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FROM OUR PRESIDENT
Recently, I have been in close touch with a friend whom I hadn't seen for a long while. Our friendship goes back many years and I cherish her deeply. She is a sincerely loving and compassionate person with strong religious and ethnic connections. Now that we are reunited in our friendship, we share news of our families and our lives and, though she had known that I have a gay child and am a gay rights activist, we had never talked about that part of my life in detail. I had always felt that she was not comfortable talking about homosexuality and gay issues. Now, as we resume our friendship, I talk more about PFLAG and my experiences as an "out" parent and she has shared with me her progress toward full acceptance and celebration of sexual orientation diversity.
She admitted to me that she had been uncomfortable with glbt people and even with talking about gay concerns. She has been passionately involved in working for ethnic, racial and religious civil rights in the Kansas City community and finally faced her difficulty in including the rights of glbt people in her community work. During the process of confronting her own homophobia, she learned a great deal from glbt people and from reading about the history of the gay rights movement and about the current status of gay rights advocacy. I love hearing her story of learning and accepting and it reassures me that there are so many good and caring people who are bound to homophobia by their lack of knowledge and by misinformation. I feel that my friend and I are now more fully in each others' lives and there is an openness, a trust and closeness that I treasure.
I have also found that, the more open I am about my gay connections and involvement with gay organizations and matters, the more wonderful stories and revelations I hear. I attend a monthly meeting of the Coalition for Community Collaboration, a networking agency of over 400 organizations in Kansas City that serve families. There I represent PFLAG-KC and have occasion to introduce PFLAG and, at every meeting, people tell me their stories of gay family members or, if they are gay and closeted, whisper thanks to me for the work of PFLAG. How good that PFLAG provides opportunities for people to share their concerns and stories about their gay loved ones. So, every once in a while, I thank my gay son for coming out and affording me the chance for meaningful work. I also thank PFLAG for helping me learn about glbt issues, to be supportive of my son and other glbt people.
PFLAG is a wonderful place for me to live out my political activist interests and inclinations and to be of service in the work for expanding human rights for all.
Helen Cohen
Denver Rocky Mountain News, August 22, 2002
Democratic leader talks to media for first time about being a lesbian
By Peggy Lowe, Rocky Mountain News
State Rep. Jennifer Veiga said Wednesday she fears anti-gay attacks in her re-election bid. So the Denver Democrat is talking to the press for the first time about being a lesbian. Even though she has never hidden her sexual orientation, neither has she addressed it on such a wide stage.
"I would never make an issue of my sexual orientation unless I knew the attacks were coming," Veiga said. "The truth is, it just shouldn't be an issue."
Two Republican Party activists say a smear campaign aimed at voters in Veiga's district is taking shape.
They believe it would be orchestrated by a few ultra-conservative
members of the GOP and resemble similar attacks that surfaced two years ago.
The sources said they can't go public for fear of political
retribution. Neither they nor Veiga herself have specifics.
Yet the prospect of a personal attack has angered GOP lawmakers who work alongside Veiga.
The battle over which party wins the majority in the House could be the reason she's a possible target, Veiga said.
She heads up the Democrats' effort to win the House back for the first time since 1975-76.
"I think you have to ask yourself, 'Why is this an issue now, since I've been in office six years?'" Veiga said.
"The only answer I can come up with is I'm moving up in leadership in the House and I'm trying to elect Democrats across the state. And that's threatening."
Some campaigns were waged by anonymous groups while other groups claimed credit for mailings. For example, Colorado For Family Values targeted then-Rep. Gary McPherson, an Aurora Republican, as a "leader of the radical homosexual agenda."
Veiga has identified herself as gay at fund-raisers and many House colleagues are aware of her sexual orientation.
New Heartland Men's Chorus Season Starts in December
Let Heaven and Nature Swing
December 7 & 8
Take traditional holiday music. Throw in a Big Band jazz ensemble. The result? A high-energy concert that's sure to please. To be featured as our next holiday CD, this concert will put you in the mood to celebrate a
swingin' season.
The Few
The Proud
March 29 & 30
Ten-hut! Following the Chorus' long tradition of exploring important issues, this original-concept concert will trace the struggle for gay equality in the U.S. military, from the American Revolution to "don't ask, don't tell."
Double Your Pleasure
June 14 & 15
Two years after a triumphant joint concert in the Windy City, the Heartland Men's Chorus is proud to welcome the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus to Kansas City. In our portion of the concert, you will hear an encore presentation of our most-requested performance, the thrilling Naked Man. Don't miss these two exciting choruses, together again!
To order individual tickets call
815-931-3338 or visit the web at
www.hmckc.org
CDs are $15 each.
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