Articles From Our November, 2003 Newsletter
Bev Prince-Sayward will be our
guest speaker at our November 9 meeting. Bev is the contact person for a
large group of gay parents with children and she writes some articles for
Midwest Times about gay parenting. The group organizes social events for
gay families, including a recent Halloween party. They also have a small
playgroup for stay-at-home folks and their little ones.
They have events or seminars at the LGCC from time to time. In August they had a seminar about talking to teachers about having a gay family and about general advocating for your child’s rights in the school system.
Our meetings start at 3pm at Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Road, Room 307. Come and meet with us on Sunday, November 9 and learn more about gay families with children, and the issues they face in our schools and society in general.
They have events or seminars at the LGCC from time to time. In August they had a seminar about talking to teachers about having a gay family and about general advocating for your child’s rights in the school system.
Our meetings start at 3pm at Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Road, Room 307. Come and meet with us on Sunday, November 9 and learn more about gay families with children, and the issues they face in our schools and society in general.
Click the picture to see the full sized version.
Did we have a great month or
what?!!
Pflag members participated in "Out In Westport" (an old-fashioned block party) during the first weekend of the month and we capped it off by fixing tacos for Passages, Kansas city's gay youth organization. Both events were about having a sense of community and working together. Kudos to all who worked so hard to make them happen.
These two events, along with many others, are constant reminders of just how important it is for me as a parent to be "out" as well. I stand amazed at the young people I've met who are open about being gay - how brave it is in the face of the bigotry, bias, and ignorance they face every day - often times in their own families.
As parents, we've spent countless hours researching and talking with friends to find the best doctors, orthodontists, churches, schools, play groups, piano teachers, soccer coaches, etc. We've read countless books on raising children and every one of us, if
necessary, would throw ourselves in front of a moving train to save our child.
And, so….I wonder why it is that when a child says, "I am gay" how we, as parents, can be so crippled by those three words. I will be the first to admit that when those words are uttered it feels as if the train has jumped the track entirely and has hit us straight
on! But, just as we would recover from physical injuries, we must recover from the shock as well - for the sake of our kids. The recovery process can be slow and painful or fast and fun. I think it's really up to us. We feel paralyzed because we lack knowledge and we're not sure where to find it. So…we have to get back to the researching and the talking with friends.
Pflag is a great place to find both! We have informative speakers, a lending library, pamphlets, brochures, and the wealth of knowledge that can be gained from the friends who attend the meetings. Because of Pflag, I find it easier every day to be "out"-talking about gay issues and my gay child. And so, the next time someone asks if John has a girlfriend at school, I'll simply say "No, but he is seeing this nice boy named…"
Hope to see you at our next meeting!
Pflag members participated in "Out In Westport" (an old-fashioned block party) during the first weekend of the month and we capped it off by fixing tacos for Passages, Kansas city's gay youth organization. Both events were about having a sense of community and working together. Kudos to all who worked so hard to make them happen.
These two events, along with many others, are constant reminders of just how important it is for me as a parent to be "out" as well. I stand amazed at the young people I've met who are open about being gay - how brave it is in the face of the bigotry, bias, and ignorance they face every day - often times in their own families.
As parents, we've spent countless hours researching and talking with friends to find the best doctors, orthodontists, churches, schools, play groups, piano teachers, soccer coaches, etc. We've read countless books on raising children and every one of us, if
necessary, would throw ourselves in front of a moving train to save our child.
And, so….I wonder why it is that when a child says, "I am gay" how we, as parents, can be so crippled by those three words. I will be the first to admit that when those words are uttered it feels as if the train has jumped the track entirely and has hit us straight
on! But, just as we would recover from physical injuries, we must recover from the shock as well - for the sake of our kids. The recovery process can be slow and painful or fast and fun. I think it's really up to us. We feel paralyzed because we lack knowledge and we're not sure where to find it. So…we have to get back to the researching and the talking with friends.
Pflag is a great place to find both! We have informative speakers, a lending library, pamphlets, brochures, and the wealth of knowledge that can be gained from the friends who attend the meetings. Because of Pflag, I find it easier every day to be "out"-talking about gay issues and my gay child. And so, the next time someone asks if John has a girlfriend at school, I'll simply say "No, but he is seeing this nice boy named…"
Hope to see you at our next meeting!
With all sincerity,
Jamie Lee
Jamie Lee
HOLIDAY CONCERT
The Heartland Men's Chorus, Kansas City's 120-voice gay men's chorus will offer their ever-popular Holiday Concert at 8 pm, Saturday, December 6 and 4 pm, Sunday, December 7 at the Folly Theater, 300 W 12th St, KCMO. This year's program, "Angels," draws from 500 years of angelic music that not only spans a variety of religious traditions, but comes from popular culture as well. A highlight of the concert will be the world premiere of "Country Angel Christmas," a new children's musical commissioned by the HMC from the book of the same name by internationally-famous children's author Tomie dePaola. Featuring 3 child soloists, this new work delightfully presents the important message that everyone, big or small, is a valuable part of community. The author will join the Chorus to narrate the program. Tickets
are available now online at www.hmckc.org or by calling (816) 931-3338.
special “Family Matinee”
In a special one-hour "Family
Matinee" designed for families and children, the Heartland Men's Chorus
will be joined by noted children's author Tomie dePaola to present
"Country Angel Christmas" at 3 pm, Saturday, December 6 at Kansas City's
Folly Theater. Children's tickets are free with the purchase of an adult
ticket, making this show affordable for the entire
family! Get your tickets now online at www.hmckc.org or by calling (816) 931-3338.
family! Get your tickets now online at www.hmckc.org or by calling (816) 931-3338.
Thanks to you, good things are
happening everyday in our community. Here are three AMAZING examples...
1. (Our recent) GaYrage Sale raised
almost $2,000 to refurbish the new street-level Center. April Sanders and
her talented crew did an AMAZING job organizing, tagging and staffing the
event. Thanks, too, to all of you who emptied out your closets and donated
to the sale.
2 Kansas City Power & Light (yep,
our electric company) recognized the value of their LGBT employees and
customers by joining the list of the AMAZING companies who are becoming
LGCC-KC Business Members.
3. The marketing campaign for "The
Pulse" (the city-wide LGBT health survey developed by LGCC-KC and the
Kansas City Health Department) won a nationally recognized Silver Award
for Excellence in Public Health Communication. What's even more AMAZING is
that our feisty and fabulous campaign for "The Pulse" campaign cost just
$6,000. The first place winner's campaign cost over twenty times that
amount. Congrats to the marketing team that included John Long, Jim Gable,
Catherine Kelly, Pam Bennett, and David Wayne Reed.
And, finally, as many of you already
know, a clan of right-wing extremists are gathering signatures attempting
to force a public vote to amend the Kansas City Charter (the city's
"constitution") and prevent the city from recognizing domestic
partnerships or same-sex civil unions. AMAZINGLY "hell-bent" on denying
gays and lesbians the protection provided to other taxpayers, these
radical fundamentalists are also trying to rally national support to make
Kansas City a test case for constitutional bigotry.
So, get ready, Kansas City, your
time to be even more AMAZING is coming.
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri has amended its anti-discrimination policy to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. The decision ends a decade of lobbying gays and lesbians on the four campuses of the university system. "Finally, at long last, a victory for fairness," said Robin Cook, a senior who worked for its passage. He said the university was simply catching up with other institutions.
PFLAG SUPPORTS REAL FAMILY VALUES