Articles From Our April, 2005 Newsletter
Passages is excited to be presenting the PFLAG program this month on Sunday, April 10. Passages is an organization that is devoted to supporting LGBT youth, questioning youth, and their straight allies under the age of 21. Passages provides our youth with five things: Education, Community, Support, Resources, and Fun! Every Sunday we provide an evening of educational speakers or presentations on subjects such as safer sex, gay history, healthy relationships or political issues. Many LGBT youth are either in the closet or they only have one or two LGBT peers at their school. We provide LGBTQ youth with a close-knit community of friends that share many of the same coming out experiences and help them build self-esteem through acceptance. At Passages, youth find support, not only from other youth but from our adult facilitators and volunteers who provide an adult perspective that most youth want but many can't get from their parents. We also work with other organizations and businesses to provide our at-risk youth with access to resources they may not even know exist. Unfortunately, many youth face homelessness or just barely survive after being rejected by their families. Through our relationships with great organizations like TLC and Synergy we can help these kids stay off the street. But in addition to all of this, Passages is a lot of fun. On Wednesday nights we provide "Dinner and a Movie Night" when local restaurants or volunteers supply food and the youth can hang out with their friends and watch movies. And on Saturday nights we have "Club Queer" which gives youth a safe place to dance, socialize and usually even get a light meal in a drug-free, alcohol-free and hate-free space.
Although Passages has existed for 14 years, we have grown rapidly over the last year and have served over 200 individual youth over the last four months.
Attendance on Saturday nights frequently reaches 80 kids and we draw youth from as far as Topeka, Leavenworth, and Belton.
Passages is an amazing place for our kids and it truly changes lives for the better and in some cases even saves lives. We hope you'll come to the next PFLAG meeting to learn more about Passages and hear some of the kids stories.
Meetings are on the second Sunday of the month, and start at 3pm. Come and join the gang for fun, food, and fellowship.
Happy Spring All. It just dawned on my lightening fast mind (LOL) that many of you have no idea that our chapter has a speaker's bureau. As an LGBT support organization, we are invited to speak to a myriad of groups and, trust me, we are not always preaching to the choir.
Here are a few of the invitations that have come our way in the last few months. We've spoken to two different social work organizations--both groups had great questions and were truly grateful for our time. We held a mini seminar during "Coming Out" month for Penn Valley Community College--there were only a handful in attendance so we gathered around a large table and shared our experiences and how they might differ among minorities. An Avila College professor asked us to join a diversity panel and Park University asked us to speak before a group of graduate students learning about bigotry and bias. Pembroke high school thought it would be great to have us speak during their wellness week.
A Methodist church in the northland asked me to come to a Sunday school class specifically dealing with contemporary issues. One of the most exciting opportunities came when we got a call from K.U.Medical Center. Would we like to speak to a group of medical students about how to make their practices more inclusive? Not only yes--hell, yes. The class of approximately thirty-five was very engaged and I think we all walked away with new ideas.
Regardless of the age or the size of the audience, I have noticed that some things are a given: As I begin to tell my story I always notice a marked difference in the body language of the group. Even the ones who would be most prone to rolling their eyes when sexual orientation is discussed, seem to melt in the wake of a personal story. After all, no one can refute YOUR STORY--it is your reality. Without fail there are those who lag behind to either share their thanks or to get more information. I guess I wanted to share this so that you'd realize the power of your story--share it.
Jamie
(Tampa, FL) On behalf of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) is demanding a public retraction and apology from the Pinellas County Juvenile Welfare Board (JWB) in response to defamatory statements made by board member Cecilia Burke. NCLR cooperating attorney Carl Schuh is co-counsel on the case.
In a written memorandum addressed and circulated to the entire JWB on February 7, 2005, Burke stated that GLSEN and PFLAG “endorse unhealthy sexual practices among youth, including sex between underage youth and adults.” This statement is false.
“This outrageously irresponsible memo is false, scandalous and defamatory, and it is damaging to our clients’ reputations,” said NCLR attorney Karen Doering. "We cannot allow such slanderous and absurd characterizations to go unchallenged and we are prepared to pursue every legal avenue available to hold the Juvenile Welfare Board accountable."
The groups issued a demand letter to the JWB on March 4 insisting that the JWB immediately retract the false and defamatory statements and write a formal letter of apology, and that Cecilia Burke read the retraction and apology into the record at the next JWB meeting. In addition, the letter requests that the JWB “reaffirm its commitment to promoting, promulgating and using age appropriate and medically accurate information, materials and training regarding health and juvenile welfare.” The letter gives the JWB 10 days to comply with the demands before further legal action is initiated. GLSEN and PFLAG reserve all rights regarding further legal action should the JWB not be responsive.
“GLSEN staff, volunteers and student organizers from across the country are working hard to ensure schools are safe places for all students,” said GLSEN Founder and Executive Director Kevin Jennings. “We cannot and will not allow irresponsible comments to mischaracterize, demean and undercut all of their hard work.”
“For more than 30 years, PFLAG has helped families understand that their gay and lesbian loved ones are fine just as they are. By doing so, we save families and save lives,” said Ron Schlittler, Interim Executive Director. “We could not let these misinformed, hurtful and unjustified comments by a public official in a public document simply pass. In fact, the viciousness of this attack required that we take this course of action to preserve the truth: first and foremost, PFLAG cares about children and their families.”
AIDS WALK APRIL 16......DON’T MISS IT
Last year, thousands of caring people participated and raised money for the men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS in our hometown. The 17th annual AIDS WALK, presented by the AIDS Service Foundation of Greater Kansas City, will be held Saturday, April 16th at Theis Park, across 47th Street South of the Nelson.
Registration opens at 8:00 am, Welcoming Ceremonies at 9:30 am, and then we walk at 10:00 am!
When Religion is an Addiction
By Bob Minor
I remember hearing popular psychological speaker and writer John Bradshaw say that the “high” one gets from being righteous was similar to the high of cocaine. As both a former monk and addict, he knew the feelings personally.
As the religious right pushes its anti-gay, anti-women’s reproductive rights, anti-science, pro-profit agenda nationally and in state capitals across the nation and wins, that high is a sweet fix for the addicted. It gives them a comforting feeling of relief that they’re really right, okay, worthwhile, and acceptable.
Like all fixes, though, it doesn’t last. So, the addict is driven to seek another and another – another issue, another evil, another paranoiac threat to defeat. It can’t ever end. Like the need for heavier doses, the causes have to become bigger and more evil in the addict’s mind to provide the fix.
(This article was far too long to print in its entirety. But it is great!! Be sure to go to http://www.fairnessproject.org/Religious_Addiction.html to read the whole article. Many thanks to Bob)
PFLAG SUPPORTS REAL FAMILY VALUES