found that 44% of Alabama's lesbians and gays had been targets of anti-gay abuse in their families, 39% in their neighborhoods, and 48% in the workplace. (Excerpted from MCC News Alert, Feb. 22, 2002)
The following is reproduced from the St. Louis PFLAG newsletter and was written by Sue Sutherland, a member of that chapter. Our deepest thanks go to Helen and those others of our PFLAG chapter who responded in such a caring and loving way to this family in their distress and sadness. Longest Trip of Our Lives On August 4, 2001, my husband and I began the longest trip of our lives. It was only to Kansas City, Missouri but the miles felt endless. Our son needed us. He was hospitalized after moving to Kansas City for only twelve days. We finally arrived and made that first long walk down that endless hospital hallway to the elevator, up two floors and found his room. Could the illness which we thought he'd left in St. Louis have accompanied him to Kansas City? I could not believe it when the doctor met with us and told us this would probably be his last illness. We finally checked into our motel and collapsed. The pain was unbearable. How could I ever walk that long hallway again and face my son without breaking down We were in a strange town where we knew no one except our son and his partner and his partner was leaving for South America for two weeks the very next day. We had planned to stay for only two days but we found that our lives in Illinois would have to be placed on hold for much longer. It was Sunday morning and I remembered that Dean had told me at our last PFLAG meeting the Millie was a friend of the lady who was president of the Kansas City PFLAG and that the Kansas City PFLAG had a web site. I had brought along the printout of their web site along with a printout of gay friendly organizations in the Kansas City area; there were many listings. I called the number for PFLAG and on their recording I got the home phone number of the president. Yes, she was home along with her daughter and grandchildren who were visiting and making joyful noises in the background. I explained my situation and she asked "My dear, what can I do for you? How can I help?" All I could say was, "Please talk to me. I need someone who understands to give me courage to return to my son's hospital room." That kind voice said of course she'd certainly help in anyway she could. That's how I survived the next week, by calling my dear friend Helen every day. The next Sunday afternoon we went to the Kansas City PFLAG meeting and met for the first time. We met other caring PFLAG members, some who had been through the same pain as we were experiencing. Helen and I called each other in Kansas City and in Illinois when we occasionally returned home, emailed each other, visited at the hospital and she emailed our St. Louis PFLAG friends so they knew what was happening while we were away. Another dear Kansas City PFLAG mom telephoned and visited our son in the hospital many times during his eleven week stay. She delivered sweets to him in the hospital and supper to us when we took him to his home in Kansas City. Soon after our beloved son died. I am so sorry our story ends with the death of our beloved son but not sorry that I can share with you the good news that no matter where you travel you will never be without a PFLAG friend when troubles arise or when you just want to visit and share experiences and maybe help them. Like one of our St. Louis members who was called upon to share his story when he visited a PFLAG meeting while on vacation in Alaska, "We're all in this together." You have a PFLAG friend wherever life takes you. Pick up the phone and say "Can you please help me" to someone who is on the same journey as you are.
REGISTER NOW! Gay Men's Chorus Sings Songs of Love The 100-voice Heartland Men's Chorus continues its 16th year of excellence in men's choral music with their Spring concert Voices From the Heart. Through a variety of pieces from different musical style periods, the Chorus will explore the many facets of love--Innocence. Earthiness. Forbidden desire. Parental care. Acceptance. Courage. Musical selections will be woven together with narration crafted from Chorus members' own stories of the varied relationships that make up our lives--comrades, faith communities, family, friends, parents and partners. Of particular note will be the world premiere of Two Flutes Playing. Basing a song cycle on the book of the same name by Andrew Ramer, the Chorus has proudly commissioned its first major work. Created by Kansas City composer Mark Hayes, the piece features men's chorus, soloists, male dancers, percussion, piano, and of course, two flutes. Noted Kansas City performer, Mezzo-soprano Debra Sowerwine will participate in the premiere. The work deals with gay male sexuality and spirituality from a mythological perspective. The concert will be presented at 8:00 PM Saturday, March 23, and at 4:00 PM Sunday, March 24, at the historic Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th Street, in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Tickets are available for $22.50, $18.50 and $16.50 by calling the Chorus office at 816-931-3338 or online at www.hmckc.org. |
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PFLAG SUPPORTS REAL FAMILY VALUES |
